Smurfit Kappa has said that it is making significant progress in its journey towards becoming a fully sustainable and circular business, according to the packaging firm's latest Sustainable Development Report.
The company reached a number of key milestones throughout 2018, including the launch of its Better Planet Packaging initiative, it said.
Better Planet Packaging
According to its statement, Better Planet Packaging seeks to reduce packaging waste by creating more sustainable packaging solutions through design, innovation and recycling capabilities.
The initiative sparked a huge amount of interest from customers keen to replace non-recyclable materials with paper-based packaging, it revealed.
Smurfit Kappa said that its new set of sustainability goals was unveiled having met or exceeded previous targets ahead of their 2020 deadline.
Progress
Currently Smurfit Kappa's paper-based packaging is renewable and recyclable, the group said, but its the paper production process itself is energy intensive.
Progress was made in terms of its target for climate change, with the company reporting a relative reduction is fossil CO2 emissions by 29% compared to its baseline year, 2005.
Smurfit Kappa stated that its focus is on energy efficiency and the use of renewable sources of fuel such as biomass, where feasible.
Economic And Social Development
The report also includes several stories from communities which Smurfit Kappa is supporting to contribute to their economic and social development.
The company said that its aim is to continue generating wellbeing and improvement in areas vital for the future, such as education and income generation.
"Today’s report outlines the progress that Smurfit Kappa continues to make in sustainability." said Tony Smurfit, group CEO.
"As leaders in sustainable packaging, we have a responsibility to address the challenges that face the environment and society today." he continued. “Through our Better Planet Packaging initiative we have committed to using our strength in design and innovation to guard against waste."
Industry-Leading Transparency
Commenting on the report, Steven Stoffer, group VP development at Smurfit Kappa said, "This report is evidence of our industry-leading transparency and demonstrates how Smurfit Kappa is making progress in supporting the UN’s 2030 Sustainability Development Goals.
“For Smurfit Kappa, sustainability is not only about mitigating climate change and reducing inefficiency." he added. "For packaging to be truly sustainable, it must be produced and designed in a sustainable fashion and be biodegradable within a relatively short time after multiple uses. Paper-based packaging is uniquely positioned to do this.”
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Helen Galgey. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
