DS Smith reports sustainability milestone

DS Smith says it has marked a key sustainability milestone in its Now & Next Sustainability strategy well ahead of its 2025 target.

The London-based packaging company announced it has replaced more than 1.2 billion pieces of plastic across its international markets, surpassing its goal 16 months ahead of schedule. Its target includes any primary or secondary plastic packaging that has now been removed from customers’ packaging as a direct result of DS Smith’s plastic replacement solution.

The milestone is rooted in DS Smith’s plastic replacement and reduction program that was established in 2020 as part of the Now & Next Sustainability strategy, which the company says supports its “purpose to redefine packaging for a changing  world.”

By 2030, DS Smith aims to have all its packaging be recycled or reused.

“When we set our Now & Next Sustainability strategy, we wanted to include goals that delivered environmental change beyond as well as within DS Smith,” Chief Executive Miles Roberts says. “By innovating to help our customers replace or reduce plastic, we are responding to societal demands to reduce plastic pollution as well as growing our partnerships with customers.

“However, this is very much the beginning. There are many more positive impacts we can make by supporting our customers and communities in their sustainability goals and we are extremely motivated by this mission.”

These sustainability targets extend across DS Smith’s operations in 27 countries across Europe and North America, working toward what the company says is a shared, circular objective to design out waste and keep materials in use longer.

Several markets are highlighted in a news release announcing the achievement:

The United Kingdom has replaced the most plastic across DS Smith markets, having replaced more than 274 million pieces.

France ranks second, having replaced more than 260 million pieces of plastic.

Germany ranks third, having replaced more than 153 million pieces of plastic.

“Demand for plastic replacement continues to grow,” the company says. “Throughout east Europe, the company has almost doubled the amount of plastic pieces replaced since the target was set in 2020.”

DS Smith adds that critical to meeting its target of replacing 1 billion pieces of plastic are its circular design principles and metrics, which were created in partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The company says each of its nearly 800 designers have been trained in the design principles and are able to assess performance against areas such as recycled content and recyclability, indicative estimated CO2 emissions, levels of excess waste and supply chain parameters in partnership with customers.

The company has implemented its design metrics across a range of sectors, including retail goods, food and beverage, automotive parts and industrial devices.

“Our Now & Next Sustainability strategy includes aspirations for ‘now’ and for ‘next,’ focusing on the sustainability challenges we are facing today as well as those that will impact future generations,” DS Smith says in a description of its sustainability goals. “This [will] allow us to lead the transition to a low-carbon, circular economy.”