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EcoVadis “Platinum” rating confirms international printing ink manufacturer Doneck Euroflex's outstanding performance in the area of sustainability.

Doneck Euroflex announced today that it has been awarded “Platinum” status by EcoVadis, the world's most trusted provider of corporate sustainability ratings.

Doneck Euroflex is a medium-sized, international manufacturer of water- and solvent-based printing inks. The coveted EcoVadis Platinum Medal is the highest award given by EcoVadis for sustainability performance. This puts Doneck in the top 1% of companies worldwide that have been assessed by EcoVadis in the last 12 months. EcoVadis is the global standard for corporate sustainability ratings. More than 125,000 companies worldwide have already been rated by EcoVadis.

“We launched our sustainability strategy 2Bsustainable! in 2022. This success follows on from the gold medal we already achieved in 2023 and underlines Doneck's continuously increasing excellence in sustainability and environmental protection,” says CEO Arndt Breitbach. In recent years, Doneck has made the new and further development of innovative and practical products for the circular economy the focus of its research and development.

The EcoVadis Platinum Medal recognizes the company's commitment and shows how continuous improvement processes throughout the company can offer customers high-quality product solutions for the circular economy that also meet future market requirements and contribute to a longer and more sustainable product life cycle.

“Compared to many of our market competitors, we are far ahead in the assessment of this world's most trusted sustainability platform. Many thanks to the entire team for their dedication and passion,” adds Arndt Breitbach. Doneck is delighted to have received this award and will continue to strive to achieve its sustainability goals by 2030. On the road to a green future together with Doneck: www.doneck.com

Have a look: https://recognition.ecovadis.com/GMLeajiBJ0Sl4rCMIzUCRw

Photo: EcoVadis

A valuable milestone is the Doneck strategy 2Bsustainable! We take responsibility for the future! Doneck Euroflex began to calculate its carbon footprint in 2018 and is thereby making a financial climate contribution* equivalent to the generated emissions in cooperation with ClimatePartner. This year, Doneck is financing and supports the wide-ranging expansion of renewable energies in Asia. In Asia, the certified climate protection projects are wind and solar energy, hydropower and biogas projects in various countries.

"We're transforming our company towards an environmentally friendly, socially responsible future which respects future generations!" Arndt Breitbach, CEO Doneck Network. “Sustainability is one of our strategic fields of action that helps us to advance our ambitious and measurable goals. Our sustainability strategy 2Bsustainable! focuses on defined sustainability targets that are achieved with the underlying sustainability programme. We document and publish our successful implementation annually in the Doneck Sustainability Report.

Along with this milestone, Doneck is optimising its entire value chain, from the purchase of raw materials and work in the laboratories to printing ink production and logistics, to ensure the company's best possible environmental compatibility at all times. The most important aspect of this is the implemented recycling system and our green workflow. The sustainability programme includes strategic environmental protection goals that are backed up with measurable key figures.

As a strong partner and solutions provider, Doneck focuses on the creation and development of innovative and practical products for the circular economy. 

More information available at:.https://www.climatepartner.com/53392-1801-1001

*The contribution does not relate to indirect emissions that arise outside the company, such as in the manufacture of raw materials and preliminary products, external logistics and the use and disposal of products or other processes.

Photo: Climate Partner certificate

Following silver in 2022, the international printing ink manufacturer improves its EcoVadis ranking and is awarded a GOLD medal! This award confirms Doneck Euroflex’s commitment to sustainable business practices and social responsibility.

“The EcoVadis gold medal is a milestone in the successful implementation of our 2Bsustainable! sustainability strategy. Sustainability is one of our strategic fields of action with which we advance our ambitious and measurable goals”, says Arndt Breitbach, CEO of Doneck Euroflex.

“We are proud that the effectiveness and progress of our company-wide sustainability programme has been confirmed by an independent external rating”, adds Doneck Euroflex’s Sustainability Officer Raphael Kirn.

EcoVadis is the world's largest provider of sustainability evaluations for companies. Seven management indicators are measured in 21 sustainability features from the areas of environment, ethics, labour law/human rights and sustainable procurement. The methodology is based on international CSR standards such as the Global Reporting Initiative, the United Nations Global Compact and ISO 2600.

The EcoVadis Gold Standard makes the performances of Doneck Euroflex in the area of sustainability transparent for all stakeholders. Many international companies use the rating for the regular checking of their suppliers with a view to sustainable corporate management.

As an internationally operative company, Doneck Euroflex bears a great responsibility towards customers, employees, partners, suppliers, neighbourhoods and the environment. Doneck Euroflex has set itself the goal of being a strong partner and provider of solutions that integrates sustainability into its core processes, decision-making and products. The successful implementation of this ambition has now been documented by the award of the EcoVadis Gold Medal.

