Henk Talpaert, VP of Procurement at Trivium Packaging, explores the impact that the rising significance of sustainable procurement is having on packaging in the supply chain.

Over the past two decades, procurement’s role has changed significantly. Previously, procurement focused on cutting costs and improving profit margins and working capital. Today, procurement plays a central role in improving the social and environmental impact of manufacturing and service delivery.

Trivium Packaging produces steel and aluminium packaging for customers in various industries. These include food, beverage, pet food, health, and personal and home care. Metal packaging is well-suited to a circular economy because it can be recycled over and over again without property losses1. However, as in many industries, packaging can be carbon-intensive, and changing it requires investment and long-term planning in technology, infrastructure, and increased recycling. Procurement plays a strategic role in promoting and driving necessary transformations across the supply base to decarbonise the supply chain and further increase recycling rates.

Set ambitious targets and take action

Leading the way in supply chain decarbonisation begins with setting ambitious science-based targets. For example, at Trivium we have committed to reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 42% and Scope 3 emissions by 25% by 2030. Additionally, 70% of our purchase spend will be allocated to suppliers with average or above-average ESG performances by 2030. Commitment to sustainable sourcing and concrete targets like these can drive meaningful improvements across the supply chain. 

Ambitious climate targets are an important first step, but meeting those targets requires bold action and close collaboration with customers and suppliers. One of the key trends in the packaging industry is the shift towards products with increased recycled content and/or reduced carbon footprint emissions, particularly in aluminium and steel packaging. For Trivium, procurement works with sustainability and R&D to pioneer these changes. Here are some examples: 

Eco-design

Companies involved with R&D should consider implementing eco-design programs for new product development to reduce the environmental footprint. 

This could include focusing on higher recycled content uptake, light-weighting, and designing for higher reusability and recyclability. For example, by implementing eco-design standards within our own company, we have reduced the environmental impact of can manufacturing. NextGen steel food cans have decreased in weight significantly over the last few decades. They are now estimated to be 46% lighter than they were 30 years ago while still maintaining their durability.2

Increasing use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) content

For example, in the case of aluminium in Europe, aerosol products can now be offered with different levels of Post-Consumer Recycled aluminium content based on customer needs. This achievement has been enabled by continuous collaboration with suppliers and customers, addressing the growing demand for recycled materials. 

Decarbonisation & low-emission technologies

Using steel as an example, decarbonisation has become an intrinsic agenda point for most steel players. One of the key technological developments for the steel industry is the shift from blast furnaces to low-emission steelmaking technologies. These include electric arc furnaces (EAF) or direct reduced iron (DRI) combined with EAF technologies. These processes maximise scrap use and leveraging renewable energy to replace fossil fuels. This transformation is necessary to decarbonise the steelmaking industry but requires significant investments. 

Collaborative efforts among Procurement, R&D, and Sustainability teams are essential in trialling to ensure products made from these new technologies are not only suitable for packaging applications but also contribute significantly to emission reduction.  For other packaging types, the technology and applications may differ, but the concept remains equally important, it’s imperative to reduce carbon emissions.

Culture eats strategy for breakfast

Setting targets and working through an action plan are insufficient without embedding sustainability into the organisational culture.  It requires daily integration across all functions, with every team contributing to ambitious goals. 

Andrew Vanstone (Chief Transformation Officer at Trivium) likes to point that out: “In our Commercial approach and in the way we work with suppliers, we raise the importance of sustainability to make change happen. On our production floor, we train people and invest in equipment that boosts product quality and improves process efficiency to reduce environmental impact. Change happens when everyone at Trivium, our customers and our suppliers are aligned. We work together to make that happen.”

Our Chief Sustainability Officer, Jenny Wassenaar, is also our SVP of R&D, responsible for both Sustainability and R&D at Trivium. 

In practice, this organisational alignment means that everyone in R&D is helping to realise Trivium’s ambitious targets in close collaboration with Procurement, Operations and Commercial teams. Wassenaar says, “Collaboration in the value chain is critical to the success of the sustainability journey. You cannot build a “sustainable focused company” if you only have an inward-looking viewpoint. The CDP recognizes our close supplier collaboration and lists us as a “supplier engagement leader.”  

CDP’s annual Supplier Engagement Assessment (SEA) evaluates corporate supply chain engagement on climate issues. The highest-rated companies are celebrated in the Supplier Engagement Assessment Leaderboard and Trivium Packaging is part of this exclusive list. By engaging our suppliers on climate change, we aim to play a crucial role in the transition towards the net-zero sustainable economy.”

The path ahead

As the demand for sustainable packaging continues to grow, key trends such as decarbonisation and increased regulatory requirements are shaping the metal packaging industry’s future. Companies must align procurement strategies with science-based targets and collaboration across functions and external partners. 

Procurement needs to work closely with colleagues in the Sustainability, R&D, Commercial, HR, and Legal teams to promote sustainable material sourcing and integrate these materials into product design while minimising ESG risks in the supply chain. Additionally, close collaboration with suppliers and customers fosters sustainable demand and supply.

The imperative for change is clear, and achieving it requires a collective effort to set an agenda with concrete improvement targets and timelines. Organisations that successfully implement those actions contribute to decarbonisation but also position themselves as leaders in the field, as Trivium has been doing over the past years.

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