Siegwerk launches new sustainable business agenda HorizonNOW

With seven measurable targets to be achieved by 2025, Siegwerk’s ambitious sustainability agenda touches all aspects of the business, building on the company’s Circular Economy achievements to date.

Siegwerk, one of the leading global providers of printing inks and coatings for packaging applications and labels has announced its new sustainable business strategy entitled HorizonNOW. The forward-looking strategy combines the term "Horizon”, in reference to the company’s New Horizons 2025+ business strategy and "NOW”, because the challenges of sustainable development require immediate action.

"The packaging industry is under increasing pressure to provide more environmentally sustainable options for the future,” said Nicolas Wiedmann, Chief Executive Officer, Siegwerk. "As the sponsor of the HorizonNOW initiative, Siegwerk’s ambition is to conduct business with the next generation in mind while driving the latest innovations in safe, circular and digital packaging solutions.” The end goal is for a net positive impact on society.

Seven sustainable business targets
To ensure the success of HorizonNOW, the initiative focuses on seven measurable targets based on the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals – to be realized by 2025. These include:

• Achieve carbon neutral scope 1 and 2 emissions globally
• Ensure 100% of Siegwerk suppliers are committed to UN Global Compact Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) requirements
• Establish product environmental footprint data for 100 percent of Siegwerk products
• Be the trendsetter for the safest inks by proactively improving Siegwerk’s products and setting new industry standards in consumer and environmental safety
• Manage our portfolio so that 75% of all products or services sold enable reusable, renewable or recyclable packaging
• Achieve a minimum gender representation at the executive level of 15%
• Ensure a Total Incident Rate (TIR) of less than 1.0

"These are aggressive, industry-leading, targets which will ensure Siegwerk’s actions will have a direct impact on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and society as a whole,” added Wiedmann. "To ensure our success, we are putting in place the proper organiSation and leadership to deliver on our promises.” In addition, Siegwerk will pursue a certification by EcoVadis – a leading business sustainability ratings provider – to externally monitor and verify the company’s performance.

A new strategy requires a new internal focus

HorizonNOW has been designed to focus on four areas of impact which are integral to Siegwerk’s business. These are: Operations and Supply Chain, Product Safety and Responsibility, Circular Economy and People and Communities. The Siegwerk Executive Board has approved a new organisational set-up, which includes a new Sustainability Office. Led by Alina Marm, Head of Global Sustainability and Circular Economy, the Sustainability Office will further guide and facilitate the implementation and advancement of the sustainable business agenda.

"Since joining Siegwerk in February 2020, we have moved the sustainability agenda far forward and now we are going full circle with HorizonNOW. We have seized the opportunity to drive Circular Economy with carbon neutrality in mind while contributing to a better, more sustainable future,” said Marm. The Sustainability Office will also include a Global Sustainability Manager, backed up by a leader for each of the four areas of impact.

Already, Siegwerk’s safe and circular product and service solutions are helping customers to deliver their own sustainability requirements. "To achieve our goals, we still have more homework to do, and this will require working together in tandem with our customers and other important business partners,” added Wiedmann. "To deliver, Siegwerk must build a sustainable business that remains economically viable. This was always going to be challenging, but myself and the Executive Board strongly believe that HorizonNOW is the right strategic direction to take, and that we will be successful in achieving this aggressive objective.”