FRANCE – Packaging company Berry Global has partnered with French water treatment specialist Ocedis to establish a circular supply scheme for large containers made of recycled polyethylene (rPE).
The rPE containers are produced at Berry’s Moirans factory in France and delivered to the Ocedis plant in Trévoux.
After filling, the containers are distributed to customers through a scheme that also collects empty containers and returns them to Ocedis.
These are then transported to a non-disclosed recycling partner where they are washed, shredded, grounded, and converted back into rPE pellets.
The pellets are then sent to Berry Moirans to be used in the production of new Optimum containers for Ocedis.
“Berry’s technical expertise has ensured that the rPE containers retain the same levels of performance in terms of their durability and functionality as those made from virgin polymer,” the company said in a statement.
The containers have received UN certification for the safe handling of hazardous goods. They feature an interlocking top and base for safe and efficient stacking to maximize pallet loads.
“This closed-loop project also shows how effective circular solutions can be developed when all parts of the supply chain work together,” said Romain Hardy, general manager at Ocedis.
Berry’s Moirans general manager Rudolph Pfeiffer said the success of the project means the company will start looking for similar partnerships with other customers soon.
Berry Global receives E&S Disclosure QualityScores from ISS
Meanwhile, Berry Global Group has announced receiving environmental and social (E&S) Disclosure Quality Scores from the Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS).
The company has been recognized with quality scores of ‘one’ for both environmental and social efforts. Berry said that it is the highest ranking provided by the shareholder services company.
These quality scores help in identifying and measuring risk particularly in environmental and social areas of concern by conducting a thorough analysis of company disclosures.
Berry executive vice president and chief human resources officer Jeff Bennett said: “This external recognition of a social quality score of one reflects the importance we place on our culture, the way we treat our employees, and the on-going efforts to tailor our 40,000 global associate base experience across over 250 sites.”
The plastic packaging manufacturer has been implementing various efforts to disclose its key strides in 2022, in comparison with 2021.
These efforts include achieving Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions target four years ahead of the stipulated timeline, while increasing its target accordingly.
Berry reduced its Scope 3 (value chain) GHG emissions by 5% as well as its Scope 1 and 2 (operational) GHG emissions by 5%.
The company has further increased its post-consumer recycled plastic purchase and circular plastic purchase by 28% and 21%, respectively.
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