measure and monitor the processes and report results ... - Refresco.de

Sustainability review 2010
The company’s sustainability approach focuses on a number
of different areas. “In October 2009, for example, we were
the first in our industry to launch Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) labeled carton packs for fruit juice drinks and ice teas in
Europe,” Stangl says. “SIG Combibloc was also the first carton
pack manufacturer to have had all its worldwide production
sites FSC certified.” In addition, the company conducts lifecycle
assessments (LCA) in which the potential environmental
impact of products during their entire life is recorded and
evaluated. These assessments are conducted to internationally
binding standards (ISO 14040). “Assements look not only
backward but also forward,” Stangl explains. “We support our
customers with specific calculations of the carbon footprint of
our packages and we continuously investigate potential improvements
to the production lines to achieve higher output.”
Another target for SIG Combibloc is to reduce energy and
material consumption at all the production sites. All existing
equipment and planned technical improvements in production
are checked for their environmental impact. The company makes
economical use of resources a priority. By developing new
filling machines and modifying existing models, SIG Combibloc
has significantly reduced its consumption of water, energy and
compressed air. Meanwhile, the latest technology is used to
make the cartons produced even lighter, enhancing their logistical
advantage in transport and storage. Rolf Stangl: “We have
regularly discussions with Refresco to see where we can clearly
improve along the supply chain.” Finally, recycling features
prominently in SIG Combibloc’s environmental sustainability
strategy. “We actively engage in local collection and recycling
systems,” says Stangl, “and make sure there is sufficient recycling
capacity for used carton packs.”
Rolf Stangl is optimistic about SIG Combibloc’s future with
Refresco “We are constantly searching for new opportunities
to improve our products, both in packaging and in production
lines, for example the new carbon­reduced EkoPlusPack.
The main focus in our business lies in system innovation.
This is key for the future of both SIG and its stakeholders.
In this system innovation process we consider three aspects:
First, does the packaging serve the environment? Is it recyclable?
Second, in terms of convenience, does the packaging
open and close easily? How does it pour? And finally, but not
unimportantly: can we produce it efficiently? We never lose
sight of the total cost of ownership. If we want to stay fit for
the future, we must outperform on all three aspects.”