Elopak Sustainability Report 2021 – Towards net-zero

The year 2021 was a landmark year for Elopak. We shifted our focus from simply doing less harm towards doing more good. The roll-out of our new vision, ‘Chosen by people, packaged by nature’, and our mission to remain our customers’ partner and consumers’ favorite across the business supports this positioning both externally and internally.
Our sustainability report 2021 gives an update on our progress and goals regarding people, planet and profit.

Sustainability:

The way we work:
As a global corporation, Elopak is committed to work systematically with all aspects of sustainability, from the well-being of our employees, initiatives to mitigate climate change, responsible sourcing of raw materials, to responsible business conduct, upholding the highest ethical standards in all our business operations.
Being sustainable means finding the balance between what is good for the people, the planet and the profit.
Infographic: sustainability components

Our sustainability targets:

Our sustainability targets remain the same as last year, safeguarding our long-term commitments to key global challenges such as climate change, scarce natural resources, diversity, safety and responsibility in supply chains.

1.

Elopak offers a top-quartile motivating workplace by 2025

2.

85% of employees have individual targets and documented competence development plans

3.

Target the same distribution in gender diversity across all hierarchical levels
“Over the past three years, we have further embedded sustainability throughout Elopak’s business and operational units. This helped us incorporate our sustainability targets with the company’s overall targets and to work systematically with the topics most important to us.”
Marianne Groven, Sustainability Director at Elopak

Renewability

Renewability is important to Elopak because we are an inherent part of this world, and we have a responsibility to maintain the scarce resources of our planet.
Since our primary raw material originates from the forests, we take responsible forest management very seriously.
Elopak has an ambitious goal of 100% renewable or recycled content materials in our cartons on the European market by 2030.

Naturally renewable – maintaining living and viable forests

Elopak sources all of its paperboard from verified and controlled sources. Since our certification in 2010, the annual sales of FSC-certified cartons has been steadily increasing with 54% of our sales volume being FSC-certified in 2021 (74% in Europe).
Elopak Volumen Anteil FSC Zertifizierter Kartons
Elopak volume share of FSC-certified cartons (global, excl. Joint Ventures)
Elopak Erneuerbare Frischmilch Kartons in Europa
Elopak volume share of fully renewable fresh milk cartons in Europe

Fossil-free –
with certified renewable polymers

Since the launch of our first fully renewable carton in 2014, the share of cartons with plant-based polyethylene in Europe has steadily increased, reaching 22% in 2021.
Our self-defined target is to reach 50% by 2025.

Net Zero

Elopak has worked systematically to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions since 2008 and we have publicly reported our emission data every year
In 2016, we became a member of RE100 and a carbon-neutral company, offering carbon-neutral packaging to our customers, and have been sourcing 100% renewable electricity ever since.
We were an early adopter of the Science Based Targets (SBT) initiative in 2019 and took part in their Net zero Road Test with 80 other companies during the summer of 2021.

Carbon neutral

Elopak has been a carbon neutral company since 2016. Through carbon neutrality, we compensate for all emissions from our own manufacturing processes, our transport and our business travels. By expanding the scope, we can offer carbon neutral packaging to our customers. We were the first to offer CarbonNeutral® Packaging for beverages and liquid foods.
Elopak supports projects outside of the value chain, that can provide third-party verified carbon emission reduction credits. In doing so, we are contributing not only to reduced emissions but also facilitating positive effects on local livelihoods and the environment.

More than 303,800 tonnes CO2e

have been compensated through the first five years of Elopak's Carbon Neutral Program.

Building the road to 2030 with Science Based Targets

We have updated our near-term targets on the path to net zero, committing to reducing absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 42% by 2030 from a 2020 base year. In addition, we pledge to continue sourcing 100% renewable electricity. We have also committed to reducing scope 3 GHG emissions by 25% by 2030 from a 2020 base year.

Recycling & circular economy

Elopak cartons are recyclable with existing technology. Our cartons are currently recycled in about 20 paper mills across Europe.
Elopak supports requirements for recyclability and circularity, which are evident in regulatory developments all over the world and particularly in Europe.
Elopak participates in multiple associations and industry partnerships to support the continued improvement of the collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure for our paper-based cartons.