Photo: EcoVadis Certification

As part of its sustainability strategy, We think green, Doneck Network focuses on the circular economy. For this reason, the international printing ink manufacturer has had its entire raw material assortment subjected to the material health check of the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Products Program.

Almost the complete Doneck Network ink range is based on raw materials that correspond at least to the C2C bronze level. There are also numerous raw materials that allow the Doneck Network to achieve silver or gold status through appropriate formulations.

For example, the Doneck Network has a special tissue ink series with certified C2C silver status. Furthermore, there are already numerous varnishes based on a selection of raw materials that meet the gold status criteria. If required these can be brought to certification in cooperation with our customers.

Cradle to Cradle is based on a scientific assessment of the sustainability of products. Our aim is to enable the entire packaging supply chain to make ambitious and measurable progress in the advancement of sustainable technology.

As an independent assessor and innovation partner, the renowned Epea institute has subjected the Doneck Network's raw materials to a material health assessment of the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Products Program. By material health, the C2C principle means environmentally safe, healthy and reusable materials (technical recycling). The safety of materials for man and the environment is thus guaranteed for the product.

"This detailed assessment was an important milestone for us to permanently increase the sustainability level with new and innovative products", says Dr. Michael Heinenberg, Head of Technical Safety Service in the Doneck Network, commenting on this success.

Photo: Doneck Network

This July, Doneck made a concerted decision to sign a new, individual cooperation agreement with CARE Luxembourg to continue its international and social commitment in a consistent manner and to help the people in Africa.

Chad is one of the world's most underdeveloped countries (187th of 189 countries). Apart from climate and environmental pressures such as drought, sandstorms and floods, there are also shortages and increases in the price of food due to the global political situation.

Frédéric Haupert, Director of CARE Luxembourg, gave Rita Knippel and Arndt Breitbach an impressive account of the situation in Chad and described the current problems of the people. That is where this project to improve the family's nutrition came from. In the Wadi Fira region, CARE has already successfully worked with acutely malnourished children last year and significantly improved their situation.

"We can look back on a long partnership with Doneck. In the first project in 2016, two maternity hospitals in Niger were connected to drinking water pipes. It was a great moment for the people when they needed no longer to fetch water from the well, but it came out of the tap. Especially when a child is born, access to clean water can protect mothers and new-born babies from infections and other life-threatening diseases. This success developed into personal and regular discussions between our organisation and Doneck. I am looking forward to the new cooperation." Frédéric Haupert, Director, CARE Luxembourg.

The strategy: to adapt agriculture in the Wadi Fira region to the current and future climatic conditions. In Chad, 60% of the African population work in agriculture. Specifically, this means that CARE will hold training courses with local employees in which 300 women and men will learn how to cultivate their fields successfully. They adapt to the new conditions with reduced water consumption and without the use of pesticides. They learn how to ensure the shelf life of the harvested food. That helps to preserve the products and market them better. Higher-quality appliances and machines for facilitating agricultural work round off the aid package.

"With this project we are not only helping the 300 women and men, but also directly their families, so that the children are permanently protected against malnutrition. The learning effects for securing nutrition also extend far beyond the families and thus improve the situation of the people in the region's villages and communities. We want to show solidarity with these people, especially now in these difficult times", said Arndt Breitbach, Managing Director of Doneck Network, commenting on this step.

The Doneck employees are integrated and informed in the communication and beyond. This cooperation is funded by CARE Luxembourg, Doneck and the Luxembourgian Foreign Ministry.

Photo: CARE Luxembourg

https://www.care.lu

The Doneck Network has already been working intensively for years on its ambitious sustainability concept according to the mottos “We think Green” and “We care”!

We are proud to have achieved silver status on the sustainability platform EcoVadis from the word go. This spurs us on in our mission to advance further sustainability blocks.

It underlines once again our ambition as one of the leading printing ink manufacturers to set new standards!

EcoVadis is the world's largest provider of sustainability evaluations for companies. Seven management indicators are measured in 21 sustainability features from the areas of environment, ethics, labour law/human rights and sustainable procurement. Doneck is thus among the best 25% of the manufacturers of printing inks, paints and lacquers evaluated by EcoVadis.

As further proof of the successful sustainability strategy of the Doneck Network, the product innovations “Green life ink” (e.g. compostable ink series) and “Blue planet ink” (e.g. Cradle to Cradle® certified printing ink series) have proven themselves in practice at our customers with very good printing results and trouble-free implementation.

Photo: EcoVadis Certificate, Doneck Network

The newly designed website underlines Doneck Network's focus on the sustainability strategy. Doneck continues to concentrate throughout the company on products and work processes for a green future. How "We think green" is practised in the Doneck Network can be seen in the innovative product developments from the in-house research and development for the circular economy and achievements in the green workflow to date.

