Sustainability

Sustainability

A holistic understanding of sustainability - from an ecological, social and business perspective - is firmly anchored in SML's company culture. The concept of sustainability is integrated into all company processes and shapes our everyday actions. We implement the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) consistently across the board as a clear commitment to transparency and responsibility.

In our sustainability targets, we focus on following key areas:

With this clear focus, we contribute to forward-thinking development - economically successful, ecologically compatible and socially just.

Responsibility along the value chain

SML sees itself as an active part of the plastics value chain. We take responsibility within our own organisation as well as in upstream and downstream processes. Our Supplier Code of Conduct ensures that our social and ecological standards are also adhered to in upstream stages of the value chain.

ENVIRONMENTAL

Reducing our climate impact – step by step
Today, all the electricity needs at our headquarters are met solely by green energy and our own photovoltaics system – this represents an important step towards reducing our direct emissions. Other measures are targeting energy use in production, the mobility of staff and transportation. To reduce emissions even further, air freight and business trips are to be reduced by ten per cent by 2030 through measures including optimised planning and transport pooling. In addition, the company’s vehicle fleet is gradually being converted to electric-powered systems.

Focusing on systems efficiency
Machines from SML have always been highly efficient in terms of energy and resources. The continuous development of our technologies reduces the carbon footprint of plastics production and lowers emissions for our customers.

Circular economy through technology
Innovative systems and process technology are essential for a functioning circular economy. Our systems enable the processing of up to 100% post-consumer recycled material. SML takes a leading role in producing machines for manufacturing easily recyclable mono-material films.

Sustainability that reaches our customers
SML’s sustainability approach is reflected in the high quality of our systems, their retrofitting capability and our extensive service offering. Some SML systems have been in regular use for more than 30 years – a clear advantage for the environment and cost effectiveness.

SOCIAL

Reliability and safety for people
SML is committed to a safe, stable and respectful working environment. Health and safety at work have the utmost priority – both in our own operations as well as in the development of machinery that is easy to use. Our sustainability targets include strengthening our operational training and development, increasing diversity and internationalisation of the workforce. This allows us to promote long-term development and social responsibility within the company.

GOVERNANCE

Sustainability: our path to the future
Sustainability is an integral component of SML’s company strategy and values. We have already achieved some of our sustainability targets – others can still be improved upon. By including sustainability in our company policies, we are able to track and measure our progress on an ongoing basis. Environmentally, our aim is to be climate-neutral by 2050. As regards our social impact, we aim to be seen as a model company for our employees.