SIG announces another milestone in its ambition to go way beyond good for society and the environment by offering ASI-certified aluminum as standard for all SIG packs in Europe. According to the company’s statement, SIG is the first to obtain certification to both the ASI (Aluminum Stewardship Initiative) performance and chain of custody standards and is the only aseptic carton producer to offer ASI-certified aluminum in its packs.
The first ASI-labelled cartons were launched by customers such as B-Better (from Unilever’s Better Future Platform), Riedel, and DRINKS3 in 2019. Now, ASI-certified aluminum will come as standard for all SIG packs in Europe. The new aluminum standard will be introduced in June, starting with customers launching new products or designs.
“ASI certification helps to drive improvements for people and the environment throughout the aluminum value chain,” said Carsten Haerup Christensen, vice president Cluster Europe at SIG. “And it offers SIG customers another credible label, alongside FSCTM (forest management) certification for the paper board, to show consumers that they are committed to responsible sourcing of their packaging.”
As part of its commitment to offering customers 100% renewable packaging, SIG has already developed aluminum-free solutions and is working to eliminate aluminum from its packs. However, an ultra-thin barrier layer of aluminum foil (ten times thinner than a human hair) is still needed for several shelf-stable products filled in SIG packs to protect them from light and oxygen, and keep products like fruit juices safe and nutritious.
Certification to the Aluminum Stewardship Initiative (ASI) standards demonstrates that aluminum comes from responsible sources. ASI certification aims to enhance traceability and responsibility in the aluminum supply chain through audits against strict standards on ethical, environmental, and social criteria.
To help track responsibly sourced aluminum, SIG claims to have a tracking system in place that is audited to maintain certification.
ASI-certified aluminum – Responsible sourcing commitment
Sourcing raw materials from certified responsible sources is an established pillar of SIG’s commitment to go way beyond good for society and the environment. The company’s target is to source 100% of the key raw materials in its packs from certified sources by the end of 2020.
Since 2016, customers have been able to include the FSCTM label on any of SIG’s cartons to show that the wood used to manufacture the paper board is from sustainably managed forests and other controlled sources.
With ASI-certified aluminum as standard from now on, SIG customers in Europe have the option to include the ASI label on packs, to show consumers that they are using responsibly-sourced aluminum in their packaging. This adds value for SIG customers by further enhancing their packaging’s sustainability credentials
in the eyes of consumers.
