Neopac AG in Oberdiessbach, Switzerland, is in the throes of preparing for ISO 14001 certification and has appointed an Environmental Manager. At company level, offset returns are already being calculated today via the myclimate Foundation. Environmental projects will benefit as a result. The "green tube" is already at the starting line: Neopac will soon allow customers to get their hands on carbon-neutral tubes.

Neopac in Oberdiessbach, in Switzerland, is an international specialist for the development and manufacture of Polyfoil® barrier tubes. The Company supplies demanding clients in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and dental sectors. Daniel Müller is the Environmental Manager at Neopac and, as such, is the "main point of contact" for environmental issues. "We are striving to achieve Environmental Management Standard ISO 14001 in May 2011", explains Daniel Müller. "My role is to prepare, plan and implement an environment management system, and to build up a useful control mechanism."

Customers set great store by "green tubes"
The international ISO standard 14001 calls for an environmental management system. Its main focus is on-going improvement. Neopac decided to go for ISO 14001 certification as the logical follow-up to its "Green Commitment", its pledge to the environment. The Company is also satisfying a customer requirement at the same time: "More and more customers are asking for 'green tubes', thus clearly showing that they set great store by products with a good eco-balance", points out Daniel Müller. On the one hand, this is due to increasing quality consciousness on the part of customers: for their products, they are looking for packaging that is as free as possible from environmentally harmful ingredients and processes, especially since more and more consumers are sensitive to the contents not only of the product itself, but also of the packaging. On the other hand, with ecologically correct products, Neopac’s customers can portray the image of an environmentally conscious supplier to consumers.

Offsetting returns via myclimate
As well as preparing for ISO 14001 certification, Neopac has provided data regarding materials, transportation, the disposal of hazardous substances etc, to the international myclimate Foundation. The myclimate Company then calculates the offset returns required, which, in turn, are used to promote certified environmental projects. Customers can then decide whether they would like to purchase CO2-neutral tubes and are prepared to pay an extra amount to support these projects. Neopac is already currently operating as a partly CO2-neutral Company: Neopac adopts this strategy to arrange climate-neutral business trips.

Numerous measures have already been taken
Neopac has long since been intent on improving its performance in the environmental stakes. Nowadays, 95% of all its colours and varnishes are UV-cured, which means they contain less volatile solvents. More than one-third of the electrical energy required by the Company is provided by hydropower. 85% of all waste are sorted, separated and recycled whilst the remainder is recycled for energy. Short journeys, hazardous substance standard Euro 5 for heavy goods vehicles and the purchase of raw materials solely from Europe are other measures implemented by Neopac in an attempt to take care of the environment and the world’s resources.