Statement re 2020 Sustainable Development Repor...

2020 Sustainable Development Report demonstrates continued year-on-year delivery on CO2 reduction of 7% and reinforced commitment to sustainability targets

Statement re 2020 Sustainable Development Report Smurfit Kappa accelerates CO2 emissions reduction in 2020

Smurfit Kappa Group PLC

Smurfit Kappa continues to make significant and tangible progress on achieving its sustainability targets according to its 14th Sustainable Development Report ("SDR"). It highlights the company’s long-standing objective to be an impactful business that drives change and nurtures a greener planet through the three key pillars of Planet, People, and Impactful Business. Furthermore, Smurfit Kappa’s end-to-end approach to sustainability is evident in its innovative products and processes that support customers and positively impact the entire value chain.

Compared with 2019, Smurfit Kappa made significant progress in reducing its fossil CO2 emission intensity. The Group is the first in its industry to have announced targeting at least net zero emissions by 2050 and, compared to its baseline year 2005, it reduced its emissions intensity by 37.3% by the end of 2020. The reduction in 2020 versus 2019 was 7% which is an acceleration compared with the previous year. The Group is well on its way to reach its intermediate 2030 target of 55% reduction, in line with the EU Green Deal objectives.

Compared with 2019, the Group also made continued progress during 2020 on a number of its other key sustainability targets:

• Water discharge quality improved by 5%
• Waste to landfill intensity decreased by 18%
• Chain of Custody certified packaging deliveries to customers increased by 2%
• Safety performance improved by 29%
• Social projects received €7.7 million in donations, including €3 million in various COVID-related projects during the financial year.

Tony Smurfit, Group CEO, said: “During the pandemic, the importance of sustainability has become even clearer. Climate change, has become, in the eyes of many, a climate crisis, and diversity, inclusion and equality are urgent issues for global society. Circular economy and sustainable forestry management are at the heart of our business principles, and directly addresses legitimate concerns of our customers and indeed of the broader public. With a focus on sustainability, and by collaborating with our value chain partners, we can create greater social, economic and environmental value.”

While the SDR has been independently assured since 2009, the 2020 SDR is the company’s first to report in line with recommendations of the Taskforce for Climate related Financial Disclosures¹ and the Sustainable Accounting Standards Board² criteria.

Smurfit Kappa also aligned its sustainability ambitions and targets into its financing by embedding its sustainability targets via Key Performance Indicators into its existing €1.35 billion Revolving Credit Facility (“RCF”), creating a Sustainability Linked RCF, at the end of 2020.

Smurfit Kappa has been contributing to making the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a reality since 2015. This contribution was recognised by the Support the Goals movement in 2020 when the company became the first FTSE 100 company to receive a five-star rating.

Steven Stoffer, Group VP of Sustainable Development at Smurfit Kappa, said: “This five-star rating from Support the Goals, our continued listing on the FTSE4Good, Euronext Vigeo Europe 120 and others, and the recent upgrading by ISS ESG to the highest rating in the environmental category, is testament to the commitment of everyone in our company and our end-to-end approach to sustainability.”

By committing to these sustainability targets, the company’s Better Planet Packaging portfolio of sustainable products will continue to help its customers to deliver on their own short- and long-term sustainability goals. The company recently showcased these innovative solutions to over 2,700 attendees at its Better Planet Packaging 2021 virtual event.

To read more about Smurfit Kappa’s sustainability targets and achievements, a summary of the Sustainable Development Report can be found here, with the full version available to download here.

ENDS

Note to Editor:

1. The Financial Stability Board created the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) to improve and increase reporting of climate-related financial information. The TCFD is committed to market transparency and stability. (Source: https://www.fsb-tcfd.org/ )
2. The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) is an independent nonprofit organisation that sets standards to guide the disclosure of financially material sustainability information by companies to their investors. SASB Standards identify the subset of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues most relevant to financial performance in each of 77 industries. (Source: https://www.sasb.org/)

Media contact:
Nicki Labram
Smurfit Kappa
T: [phone]
E: [e-mail]

About Smurfit Kappa

Smurfit Kappa, a FTSE 100 company, is one of the leading providers of paper-based packaging solutions in the world, with approximately 46,000 employees in over 350 production sites across 35 countries and with revenue of €8.5 billion in 2020. We are located in 23 countries in Europe, and 12 in the Americas. We are the only large-scale pan-regional player in Latin America.

With our proactive team, we relentlessly use our extensive experience and expertise, supported by our scale, to open up opportunities for our customers. We collaborate with forward-thinking customers by sharing superior product knowledge, market understanding and insights in packaging trends to ensure business success in their markets. We have an unrivalled portfolio of paper-based packaging solutions, which is constantly updated with our market-leading innovations. This is enhanced through the benefits of our integration, with optimal paper design, logistics, timeliness of service, and our packaging plants sourcing most of their raw materials from our own paper mills.

Our products, which are 100% renewable and produced sustainably, improve the environmental footprint of our customers.

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