Smurfit Kappa receives five-star rating for UN Sustainable Development Goals support in FTSE 100-first

02 Mar 2021 --- Smurfit Kappa has become the first FTSE 100 company to receive a five-star rating by Support the Goals, an organization certifying company commitments and contributions toward the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The SDGs are a universal call for action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure all people have peace and prosperity by 2030.

Agreed by world leaders in 2015, these goals can only be achieved with private businesses’ support. 

Smurfit Kappa Group CEO, Tony Smurfit, says, “Our ambition is to be the most sustainable company in paper-based packaging, and we continue to play our part to support and contribute to the UN’s 2030 Sustainable SDGs.”

SDG support 
Support the Goal is an initiative established to entice one million businesses around the world to adopt responsible production and consumption practices that will further the SDGs. 

A five-star rating is awarded to companies actively involving their suppliers in efforts toward reaching these goals. Consumers increasingly see paper as the sustainable choice in food packaging, Smurfit Kappa says.

For most businesses, a significant amount of their environmental and social impact comes from the supply chain. It is therefore vitally important to help suppliers understand and support the furthering of the goals, notes Smurfit Kappa. 

“If we’re to achieve the SGDs by 2030, we need every business to get behind them. It’s fantastic to see Smurfit Kappa is helping their suppliers to learn about the goals and encouraging them to take action,” says Colin Curtis, founder and director of Support the Goals. 

Smurfit Kappa’s sustainability efforts 
The company’s latest sustainability targets are outlined in its Better Planet 2050 commitment.

Better Planet 2050 quantifies the company’s continued commitment to sustainability, targeting environmental and social responsibility areas where it believes it can have the greatest impact. 

“We are proud to be in a position to accept this responsibility for the benefit of a better, more sustainable future for all,” says Steven Stoffer, group vice president of sustainable development at Smurfit Kappa. 

Last year, the company reported significant progress in reducing its relative CO2 emissions, with a 32.9 percent reduction in fossil CO2 emission intensity between 2005 and 2019.

This month, Smurfit Kappa also launched its paper-based punnet portfolio Safe&Green in Europe, where “consumers are ready to compromise for more sustainable packaging solutions for their fresh produce.” 

The company says the launch corresponds with its research revealing European consumers’ preference for paper-based packaging. Seventy-five percent of Smurfit Kappa-surveyed consumers believe paper-based punnets to be the most sustainable choice.

By Louis Gore-Langton