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Global packaging company Elopak has been awarded an A+ score for excellent Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting by sustainability consultancy Position Green. This places Elopak in the top 5 % of companies assessed.

Position Green’s ESG100 analysis examines the degree to which the corporate ESG reporting of the 100 largest listed companies in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway provides valuable financial and non-financial information for decision makers.

This year’s ESG100 report marks the sixth edition and presents an analysis and review of how prepared the 300 participating companies are for the introduction of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), which are due to take effect on 1 January 2024.

“We are incredibly proud to have been awarded an A+ grade. However, reporting is not the only part of the picture, we must also deliver on our goals, which is what we are working on going forward”, said Marianne Groven, Director of Sustainability at Elopak.

A+ is the highest grade the ESG100 assigns, meaning that Elopak ranks among the top 5 % of companies in Norway, Sweden and Denmark for its ESG reporting. Elopak was ranked fifth in Norway, which was also the country with the largest share of companies with an A+ ESG grade.

Groven added, “Elopak has been reporting on sustainability results for 15 years and we are extremely proud of the progress we have made. Our commitment to sustainability reflects the values of our customers and ultimately consumers so it makes sense that we are as transparent and accurate as possible.”

In 2022, Elopak became one of the first companies to set out targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to become a net zero company by 2050. The company is also a participant member of the United Nations (UN) Global Compact as part of its efforts to advance sustainability and work collaboratively to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The full ESG100 report can be downloaded from Position Green here .

Costain is working with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, Wales and West Utilities and food and drink manufacturer Princes Group on a feasibility study to produce hydrogen from biogas from the Cardiff East Waste Water Treatment Works that willfuel boilersto provide heat for fruit juice pasteurisation.

The programme is funded through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS)£1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, which aims to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative clean energy technologies and processes through the 2020s and 2030s.

The H2Juice project has been awarded £372,931 of funding from the BEIS£26 million Industrial Hydrogen Accelerator Programme (Stream 2A), to demonstrate the feasibility of end-to-end industrial fuel switching to hydrogen. The study will take five months with the possibility to awarded further funding in the subsequent Stream 2B, to conduct further engineering and a demonstrator.

The feasibility study will also investigate the ability to utilise different blends of hydrogen with natural gas, enabling the transition to fuel switching and demonstration of system flexibility.

Costain Energy Sector Director, Matt Browell-Hook, said “I’m delighted that our H2Juice project has been selected under the Government’s hydrogen accelerator programme. Costain has been active for a number of years in the development of hydrogen schemes across the UK and this recent award is a great reflection of the hard work our energy teams have been involved in.”

This project builds on a similar study carried out with Welsh Water to evaluate the feasibility of converting waste gases from the sewage treatment process to produce fuel grade hydrogen, which could power local fleet vehicles.

Sustainability: VOG Products awarded EcoVadis silverSponsored Post – Sustainability is firmly embedded in the strategy of VOG Products. The prestigious EcoVadis award, the world’s most reliable provider of sustainability ratings for global supply chains, has confirmed the company’s active effort in the entire production process, rewarding it with a silver medal a few weeks ago.

Sustainability: VOG Products awarded EcoVadis silver
Christoph Tappeiner (Photo: VOG Products)

“We are proud and happy to have received this honour, which is an important signal to our customers and consumers: we offer safe, sustainable and high-quality products,” said Christoph Tappeiner, the CEO of VOG Products. The silver status means that VOG Products is among the top 25 per cent of all companies rated. The EcoVadis rating looks at environmental aspects, as well as employment and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.

Two years ago, VOG Products passed the «GLOBAL G.A.P. Farm Sustainability Assessment» with the FSA Gold label and since then, has systematically taken next steps. For example, it invested in the continuous development of its own photovoltaic system and now obtains 100 per cent of its power from renewable energy. “We calculated our corporate carbon footprint and verify it every year. By doing so, we can systematically implement measures to increase energy efficiency and further lower our CO2 emissions,” said CEO Tappeiner.

From the field to processing: saving water at all levels

Water is a special focus of VOG Products: with the “Cooling water optimisation” project, the company saved as much water in 2022 as 15,000 people consume in one year – by using the same water twice as cooling water and as transport water.

Water is not only saved on the company grounds in Laives, but also along the VOG Products supply chain: infact, the Laimburg Research Centre collaborated with the Alto Adige Consultancy Centre to develop “Smart Land”, a system that uses high-quality sensor technology to measure soil moisture in the field and connect it to current weather and temperature data. The data are then transmitted via app in real time to farmers, who use it for the needs-orientated watering of the fruit orchards. With “Smart Land”, water savings of up to 50 per cent can be achieved.