"By avoiding, reducing and offsetting, we are implementing our climate strategy and neutralising our operational emissions for the long term."
Nina Franke, Sustainability Manager
As a manufacturing company, we consume resources. The decisive factor is how we use them. We save resources in many areas and try to work as responsibly and environmentally friendly as possible. Doing business within planetary boundaries is the goal of our actions.
Protecting the environment and the climate is a high priority for us, which is why we pay great attention to our influential energy management department. Through various measures, we are constantly improving our efficiency and reducing our emissions.
We require various resources for the production of our packaging. The plastic polypropylene (PP), from which our products are made, plays a central role.In 2022, we processed just over 22,500 tonnes of plastic granulate, while in 2023 the figure was just under 21,780 tonnes. We handle this resource responsibly and process as little material as necessary in our products. To further reduce the use of fossil raw materials, we are also constantly testing alternative materials made from recycled or organic ingredients that fit our customers' products. The use of sustainable raw materials and compliance with sustainability requirements in production is confirmed by our ISCC Plus certification.
We save resources as early as the development stage of our products. Modern simulation tools allow us to optimize product and production properties. Thanks to robust designs and high-alloy steels, the durability of our tools is guaranteed. In order to save resources during transport, we pay attention to good stackability of our products during design, which ensures high pallet and truck utilization.
In 2022, SPIES generated 1,275 tonnes of waste. In 2023, this figure rose to 1,334 tonnes, of which nearly 84% was plastic waste from our production process. Reducing production scrap is a goal that is ecologically but also economically relevant. Our production scrap represents so-called post-industrial material (PIR) and is passed directly to a recycling company so that new products can be manufactured from this material.
| Resources | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | ||||
| Plastic granules | 21,778 t | 22,537.12 t | 25,248 t | 24,556 t |
| Colors | 574 t | 568.41 t | 543.64 t | 362.74 t |
| Steel | 30.00 t | 20.00 t | 43.05 t | 65 t |
| Cardboard | 1,794 t | 2,164.48 t | 2.81 t | 2.28 t |
| Foils | 1,227 t | 715.34 t | 1.02 t | 0.33 t |
| Pallets | 1,276 t | 1,391.39 t | 755.23 t | |
| Waste | ||||
| Total | 1,334 t | 1,274.90 t | 1,430,650 kg | 1,595,849 kg |
| thereof plastic | 1,125 t | 998.70 t | 1,139,240 kg | 1,344,738 kg |
| thereof recycling rate | 100 % | 100 % | 99.99 % | |
| Water | 4,746 m³ | 4,836 m³ | 12,507 m³ | 5,0001 m³ |
Climate change poses a threat to the entire human race and economy. That is why it is important for us to make a contribution and reduce our own greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2021, we calculated our carbon footprint for the first time for the years 2019 and 2020. We are supported by the company .planetly, which performs the calculations using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. From 2025, we want to use 100% green electricity in order to take a big step towards our goal of climate neutrality in Scopes 1 and 2.
The CO2 emissions for 2023 were not available at the time of reporting. Key challenges for SPIES include raw material consumption and the resource efficiency of our products, as well as energy efficiency. From 2024 onwards, we plan to set emissions targets and develop a climate strategy to reduce emissions. Avoid, reduce, compensate is the sequence of measures we are pursuing. One measure that has already been finalised is that SPIES will purchase 100% green electricity from 2025. This alone will reduce around 98% of our Scope 2 emissions. Smaller measures, such as the purchase of bicycles to avoid the need for cars when travelling between plants, also contribute to climate protection. All remaining operational emissions that cannot be saved through reduction measures by 2025 will be offset by certified climate protection projects.
| CO2 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO2-emissions | 108.176,19 t* | 22,054.65 t | 68,984.17 t | 65,931.16 t |
The CO2 emissions for 2023 were not yet available.
*The calculations include Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, as well as Scope 3 categories 1–7, 9, 12 and 15. This data was compiled and calculated with the support of an external service provider in accordance with the GHG Protocol. The calculation includes items not previously accounted for in earlier years.
Our packaging makes an important contribution: it protects food. About 30% of global emissions are related to food and only about 3% of the climate impact of food is related to packaging. The sustainability of packaging is important, without question, but the focus is on protecting food.
One of our most essential areas of leverage in terms of sustainability is energy management. With electricity consumption reaching 33,141,536 kWh in 2023, this area has long been a particular focus of our EN ISO 50001-certified energy management system, which drives our continuous efforts to reduce consumption.
The production of injection molded products is very energy intensive. Therefore, a constant review and improvement of energy intensity is very important to us. As part of our ISO 50001-certified energy management system, strategic goals and measures are created and pursued.
Through the measures we are currently pursuing, we plan to save a total of 25,000,000 kWh in energy consumption by 2025 (calculated from the base year 2015). These savings will be achieved through seven overacrching strategic goals with many indiviidual measures, such as the replacement of lighting, the modernization of machinery, or digitization projects to identify compressed air leaks more quickly.
Five key energy-saving projects were implemented during the 2023 reporting period:
Together, these measures represent an annual energy saving potential of 425,274 kWh.
SPIES is a member of the Regional Network for Energy Efficiency of the VEA and here works together with other companies in the region to develop targets for increasing energy efficiency.
The roofs of our production halls are equipped with numerous photovoltaic systems, with which we produce about 1.4 million kWh of green electricity annually, and we are planning even more projects to obtain our electricity from regional renewable energy sources.