Huhtamaki earns sustainability recognition

The Northern Ireland division of Finland-based packaging firm Huhtamaki has received a Platinum Award for energy conservation standards from Northern Ireland’s Business in the Community’s Environmental Benchmarking Survey.

From left, Patricia McCambridge, program manager for Business in the Community, and Philip Woolsey, managing director of Huhtamaki Lurgan.

Competing against 103 participating organizations, Huhtamaki (Lurgan) Ltd. earned a sustainability score of 91 percent compared to the 74 percent average, making it one of 16 companies in Northern Ireland to earn a Platinum Award.

“Sustainability and ecological welfare is of huge importance to Huhtamaki, here in Lurgan and indeed globally,” says Philip Woolsey, managing director of the plant in Lurgan, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.

“In the three years between 2010 and 2013 we have significantly reduced our energy usage by 19 percent, with 89 percent of waste generated being diverted from landfill, something we’re hugely proud of,” adds Woolsey. “We recognize that as a large-scale manufacturer, we have a responsibility to the conservation of our surrounding environment and endeavor to improve sustainability standards within the manufacturing sector."

Woolsey says Huhtamaki, which makes paper and pulp products, many of them with recycled content, “Over the years we have identified a number of closed-loop solutions that have enabled us to significantly reduce our carbon footprint and crack down on energy consumption levels. Any waste generated onsite, for instance, is recycled in-house and then used to make our egg cartons and other molded fiber products, which in turn are 100 percent biodegradable, compostable and recyclable themselves.”

Huhtamaki Lurgan Ltd. operates within the company’s molded fiber segment and is the sole producer of egg cartons and coffee cup carriers in the UK and Ireland, according to Huhtamaki.

 “Huhtamaki scored top of their sector and managed to fight off stiff competition from some of the most well-known manufacturing companies in Northern Ireland, which is a huge achievement,” says Patricia McCambridge, program manager for Business in the Community.

“With a score of 91 percent, Huhtamaki has more than earned its Platinum title and is now an exemplary model of how a responsible manufacturer should function to meet sustainability targets,” she adds.