The 50 Sustainability & Climate Leaders for 2020 project, an international sustainability and climate initiative supported by the United Nations and driven by TBD media group, features 50 leading organisations from the international business community who have demonstrated leadership and the will to take effective action in the fight against climate change.
This year, Vienna-based Constantia Flexibles has been singled out as one of 50 global companies to take part in the initiative. A closer look at this company’s track record soon explains why.
Constantia Flexibles has consistently striven for more sustainability along the entire production supply chain and in its own production. In 2005, the company committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 20% per square meter by 2015. When it reached that target in 2011, new actions were decided on.
These included an ambitious target: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 24% by 2030 and by 49% by 2050 from a 2015 base-year. In other words, the company aims to almost halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
This target was also officially approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative. Targets adopted by companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are considered “science-based” if they are in line with the level of decarbonization required to keep the global temperature increase below two degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial temperatures.
And in 2019, Constantia Flexibles launched Ecolam, a lightweight, mono-material flexible packaging solution featuring an OPE/PE structure that is fully recyclable, yet providing the requisite oxygen and moisture barrier to protect products. Ecolam is produced at the Constantia Ecoflex Ahmedabad plant, in Gujarat, India, which is the first plant in the world to produce only recyclable flexible packaging.
In addition, the company has pledged that all its packaging will be fully recyclable by 2025, to ensure this can stay within recycling streams to be reused. It is also a founding member of CEFLEX (A Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging), a European consortium of companies representing the entire value chain of flexible packaging aiming, among others, for an established collection, sorting and reprocessing economy developed for post-consumer flexible packaging across Europe, by 2025. This will be based on end of life technologies and processes delivering the best outcome for a circular economy.
Alexander Baumgartner, CEO at Constantia Flexibles, explains the company’s stance.
“We have a positive outlook on what is possible with regards to sustainability through innovation and, through our own targets, are continuing to work towards a more positive result. The packaging industry needs to change, Constantia Flexibles is proving that it can,” he said. “Moreover, sustainable innovation provides an opportunity for businesses to make their mark in a new and positive manner; we are taking steps to do just that.”
As part of the 50 Sustainability & Climate Leaders campaign, taking advantage of the reach of Bloomberg’s digital network and the close collaboration of the United Nations in the campaign, the company wants to demonstrate what is possible. A conference to be attended by all ‘Leaders’ in New York is planned for September 2020. Here, Constantia Flexibles will engage with the other campaign participants to showcase its progress - and its ‘extensive list’ of activities - towards achieving a better, more sustainable future.