Finnish materials manufacturer Ahlstrom has received an EcoVadis Platinum Medal after scoring 89 out of 100 in its 2026 sustainability assessment, the company announced on 3 November. The result places it in the highest one per cent of companies assessed by EcoVadis over the preceding 12 months.

The new score is three points higher than Ahlstrom’s 86 out of 100 in 2025. Its Platinum recognition is valid until October 2027. The result matters to packaging converters and food businesses that screen suppliers for environmental, labour, ethical and procurement standards, although it is not a product certification.

EcoVadis evaluates a company’s sustainability management across four themes: environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. It examines the policies, actions and reported results supporting those activities. A Platinum medal indicates a high ranking among assessed businesses, rather than proof that every material supplied by a company has the same environmental performance.

For supermarket packaging teams, that distinction matters. A supplier’s sustainability rating can support initial due diligence. Buyers still need separate evidence for the paper, film, coating or converted pack they intend to purchase. That includes food-contact declarations, intended-use conditions, barrier performance, traceability and end-of-life claims in the destination market.

Johan Lunabba, Ahlstrom’s vice president of sustainability and public affairs, said the award recognised work across the business and encouraged continued measurable improvements. The company did not disclose individual scores for the four EcoVadis themes in its 3 November announcement.

Ahlstrom reported net sales of €2.9 billion in 2025 and employs about 7,000 people. Its activities include filtration, protective materials and food and consumer packaging. For grocery supply chains, the last category covers materials relevant to bakery, confectionery, takeaway food, coffee and tea, pet food and flexible packaging.

The supplier has also been developing papers for food applications where replacing some conventional plastics requires grease resistance, moisture protection or converting performance. In August 2026 it announced two Grease-Gard paper products aimed at the North American foodservice market. These product announcements provide context for its packaging strategy, but the new EcoVadis result should not be interpreted as a test of those products.

Supermarkets making packaging changes face a practical choice: selecting a supplier with a strong corporate sustainability record while also demanding material-level evidence. Where food touches packaging, compliance with applicable food-contact rules is essential. Where recyclability or compostability is claimed, buyers should check the exact pack structure and local collection or treatment systems rather than assume a paper-based label settles the issue.

Ahlstrom is already included among the companies examined in GTN’s Finnish packaging supplier comparison. The fresh rating provides an updated procurement consideration, not a direct measure of packaging cost, quality or retail availability.

The next test will be whether Ahlstrom can demonstrate continued progress when its rating is reassessed and translate corporate performance into verifiable documentation for individual packaging applications.

Editor’s Note: Based on Ahlstrom’s 3 November 2026 announcement and EcoVadis methodology. GTN’s analysis distinguishes corporate sustainability performance from food-contact approval and product-level environmental claims.