Danish packager flies the eco flag

Environmental issues and packaging hardly seem to go hand-in-hand. Unless you consider Danish-based packaging provider Hartmann, that is.

The business produces a range of packaging products, widely used throughout the food industry. But the environmentally friendly company ethos doesn't end with the products. The company is run along some of the most ecologically progressive lines likely to be found in any industry.

Long before it became fashionable, the 80-year-old company was recycling paper and trying to devise ways of conserving resources.

Environmental issues became so important to the company that ten years ago it decided to appoint a full time head of environmental issues. In her capacity as director of sustainable development, Anna Lisa Mortenson​ has developed her role to encompass all environmental, social and communication issues relating to this area.

"When I started the job I was asked to form a clear company policy on all issues pertaining to the environment,"​ said Mortenson. "The company had decided it wanted to be more proactive in its approach by forming a more definitive strategy. And that's what I did for the first six or seven years.​

"The first area to tackle was the organisation itself. We had to establish all the policies that would directly affect the company and its workforce, and ensure they were implemented correctly.​

"This meant splitting the division into three departments: Environmental, Sustainable Dialogue and Human Relations. Each of these divisions deals with very different areas, all essential to implementing an adequate and workable environmental policy.​

"Through this work we wanted to set up a template for all the other companies within the group. We are an acquisitive company and so we are constantly buying up different companies in various parts of the world. Currently we are operating in ten different countries. And where the company is located has major implications as to how we implement the policy. It really depends on where the country is and how geared up they are to environmental issues. Obviously culture and the standard of education have a great bearing on the outcome.​

"We have what is called the Step programme, which is all about addressing environmental issues, creating a dialogue and education in order to implement the programme. The Step programme has five steps and it is usual that it takes five years to fully implement. This usually means one step a year, but there is an organic approach to this time-frame, with some steps taking longer than others to implement.​

"We follow the Step programme because it's more tangible and easier for the employees to follow. If you try to introduce too much too quickly, it is never going to work. It has to be introduced little by little in a format that employees can take on board with their daily workload. We have just announced the purchase of egg carton manufacturing facilities across the US and we have already begun to implement the first step of the programme there."​

Company environmental policies are often seen as a way of simply cutting costs on the production line. And undeniably this is a part of Hartmann's policy, which indeed does save money.

"Ultimately the programme enhances productivity. Resources such as heat, chemicals and water can all be used more efficiently and effectively. When we introduce a new Step programme the first stage is to cut down on resources and save money within the company.​

"Then comes the knock-on effect, because we start to encourage our suppliers to introduce similar methods in order to cut their costs and increase environmental awareness. When you educate people in manufacturing know-how you introduce intelligence to the organisation and things start to get smoother on the production floor.​

"If suppliers don't reach certain ethical or environmental criteria then we will not use them. For example, if there is any evidence of child labour in the supply chain, then we will not become involved. This is because we are present in some of the more developing regions of the world, where such issues have to be carefully looked into and considered."​

Implementing the programme is easier said than done, though. The company found that the first step was always difficult, with many production managers reporting that they hated it because of the difficulties it entailed.

"However, in the long run people find that the programme makes them more involved in the production process, because it makes them think more and gives them a greater sense of responsibility. In the long run it makes people feel like they are doing some good, which is ultimately good for worker moral."​

Mortenson herself is not one for sitting in an ivory tower. Hartmann has manufacturing facilities in Brazil, where she has spent time wholeheartedly involving herself in the implementation of the programme.

"The company aims to involve everyone. People like to get involved and when they do they feel like they are doing some good. It's good for worker moral. In Brazil I had excellent feedback. The workers there said they had never been exposed to such a training programme. But what was most rewarding was the way in which the Brazilian workers all embraced the programme. In fact they were so enthused they even reported that they were using what they had learned at the company in their own homes."​