Sustainable packaging manufacturer DS Smith made substantial progress in the U.S. on initiatives from the company鈥檚 Now & Next Sustainability Strategy. DS Smith鈥檚 North America Packaging & Paper (NAPP) division鈥檚 successes are outlined in the company鈥檚 recently issued 2023/24 Sustainability Report. DS Smith NAPP met critical circularity and nature goals in part by reducing waste to landfill and emphasizing water management at its U.S. plants. In addition, DS Smith NAPP has become a leader in community engagement for the company, highlighted by every facility and office in the U.S. participating in charitable and stewardship activities in their local communities in the company鈥檚 2023/24 fiscal year.
Allison Berg, Sustainability Manager, DS Smith NAPP, commented: 鈥淣ow & Next is an important strategy addressing what our customers, and DS Smith as a company, believe is paramount to future success 鈥� leading the packaging industry鈥檚 transition to a low carbon, circular economy. Our work in North America addressing the company鈥檚 ambitious strategic goals reinforces DS Smith鈥檚 purpose of redefining packaging for a changing world.鈥�
The company鈥檚 Sustainability Report details progress against its commitments in the key areas of circularity, carbon, nature, and people & communities. Sustainability education is an important people & communities focus for the company, and the report details DS Smith NAPP鈥檚 achievements educating schoolchildren with an engaging Biodiversity Rangers lesson plan describing the intricacies of a pine forest food web. DS Smith NAPP, which is headquartered in Atlanta, has presented the lesson plan to hundreds of Georgia students.
DS Smith NAPP employees engaged in 37 activities during the fiscal year to help improve the environment and wellness of people in the communities they live and work in. Community activities across DS Smith鈥檚 U.S. locations included:
- A community volunteer homebuilding project completed by members of NAPP鈥檚 Cambridge, Maryland, box plant
- A box donation from the Reading, Pennsylvania, packaging plant to help a local school move locations following a flood
- A Riceboro, Georgia, timber mill field day to educate local students and parents about timber processing and paper-based packaging
- A Riceboro paper mill school supply drive that provided materials to more than 500 local K-12 students, along with six Chromebooks given to local teens entering college.
Two North American case studies from the DS Smith Sustainability Report highlight successes at the Cambridge box plant. In the first, Cambridge staff implemented new methods for handling wax to help the plant achieve an impressive 46% reduction in waste to landfill. The Cambridge location also reduced waste by recycling more of the pallets it uses. Improved equipment maintenance procedures played a role in the success as well, with more regular check-ups, repairs and training leading to less production waste.
Cambridge鈥檚 second sustainability case study relates to the company鈥檚 emphasis on proactive planning around water use. The Cambridge plant served as the pilot site for creating a water scarcity plan documenting the strong management framework and critical strategies needed in the event of a water supply shortage. Managers now have a detailed course of action to follow if the site loses access to water for a short, or prolonged, period. Because of the level of clear direction it provides, this new plan for the Cambridge site has become the gold standard in water scarcity management across DS Smith鈥檚 packaging plants globally.
The principles that drove the Cambridge plant鈥檚 success in waste reduction and water scarcity preparation are being applied at additional DS Smith facilities in the U.S. as the company works toward achieving its sustainability targets and strategic planning goals. 鈥淒S Smith has a Now & Next goal to develop water management plans for all of our paper mill and packaging sites by 2025,鈥� said Berg. 鈥淭he additional water scarcity planning completed for our Cambridge site provides important best practices that can be shared companywide.鈥