Weener Plastics is on a journey to manage its environmental challenges and the impact of the company on the environment. With products manufactured around the globe, the company is taking different measures to combat climate change.

What actions is WP taking to reduce its environmental impact?

The integration of sustainability in our daily operations is embedded in our company culture. This relates to our products and processes, but also the entire supply chain. When formulating our policies and ambitions, we continuously assess their alignment with our core values and the interests of our stakeholders. Regular reviews of our ESG strategy and activities are conducted, with a ‘materiality assessment’ as a strategic tool for identifying key ESG topics relevant to our company and our stakeholders.

Can you disclose some highlights from the past year?

Our ambitions have been organized into five main targets, related to Sustainable Innovations, Renewably Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Waste to landfill and Health & Safety, and these corporate targets have been translated into local goals and actions. Progress on our ambitions is discussed regularly and reported annually in our Sustainability and CSR report.

We have rolled out ISO 14001, the industry standard for environmental management. Early 2024, the last plant within the Weener Group successfully completed the audit, leading to full coverage for ISO 14001. This certification gives all our plants a stable foundation for further developing their sustainability actions.
We also participate in several programs, such as EcoVadis, CDP, Sedex and the United Nations Global Compact. We actively involve our colleagues in these programs to create awareness, broaden their knowledge and facilitate continuous improvement.

What has WP achieved to date?

In 2023, WP achieved ‘Platinum’ status in the EcoVadis Sustainability Rating, with an overall score of 79 out of 100 points - up from 74 points in 2022. This is the highest rating for sustainable leadership awarded by EcoVadis.

Our global teams strongly focused on minimizing waste at our plants and we increased our renewable energy coverage to 75% in 2023. This is on track with our ambition to use 90% renewable energy by 2030.

Our focus on responsible water usage means that the amount of water used within our facilities is incredibly limited - mainly used in the closed system cooling systems used to cool down the melted plastic in our tools. We also reuse waste warmth from our production processes to heat offices at several of our locations.

Our greenhouse gas emissions have been reducing year on year and we're working to send zero waste to landfill by 2025.

How has this impacted your operations?

One of the focuses in our operations is decarbonization. This starts with the design of our products and required processes. We are continuously challenging ourselves to find more efficient processes to reduce the impact of our operations. We evaluate the environmental impact of our machinery and include this information in our decision making when investing in new equipment.

In 2023, WP built the ‘Weener Production System’. This is a roadmap of practices to guide operational colleagues in delivering sustainable improved performance with focused effort. It also supports learning and sharing best practices. The system provides the foundation of operational excellence by standardizing processes, empowering workers on the factory floor, and embedding a culture of continuous improvement.

In practice this means, for example, reusing waste warmth from our production processes to heat offices, investigating the isolation of our machines, checking for possible air leakages and introducing LED lighting.

How has this affected your products?

Sustainability is at the core of all our product innovations and developments. Finding inspiration involves deep consideration of environmental impact. Depending on market demand and required specifications, we follow our ‘Design for Circularity’ approach, with the 4Rs: Reduce, Recycle, Reuse and Rethink. Embracing this ethos fosters a culture of responsible innovation, in which every design decision aims to maximize resource efficiency and enhance circularity.

Important factors that affect recyclability include the choice and combination of materials used, as well as the size, color, application and the region where the package is disposed. We offer PCR, circular polymers and bio-based materials to reduce environmental impact. Our sales and development teams are trained to acquire the necessary knowledge to help customers choose sustainable options for their products. It is also critical to involve colleagues from Purchasing, Supply Chain and Operations to achieve the best feasible result.

Some of the key product launches that highlight updates that we've made to our products in accordance with how we are limiting environmental impact include SealPack - a significantly lighter weight deodorant pack, the 100% recyclable valve to replace traditional silicone valves, the 100% recyclable aerosol spray cap with insert - known as the Ultimate Spray System (USS), one-piece Integrated Spray Technology (IST), and more. 

To learn more about Weener Plastics' sustainability initiatives, download the company's 2023 Sustainability and CSR Report.