Astrapak : respecting our environment

Remaining a sustainable business in today's times is crucial to the success of a company and their business operations to ensure the longevity of the earth and its natural resources. Being environmentally sustainable is a vital element of Astrapak's heartbeat and the company commits to progress in the way in which environmental data is collected and analysed to utilise their resources effectively to have a minimal impact on the environment. This commitment to protect and preserve the environment forms a part of the culture within Astrapak.

The focus on sustainability as a group is categorised by five key pillars:

• Raw materials
• People health and safety
• Regulation and taxation
• Energy
• Resource Consumption and Pollution Control

In the process of implementing an integrated Group-wide energy management strategy, Astrapak places particular emphasis on energy management and energy-efficient procurement policies for effective energy and carbon management. The month-on-month benchmark reporting system to monitor the Group's energy savings has reflected an 18,4% per annum reduction on consumption levels over the two-year period - and improvement on the targeted 10% set two years ago.

Group equipment upgrades have significantly contributed to Astrapak's application of energy consumption-reducing initiatives. By adopting the industry best practices, steps taken like replacing aging hydraulic machinery with hybrid or all-electric machinery has reduced energy consumption by between 30% and 80%. Installing variable speed pump systems on chillers and cooling towers have reduced total energy consumption by an estimated 3%, while the replacement of air-cooled chillers with water-cooled chillers a further 5% estimated reduction.

Replacing air-cooled air-conditioning units with water-cooled models has contributed to an efficiency gain of approximately 50%.

By merging their key operations and implementing effective energy monitoring systems and reduction programmes across the Group is what Astrapak believes to have been the driving force to the positive change. The company has also invested in behavioural training, which is helping to shape the culture of the organisation and entrenches the fundamental commitment to improving our environment.

With specific targeted initiatives in place and the consolidation of the Group, Astrapak has realised a 35,30% reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions during the 2015/16 financial year. Utilising the services of a third party waste management company, it has further consolidated and improved recycling rates, which resulted in a 52,34% decrease in waste emissions over the same period.

Facing outwards, Astrapak continues to collaborate with their customers to reduce the amount of virgin plastic raw material used in its products, embracing the philosophy of 'creating more value with less' and optimising the use of renewable and recycled materials. Raw material inputs have largely shifted towards scrap plastic. The scrap is recycled and made into products again, which creates a continuous and increasingly closed-loop cycle.

Our adherence to a strict corporate governance code paves the way to conducting sound business and underpins our code of ethics and business principles. People and their wellbeing, health and safety are paramount and are no doubt the cornerstone to our organisation achieving the exceptionally high targets and goals we have set ourselves.

Astrapak remains a world-class technological player and manufacturer of plastic products and we continue to strive to improve on previous achievements we have met. Excellence and duty are uncompromising fundamentals to which we subscribe.