ANTALIS

Pioneer in sustainability, is how Antalis describes itself. The company is constantly looking for ways to further reduce its environmental impact. By actively promoting environmentally friendly products, sharing knowledge and providing advice. Change is not only necessary, it also offers opportunities'.

Antalis is Europe's largest distributor of paper, packaging solutions and products for visual communication. 'As a company, we want to inspire and lead the way,' states Muriël Knippers, Purchase Manager Packaging Benelux at Antalis. 'Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is part of that. Our CSR policy focuses not only on good governance and people, but also on two other important pillars: natural resources and product range. In 2016, we drew up an ambitious plan for this, in which we stipulated, among other things, that we want to increase the traceability of our products and reduce our energy consumption.'

Silver medal

In 2018, Antalis received a silver medal from EcoVadis, a globally recognised sustainability rating platform, for its efforts to become more environmentally friendly. 'Sustainability is in our DNA,' says Muriël. 'Moreover, environmentally responsible business creates opportunities in the market. It stimulates innovation, and as a result we also meet our customers' needs. We want to go beyond just promoting our products, we also want to offer sustainable solutions.' The best-known examples of sustainable solutions are FSC- and PEFC-labelled papers. Both labels guarantee that the products come from responsibly managed forests. But there are so many labels and certificates these days that it is sometimes difficult to compare different products. That is why Antalis developed the Green Star System.

Muriël: 'It allows customers to view the environmental impact of certain paper types. Based on environmental performance, the system assigns paper products zero to five stars. We plan to launch such a system for our visual communication products in early 2021 as well.'

High-quality alternatives

'When it comes to packaging too, companies can easily reduce their environmental impact,' states Muriël. 'We have put together a complete range of 'green' and biobased packaging materials. Biobased products are made from renewable raw materials, such as cane sugar, starch or cellulose, which also makes them recyclable. They are technically high-quality packaging products that are increasingly being used.' In addition, Antalis is happy to advise customers on how they can make their businesses even more sustainable. Muriël: 'We do that by examining the entire packaging process. There are many ways to make environmental gains. For instance by using thinner film, but also by redesigning your logistics process.

Antalis itself is also taking steps in the sustainability process. 'For instance, separating waste is a matter of course for us,' says Muriël. For instance, we collect the coffee grounds from our coffee machines. We collect it, after which UPZWAM, an Almere startup, grows edible mushrooms on it. We are also making our vehicle fleet sustainable step by step, by increasingly choosing electric cars. And we have installed motion sensors in our building. As a result, the lights are not left on unnecessarily and no energy is wasted.'

For more and more customers, the subject of sustainability is on the agenda, Muriël observes. 'It allows you to stand out as a company and also contribute to a better world. There are so many possibilities. For instance, recycled paper has long since ceased to be grey and drab, making it a fully-fledged alternative. Just by switching to recycled paper in your house style, which is only a few cents more expensive, you make very big strides.' She expects many more products to come onto the market in the near future that offer a sustainable alternative, including in visual communication products. 'We would like to inspire entrepreneurs in making sustainable choices.'

More information: www.antalis.nl

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