The road to a sustainable future: less, and more environmentally friendly, packaging

The right packaging for the right product, in all conditions. And: aiming for less together for a sustainable relationship. These are the goals that the Topa Group, which celebrated its 100th birthday in 2022, strives to meet. Less CO₂, less material, less waste, but at the same time more high-quality packaging solutions and more satisfied customers on board. Tom Vermeersch, project leader of Topa’s sustainability group, guides us through the company’s sustainability strategy.

The story of the Topa Group started back in 1922, when the father of the current owner began selling packaging from his home in Amsterdam (the general partnership Touwhandel Amsterdam). Over the following years Topa, which takes its name from the Dutch words for string (TOuw) and paper (PApier), grew to become a wholesaler with its own warehouses, two production locations and two sales offices.

“Today, the group comprises four entities,” Tom explains. “Topa Verpakking in the Netherlands, Topa Packaging in Belgium, the Topa Institute and Topa Thermal. At our Topa Institute, which is 40 years old this year, we investigate how we can generate less waste, reduce costs etc. Through this in-house development, testing and research centre, we can support our customers in their quest to reduce CO₂ emissions, consumption of raw materials and logistics costs. Our international branch, Topa Thermal, is focused on development and production of insulating packaging, primarily for the pharmaceutical industry.”

Sustainable packaging in practice

Tom gives a couple of examples of sustainable packaging solutions that the Topa Group has already delivered. “We develop and test the packaging of tomorrow. This is how we developed our wrapping film, Fiber Film, which is produced using 50 percent less material, but still offers better load security than conventional wrapping film. Another example is our fully recyclable postal bags, which have a lower impact on the environment than cardboard, as you don’t need any filling material, so aren’t posting air. A final example is rPET-Tape®, a sustainable tape that is made from more than 85 percent recycled PET packaging. This ultra-thin tape, just 19 microns thick is also fully recyclable.”

Climate Neutral Company

Last year, Topa Group’s green approach was recognised with a great award. In May 2022, we achieved the title ‘Climate Neutral Company’ for the first time. “Looking at the total CO₂ emissions, the group’s emissions came to 1,660 tonnes per year. We compensated for these emissions through the construction of a wind farm in Brazil. Last year we succeeded in reducing our CO₂ emissions by more than 27 percent, to 1,212 tonnes. By 2030, we aim to reduce our Corporate Carbon Footprint even further, by at least 55%.”

“Our business activities were recertified in 2023. This time we will be compensating for our emissions by supporting a windmill project in Chile. Once the turbines have been built, this project will save about 197,420 tonnes of CO₂.”

We aim to reduce our Corporate Carbon Footprint by at least 55 percent by 2030.

Exciting sustainability journey

Samen met haar zusterbedrijven blijft Topa Verpakking investeren in groen ondernemen. “Dit jaar gebruiken we voor het eerst een volledig jaar groene stroom”, aldus Tom. “Voeg daarbij een toekomstbestendig mobiliteitsplan, de uitrol van een afvalplan en een kritische doorlichting van verpakkingsgebruik in specifieke sectoren, en je begrijpt dat de weg naar duurzame transitie, ook samen met onze klanten en andere partners, nog erg boeiend kan worden.”

‘Handle with care’

And finally: through the Topa Institute, the Topa Group helps clients from various sectors to prevent damage during transportation and reduce logistics costs. “We do this by carrying out transport simulation tests, at both pallet and package level,” says Tom. “We investigate the impact of transportation on products in terms of vibration, shocks, compressive loads, temperature fluctuations or changes in humidity. We are delighted to share this expertise with our customers too.”

Curious about what we can do for you?
Contact us by phone: +31 252 245 200 (NL) or +32 3 450 99 60 (BE) send an e-mail to: info@topa.nl (NL) or info@topapackaging.be (BE)