Packaging giant DS Smith has managed to cut its carbon emissions per tonne of product by 6.7 per cent between 2015/6 and 2016/7 thanks to more efficient lighting, new combined heat and power plants (CHP) and better energy management.
The results, released earlier this week in the firm’s latest sustainability report, mark the first step in the company’s journey to cutting emissions per tonne of production by 30 per cent by 2030, against 2015 levels.
Although emissions reductions were driven primarily by internal efforts to cut emissions by boosting energy efficiency and switching to CHP power at its paper mills, DS Smith also admitted emissions levels from its UK operations benefited from the falling emissions intensity of the UK’s national grid, as more renewables came on-stream.
UK-headquartered DS Smith employs around 26,000 people worldwide and supplies packaging to a wide range of sectors, including online retailers and food businesses. Earlier this month it completed a giant deal to acquire US packaging company Interstate Resources for £722m.
Elsewhere in its sustainability report, the firm reported that 85 per cent of primary raw material was sourced from FSC-certified sites in 2016, up from 62 per cent in 2015.
“Whilst we are always working to reduce our environmental impact and realise the potential of our people, as a leading supplier of packaging solutions we also recognise the role we can play in helping our customers operate more sustainably,” Ian Simm, chairman of the sustainability committee at DS Smith, said in a statement. “We listen to our stakeholders, understand our impacts, assess new opportunities, and take action.”
Source: businessgreen.com
