At DaklaPack, we continuously strive to become more sustainable through both our products and processes.

As a flexible plastic packaging manufacturer, DaklaPack understands the important role we play in our global supply chains as we provide innovative and sustainable packaging solutions. To most effectively undertake this important role, we have aligned our efforts with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework. The UN SDGs are an international initiative that raises awareness of various global sustainability issues, while providing a common and collaborative framework to design, implement, and communicate sustainable practices.

‘Our journey’ communicates not only the successes we’ve already achieved through our sustainability efforts, but also our aspirations and ongoing work toward fulfilling the UN Sustainable Development Goals. DaklaPack’s efforts are focused on the four UN SDGs where our products and business can have the greatest impact:

Download DaklaPack's first CSR report 2021

Decent Work and Economic Growth

Responsible consumption and production

Climate Action

Partnership for the goals

SDG 8- Decent Work and Economic Growth

A fundamental aspect of sustainability is ensuring that economic growth is inclusive and uplifting for all individuals and communities. DaklaPack has always maintained decent work and equal opportunities for every employee while also considering how to create inclusive, sustainable economic growth in the areas where we operate.

In all of DaklaPack’s facilities, there is a commitment to improving the work and wellbeing of our employees and to assist them in reaching their highest potential. We ensure safe and secure working environments for all workers, particularly those in our manufacturing facilities in the Netherlands and abroad. To support our employees in their career development we invest in both on-the-job training as well as further education through educational conferences and workshops. In particular, several employees participate in conferences on the role of plastics in transitioning to a sustainable economic system. DaklaPack particularly understands the importance of fostering young talent and providing opportunities to those entering the job market. As such, we specifically hire numerous students with a wide variety of academic backgrounds into positions across many of our departments. The investment in our workforce allows for more internal hiring and career development that provides us with long-term productivity and greater expertise in our field.

In addition to providing decent work, DaklaPack also promotes sustainable, resilient economic growth where we operate. By pursuing sustainability and innovation as a core business strategy, we create job opportunities and economic development that is long-term oriented and future-proof. Our focus on offering a sustainable product portfolio ensures that our business model is resilient and that our role as an employer in local communities is stable. Our diversified geographic markets and product segments provide a further level of resiliency to DaklaPacks operations, economic activity, and employment opportunities in local communities. Daklapack further pursues sustainable growth by making strategy decisions that align with major policy initiatives such as the EU Green Deal or the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy. This allows DaklaPack to prepare for developments in our industry and to form long-term relationships with others who are preparing for these changes. Forming supply chain partnerships with other firms that are at the forefront of these sustainability initiatives allows us to help develop new, resilient packaging markets to drive further economic growth into the future.

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SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

Consumption and production in the current global economy creates an unnecessary burden on our planet and economic systems by inefficiently using resources. A significant amount of finite resources, energy, and money can be saved by thinking more sustainably. This is especially true for the plastic packaging industry, which has continuously developed new products to meet higher technical properties and consumer-preference trends without fully considering sustainability. However, the industry is being changed by increased consumer demand and environmental need for more sustainable packaging. At DaklaPack, we’ve been aware of these necessary changes and so we’ve worked internally on our production while also working with our clients to fully realize the benefits of our innovative product portfolio.

DaklaPack has taken multiple steps to create responsible products. Firstly, the flexible plastic packaging that is the backbone of our product portfolio inherently uses less raw materials than rigid plastic alternatives. During production, we ensure the most efficient use of our raw materials by reducing waste and re-integrating scrap material into production when possible.

Our most exciting initiative is our push to increase the use of sustainably-minded materials in our product portfolio. A comprehensive overview of our sustainable products and all the necessary information about their benefits can be found here. One of the main focuses in this initiative is to incorporate more recycled materials in both our plastic and paper products when possible. All of our product material choices are designed to provide the greatest choice to our customers, with the aim of offering sustainably designed options for all product needs. As such, we have also increased our offerings of paper-based and bio-based products in order to provide packaging from fully renewable materials.

A crucial aspect to fostering responsible production and consumption is supporting recycling initiatives. DaklaPack has invested heavily in understanding the current and future realities of recycling infrastructures across our many geographic markets. This allows us to fully understand and better comply with guidelines on how to design products for optimal recyclability. Again, this initiative applies to both our plastic and paper offerings. Our deep understanding of recycling systems also allows us to communicate better with customers about the sustainability of our products. Our portfolio-wide ‘’Eco-Label” program makes it easy for clients to find the sustainably designed products that fit their needs. The Eco-Label program also lets our customers understand the details of the products sustainability claims by providing transparent descriptions of the technical criteria used to categorize these products. Additionally, our straightforward and thorough resources, such as the Sustainability FAQ and country-specific Recycling System Guides, allow all of our clients to make informed sustainable purchases.

