Amcor elevates environmental pledge with net-zero science-based targets

26 Jan 2022 --- Amcor is targeting net-zero emissions by 2050 and committing to using science-based targets to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 

The commitment has been recognized by the UN-backed Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and builds on the success of Amcor’s EnviroAction program. Since the program started in 2008, the packaging giant has reduced GHG emissions intensity by 35% and is on track to deliver a cumulative 60% reduction by 2030.

“We’re confident that in following short and long-term targets set in line with SBTi, Amcor can reach net-zero GHG emissions by 2050,” David Clark, vice president of sustainability at Amcor, tells PackagingInsights.

“To build on our progress and reach the new targets, we will continue to look into the options we have as regards renewable power, operational efficiency and the carbon footprint of our products, and review how we work with suppliers and customers.”

Amcor is one of a select group of packaging companies committed to using SBTi targets and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Fiber-based packaging company DS Smith recently announced similar goals.

Supply chain engagement
Science-based targets help organizations establish verifiable benchmarks and plans for reducing their GHG emissions, which supports the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to “well-below” 2°C.

The company says it is engaging with its suppliers to determine the carbon footprint of the materials they supply and reduce those emissions over time. “In doing so, we will be able to understand which materials have the highest footprint and work with suppliers to create roadmaps to reduce their emissions,” explains Clark.SBTi has verified Amcor’s targets support the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to “well-below” 2°C.

“Amcor has been working to reduce our impact on the climate for more than 15 years and is committed to delivering more [environmentally] sustainable packaging solution across various materials.”

Through its life cycle assessment (LCA) tool – Asset – the company has been providing customers with data to measure the environmental impact of each stage of a product’s life cycle.

Life cycle assessments
Asset is certified by the Carbon Trust and applies the LCA model to packaging. Additionally, using the Carbon Disclosure Project supply chain initiative, Amcor provides customers specific data based on the emissions of the plants which supply them.

“Our use of science-based targets to reduce emissions is in line with our broader [environmental] sustainability strategy to reduce our impact on the planet, which is an important priority for us as well as our investors and customers,” continues Clark.

“Through our 2025 pledge, where we’ve committed to designing all our products to be recyclable or reusable and to increase the amount of recycled content we use, we are working to create a more circular economy.”

Recycling for carbon reductions
Clark adds that this strategy will also help reduce the company’s carbon footprint, as recycling plastics and using recycled materials in a circular economy often results in lower emissions than using virgin plastics and other materials.

Edward Kosior, founder of pioneering polypropylene (PP) packaging recycling project Nextloopp, recently explained how recycled plastics can be a weapon against climate change and how not all recycled plastics offer the same levels of carbon efficiency.Recycling plastics and using recycled materials can result in lower emissions.

“We need to refer to the intrinsic CO2e footprint of the base plastics to ensure our choices have the smallest CO2 footprint,” he tells PackagingInsights. “Recycled HDPE and recycled PP have a 25% lower carbon footprint than recycled PET. So, while PET has been a true recycling success story, from a CO2 perspective, we should be looking to recycle more HDPE and PP than PET.”

Yesterday, Gerald Rebitzer, sustainability director at Amcor, explained how the supplier is enhancing the material technologies on PepsiCo’s new chip packet to make it easier to recycle.

PepsiCo announced plans to eliminate virgin fossil-based plastic in all of its chip bags by 2030. “And, we are beginning to integrate renewable and recycled content into PepsiCo’s packaging,” says Rebitzer. “To meet the demands of our clients like PepsiCo, we encourage more partners upstream to invest in the supply chains of these new materials.”

Progress to date
The net-zero announcement comes on the fourth anniversary of Amcor’s pledge to design all its packaging to be recycled or reusable by 2025. Currently, three-quarters (74%) of Amcor’s products by weight are now designed to be fully recyclable.

Amcor was one of over 70 financial institutions and businesses to release a statement calling for a legally binding global treaty on plastics pollution ahead of the UN Environment Assembly 5.2 in Nairobi, Kenya, later this year.

Last year, Amcor Rigid Packaging designed a container that collapses in a controlled way to maximize its width, enhancing the recyclability of small PET bottles.

In addition to carbon-related objectives, Amcor says it maintains “robust targets” for reducing water and waste-to-disposal.

By Joshua Poole