In its latest sustainability report entitled ‘The cycle to a better future begins with the right packaging’, ALPLA gives an extensive update on the topic of sustainability and the company’s targets. CEO Philipp Lehner sets out the key aspects of the strategy for the next few years: ‘I believe that ALPLA as a company has a responsibility towards society to guarantee secure, affordable and sustainable supplies for the global population in the future too. At the same time, with a carbon footprint which is usually lower than that of alternative packaging solutions, plastic makes an important contribution to climate protection.’
Circular economy as a success factor
The circular economy has been an important part of ALPLA’s sustainability strategy for many years, with the company always championing closed loops and greater awareness of plastic as a recyclable material. After all, the use of recycled plastics conserves fossil resources and reduces carbon emissions. For example, PET regrind material from the ALPLA plants in Austria and Poland causes up to 90 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than virgin material. With input of around 206,000 tonnes of PET and approximately 88,000 tonnes of HDPE, ALPLA’s own recycling plants and joint ventures around the world are, in total, contributing significantly to the use of recycled plastics in production.
Expansion of renewable energy
Electricity accounts for around 95 per cent of ALPLA’s total energy consumption. The company therefore sets great store by the efficient and responsible use of electricity. In addition to using cutting-edge technologies, a key topic is increasing the proportion of electricity from renewable sources: ‘Globally speaking, we were already covering 28 per cent of our electrical energy consumption with electricity from renewable sources in 2020, compared with 18 per cent in 2019,’ says Martin Stark, Director of Corporate Plant Engineering, giving an insight into the current developments.
