Our Approach

Eco-efficiency

Sun Chemical’s sustainability policy is based on the concept of eco-efficiency as defined by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Eco-efficiency is achieved by the delivery of economically competitive goods and services that satisfy our customers’ needs and bring quality of life, while progressively reducing ecological impact and resources intensity throughout the life cycle.

Download our latest Sustainability Report which shows the quantities of waste incinerated without energy recovery and landfill waste continued to decrease since the last report despite recent acquisitions. The report also highlights Sun Chemical’s overall commitment to developing sustainable solutions for customers, such as:

• Copper-free blue inks for compostable packaging
• AquaHeat oven-safe renewable inks made with high levels of biorenewable content
• Sustainability-enabling series of inks and coatings for the narrow-web, label and sleeve market
• A new water-based coating for sheetfed commercial printing and folding cartons
• Moisture vapor barrier coatings for paper packaging applications
• Digital color management solutions that offer a number of sustainability benefits
• New functional black pigments that enable easier recycling of black plastics in recycling facilities

Sustainability Roadmap

Sun Chemical is taking a phased approach to our sustainability effort and is using a roadmap to improve the eco-efficiency of our products and processes.

For our processes, we will:

• Set improvement targets for energy and water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and solid waste emissions.
• Measure and report these parameters, regularly, by site and by product.
• Establish actions to improve, then re-check and re-measure.

For our products, we have:

• A structured and robust approach to product development that includes risk management and eco-efficiency improvements as key criteria.
• An infrastructure for product stewardship that leads the industry.
• Proactive approach in working with suppliers, customers, and industry trade groups to promote best practices.

To support our sustainability efforts in our operations and product development, we use what we call “the five Rs” – reuse, reduce, recycle, renew and redesign. To learn how you can use “the five Rs” to grow your business sustainably and contribute to a circular economy, download Sun Chemical’s Sustainable Growth – a guide to help you grow your business sustainably and contribute to the circular economy.

Data-Driven Reports

We are challenging ourselves internally to look for ways we can improve our processes at individual sites by monitoring key metrics to understand and manage our environmental impact. We will regularly report on the following parameters:

Sun Chemical publishes a corporate sustainability report every year, which focuses on these metrics. You can also learn how we’ve aligned our sustainability goals with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the ambitious plan of our parent company, DIC Corporation, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Sun Chemical is committed to an established system of values and ethical conduct in all its relationships.

For example, Sun Chemical collaborated with 33 companies to help found the Responsible Mica Initiative (RMI), which enables a responsible and sustainable mica supply chain in India free of child labor.

We encourage our employees at all locations worldwide to interact with and support their local communities. Employees have done so in a variety of ways, including:

• The donation of masks to the New York Fire Department
• Sponsoring golf tournaments toward a Manchester hospital’s neonatal care unit
• A toy drive in Cincinnati, Ohio
• Donations to an organization that help’s Burnham, UK’s local families through difficult times

EcoVadis is a trusted partner of Sun Chemical that provides third-party business sustainability ratings, intelligence and collaborative performance improvement tools for our global supply chain. The EcoVadis platform ranks Sun Chemical’s corporate social responsibility using a variety of categories, such as environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement.

Market Collaborations

Sun Chemical is committed to collaboration to improve sustainability. For example, we joined CEFLEX to further enhance the performance of flexible packaging in the circular economy by designing and advancing sustainable solutions for the market. EcoVadis is a trusted partner of Sun Chemical that provides third-party business sustainability ratings, intelligence and collaborative performance improvement tools for our global supply chain.

As a member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and Association of Plastic Recyclers, Sun Chemical collaborates with other packaging sustainability stakeholders to identify actionable improvements to existing packaging systems that would ultimately benefit people and the environment.

Sun Chemical creates products that:

• Have high levels of bio-derived or recycled content
• Improve the shelf life of packaged products
• Make printed products easier to recycle

To accomplish this goal, Sun Chemical procures bio-renewable or recycled raw materials and makes regularly improvements in its manufacturing processes. Then develops solutions that keep food fresh, use less energy and reduce waste. Considerations also have to be taken for the end of life of the packaging, such as recyclability, repulpability, compostability, and de-inkability.

To learn more about our products and services with sustainable benefits, see Our Offerings.