Packaging
Packaging
A large part of the products we manufacture is delivered to our customers without packaging: Loose sugar, pressed pulp, carbolime or bioethanol are just a few examples. Nevertheless, it is not always possible to dispense with packaging completely, especially when products are delivered in smaller quantities. In this case, we strive to reduce packaging to the bare essentials on the one hand and to use environmentally friendly materials on the other.
Freiberger: You can't do without plastic entirely
In our Freiberger division we produce around 3.5 million frozen products – per day. To protect the products and guarantee consumer safety, we cannot do without plastic film around the pizzas and baguettes. Freiberger has been working continuously for ten years to reduce the use of plastic. With success: today's product films are already up to 50 % thinner than they were back then, which saves a considerable amount of plastic. In addition, Freiberger is researching more environmentally friendly plastic packaging - this includes, for example, the use of product films with the highest possible recycled content to support the circular economy or the use of bio-based plastics. A challenge that we are happy to take on!
Sugar segment: Recycling is trumps
More than 50 % of our sugar products are delivered to our customers in bulk, i.e. without any packaging at all. Wherever we still have to use packaging, for example when selling to smaller customers or end consumers, we focus on recyclability: By the end of 2020, we will ensure that all paper and cardboard packaging used is made of FSC-certified materials.
In addition to packaging avoidance, which we are also pushing ahead with, our goal is that by 2021 all packaging used should be 100 % recyclable.
CropEnergies: Lots shipped by ship and rail
With a production capacity of 1.3 million cubic metres of ethanol per year CropEnergies produces renewable ethanol at locations in Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom and France, which mainly replaces petrol. In this way we make an important contribution to climate protection. The distribution of ethanol is also climate-friendly: Almost 100 % of our renewable ethanol finds its way to our customers, primarily large companies in the mineral oil industry, by ship or rail.
Accordingly, all of our production locations in the CropEnergies segment have rail and/or ship connections in order to provide cost-effective and sustainable logistics.
