SIG environmental sustainability manager: Regenerative change requires entrepreneurial mindset and industry partnerships

09 Apr 2021 --- SIG has published its Corporate Responsibility (CR) Report for 2020, detailing the progress on its “Way Beyond Good” roadmap to “put more into society and the environment than it takes out.”

PackagingInsights sits down with Dr. Christian Bauer, manager for environmental sustainability at SIG, to discuss the COVID-19 challenge, carbon reduction and the collaborative culture needed to drive regenerative change. 

For Bauer, the biggest surprise in the Way Beyond Good journey has been the acceleration of commitments for positive change across packaging and other industries.

“When launching, we coined Way Beyond Good as a long stretched visionary ‘net positive’ ambition for our company and our packaging solutions.”

“Earlier than expected, we are ready to enter the decade of action (as a reference to the SDG 2030) with a bundled set of actions to move even faster and at scale along our journey to deliver the most sustainable packaging solution.”

The aseptic system and solutions provider set out its Way Beyond Good roadmap five years ago. The latest CR Report highlights the milestones achieved since then, including a host of industry firsts. 

Achievements in 2020 include:

• Enabling customers to continue delivering vital food supplies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• Further cutting greenhouse gas emissions and staying on track to achieve stretching targets aligning with the latest 1.5 °C climate science.
• Sourcing 100 percent paperboard as FSC-certified (from January 2021).
• Remaining the only aseptic carton provider to offer aluminum-free packs, packs linked to 100 percent renewable materials and packs with all three main materials certified as responsibly sourced.
• Surpassing 1.3 billion packs sold with the aluminum-free combibloc Ecoplus solution since its launch in 2010.
• Reaching nearly 200 million packs sold with Signature 100 or Signature Full Barrier packaging materials using polymers linked to 100 percent renewable, forest-based materials.
• Launching Signature Circular, the world’s first aseptic cartons made with post-consumer recycled plastic.
• Retaining a Platinum rating in the latest EcoVadis assessment, scoring among the top 1 percent of participating businesses.
• Securing financing explicitly linked to sustainability performance.

The COVID-19 challenge
SIG’s progress over the last year, including sourcing all of its paperboard as FSC-certified from January this year, has been achieved against the backdrop of a highly disruptive pandemic.

SIG’s Signature 100 or Signature Full Barrier packaging use polymers linked to 100% renewable materials.“All over the world, businesses have had to quickly change how they work, adhering to lockdowns and social distancing. But for those providing essential services for society, such as F&B companies, this has proved particularly challenging,” explains Bauer.

“And to keep up with the demand, many of our SIG plants have been running day and night, all to ensure our customers can provide a continuous supply of food and beverages to consumers.”

“With national lockdowns, restricted airspace and closed borders, COVID-19 has brought widespread disruption to economies around the world. And this disruption has placed a huge strain on the world’s supply chains, particularly when it comes to the continued provision and movement of food.”SIG has sold more than 1.3 billion aluminum-free combibloc Ecoplus packs since its 2010 launch.

From farms and factories to distribution and retail, serious challenges have materialized at every stage of the supply chain, notes Bauer. Not least has been the restriction and removal of key workers to protect lives, and surges in demand for many household goods and items, particularly packaged and shelf-stable food products.

“In many markets, F&B companies have been classified as essential, meaning a significant proportion of producers and manufacturers have had to stay open, maintain operations as normal and even increase production,” adds Bauer, “all while navigating prohibitive lockdown conditions, following strict social distancing, and implementing stringent pandemic protocols.”

“As an essential supplier to F&B manufacturers, SIG has made sure to keep the chain going while staying agile to constantly changing circumstances.”

The carbon catalyst
In addition to reflecting on progress to date, the report sets out SIG’s mission to create net-positive food packaging by expanding forests globally, taking carbon from the atmosphere, creating more resources for future generations and ensuring nutrition and hydration are available to increasing numbers of people.

“We joined SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative) as an early adopter and managed to considerably reduce GHG across our entire value chain,” outlines Bauer.

SIG’s U-shaped paper straw arrives before the EU’s SUPD banning plastic straws. “Apart from increasing efforts along our value chain to further reduce GHG emissions, we seek for climate-positive outcomes, for example, by the actions we take on forests or circularity.”

“The increasing demand for our low carbon product is a key to link our growing business to an effective decarbonization of packing food and beverages.”

Partnering on regenerative change
Bauer also stresses that transition and regenerative change cannot be achieved in isolation. It requires an entrepreneurial mindset and pioneering action but also a culture of collaboration and partnerships.

“Our adjusted strategy is enabled to partner along the journey forward while leading on innovation.”

“One of the biggest challenges will be to find partnerships for transition that are ready to move beyond incremental efficiency improvements.”

“What we can definitely say is that more and more companies are looking for more sustainable packaging alternatives for their products,” he concludes.

By Joshua Poole