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SDG 13 – Climate Action

Climate change is arguably one of the most serious issues of the 21st century. The rise in CO2 and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities, such as the use of fossil fuels, have significantly contributed to the climate change challenge. Global temperature increases, extreme weather events, sea level rise, and ocean acidification are some of the primary consequences of climate change. Being based in the Netherlands, where 26% of land is below sea level, DaklaPack are particularly aware of the catastrophic impacts of climate change related sea-level rise.

As experts on flexible plastic packaging, we help clients get the most out of the inherent sustainability benefits of this light-weight, high-barrier packaging option. Compared to rigid options, flexible plastic packaging generally uses less raw material to produce. Flexible plastic packaging also requires less energy and emissions to transport due to its light-weight and small volume. Additionally, flexible plastic packaging can optimize the technical barrier properties that extends food shelf-lives, reducing food waste and the large amounts of GHG emissions associated with it.

We have also focused on improving our operations to further reduce the GHG emissions embedded in our products. That is why we have been reporting our CO2 footprint since 2018 with the help of the Climate Neutral Group. This allows us to measure and evaluate our progress in reducing internal GHG emissions. Since we started reporting our footprint we have reduced the emissions of electricity consumption by 40%, and now half of the electricity we use in our Dutch facilities comes from wind power.

We are also working towards reducing the use of fossil-based plastic in our products. Whenever possible, we use materials with smaller carbon footprints such as bio-based plastic, paper, and recycled plastic. In addition to creating packaging that uses previously recycled material, we are also designing packaging to be optimally recyclable. Promoting recycling in plastic packaging saves limited resources, eliminates the energy needed to extract and process virgin materials, and reduces the total amount of plastic that enters the environment. Indirectly, the focus on recycling in our product portfolio strengthens the overall recycling market. To operate efficiently, recycling infrastructures require both a supply of well-designed products that can be optimally recycled and a robust demand for recycled products. Each packaging producer and consumer that prioritizes recycling in their products supports the economics and efficiencies of these heavily-stressed recycling infrastructures. This support can incentivize and fund the much needed improvements to recycling systems to bring us closer to more climate-friendly economic systems. Daklapack sees our place in the plastic packaging supply chain as a unique opportunity to design, produce, and promote products that support this progress. Each firm that takes their role in plastic supply chain seriously further creates a virtuous cycle that strengthens our climate-friendly packaging market.

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SDG 17 - Partnership for the Goals

The complexity of sustainability issues makes collaboration and coordination absolutely crucial. Currently, DaklaPack is investing in partnerships with research facilities, knowledge institutions, and innovation centers. Through these partnerships, we stay informed of and help contribute to the latest innovations in sustainable packaging. This allows us to constantly expand our sustainable packaging offerings and also to share this knowledge with our clients and suppliers.

DacklaPack’s focus on partnerships has been a fundamental part of how we operate. We are one of the first partners of the Plastic Soup Foundation. Our contributions assist the Plastic Soup Foundation in creating projects that explore the link between plastic products, microplastics, and human-health bij projecten die het verband tussen plastic producten, microplastics en de menselijke gezondheid in kaart brengen (Plastic Soup Foundation). We have also collaborated extensively with Wageningen University, a leading research institution in the Netherlands, to create and exchange technical knowledge about sustainable flexible packaging.

DaklaPack is also participating in a sustainable packaging innovation challenge hosted by the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK) and the Institute for Sustainable Packaging (KIDV). This challenge brings together firms, entrepreneurs, and knowledge institutions to solve difficult sustainability problems. Daklapack is participating to find a sustainable, fully-recyclable alternative to paper packaging with transparent plastic windows for consumer goods.

Daklapack also encourages our employees to attend seminars and workshops about innovation and sustainability. In 2020, Daklapack employees attended the Plastic Free World Conference and several educational programs about sustainable packaging and plastic alternatives, such as the Cyclos-HTP Recyclability Assessment accreditation program. Additionally, Daklapack has a dedicated Sustainability Team to not only explore the sustainability of our products and processes, but also to educate and collaborate with our internal and external stakeholders. For example, we have published multiple resources on the sustainability of various packaging materials and the requirements of the recycling infrastructures in our geographic markets. We invested in these resources so that we can pass on our deep sustainability knowledge onto our clients and suppliers for more fruitful collaboration.

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