Last month Premier Packaging released its second Sustainability Report, documenting our sustainability efforts in 2023. You can see the complete report here. How much progress did we make towards our sustainability goals? Here is a quick update:
1. Achieve Net Zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions by 2040
Last year, Premier laid a strong foundation that we will build on to reach this goal. We believe we are the first packaging company to reach net zero Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions for our operations. We also installed new, more energy-efficient production equipment in most of our plants and planned future equipment updates at the rest. And we continued to switch from propane to electric forklifts.
We are working toward reducing our carbon emissions through such other steps as lowering our energy consumption, exploring partnerships and other actions to reduce our Scope 3 transportation emissions, and working with lower-carbon suppliers when possible.
2. Divert at least 90% of Waste from Landfills by 2030
Diverting the waste that we send to landfills and incinerators toward reuse and recycle lowers our carbon emissions and enables a more circular economy. As part of this effort, Premier installed a foam crusher and plastic chippers in our manufacturing plant in Louisville, Kentucky. These allow us to overcome challenges in recycling scrap foam and plastic strapping, which is too light and bulky to recycle without additional processing. Now, instead of paying to dispose of these scraps, we are keeping the material out of landfills and generating revenue from the sale of it back to our suppliers.
We are excited to continue to partner with our Operations Team to find similar opportunities at our other facilities.
3. Maintain Low Water Use
Premier implemented water efficiency practices at our Corporate Distribution Center and Headquarters in Louisville that meet Energy Star® certification requirements. These practices will serve as a benchmark for our other facilities.
4. Help Our Customers Be More Sustainable
Premier helped our customers reduce their material use and streamline their operations through automation, more efficient processes, and innovative products. We also helped our customers increase the recycled content of their packaging as well as use more curbside-recyclable packaging.
5. Positively Impact Our Community
We want to be an employer of choice and use our time and resources to help our neighbors and local environment. As part of this effort, we gave back by participating in tree plantings, food drives, and other philanthropic events across the country on our “Day of Giving.”
6. Building a Foundation for Success
As noted above, much of the past year was focused on putting equipment, processes, and products in place for future environmental success, Premier still made real progress in improving the sustainability of our operations, as well as our customers’. Find out more details in our complete Sustainability Report here.