Topa is Committed to Reducing. In 2023, we continued our journey towards sustainability. Our efforts have once again been assessed and calculated by ClimatePartner. The conclusion: we have achieved a 38% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to 2020. This is a fantastic result that exceeds the Dutch targets based on the Paris Climate Agreement. We are even ahead of our own ambitions. Additionally, we contribute financially to offset the remaining emissions of our organization. This contribution goes to the ClimatePartner project ‘Renewable Energy Asia’.

We Save Tons

The savings we have achieved are primarily in the areas of energy and mobility. In 2023, we saved over 100 tons by using 100% green electricity and transitioning to hybrid or fully electric models when replacing lease cars. Unfortunately, we saw an increase of over 53 tons in waste last year. This requires a bit of explanation. As the Topa group, we have not produced more waste in absolute terms. The Topa group includes various activities, from trading companies to production facilities. Based on new insights, we decided to reallocate the waste streams. This internal shift explains the increase. The infographic below provides a good overview of the 2023 results and our 2024 ambitions.

EcoVadis Sustainability Performance Monitor

For Topa, sustainability goes beyond reducing our environmental impact. Sustainability represents future-proof business practices. Therefore, in 2023, we were audited by EcoVadis, an independent international sustainability assessment platform that makes organizational sustainability transparent. EcoVadis evaluates companies on their sustainability performance using 21 indicators across four themes:

• Environment: Assessing the impact on nature and the measures taken to reduce it.
• Labor & Human Rights: Ensuring good working conditions and respect for human rights throughout the supply chain.
• Ethics: Maintaining high ethical standards in business practices.
• Sustainable Procurement: Integrating environmentally conscious choices into procurement policies.

EcoVadis’ assessment: Topa is among the top 35% of best-performing companies in the sustainability performance monitor and has earned the bronze EcoVadis medal. This is a great recognition of our efforts so far, but we realize there is still work to be done.

But We Are Not Done Reducing

We are pleased with the results achieved so far, but we know we can and must do more. In 2024, we will continue with initiatives that further reduce our CO2 emissions. We will focus on energy efficiency, sustainable mobility solutions, and waste reduction. Additionally, we will strengthen our EcoVadis results by implementing several suggested improvements.

Our ambition is to achieve a further 5% reduction in our CO2 emissions. By collaborating with our partners and suppliers and actively involving our employees in these sustainability initiatives, we are confident we will meet our goals.

Topa’s Additional Steps

The demand for alternative, more sustainable packaging solutions is increasing. Therefore, besides our internal focus on sustainability, Topa is also attentive to the needs of our customers and suppliers. We are running several initiatives to continue meeting the changing demands.

We are continuously seeking alternative product solutions that contribute positively to CO2 reduction. One product we are particularly excited about is paper fiber foam. This solution has an 80% lower CO2 emission compared to traditional foam filler solutions. At Topa Thermal, we are already using this new material in the Connex Eco.

We closely monitor the developments regarding PPWR legislation. The PPWR is the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which will replace the EU Packaging Directive, though it is not yet 100% finalized.

The demand for an objective calculation of the CO2 emissions of a packaging solution is increasing. There are now several providers offering software for Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) calculations. In an LCA calculation, the environmental impact of a product or activity is determined over its entire lifecycle. Topa has acquired a package to gain knowledge and experience with this calculation method.