Sustainability

Taking responsibility for the present and future of plastics

Sustainability has been a main focus point for Mikropakk for a long time. We have invested in a series of activities to reduce our carbon footprint in manufacturing, as listed below, and actively continue in considering new technologies and opportunities to make both our products and processes greener.

Despite a series of initiatives already implemented within Mikropakk, we are in the process of officialising our 2040 Sustainability goals which will be focused on the following areas

• optimising the energy efficiency of our operations,
• focusing on sustainability already in product design,
• contributing to the quality of life of our community through corporate citizenship.

Green manufacturing & net zero

Beside recyclability of products, excessive energy consumption has historically been a key issue of the injection molding industry. New-generation molding machines have already reduced energy usage to 50% from what it was 15 years ago. Still, we are eager to make further improvements, therefore, energy usage is actively measured on each molding machine to have up to date data.

To improve energy efficiency, one of our key developments is reusing the heat generated during the injection molding process. Instead of wasting this heat, we capture it through the cooling water system and use it to heat our offices. As a result, no additional energy is needed for heating, and we’ve completely eliminated the use of heating gas. This smart solution reduces heating costs and supports our environmental goals by delivering significant energy savings.

Logistics optimization of our two facilities to reduce carbon emissions

By optimizing the logistics between our Budapest and Salgótarján sites, we can reduce the carbon footprint of delivering our finished products. All of our forklifts are now fully electric—there are no gas-powered units in operation—further cutting on-site emissions. By making transport routes more efficient across our two production sites, we not only save costs but also reduce environmental impact. This move is a key part of our sustainability strategy focused on minimizing carbon emissions.

Corporate carbon footprint

For a responsible company it is essential to focus on sustainability aspects. We place great emphasis on environmental sustainability issues in both our operations and production. One of the first steps is to manage our greenhouse gas emissions and plan our future strategy accordingly. Therefore, we asked Denkstatt Hungary Ltd. to calculate the carbon footprint of our activities for the year 2021 (2021.01.01. – 2021.12.31.), according to the GHG Protocol guidance.

The company determined the direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from our activities, and the indirect emissions from purchased energy.

There is a good reason why the plastic industry has long been blamed for excessive pollution caused by single-use plastics. Under no circumstances does Mikropakk want to contribute to, promote or blame pollution on consumers. Our goal is to support responsible use while providing sustainable solutions by

• manufacturing products that generate less waste,
• enabling consumers to recycle products,
• ecologically conscious solutions,
• increasing recycled content in products.

As part of our commitment to sustainable packaging, we actively pursue development and innovation. We design multilayer packaging solutions that are easy to separate and recycle, and instead of primary raw materials, we use the highest possible proportion of PCR/PIR recycled materials.

End-to-end mindfulness about waste

First, we streamlined and automated our general resin use with a closed-loop supply system in both facilities to prevent any waste during production. As for waste during manufacturing, we design our manufacturing processes to minimise scraps and if possible, re-use them. We also re-use the packaging cartons of incoming materials to pack smaller batches of finished goods after production.

We are eager to make any product greener by

• Reducing product weight to meet new market requirements such as the reduction of total fossil based plastic usage by 30% in 5 years.
• Reusing our own industrial sprues where possible, to create a post-industrial recycling flow and support circular economy.
• Using bio-based and recycled materials in core products.