Recycling

We partnered with Waste Free Oceans and embarked on a two and a half year journey of research. In 2021, we successfully produced the WFO-box OceanIX, made largely from recycled fishing gear, that still meets our strict quality requirements. Over the coming years, we will scale up our use of discarded fishing gear in our products.

This initiative saves fossil fuel resources and allows us to increase our use of recycled materials, and at the same helps to avoid further worsening of the plastic soup. Read more

Returnable transport packaging is focused on preventing waste and encouraging repair and re-use of materials; Schoeller Allibert’s products are used an average of 250 times.

This places it at the top of the waste hierarchy; a concept used to evaluate the best ways of reducing and handling waste in order to protect people and the environment while also conserving resources and minimizing energy consumption. The waste hierarchy concept has been used in various forms in European Union policy and legislation since 1975.

Re-use is placed high in the hierarchy because of the energy and resources required to carry out the recycling. Recycling also relies on systems being in place to ensure recycling takes place; in reality, a small proportion of single-use products that can be recycled end up being recycled.

A good example is the recycling of our bottle crates. A bottle crate easily lasts 10 to 15 years, and after one lifecycle, in which bottles are transported back and forth over and over again, the bottle crate will be fully recycled – into yet another, new bottle crate. This is what we call a cradle-to-cradle, closed-loop approach.

In combination with switching to renewable energy at our production sites, the cradle-to-cradle approach reduces the product carbon footprint of the bottle crate by a FACTOR 8.

For more complex products, cradle-to-cradle recycling reduces the carbon footprint by a FACTOR 3 TO 5.

ClimatePartner calculated the product carbon footprints of our bottle crates, as well as enabled us to offer carbon-neutral products by offsetting unavoidable emissions with certified carbon offset projects.

Reducing carbon emissions is crucial to ensure a liveable planet into the future, and an ever-growing number of our customers are focusing strongly on reducing emissions in their supply chains.

Returnable transport packaging is already a lower carbon option compared to the alternatives. But to take us further, our sustainability strategy outlines how we will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of our products and our company. A baseline assessment by the external agency South Pole has already been carried out to lay the groundwork for the years to come.

Shifting to green energy and scaling up our use of recycled materials will allow us to significantly lower the carbon footprint of our products, reducing emissions per production unit by 30% by 2035. At the same time, changing our energy sources, investments, and travel and reducing the amount of waste produced will reduce our emissions as a company.

Recyclability is an important feature of returnable plastic packaging systems. Schoeller Allibert offers all the recycling services necessary. We collect used containers and crates. After cleaning, grinding, washing and drying, they are ready to be remoulded and re-used. No pollution, no waste. We take care of all the necessary steps, creating a sustainable packaging cycle.

Using fewer scarce commodities is an important development for the packaging industry. By focusing on recycling, companies can considerably reduce their purchase levels of commodities and supplies. This is an important contribution to saving our environment. We feel a responsibility to support and endorse this positive development. We’re confident recyclability will set the standard.

The products that are recycled at our facilities can even be safely used as food packaging. To support this the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) have provided scientific advice and approval for our recycling process installed at three of our sites in the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain.

Schoeller Allibert strives to continuously improve its products, services and processes. Customer satisfaction is SA’s number one priority. Because customers work on an increasingly global basis with SA, we are working with a certified QA system in the USA and EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) group. We are busy implementing this in our Asian sites as well. Schoeller Allibert keeps its customers at the forefront of its markets.

Schoeller Allibert is proud to be an ISO certified company with many of our sites conforming to:

• ISO 9001: Quality

• ISO 14001: Environment

• ISO 22000: Food Safety

• ISO 50001: Energy