SÜDPACK reduced its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 73% between 2021 and 2025, bringing the flexible-packaging manufacturer close to its 76.3% reduction target for 2030.
The German packaging group disclosed the figures on 10 September 2026 as part of its latest corporate carbon footprint update.
The wider results present a more complicated picture. Total carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions were 21% lower than the 2021 baseline, but the group’s carbon footprint increased by 3.91% in 2025 compared with 2024.
SÜDPACK attributed the annual increase partly to higher sales volumes and partly to the expansion of its plants in Erolzheim, Germany, and Coulmer, France. The company nevertheless said it met the annual reduction target derived from its Science Based Targets initiative commitments.
That distinction matters for supermarket and FMCG procurement teams. SÜDPACK has made rapid progress on emissions from its own operations and purchased energy, but most of its climate impact sits further along the supply chain.
Scope 3.1 emissions from purchased goods and services account for approximately two-thirds of the company’s total footprint. These emissions were 16% lower in 2025 than in the 2021 baseline year, against a targeted reduction of 25% by 2030.
For packaging buyers, this means the materials selected for individual packs will have a greater long-term influence than energy improvements alone. Resin choice, film thickness, production waste, transport weight and end-of-life treatment all affect the footprint attached to packaging entering supermarket supply chains.
SÜDPACK is consequently directing more development towards polypropylene and polyethylene packaging designed for existing recycling streams. It is also reducing the amount of material used per square metre of film.
These changes support the wider movement towards mono-material food packaging, where manufacturers are attempting to retain barrier performance and shelf-life protection while making packs easier to sort and recycle.
The commercial challenge is adoption. SÜDPACK acknowledged that the environmental contribution of its newer packaging formats depends on when customers are prepared to change their specifications.
A lighter or more recyclable film cannot reduce supply-chain emissions at scale if food manufacturers and retailers continue ordering established multilayer structures. However, changing a specification also requires testing around sealing performance, filling speeds, product protection, shelf life and transport durability.
SÜDPACK’s expanded plants are intended to increase production capacity for lightweight materials developed according to Design for Recycling guidelines. Although that expansion contributed to the 2025 increase in emissions, the company expects the additional capacity to support future reductions through lower-material packaging.
The manufacturer has also reported growing customer use of its SPQ printing technology. It said the process helped reduce emissions associated with solvent consumption by approximately 9.5% compared with 2024.
Energy efficiency produced another measurable improvement. SÜDPACK’s total energy consumption has fallen by 19% since 2021.
All its production facilities in the European Union now use renewable electricity backed by guarantees of origin after the Coulmer plant moved to green electricity at the beginning of 2025.
Renewable sources currently represent 57% of the group’s complete energy mix, including energy sources other than electricity. SÜDPACK is targeting an 88% share by 2030, supported by further electrification and the replacement of gas with renewable electricity where technically possible.
The group has also introduced a central software platform bringing emissions information, reduction targets and progress data into one dashboard. This is intended to improve reporting consistency across its international operations and help identify further decarbonisation opportunities.
For retailers, the quality and granularity of that information will be important. Procurement teams increasingly need supplier data that can be connected to individual materials and packaging formats rather than relying only on a group-wide sustainability percentage.
Useful comparisons include emissions per square metre of film, material weight per pack, recycled content, technical recyclability and the availability of suitable collection and recycling infrastructure in each sales market.
SÜDPACK is an established participant in Germany’s packaging industry and has previously appeared in GTN’s overview of leading German packaging companies. The latest figures provide a clearer picture of where its emissions reductions are being achieved and where the larger challenge remains.
The 73% operational reduction is substantial, but Scope 3 will ultimately determine whether SÜDPACK can maintain progress while expanding production.
The 3.91% annual increase demonstrates why both figures need to be considered together. Operational emissions are falling quickly, yet business growth can still raise the overall footprint unless recyclable, lightweight packaging is adopted across a much larger share of customer volumes.
For supermarket and FMCG buyers, the practical question is not simply whether a supplier has reduced its corporate emissions. It is whether those reductions can be translated into verified, commercially workable improvements for the individual packs entering retail supply chains.
Editor’s note: This article is based on SÜDPACK’s corporate carbon footprint announcement published on 10 September 2026. Grocery Trade News added independent retail, packaging-procurement and supply-chain analysis. All emissions and energy figures are attributed to SÜDPACK.
