he topic of sustainability is challenging us all anew. Companies are also taking their impact on the environment more and more seriously – this includes CO2 emissions as well as the consumption of resources. Envases is actively leading the way by making its five-liter keg 100 percent climate-neutral. The world market leader in minikeg is well aware of the growing importance of sustainable products for its customers. The packaging company is therefore consistently adapting to the fact that sustainability will play a major role in determining the future as a key issue.
89 percent of Germans would like to see more sustainability from companies. 42 percent of consumers are actively sustainability-conscious. This is the conclusion of the ” Focus on Sustainability” study published in February 2021 by the market research institute Rohmund Insights. The Corona crisis has even strengthened the future trend toward more sustainability. The survey also revealed that consumers are increasingly aware of greenwashing. Honest communication at eye level that appeals to the sustainability-conscious mindset, concrete (small-step) activities and offers are much better received than full-bodied promises and highly ambitious long-term goals.
Many small steps for more sustainability
This is precisely the approach that Envases is taking. Offering the five-liter keg on a climate-neutral basis is therefore explicitly only ONE component of the company’s efforts to achieve greater climate protection. The top priority for Envases is to avoid and reduce emissions. To achieve this, the packaging manufacturer relies on many small steps. These include environmentally friendly processes and state-of-the-art technology. The company’s energy management system is certified to ISO 50001. In the print shop and paint shop, thermal afterburning is used to avoid emissions. The resulting waste heat is used for heating and hot water and – by means of absorber technology – for cooling equipment and buildings. But climate protection is also a top priority in many other areas of the company. It has long been standard practice at Envases to minimize the amount of waste produced and to consistently recycle all recyclable materials. Thanks to “Green IT”, car and air travel are replaced by video conferencing whenever possible.
However, most of the CO2 emissions from minikeg are unavoidably caused by the material. Processing, packaging and logistics, on the other hand, only account for a good quarter. This is because the five-liter keg is made of tinplate, i.e. thinly rolled steel with a wafer-thin tin layer, which is CO2-intensive to produce. On the other hand, steel is completely recyclable and can be reused almost indefinitely without any loss of quality. The recycling rate for tinplate in Germany is over 90 percent. With this highest rate of all packaging materials, the European legal requirements for the year 2022 and also already for 2030 are already met today.
Five-liter keg from Envases is available 100 percent climate neutral
But Envases wants to do more: offering the five-liter keg completely climate-neutral is the declared goal. The company then offsets the unavoidable emissions by supporting recognized climate protection projects. Here, Envases works together with Climate Partner. The compensation of the respective emissions can be tracked by a unique ID number and is confirmed by a certificate. Transparency is guaranteed by ClimatePartner with this unique labeling system in conjunction with a TÜV Austria-certified IT solution.
The minikeg market leader from Öhringen has decided to support a very special project: The purchase of corresponding CO2 certificates finances a hydroelectric power plant in the Virunga National Park in Congo, which supplies 30,000 local residents with cheap and clean electricity. It counteracts the illegal coal trade and saves CO2 emissions. Without this alternative energy, the forest would be cut down in ten years – and with it, the habitat of some of the last mountain gorillas. After all, climate protection is a global challenge!
“With the option of ordering our five-liter keg now also completely climate neutral, we offer our customers an important additional argument for the consumer,” emphasizes Envases marketing specialist Michael Tischler. The certified “climate neutral” label, which is visibly printed on the Envases mini-keg, creates trust. At the same time, it provides the consumer with an additional argument for preferring the corresponding beer brand.
nvases is well aware that everyone must pull together to achieve greater global climate protection! The company’s sustainability management is therefore currently turning the screws in many areas. The climate-neutral party barrel is an important building block, which will be followed by many other efforts and projects because the important decade for climate protection has already begun…
