- Validation at overall Salzgitter AG Group level
- Net zero by 2050 at the latest
- Ambitious plan with decarbonization measures adopted
Binding targets for and holistic commitment to climate protection: together with Group parent Salzgitter AG the KHS Group pledges to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The results of the now completed validation by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) confirm that the Dortmund systems supplier is on the right course.
The independent climate protection organization SBTi develops standards, tools and guidelines which enable companies to set concrete greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. These are transparently validated in a recognized audit procedure. At the end of last year, together with all other Salzgitter AG companies and through the overall Group KHS submitted binding short-term and long-term targets for science-based CO2 reduction. The results that are also based on the Paris Climate Agreement and are in accordance with the 1.5 °C target have now been validated by the SBTi. Compared to base year 2021, in the short term the KHS Group will cut its greenhouse gas emissions generated directly by combustion (scope 1) and indirectly by the use of purchased electricity (scope 2) by around 36 % at all of its sites by 2028. Furthermore, in the same period the greenhouse gas emissions from the company’s upstream and downstream value chain (scope 3) will be lowered by 20 %. “Alongside the long-term and science-based Group target of net zero by 2050 at the latest, our short-term goals for 2028, approved by the SBTi, are just as ambitious, as important measures such as the switch to green electricity at our German plants were already fully implemented before base year 2021. We’re now concentrating on further energy efficiency measures and our international facilities. These act within very different energy markets,” explains Kai Acker, CEO of KHS GmbH.
KHS adopts ambitious plan
“We only have a few years in which to achieve our intermediate goal,” Acker continues. “We thus put the time up until validation to good use and have adopted a number of specific decarbonization measures. The first steps will now be initiated in the near future. Our ambitious plan is both an incentive and an obligation. We’re also showing our customers that we act responsibly and with transparency when it comes to protecting our climate,”Acker concludes.
Elopak, a leading global supplier of carton packaging and filling equipment, has published its 2020 Sustainability Report. The successes in the report include an 11 % decrease in greenhouse gas emissions against a 2017 baseline, marking great progress towards the Science Based Target (SBT) goal of 55 % reduction. In addition, Elopak reports on increasing sales of fully renewable cartons for fresh milk in Europe, reaching 18 % in 2020, compared to 8 % in 2018, as well as the continued use of 100 % renewable energy and carbon neutrality throughout the company since 2016.
The 2020 report is the company’s first fully digital sustainability report and has been conducted in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. It covers planet, people and profit, setting out the company’s 2020 performance in the context of past progress and future ambitions; sharing case studies that identify some of the drivers behind progress, as well as identifying the remaining challenges as the company works to become Net Zero.
Speaking on the launch of the report, Elopak’s Sustainability Director Marianne Groven stated, “2020 was an exceptional year in many respects, but critically it marked the beginning of the climate decade. At Elopak we believe that now is the time to shift our focus from simply doing less harm towards doing more good. Our 2020 Sustainability Report sets out our latest performance and ambitions on this front.”
Progress in 2020 was achieved through a combination of innovation and initiatives. For example, at Elopak’s Aarhus facility in Denmark there was a switch from fossil fuel to electric energy on one of the production converters, as well as the adoption of intelligent LED lighting to reduce the power consumption of the facility’s lighting system by 78.4 %. Meanwhile, we have reduced the energy per carton by 13 % since 2017 and by 23 % since 2008.
Prior to 2020 Elopak had already achieved a reduction in the carbon footprint of an average carton with a closure, from 32 g CO2e in 2014 to 25 g CO2e in 2020. The carbon footprint of a carton without a closure is much lower at 17 g CO2e. In 2020 Elopak launched the Pure-Pak® Imagine carton, which is designed with a new easy open feature instead of a plastic screw cap. This carton contains 46 % less plastic and is fully forest based.
Elopak maintained its strong focus on people in 2020, investing in the training and education of its employees. The company recorded 5,300 course completions during the year, with 80 % employees receiving one or more trainings. Elopak also participated in wider community initiatives, in particular related to the Covid-19 pandemic, such as working with customers to provide milk to food banks in France and donating water boxes to hospitals in Spain.
Commenting on the publication of the report CEO Thomas Körmendi set out the company’s determination to push its sustainability performance further stating, “Despite the challenges of 2020 we remained focused on our vision – chosen by people, packaged by nature. Today we celebrate the progress we have made in recent years, including five years of carbon neutrality. However, with the climate decade upon us we must continue our work to advance a low carbon circular economy.”
In recognition of its commitment to advancing sustainability and working collaboratively in pursuit of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Elopak earlier this year announced it has joined the UN Global Compact as a participant.
The full report is available at: elopak.com
