Smurfit Kappa slices CO2 emissions by a third, targets 40 percent reduction by 2030

11 May 2020 --- Smurfit Kappa has reported significant progress in reducing its relative CO2 emissions in its recently-published 13th annual Sustainable Development Report (SDR). The leading paper-based packaging provider recorded a 32.9 percent reduction in fossil CO2 emission intensity between 2005 and 2019. While Smurfit Kappa regards these results as an “impressive achievement,” the company’s current target is more ambitious as it seeks to reduce relative CO2 emissions by 40 percent by 2030 in comparison to the 2005 baseline.

Smurfit Kappa will also discuss its current CO2 reduction target with the Science Based Target (SBT) initiative to confirm that it is aligned with the Paris Agreement and the recommendations of the latest climate science findings. 

In addition to seeking SBT validation, Smurfit Kappa is looking to build on more than a decade of providing full CO2 disclosures by supporting the Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures, a global body that develops climate-related financial risk disclosures which are used to provide information for investors, lenders and insurers.

The new SDR report, which is structured on the three strategic focus areas of People, Planet and Impactful Business, provides comprehensive detail on the contributing factors in the reduction of emissions. These include a strategic focus on energy efficiency and the use of renewable sources of fuel such as biomass. The TopClip can achieve 30 percent lower carbon footprint than plastic alternatives, according to Smurfit Kappa.

There are several other achievements outlined in the SDR. Progress was made in the area of safety with a 17 percent reduction in its Total Recordable Injury Rate. Smurfit Kappa also reached 92.1 percent for all packaging solutions sold as Chain of Custody certified, which is cast-iron assurance for customers of the sustainable origin of the raw material used. Further improvements in the quality of its discharged water were made with a 35 percent reduction of relative Chemical Oxygen Demand. 

Other highlights for 2019 include the creation of a Board-appointed Sustainability Committee and €3.5m investment in social initiatives including children’s education and health.

Environmental sustainability remains a key focus
Tony Smurfit, Smurfit Kappa Group CEO indicates that the supplier “has been deemed an essential business” during the COVID-19 pandemic. “At this challenging time, our immediate, primary focus is to protect our employees and meet our customers’ needs. I am immensely proud of how our 46,000 employees are playing their part to maintain vital supply chains during the pandemic,” Smurfit says.

“Sustainability remains a key focus for us. Today’s report gives an insight into how it continues to underpin our all business operations and outlines the progress we are making in the areas of environmental, social and governance criteria,” he explains.

Smurfit Kappa launched a “Design for Help” portfolio of products to help alleviate some of the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first products that made their debut in a Smurfit Kappa plant in France were corrugated workplace dividers. These are used to protect people who work closely alongside each other so they can maintain a safe distance while carrying out their jobs. Smurfit Kappa designers have also created corrugated beds for temporary hospitals and isolation spaces, a range of protective face masks and temporary furniture including shelves and tables.The Rollor pack for garments is 100 percent renewable, recyclable and biodegradable.

“During these uncertain times we will continue to focus on our sustainability offering, not only to customers but also where we can make a tangible difference in the communities in which we operate,” notes Steven Stoffer, Group VP Development at Smurfit Kappa.

“For Smurfit Kappa, sustainability is more than mitigating climate change and minimizing environmental impact by our operations; the Sustainable Development Report also demonstrates how we are using our scale, experience and expertise to help deliver solutions to a broad range of global issues including inclusion and diversity, safety and human rights,” Stoffer says.

A notable example of Smurfit Kappa’s carbon-reducing solutions is the paper-based multipack beverage carrier, TopClip. The solution, which was recently brought to market for the first time by Dutch beer brewer Grolsch, produces on average 30 percent lower carbon footprint than plastic alternatives and is also 100 percent renewable, recyclable and biodegradable.

In the e-commerce space, a partnership between Smurfit Kappa and Dutch patented technologists Rollor Packaging culminated in the unveiling of the Rollor fiber-based pack at Packaging Innovations 2020. Promising crease-free delivery of garments in an eye-catching sushi roll-inspired style, the Rollor pack is 100 percent renewable, recyclable and biodegradable.

Edited by Joshua Poole