Sustainability Plays a Central Role in NORDENIA's Strategy

NORDENIA is no stranger to the topic of sustainability. The international manufacturer of flexible packaging, technical films, and product components places great importance upon sustainability aspects being considered in all steps of the value-added chain.

12/15/2010 --- Sustainability plays a central role in the strategy of NORDENIA INTERNATIONAL AG, with the international film manufacturer and converter focusing on the areas of ecology, economy, and social affairs. "With specific measures and projects, we want to make a contribution to enable people to have a consistent or improved quality of life,” says Ralph Landwehr, Chairman of the Executive Board of NORDENIA INTERNATIONAL AG.

During a press conference (December 2, 2010) in Halle, Westphalia, Ralph Landwehr emphasized the significance of the topic of sustainability for NORDENIA in the future. "In our company decisions, we always strive to achieve the right balance between the three pillars of sustainability: environment, social affairs, and economic effectiveness. All three of these sustainability dimensions are mutually dependent on one another, as economic success is only possible in the long-term if it is not achieved at the expense of ecological and social matters. On the other hand, we as a company can only do little for the environment or the company if we are not competitive,” was Landwehr's definition of the topic of sustainability for the NORDENIA Group.

The reduction in the use of raw materials and greater efficiency in energy consumption are of particular importance in respect of ecological sustainability for Landwehr. "For the aspects of social sustainability, the focus is on the recruitment and retention of employees and on working conditions,” emphasized Landwehr.

NORDENIA is no stranger to the topic of sustainability. The international manufacturer of flexible packaging, technical films, and product components places great importance upon sustainability aspects being considered in all steps of the value-added chain. When it comes to the practice of environmental protection, NORDENIA has constantly been one of the pioneers of the industry for over 40 years. Since 2000, all NORDENIA Group companies have been certified according to the international environmental standard ISO 14001.

The Chairman of the Executive Board of NORDENIA INTERNATIONAL AG also referred to the course of the 2010 financial year during the press conference on the topic of sustainability. In comparison to the previous year, NORDENIA is expecting sales growth and an improvement to the result in the two-digit range. NORDENIA has invested more than €30 million in the past financial year. The investment volume will again be on this scale in 2011.

"Film is a very sustainable product,” says Dr. Herbert Bader, Managing Director of NORDENIA TECHNOLOGIES, the Group's research and development company. "With a lot of packaging, we were able to reduce the use of raw materials while maintaining the same product quality or improving it. This was carried out with a reduction in thickness of the films used, a reduction in packaging sizes, or the use of alternative materials from sources such as internal recycling, renewable raw materials, and specially prepared recycled materials.”

Dr. Bader, who also leads NORDENIA's Sustainability Task Force, a team which specifically makes sure that sustainability potential can be exploited, emphasizes that the topic of sustainability is high on the list of priorities for the large consumer goods manufacturers in particular. "In all our efforts to achieve more sustainability, we must always make clear how sustainable plastic packaging already is. Where the saving of resources is concerned, it is important to know that only 1.2 percent of the crude oil produced for the global production of plastic packaging is needed,” explains Dr. Bader.

The Life Cycle Assessment is NORDENIA's basis for optimization, in particular in the development and production of products. For each product, all data is collected on raw materials, energy, emissions, transportation, and recycling. The data is agreed upon in dialog with suppliers and customers and improvement potential for greater compatibility with the environment is identified. "In doing so, we can say exactly where we need to progress to design the products in a more sustainable way,” says Dr. Herbert Bader.

The products which use this potential in the most ideal way are awarded the NOR Green seal (see appendix to NOR Green best practice examples) "We assess our packaging according to a comprehensive system which matches the sustainability criteria of leading industrial associations and the sustainability guidelines of our customers,” explains Bader. If the high demands of a "green” product are met, it receives the NOR Green seal. "For our customers, it is the verification of a particularly sustainable packaging solution.”

The project "Innovation Challenge 35” is a perfect example of economic sustainability, as Dr. Bader explains: "We are increasingly backing innovations in order to secure the future of the company.” The specific target is for 35% of turnover to be consistently generated with products which were developed in the last five years. "In most cases, these products are also ecologically more sustainable than older packaging,” he adds.

The top priority for NORDENIA's sustainable strategy is also the improvement of working conditions and job safety. "For this reason,” explains Bader, "NORDENIA is a member of the international organization ‘Supplier Ethical Data Exchange’ (Sedex) and has therefore undertaken to constantly improve the ethical performance of the supply chain.” This year, the plants in Russia (NORDENIA SLAVNIKA Pereslavl), Hungary (NORDENIA Hungary Szada), and Poland (NORDENIA POLSKA Poznan) were successfully audited in accordance with the Sedex regulations. All other sites will follow by 2013.