Sustainability award
Sustainability means that the current generation must be able to satisfy its needs in such a way that subsequent generations are also able to satisfy theirs. The chemical sector recognizes this obligation and promotes sustainable development by its companies. After all, sustainability is an opportunity for a successful long-term future strategy which combines economic success with social responsibility as well as environmental protection.
Accordingly, Actega DS is consistently aligned toward sustainability. This also became apparent that the company was awarded with the sustainability award of VCI NRW. Within the framework of the competition on “We have good ideas for the recycling economy”, the Association of the Chemical Industry, sector North Rhine-Westphalia, highlighted outstanding projects. Among others, this means using resources more intelligently and sustainably, avoiding waste or recycling it. Three projects succeeded in convincing an external expert jury. Actega DS was awarded third place for sustainable utilization of resources within the framework of this Responsible Care Competition. The external expert jury was inspired by the savings potential offered by the innovation: Actega DS developed a special sealing compound which can save thousands of tons of steel during crown cork production. It has been possible to optimize the performance, consistency and flexibility of sealing compounds in crown corks in such a way that the manufacturers can dispense with significant quantities of steel required for production. Since being patented around 120 years ago, hardly anything has changed in the principle of crown corks: sheet steel encloses the bottle opening and a sealing compound protects the contents of the bottle from contamination. Thanks to the newly-developed sealing compound, standard crown corks are now 0.04 millimeters thinner and 0.3 grams lighter, thereby helping to use raw materials more efficiently and significantly reducing the consumption of resources. This SVELON® 830 LG (Low Gauge) sealing compound free of PVC and plasticizers represents a real innovation. One major customer alone processes around 42 billion of these new crown corks every year. 10,000 tons of steel can now be saved every year which corresponds with the amount of steel installed in London’s new Wembley Stadium. A seemingly trivial measure thus revealed highly-innovative development performance which in turn convinced the jury.
Furthermore the Altana Group, to which Actega DS belongs, was awarded gold status in the renowned EcoVadis sustainability rating. Accordingly, the Group has improved significantly over 2015 when it was awarded silver status. EcoVadis analyzes the company’s environmental aspects, procurement policy, compliance and labor conditions on the basis of the international ISO 26000 sustainability guideline and has evolved to become the world’s leading rating platform for the chemical sector. This award confirms the company’s vision of sustainability as a decisive factor for corporate success.
