DS Smith
DS Smith, a provider of sustainable packaging with U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, has announced it is launching a new sustainability vision and strategy called, “Now and Next,” which maps out sustainability commitments and goals for the next decade. Through a two-phased approach, the Now and Next strategy will continue to focus on the transition to a circular economy by partnering with customers, communities, governments and influencers to keep materials in use, design out waste and regenerate natural systems. It will also continue to focus on carbon dioxide reduction, protecting biodiversity and reducing water consumption.
DS Smith says its new strategy sets four key pillars along with a continued commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by 30 percent against a 2015 baseline and care for its forests and biodiversity wherever it operates. Some of DS Smith’s targets include:
• by 2030, the company will manufacture 100 percent reusable or recyclable packaging and its aim is that by 2030, all packaging will be recycled or reused;
• by 2025, DS Smith will optimize fiber use for individual supply chains in 100 percent of its new packaging solutions, and by 2030, it aims to optimize every fiber for all supply chains;
• by 2025, the company will take 1 billion pieces of problem plastics off store shelves, take 250,000 vehicles off the road and work with partners to find solutions for ‘hard-to-recycle’ packaging, and by 2030, it aims to use packaging and recycling to enable the circular economy by replacing problem plastics, reducing customer carbon and eliminating consumer packaging waste; and
• by 2025, it will engage 100 percent of its employees on the circular economy, and by 2030, it will engage 5 million people on the circular economy and circular lifestyles.
“As we respond to the changing world in which we live and operate, it is critical that our drive to redefine packaging continues to place circularity at the heart of our business,” says Miles Roberts, group CEO of DS Smith. “Our new strategy allows us to move beyond just having a strong circular business model ourselves to delivering more circular solutions for our customers and the wider society—replacing problem plastics, taking carbon out of supply chains and providing innovative recycling solutions.”
Wouter van Tol, head of sustainability, community and government affairs at DS Smith, adds that the Now and Next strategy sets a road map to address both immediate challenges as well as the needs of the next generation. “By taking a whole systems approach, we have a huge opportunity to make significant progress against our environmental, social and governance responsibilities,” he says.
According to a news release from DS Smith, the company says it achieved a number of sustainability milestones in the past year, including an 11 percent reduction in emissions in 2019 compared with 2015 on a like-for-like basis and 100 percent engagement in community programs across its sites employing more than 50 people.