Bathed in the warm spring sunshine, the SIG Asia-Pacific Technical Center in the Suzhou Industrial Park gleams brightly. As the Group's largest technical center outside of its headquarters, it integrates R&D, training, filling machine assembly, and warehousing/supply systems. By systematically utilizing resources such as recycled water and solar energy, the center achieves high efficiency in energy conservation and emission reduction, earning both the US LEED Platinum certification and China’s Three-Star Green Building certification.

SIG is one of only two global suppliers of aseptic carton packaging systems. Headquartered in Switzerland, the Group partners with manufacturers across more than 100 countries and regions. Since establishing a presence in the park in 2002, the company has grown steadily, building a comprehensive industrial chain that encompasses R&D, production, sales, and service. Alongside its business expansion, the company has incorporated sustainability and low-carbon development into its strategic planning, carving out a distinctive path in the realm of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance).

Keywords: Green Manufacturing

Reducing organic waste gas emissions by approximately 1,000 tons annually

Over the years, SIG’s Suzhou facility has continuously enhanced its production capabilities, mastering processes such as carton blank production, die-cutting, printing, longitudinal sealing, and filling. By 2023, its annual production capacity for ambient-temperature packaging had reached 13.2 billion packs.

SIG’s production processes—including paper roll lamination, printing, finished product processing, and warehousing—generate waste gas but produce no industrial wastewater. To effectively prevent and control organic waste gas pollution, the company invested over 10 million RMB in an RTO (Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer) system for treating printing-related organic waste gas. It also installed an online monitoring system connected to environmental protection networks. With a treatment efficiency of up to 99%, the system reduces organic waste gas emissions by approximately 1,000 tons per year. Thanks to this project, SIG became the first company in Jiangsu Province’s packaging and printing industry to be recognized as a "Benchmark Enterprise for VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) Control." To further conserve energy, the factory utilizes rooftop distributed solar power generation, which not only fully meets the building's total energy needs but also supplies power to production operations; additionally, wind-solar hybrid systems have been installed for street lighting at the Xinglong Street plant. Water conservation measures include chilled water recycling, the separation of rainwater and sewage systems, rainwater harvesting and reuse, the installation of water-saving fixtures, and the implementation of water conservation training and awareness programs.

Keywords: Product Greenness

100% Product Recyclability

Combibloc is committed to excellence, sourcing eco-friendly, renewable materials right from the start. The factory evaluates raw material reduction in accordance with the GB/T 29115 standard and has completed the "Industrial Enterprise Raw Material Conservation Evaluation System" assessment. Currently, 100% of Combibloc’s paperboard raw materials are sourced from FSC-certified facilities—making it the only company globally to use 100% FSC-certified paperboard. Furthermore, by sourcing ASI-certified aluminum foil and ISCC-certified PE materials, the company minimizes environmental impact during procurement, embodying the principles of sustainable development. Calculations based on industry standards confirm a product recyclability rate of 100%; waste paperboard, aluminum foil, and PE materials generated during production are handed over to qualified recycling enterprises for processing and reuse.

Sustainability is integral to Combibloc’s business operations; the company fulfills its sustainability commitments through robust technology and exceptional innovation. A newly developed packaging structure eliminates the aluminum foil layer, maintaining superior aseptic performance while perfectly meeting customer demands for low-carbon, eco-friendly solutions and effectively reducing the carbon footprint by 30%.

To achieve the long-term goal of halving the carbon footprint across its entire value chain, the factory has established a "Green Supply Chain Management System." All factories within the group are required to obtain third-party ISO 14001 environmental management system certification. Additionally, the company imposes green development requirements on raw material suppliers and construction contractors during supplier assessment, raw material procurement, and equipment purchasing, working together to promote social sustainability. Keywords: Social Responsibility; Greening

Achieving Effective Resource Recycling and Reuse

In 2020, SIG Combibloc responded to the implementation of the *Suzhou Municipal Regulations on Household Waste Classification Management* by promoting waste sorting knowledge both within and outside the company, encouraging employees and the community to practice waste sorting together. Used milk cartons are recycled through processes such as shredding and filtering to create pulp, which is then used in papermaking machines to produce new paperboard; this material is ultimately manufactured into trash bins. During this process, the aluminum-plastic composite film from the cartons is separated into aluminum powder and plastic using specialized equipment, enabling effective resource recycling and reuse—an innovative move that explores new applications for recycled materials. Through a series of promotional activities, the company has raised awareness among employees and the surrounding community regarding high-quality development, the ecological environment, and social responsibility, while vigorously advancing ecological civilization and green development to achieve harmonious coexistence between growth and the ecosystem.

Furthermore, to foster an ecological civilization mindset among employees—characterized by respecting, conforming to, and protecting nature—and to encourage green, low-carbon lifestyles, the company actively organizes various themed events. It consistently leverages corporate culture initiatives to call upon society at large to participate in building an ecological civilization.

SIG Combibloc actively fulfills its social responsibilities and remains committed to sustainable social development. The company organizes specialized lectures—such as those on the "Endocrine and Women's Health Barometer" and courses on improving children's negative reactions to learning—to disseminate health knowledge and enhance public health literacy. Additionally, it carefully curates offline events, inviting Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners to provide free consultations for employees; this integrates theory with practice and contributes to building a healthy, harmonious society. These initiatives not only demonstrate the company's sense of social responsibility but also establish a positive brand image.