Aurena advances sustainability with recycled materials

Karlstad, Sweden: – Swedish-based specialist in saline products and advanced packaging Aurena Laboratories AB (Aurena) has taken significant further steps toward making its contract development and manufacturing operations more sustainable.

As part of its ongoing sustainability efforts, now tracked by the foremost business sustainability assessment service, EcoVadis, Aurena has begun sourcing cans from post-consumer recycled (PCR) aluminum. PCR aluminum has a much lower carbon footprint shifting than that of virgin aluminum, allowing Aurena to not only reduce material consumption but also reducing overall CO2 emissions.

This initial step targets areas where the company has greater influence and can more effectively implement its sustainability goals. Currently this represent a small portion of the total production, but Aurena are in discussions with customers to bring them along on this journey.

Towards Circularity

This initiative reflects Aurena’s commitment to sustainability by incorporating recycled materials into its production processes. Through these efforts, Aurena aims to minimize environmental impact and promote a more responsible approach within the wider industry, which is moving more generally to explore and adopt more sustainable materials with lower environmental impact.

Aurena Sustainability Manager, Johan Jörnevik commented: “The transition to a circular economy and the reliance on virgin materials are challenges for the industry. It is crucial that we do not compromise on product quality, and we believe that switching to recycled aluminum is an important step in the transition. By adopting more sustainable materials, we can reduce our environmental impact while maintaining the high standards required.”

“Recognizing this, and driven by our commitment to sustainability, we identified the use of recycled materials as a key opportunity to reduce our dependence on virgin resources and contribute to a circular economy,” Mr. Jörnevik added.

Auditing the Carbon Footprint

Aurena has been working on increasing its sustainability over more than a decade and follows ISO 26000 guidelines that promote a framework for social responsibility. By joining the Eco Vadis sustainability rating system, Aurena has systematically worked on detailed environmental performance assessments, including its first carbon footprint audit. This revealed can production as a significant contributor to its CO2 emissions.

The audit also revealed the need to move to green energy sources. Aurena has recognized this by roofing its main production facility at Karlstad with PV solar panels and by purchasing energy exclusively from renewable sources supported by agreements in place.

Leading by example

Aurena CEO, Lars Hedman commented “We aim to raise awareness of our commitment to sustainability and the importance of using recycled materials in our products. We hope this will engage our customers to join us in our sustainability efforts. While we know this transition might come with a higher price tag at first, we believe it is a valuable investment. Over time, we are optimistic that recycled materials will become cheaper than virgin ones.”

“By understanding our initiatives, our customers can see how partnering with us assists their own sustainability goals and values, which are becoming ever-more important pillars in overall brand reputation and shareholder value,” Lars Hedman noted.

About Aurena Laboratories

Swedish-based Aurena Laboratories (Aurena) specializes in the development and manufacturing of products using Bag-on-Valve packaging. The company is a leader in private label products and contract manufacturing of bag-on-valve aerosols for the pharmaceutical and medical device industry.

Their products offer private label seawater/saline-based nasal sprays, wound wash sprays, adhesive removers, emollient sprays and burn gels. Aurena-manufactured products are brought to market under Private Label or as contract-manufactured products.

More information is available at: www.aurenalabs.com

Resources

Click on Aurena sustainability performance now benchmarked by EcoVadis for further information.