Recycling

Our cartons contain fibres of very high quality that can be recycled up to seven times. The challenge is to continue to make national collection and recycling facilities more widely available and easily accessible, so more people can recycle. Therefore, Elopak works together with industry peers to increase and strengthen the collection and recycling of cartons across our markets.
*Latest figures from 2019
Recycled (percent)
Infografik: Nachhaltigkeit in Europa
Sustainability in Europe
About 20 paper mills across Europe currently recycle collected beverage cartons.
Both the private sector (e.g. in Italy, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic) and the beverage carton industry have invested in recycling of the non-paper fraction of beverage cartons. The industry initiative Palurec GmbH is now operational in Cologne.
There are 4 initiatives recycling the non-paper fraction, and through these, roughly 30% of the European volume can be recycled as of today.
Asi Logo Certified Performance

ASI certification

The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) has announced that it has officially certified Elopak for the company’s material stewardship of aluminium throughout its entire value chain.
Ecovadis Logo 2020 Nachhaltigkeits Bewertung und Rating Silber Elopak

EcoVadis platinum rating

Elopak has been awarded a platinum rating for its sustainability performance by EcoVadis, the world’s largest and most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings. This achievement places Elopak in the top 1% of companies evaluated across all industries.
Sustainability report 2021 – Full Report
Sustainability report 2021 – Press release
Elopak – Corporate website
Ehrmann Cornish Dairy, UK
Product:
Pure‑Pak®

Freshness re‑packaged: Trewithen Cream in Pure‑Pak® cartons

Ehrmann Cornish Dairy, home to the Trewithen brand, is converting three of its fresh cream products from HDPE plastic bottles to Pure‑Pak® cartons from Elopak. In collaboration with Elopak, a new filling line has been installed at the company’s site in the Glynn Valley as part of a significant investment following the acquisition by the Ehrmann Group.

From this autumn, Cornish whipping cream, double cream and buttermilk will be available in 300 ml, 500 ml and 1,000 ml cartons. By making the switch, Trewithen reduces its use of plastic, simplifies logistics and offers retailers a sustainable, shelf‑ready alternative. The move marks an important milestone for the heritage brand and has already secured a nationwide Tesco listing across the UK.

H2O4U, Finnland
Product:
Pure‑Pak®

Pure water, newly packaged: JÄÄDE in Pure‑Pak® cartons

The Finnish company H2O4U is introducing JÄÄDE, one of the purest waters in the world, for the first time in fibre‑based cartons from Elopak. The naturally filtered mineral water is filled at the company’s production facility in Lahti, Finland, where it originates from deep glacial formations that were formed around 10,000 years ago.

The products are available in 330 ml and 500 ml Mini Pure‑Pak® cartons. By introducing carton packaging, H2O4U is choosing a sustainable alternative to conventional plastic packaging and reinforcing its commitment to providing clean and safe drinking water in a resource‑efficient way – while ensuring strong shelf visibility.

JIF, Norway
Product:
D-PAK™

Cleaning Repackaged: Jif in D-PAK™ Cartons 

Elopak’s D-PAK™ cartons are now replacing plastic bottles for Jif household cleaners in Norway. The products are now available in 750 ml and 1500 ml cartons, including Jif Krystal Grønnsåpe – a floor and surface cleaner made from pure wood oils. With this change, manufacturer Orkla Home & Personal Care is reducing its plastic consumption. At the same time, logistics are being simplified, and retailers benefit from a sustainable, shelf-ready alternative. 

Lumme, Finnland
Product:
D-PAK™

Sustainable Refill: Hand Soap in D-PAK™ Carton 

Orkla Home & Personal Care is using Elopak’s 750 ml D-PAK™ carton for Lumme brand hand soap refills for the first time in Finland. The carton provides an environmentally friendly alternative to previous plastic refills while offering better value for money. One refill pack is enough for one and a half bottles of hand soap in the “Forest” and “Apple Blossom” fragrances.