Increasing recycled content and cutting emissions with 4B Packaging

Increasing recycled content and cutting emissions with 4B Packaging

 

To contribute to the fight against climate change, reduce waste, and comply with upcoming legislation, brands are increasingly evaluating and redesigning their packaging to make it more circular. One way they can do this is by exchanging virgin raw materials with materials made using recycled content. 

4B Packaging, a French label converter, is already in the process of reducing the environmental impact of its packaging and saw an opportunity to make the switch from virgin paper facestocks to facestocks using recycled content. 

To achieve its sustainability goals, 4B Packaging looked to Avery Dennison’s range of solutions made with recycled content. This includes our rMC paper facestocks, which are made from 30% to 100% recycled content and offer excellent print quality with digital, conventional, and thermal transfer printing.

We spoke with 4B Packaging teams to discuss our collaboration and the ways rMC supports their sustainability initiatives and goals.

Describe the challenge you faced that led you to choose rMC.

We had set a goal to reduce our overall environmental impact and identified raw materials as an area where we could significantly improve. In 2021, when recycled raw materials were not standard, we began switching our volumes from virgin to recycled materials whenever possible at one of our production sites. As part of that, we needed to replace our standard coated paper with recycled coated paper and make that the new standard for our customers. 

We have a long-term partnership with Avery Dennison, and we work together to develop new solutions. When we told our commercial contact in France we were looking for a more sustainable coated paper, they told us about rMC coated papers with recycled content.

 

Increasing recycled content and cutting emissions with 4B Packaging


How does rMC address your challenge?

For us, a high level of quality is a prerequisite. Using rMC coated papers (with 30% recycled content) helps us incorporate recycled materials into our labels and meet our sustainability goals without sacrificing the quality or performance our customers expect from our products. 
 

How does rMC fit into your business and sustainability strategies?

It fits in directly with both. From a business perspective, it allows us to continue delivering high quality products while meeting increasing customer demand for sustainable products. From a sustainability perspective, it aligns with our commitment to reduce our environmental impact and move towards more circular business practices by reducing waste and incorporating more recycled materials into our operations.

Over the past several years, we have been working to develop our sustainability strategy in other areas as well. For example, all our production sites are FSC certified, and we have developed an entire business unit focused on reuse solutions. We are also committed to a broader Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) approach.

What results have you seen from using rMC? 

As a result of using these products, we have been able to reduce our carbon emissions by 100 tons and our water consumption by about 360,000 liters. These significant results demonstrate the effectiveness of our sustainability efforts, and we are now switching more and more volume for even bigger results.

Besides the environmental benefits, rMC has also helped us strengthen our brand's reputation for sustainability and innovation. We have received positive feedback from our customers, and believe it is helping us to attract new customers who value sustainability. Furthermore, the process of transitioning to rMC has given us valuable insights into how we can further improve our operations and products.

Increasing recycled content and cutting emissions with 4B Packaging


What is your company’s long-term vision for sustainability?

Our long-term vision for sustainability involves not only reducing our environmental footprint but also driving – as far as we can – positive change in the industry. We aim to lead by example, implementing innovative and sustainable solutions in all aspects of our operations. 

We also plan to work closely with our stakeholders, including our employees, customers, and the communities in which we operate, to enhance our collective understanding of sustainability and to collaborate on initiatives that benefit the environment.


Learn more

If you would like to learn more about rMC and the other products in our recycled content range, click here.