Elopak reveals vision for packaging sustainability

The strategy sets the packaging giant on the road to absolute sustainability, with the overall goal to be a company with zero negative impact on the environment by 2020.

Elopak began its environmental journey by announcing its ‘first generation’ sustainability targets, focused on reducing its CO2 emissions, in 2007.

Elopak’s Future Proof 2020 states that the company aims, by the year 2020, to have ‘future proofed’ all its products and services by being:

• 100% renewable – raw materials and energy use.
• 100% carbon neutral – all products and operations.
• 100% recyclable – cartons and raw materials.
• 100% recycled – zero landfill.

For each facet Elopak has set out a defined target and identified steps to reach them:

• Renewable raw materials: Elopak is committed to 100% use of renewable raw materials by 2020 by identifying, testing and implementing alternative materials.
• Sustainable energy: Elopak aspires to reach a 25% reduction in energy use per produced unit and to achieve 85 per cent renewable energy by 2020.
• Sustainable logistics: The aspiration is to achieve a green supply chain with the aim of eliminating transport wastage, and to achieve a 15% CO? reduction of transported blanks per kilometer.
• Customer operations efficiency: With an objective to achieve a reduction in carbon emissions and use of consumables (water, steam and chemicals) in Elopak’s customer operated carton filling equipment by 25%.
• >Total recycling – zero waste: To completely prevent waste and products going to landfill. By 2020 Elopak aims to achieve 50% of household recycling and 100% of recycling within all its operations.

Source: Elopak

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