Hinojosa receives industry’s first Aenor certificate for UN Sustainable Development Goals commitment

22 Jul 2022 --- Hinojosa Packaging Group, a producer of sustainable packaging solutions in Southern Europe, has become the first in the packaging industry to get Aenor accreditation. This distinction is said to honor their commitment to the UN’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The company says the award confirms that it considers environmental sustainability as an important pillar in its growth plan through 2023. Furthermore, the packaging company has a sustainable management system linked with a widely recognized worldwide reference, allowing it to standardize and translate its promises to major interest groups.

The company tells PackagingInsights that “in order to achieve this certification, Hinojosa analyzed from the supply base and inbound logistics, throughout production, distribution, use and end-of-life of the products, to determine the SDGs that impact each stage of its value chain.”

Hinojosa has incorporated the identified relevant goals into its strategic plan, including targets and tangible steps for their implementation, following analysis and consideration of the effect and influence of interest groups.

Standardization framework 
Elaborating on what obtaining this certification means to the company and its consumers, Hinojosa says: “Through Aenor’s SDGs certification model, the company has a framework for its [environmentally] sustainable management aligned with a widely accepted international reference.”The company uses 100% renewable energy for all its plants in Spain.

This framework allows the company to standardize and transfer its commitments to its main stakeholders, according to Hinojosa.

“It [the certification] also enables the company to make this model compatible with other reports, whether voluntary or regulatory – for example, the Statement of Non-Financial Information SNFI or the Global Reporting Initiative GRI.”

Committed to circularity
Hinojosa is committed to a business model that promotes a circular economy. The corporation intends to do this through three important areas: reducing its carbon footprint and increasing the usage of renewable energies, developing socially responsible goods, and “achieving excellence” in staff training.

The company’s strategic plan for reducing its carbon footprint was established in 2020. It entails a 30% reduction by 2023. Hinojosa updates us on progress and says that “to date, the company has achieved a 26.1% reduction through various initiatives.” 

One of these initiatives is “the installation of the first solar photovoltaic plant for self-consumption at the plant in Cordoba and the implementation of a biogas treatment system and a biomass boiler at the paper mill in Sarrià de Ter, Spain.” 

Hinojosa currently uses 100% renewable energy for all its plants in Spain, an initiative it intends to extend to its international plants.Hinojosa says its corporate social responsibility focuses on employees.

In line with its commitment to the circular economy, Hinojosa says it ensures the environmentally sustainable origin of its raw materials and the responsible management of resources throughout the production chain. 

“One of the great indicators of this is the waste recovery figure, which during 2021 reached 95.6%, an increase of 6.2% compared to the last recovery figure presented. Likewise, 98.9% of the raw materials it uses are of renewable origin and 87.7% of recycled origin.”

Meanwhile, the company also reuses 100% of the waste generated in the manufacture of containers and packaging. 

Employees in view
Addressing another area of the business model, Hinojosa explains that its corporate social responsibility focuses on employees. The company tells us that the policy prioritizes decent education and suitable jobs, which are “fundamental” for the economic and social advancement of people, companies and countries.

“Hinojosa also contributes to the training of talent in the market through the creation of the first cycle of Dual Vocational Training in Graphic Printing in Spain, which allows for installation skills in the packaging industry and opens opportunities for professionalization at different generational and cultural levels,” the company says.

In 2021, Hinojosa developed 484 training actions, which translated into 36,954 hours of training for its employees, and the company says it will remain committed to providing quality education and decent work in line with the UN’s Developmental Goal 8.

By Mieke Meintjes