"We are proud of our extensive range of innovations, with which we are contributing to a better future. Presenting them visually and in an accentuated manner on our web site should make it easy for our customers to find the right ink series for future challenges. We are continuing to work together on future-oriented ideas in order to find good solutions for man and nature," says Arndt Breitbach, Managing Director Doneck Network

Doneck customers can select ink series for the biological circulation under the trendsetting brand name "Green life ink". Firstly, there are ink series that are compostable in accordance with EN Standard 13432 and certified as OK Compost Industrial and OK Compost Home, as well as ink series with a certain proportion of renewable resources.

Ink series for the technical cycle for the optimisation of recycling processes are grouped under the brand name "Blue planet ink". We can offer our customers a comprehensive product portfolio of Cradle to Cradle Certified® printing ink series (water-based and solvent-based inks) for the most diverse applications.

The innovative printing ink series have already proven themselves in practice with very good printing results. According to our information, it is possible to switch to our innovative ink series without any problems. Out international team of experts will be glad to advise you.

 

Over the last two quarters, the massive increases in the costs of raw materials, transport and packaging have continued unabated and an end is currently not in sight.

There are still considerable shortages in the entire raw materials sector and we are doing everything in our power to secure our ability to deliver. So far, we have managed to do so to a large degree, but only by incurring considerable extra costs.

Apart from the raw material prices, which have rocketed due to numerous shortages in the supply chains of chemical raw materials and specific preliminary products, we are now having to pay several times the usual rates for sea transport.

The cost increases apply to virtually all organic pigments. The inorganic pigments are very badly affected, as are resins, binders, solvents and additives. Some suppliers have reported "Force Majeure" or "Sales Control" in the current quarter or have increased the delivery times for raw materials up to several months.

Transport and packaging costs have also increased by a two-digit percentage.

Despite intensive efforts to keep the cost increases as low as possible, the Doneck Network is also subject to this considerable inflation pressure. A further price adjustment, effective from 15/10/2021, is therefore absolutely necessary.

Photo: Fleet of Doneck trucks (Doneck Network)

The entire manufacturing process at the Doneck headquarters in Luxembourg has been climate-neutral since 2018. This is confirmed by the certified carbon footprint.

The climate-neutral compensation is currently achieved through the promotion of clean wind power in Ovalle, Chile. In the preceding years it was two other projects: a forest protection project in Brazil and an emission reduction programme in Peru. The climate protection specialist ClimatePartner certifies this for Doneck in its certificate.

In addition, Doneck actively practises extensive environmental protection: e.g. through the avoidance and reduction of waste (e.g. plastic), reusable instead of disposable packaging, electromobility, electricity from hydroelectric power (since 2011) and green gas (since 2018), and some other things. Doneck continuously optimises its sustainability strategy with the guiding principle "We think green".

Photo: Certificate and wind power in Chile (source: ClimatePartner)

Link Climate Partner: https://fpm.climatepartner.com/tracking/53392-1801-1001/de?utm_source=climatepartner.com&utm_medium=id

 

Caps Cases uses water-based printing inks from the Doneck Network with renewable raw material

The ink series, which is formulated with renewable raw materials and tailored to post-print, is used by Caps Cases, one of the largest independent manufacturers of corrugated cardboard packaging in Great Britain. Apart from the excellent printing results, this product innovation is characterised by outstanding running properties in the printing unit, machine stability and easy cleaning behaviour.

The project, which was managed by Stephen Walsh (Doneck UK) and Wayne Booker (Caps Cases), was accompanied intensively by Doneck UK's application technology laboratory as well as the Research & Development laboratory at Doneck Euroflex S.A.'s headquarters in Luxembourg.

"The conversion to the new Doneck inks was outstanding and the team performed very professionally! The ongoing service and support from the British ink laboratory is fantastic." Wayne Booker, Print Manager Caps Cases.

The advantages of the Doneck’s customers are quite obvious: the use of the innovative ink system reduces the respective carbon footprint for the works' own environmental balance. And the company protects both the climate and the environment.

Commenting on this step, Edgar Becker, Managing Director Sales, said: "This allows us to offer our customers a sustainable, water-based, extensively field-tested ink system with excellent colour performance for paper printing. Our customers are thus able to manufacture products for the circular economy."

Doneck has sustainable inks, blends and varnishes for the following paper applications: post-print corrugated cardboard (WKH), paper sacks and paper packaging (WPN), pastry bags (WSN), envelopes (WXN) and gloss varnishes (WUR). The product series are available now.

Photo: Jim Henshaw, Caps Cases and Wayne Booker, Print Manager Caps Cases (Doneck UK)

https://capscases.co.uk