The “50 Sustainability & Climate Leaders” initiative is a response from the international business community to take effective action in the fight against climate change. As the global population soars, more than ever before it’s becoming essential to ensure that food is not being mishandled or wasted. From production and shipping to storage, in order to feed the world, food supplies need to be treated with care. Protecting goods and preventing unnecessary food wastage is at the core of Schur Flexibles’ operations. Schur Flexibles Group specialises in made-to-measure, tailored packaging and protective packaging solutions. Throughout the production process, sustainability is a top priority.
“Our team has a strong willingness to shape the future of the organisation of the whole industry,” explains Schur Flexibles CEO Michael Schernthaner. “We at Schur Flexibles are the accelerator of change for a better world through protective packaging solutions. This means to consistently focus on ‘HOW we produce’. To us, protecting the packed goods is just as important as taking responsibility for the effects of our business on people – employees, consumers and partners along the entire value chain, as well as our environment.“
5R Strategy and Collaboration to drive sustainability
This is why Schur Flexibles follows the goals of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and partners with organisations like the Save Food initiative, which seeks to raise awareness of food waste, and start-up Recyda, whose database will provide access to European-wide information on recyclability of packaging material. The group’s 5R sustainability programme, with its focus on responsibility, follows an approach to Recycling, Replace, Reduction and Renewal along the group’s value chain.
Partnering with “Operation Clean Sweep”, Schur Flexibles is dedicated to eliminating plastic flakes, powders and granulates. As a voluntary scheme taken on by leaders of the plastic industry, Operation Clean Sweep ensures that the industry holds itself accountable for reducing carbon emissions and plastic waste materials. “As a group, we assume our common responsibility to avoid the release of our materials into the environment – this includes all our sites, not only the ones that handle granulates,” says Fiene Berger, Manager Corporate Responsibility, Schur Flexibles. In addition, Schur Flexibles has introduced its own regular internal audits, which help to both prove Schur Flexibles’ track record for responsible waste management and position the company as a global climate leader.
Digitisation leads the way to save resources
Working across Europe means working together with not only different companies, but different governments, laws, restrictions and regulations. This is one of the ways in which advanced and specialised software solutions come into play. Another valuable use of technology comes from the implementation of their digital maintenance programme, which makes the use of augmented reality technology to allow the company’s so called “flying doctors”, the company’s technical specialists, to help out with maintenance remotely. This tool is also used to support customers in implementing sustainable packaging alternatives.
This waste management scheme also includes the development of a site-specific recycling management system. The company's own solvent recovery plant is currently being expanded at one of the largest production sites. This will enable the company to absorb emissions from the printing process directly at the production site, clean them and convert them into reusable solvents on site.
Schur Flexibles Group is proudly committed to fighting against climate change and rallying the rest of the industry to join its efforts. For plastics to stay relevant in an age of increased environmental awareness, producers must prove to be sustainable and responsible; and Schur Flexibles is working hard to excel in this and to make sure that, much like its packaging, its climate policies are airtight.
The “50 Sustainability & Climate Leaders” programme presents a global documentation series in cooperation with TBD Media, features placed via international news agency Bloomberg and a summit in cooperation with the UN in 2021. All aiming to show concrete solutions of the business community to fight climate change. Find out more: https://www.50climateleaders.com/home/.
Wiener Neudorf, December 15th, 2020
About Schur Flexibles
Headquartered in Wiener Neudorf, Austria, Schur Flexibles Group specialises in innovative, high-quality and made-to-measure high-barrier packaging solutions for the food, tobacco and pharmaceutical industries. With its integrated chain of added value, from extrusion via print and laminating, to extensive bag and pouch making, the Group, which was founded in 2012, currently generates sales of around EUR 520m, making it one of the top European companies in the industry. Schur Flexibles employs around 1,900 employees and is made up of 22 production plants in Western and Eastern Europe, all of them highly specialised and each of them enjoying technology-leadership status in their own fields. This center-of-excellence concept and its holistic sustainable approach makes the group an attractive and expert partner for client companies in selected industries.
Media contact:
Schur Flexibles Holding GesmbH
Romy Sagmeister, Head of Group Communications
T +43 2252 266014 39 · M +43 676 841205 239
E romy.sagmeister@schurflexibles.com;
