Corrugated packaging company Smurfit Kappa has further raised its CO2 emission reduction ambition to reach at least net-zero emissions by 2050. Additionally, the company increased its existing intermediate 2030 CO2 reduction target to 55%, an increase of 15 percentage points to the previously announced target, in comparison to the 2005 baseline.
The company said that these targets will be validated by the Science Based Target initiative, in compliance with the Paris Agreement objectives.
In May this year, Smurfit Kappa said it reduced its relative CO2 emissions by almost a third between 2005 and 2019, marking progress towards its target of 40% reduction by 2030. This target has now been increased to 55%.
Smurfit Kappa’s initiatives to meet net-zero emissions target
As part of the new goals, the firm plans to undertake several projects including the installation of a recovery boiler at its Nettingsdorf paper mill in Austria.
The recovery boiler installation, which commenced operations in June this year, is expected to cut CO2 emissions by an additional 40,000 tonnes, representing a 1.5% reduction across the business.
Smurfit Kappa Group CEO Tony Smurfit said: “We are proud to support the EU Green Deal objectives to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. We have made good progress on our existing targets and these new targets underline the organisation’s continued commitment to sustainability and to do better for the planet.
”Sustainability has been at the core of our business for decades, we want to lead from the front and raise the bar for the paper and packaging industry by setting such ambitious targets. This is a source of pride for all our customers and employees.”