Sustainability – our CO2 balance
Whether foam inserts, load carriers or any of our individual packaging solutions – the production of foam packaging generates unavoidable CO₂ emissions.
As your partner for foam packaging, Wetropa feels it has a responsibility to mitigate these CO₂ emissions and to make the company more sustainable in accordance with “avoid, reduce, neutralize”. Economic, ecological, and social sustainability is very important to us and is integral to our operations. Already in 2013, the company was certified according to ISO 14001.
AVOID, REDUCE, RECYCLE
WE AVOID AND REDUCE…
Through continuous process improvement and optimization of the material usage already during the development of our foam packaging (waste avoidance), an uneconomic use of resources is avoided. Through the reduced, but nevertheless optimal use of materials, your packaging is produced taking sustainability factors into account.
The economic viability of the company is not disregarded here.
Social sustainability with regard to the continued existence of the company, job security and an ethically impeccable and reliable environment for our employees and customers is already one of our focal points.
WE RECYCLE…
We strive to minimize our carbon footprint and ensure sustainable operations. An important step in this is the precise recording and analysis of our CO₂ emissions. Through advanced technologies and comprehensive monitoring systems, we uncover potential sources of CO₂ emissions and identify areas where we can make improvements
At the Wetropa Group, we attach great importance to sustainability and environmental protection. A key part of our efforts is our commitment to recycling. We are firmly anchored in the circular economy and are committed to ensuring that production waste and unused packaging undergo a further recycling process. Our extensive reprocessing prepares them for return to production to ensure a closed loop. In this way, we actively contribute to conserving valuable resources and protecting our environment.
Sustainable measures lead to a reduction in CO2 emissions at Wetropa Group
We are firmly committed to fulfilling our environmental responsibilities and establishing sustainable business practices. Our ambitious target to reduce CO2 emissions by 50% by 2025 compared to 2018 has already been surpassed in 2022, with an impressive reduction of no less than 55%.
We have achieved this performance through a series of targeted measures:
Replacing the entire lighting system with LED
By switching to energy-efficient LED lighting, we have not only significantly reduced our energy consumption, but also extended the service life of our lighting systems.
Photovoltaic system at the FFM site (380 KW per year)
The installation of a photovoltaic system at the Frankfurt am Main site enables us to obtain a significant proportion of our energy requirements from renewable sources and further minimize our CO2 footprint.
Optimization of machine operation
We have taken measures to optimize the operation of our energy-intensive machines. This included reducing operating times to fewer shifts and implementing more efficient operating practices to reduce energy consumption.
Switch to completely digital and paperless production
By using the latest digital technologies, we have optimized our production processes and significantly reduced the need for paper and other physical resources. This not only helps to reduce our ecological footprint, but also increases the efficiency and flexibility of our production processes.
THESE CLIMATE PROTECTION PROJECTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN SUPPORTED BY THE WETROPA GROUP:
GLOBAL MARINE PROTECTION
with an offset quantity of approx. 545 t CO₂
SOLAR ENERGY NAMIBIA
with an offset quantity of approx. 9,000 t CO₂
DETERMINATION OF OUR CO₂ EMISSIONS
Production of our raw materials
Production material, packaging material, auxiliary and operating materials)
From the supplier to production (truck, rail, ship transportation, flight)
Energy consumption in production and administration
Electricity, process heat, administration, business travel, employee commuting
From production to the customer
Truck, rail, ship transport, flight
Carbon footprint
We receive the result of our CO₂ emissions in a carbon footprint. This is the starting point for our other environmental protection activities. We support various climate protection projects with ClimatePartner.
What are SDGs?
The abbreviation SDGs stands for Sustainable Development Goals. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a globally recognized benchmark for measuring these positive effects. These 17 goals include the fight against poverty and hunger, the promotion of education and the global distribution of clean and affordable energy.
SDGs and the packaging industry – great potential for sustainability
Packaging technology can have a major impact on achieving global sustainability goals. Sustainable packaging means nothing less than reinventing the packaging of goods in all its aspects – from structural design and transportation to subsequent consumption and recycling.
In light of the SDGs, the packaging industry’s goal is to reduce packaging waste as much as possible by optimizing the efficiency and recyclability of packaging.
The role of the packaging industry in achieving the sustainability goals can be demonstrated by selected SDGs. According to SDG 12 (sustainable consumption and production), the aim is to minimize waste globally. An important building block here is the implementation of the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” concept, also known as the “three Rs”.
The goals relating to a clean planet (SDG 14 and SDG 15) are based on the protection of marine, coastal, terrestrial and inland water ecosystems. Sustainable packaging can also make a valuable contribution to this.
Sustainability at Wetropa using the example of the SDGs
Wetropa makes a positive contribution to achieving the SDGs by developing sustainable packaging solutions, but also beyond this.
Wetropa itself is committed to SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger) and 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by supporting a climate protection project through Climatepartner (stove project in the Global South) and as a system supplier for packaging solutions/medicine. Wetropa is also involved in numerous environmental and climate protection projects.
This includes the Climate Partner project “Stop Plastic in the Ocean”, which develops concepts to combat marine pollution and thus contributes to achieving SDG 14. We are also involved in rainforest projects in line with SDG 15 (life on land).
Wetropa is a reliable and growing employer for 140 employees, which also contributes to SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth). Wetropa also fulfills SDGs 4 (Quality Education) and 5 (Gender Equality) as an employer, as all employees have equal educational opportunities and there is no gender pay gap.
Resource efficiency, circular economy and multiple use at Wetropa
Wetropa also focuses on resource-efficient production, which is achieved by implementing a material cycle in production, among other things.
Wetropa develops visionary innovations in the field of packaging solutions and packaging technology for and together with customers on a daily basis. We also continuously invest in innovative and efficient technologies. All of this benefits the achievement of SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure).
Wetropa contributes to sustainability in production and consumption (SDG 12) by using recyclable materials such as those in the ReFOAM series, resource-efficient processes and reusable solutions.
As the first CO₂ balanced foam processor in Germany and with a wide range of products, Wetropa also contributes to SDG 13 (climate protection measures).
SDG-compliant packaging from Wetropa – find out more now!
Wetropa was one of the first developers and manufacturers of packaging solutions to recognize the enormous potential of the industry in terms of sustainability. Wetropa is guided by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to combine highly functional products with the idea of sustainability, which is essential in today’s world.
If you are interested in Wetropa’s sustainable product range or would like to learn more about our daily practice as a sustainable company, please get in touch with our visionary team. We look forward to hearing from you.
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What are the SDGs?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are part of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and form a global plan to promote sustainability. Global peace, prosperity and social justice, as well as ecological sustainability and climate protection, are to be achieved through 17 specific goals. They offer companies, such as the Wetropa Group, concrete guidelines on the aspects that need to be taken into account when making business decisions.
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Which SDGs does sustainable packaging contribute to?
Sustainable packaging based on the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle can contribute to achieving SDGs 12 (Sustainable production and consumption), 13 (Climate action) and 14 and 15 (Life below water and life on land), among others.