Minimizing waste in our operations
For Huhtamaki, tackling the waste challenge involves addressing both production waste and the end-of-life of the product. We address this complex issue through cooperation with stakeholders across the entire value chain and by designing for circularity, minimizing waste in our own production and finding solutions to develop waste management infrastructure.
The main waste streams in our processes are cutting waste from paperboard packaging manufacturing, materials rejected during the fiber pulping process, and plastic waste. Cutting waste from our paperboard packaging manufacturing is either recycled as raw material for fiber packaging inside Huhtamaki or sent for external recycling. The waste disposal method is determined on the manufacturing unit level based on the available infrastructure and type of waste.
Our goal is that more than 90% of the non-hazardous waste from our production will be either recycled or composted by 2030 and no waste will be sent to landfill.
In 2023, we reached a rate of 79.4% of total non-hazardous waste that was recycled or composted. 8.2% of total waste was sent to landfill.
To tackle the complex issue of waste, we are partnering with stakeholders across the value chain. Through our participation in organizations such as Europen and Ceflex, we aim to influence the recycling infrastructure development in Europe. We also contribute to concrete initiatives to mitigate waste in many different ways.
Read more about how we are addressing the end-of-life of our products
At Huhtamaki, we work relentlessly to achieve our 2030 targets and everyone’s input is needed for us to deliver on our commitment to protect food, people, and the planet. Tremendeous work is done at many Huhtamaki sites. As an example, we'd like to raise the achievement by our Foodservice site in Gosport, UK: achieving zero waste to landfill since November 2022.
The team in Gosport has worked tirelessly to improve the site's waste management. Today, 0% of Gosport’s waste ends up in landfill. The improvement was achieved by decreasing general waste and improving recycling rates as well as finding new partnerships in recycling. The transformation that Gosport has gone through helps us to stay true to our purpose of protecting food, people and the planet.