Sustainability Statement
For SÄNTIS, sustainability means treating nature, the environment, our manufacturing resources and all the people who support us with respect.
Sustainability lies at the heart of all our business activities. Energy consumption is reduced wherever possible and we substitute traditional energy sources with eco-friendly alternatives.
We save valuable resources by minimising waste and the amount of materials we use. We vigorously pursue our goal of employing viable recycling to maximise the amount of waste materials we return to the closed-loop materials cycle.
We are a fair employer and partner for our employees and those in our business environment and promote their safety, health and personal development.
We are committed to making the world a healthier place for us all.
Our strategy for the future
- Harnessing eco-design to reduce waste
- Using mono-materials where possible for mechanical recycling
- Maximising packaging protection using multilayer materials that can be chemically recycled
- Feeding residue into the incinerator to generate valuable energy
- Promoting biodegradable plastics, where appropriate
Eco-Design
Eco Design
At SÄNTIS we design our packaging in accordance with the principles of eco-design, with four design features that deliver sustainability across the entire product cycle:
- Design for resource optimisation
- Design for sustainable materials management
- Design for recycling
- Design for environmentally friendly use
We work on the basis that our resources are finite and that only a genuine closed-loop materials cycle offers a long-term sustainable solution. We are therefore firmly committed to supporting the creation of a functioning closed circular economy.
4Green Strategy
At säntis packaging ag, sustainability means producing packaging in a way that respects and protects human and natural resources so we can help to conserve food sustainability for future generations.
To implement this holistic vision we have developed our 4Green Strategy, applying four core concepts to the production and recycling of our packaging.
Energy and water management
SÄNTIS has been using an internal heat recovery system for years, heating our premises using the residual heat produced by our production facilities.
We rely on state-of-the-art technologies and partnerships to reduce our production facilities’ electricity consumption. As a member of the Energy Agency of the Swiss Private Sector (EnAW) we adhere to an ongoing energy-efficiency plan. In four years, EnAW participants have collectively saved 2,734 gigawatt hours of electricity and 485,948 tonnes of CO2, the same level of CO2 produced by approximately 60,700 flights around the globe.
And by using internal water circuits, we ensure that our water requirements are kept to the strict minimum.
Materials management
As part of our eco-design strategy, when developing packaging we ensure that we only use the materials we need to provide maximum protection for the relevant food products. By cutting material consumption, we save costs and reduce the impact on our environment.
Plastics are valuable materials, which is why we constantly strive to make our packaging more recyclable through sustainable material design and state-of-the-art technologies.
Waste management
We collect, assess, separate and deliver our waste to the appropriate recycling stations.
We also ask all of our internal industrial departments to operate as complete a cycle as possible in the reuse of processed and recycled material. Edge strips, punching grids and other plastic waste is therefore sorted according to colour and physical properties, ground, returned to the ground material silos and directly incorporated into the production process. This enables us to significantly reduce material consumption and costs, while at the same time conserving our valuable fossil fuel resources.
Material residues that we produce in-house but are no longer able to incorporate are forwarded to our partners. They are used to produce transport containers, small parts for the automotive industry and other everyday objects.
Tackling food waste
Every year, about one third of all food produced worldwide is lost and the spoilage of valuable food products is also a growing health concern.
To reduce food waste, we are committed to developing innovative materials for food packaging that are safe, of high-quality and guarantee an extended shelf life. At säntis, we continuously develop our barrier systems to prolong shelf-life in conjunction with a wide range of alternative available materials: petrochemical, biodegradable or renewable raw materials.
Our Partnerships
The EnAW: voluntary environmental protection and energy efficiency
We rely on state-of-the-art technologies and partnerships to reduce our production facilities’ electricity consumption. As a member of the Energy Agency of the Swiss Private Sector (EnAW) we adhere to an ongoing energy-efficiency plan. In four years, EnAW participants have collectively saved 2,734 gigawatt hours of electricity and 485,948 tonnes of CO2, the same level of CO2 produced by approximately 60,700 flights around the globe.
Protecting the oceans
SÄNTIS is actively committed to protecting our ecosystems, our health and economies across the globe. This is why we sponsor the international non-profit organisation The Ocean Cleanup, which has set itself the mammoth task of finding a way to clean up and regenerate the world’s oceans – and is fully committed to succeeding. Over the next five years, the organisation aims to remove up to 50% of the Great Pacific garbage patch with groundbreaking technology and a team of more than 80 engineers and scientists.
Plastic Bank is committed to helping create the social and ecological change that is necessary to build a better society and protect the environment. The organisation aims to combat poverty and plastic pollution in developing countries by enabling people to exchange the plastic waste they collect for money and non-cash incentives. The organisation also works closely with companies that make new products from recycled plastic (Social Plastic®). This helps to promote recycling ecosystems across the globe and prevents plastic from finding its way into the ocean.
We want to create a constant awareness of this global issue, which is why we purchase hundreds of Plastic Bank T-shirts every year and give them to our staff and business partners. Every T-shirt purchased represents around 1,000 plastic bottles prevented from entering the ocean by Plastic Bank. Do your bit!
Children's charity in Guinea: building a better future with solar energy
For several years, SÄNTIS has been supporting a Swiss organisation that set up a children’s charity in Mangueta, Guinea (West Africa), to help traumatised and disadvantaged street kids build a better future for themselves. With a donation from our second company, Säntis Batterie, we were able to provide a solar-powered generator for the people of Mangueta. The electricity produced allows children to run sewing machines and learn how to use them so that they can use their skills to make a living later in life.
Since the end of 2018, we have also been helping young people in Mangueta learn how to use basic carpentry tools to carry out simple woodworking tasks that allow them to earn money.