BALL CORPORATION
message , and work carried out in factories to reduce energy use .
“ We achieved a bronze rating in early 2015 ,” Rowland-Jones adds . “ It was a challenging framework for us to work towards , and has given us some ideas around an improvement plan to further improve the certification . There is more we can do , for example with renewables and encouraging consumers to recycle more .”
Arratia emphasises the need for joined up action between the industry and consumers further still , highlighting the responsibility for Ball to create the most recyclable packaging possible .
“ One key message for us and for packaging is that it is so fast moving ,” he says . “ You buy the product and consume it quickly and want to dispose of it quickly as well . That means the biggest thing we can do is make sure that the packaging is designed in a way that means it can be recycled infinite times .
“ It is like-for-like recycling , which is maintaining the same value of the material at the end of its life – it is not down-cycling or bringing waste back to life . If you design something that is going to last hundreds of years in its first use then it is not as a big an issue , but for something that is used and disposed of so quickly , it is so important . This is why the industry as a whole needs to look at the wider infrastructure in an innovative way . Programmes aimed at helping consumers and public legislation are certainly going to help , but the industry can be more creative as well .”
Best practice Ball is already leading the way when it comes to best practice . A member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices , the company has been named industry leader for container and packaging businesses for four consecutive years . The same feat has been achieved with RobecoSAM ’ s Sustainability Yearbook .
In Europe , Rowland-Jones outlines how best practice is maintained : “ We have carried out a lot of work around lean and six sigma processes , which involves work around
40 April 2017