Detmold Group says it is making measurable progress against its 2025-2050 sustainability roadmap, with emissions reductions, material transitions and governance improvements translating into practical outcomes for customers across its global operations.
The Australian-owned packaging group, which operates in 18 countries with manufacturing in seven, has taken a climate-first approach over the past year, focusing on emissions reduction, responsible sourcing, circularity and stronger disclosure.
According to group sustainability manager Josh Bruce, three initiatives delivered the most material emissions reductions in the past 12 months: rooftop solar installations, manufacturing efficiency improvements, and the transition to electric forklifts.
“Those three areas had the biggest immediate impact on our scope 1 and 2 emissions,” Bruce told PKN. “They’re also scalable actions that can be replicated across sites.”
Emissions reduction priorities
Detmold Group has installed rooftop solar at its Regency Park facility in South Australia and at its Heshan site in China, with an additional solar system in China expected to go live around March 2026. These projects sit alongside broader energy efficiency upgrades, electrification of vehicles and forklifts, and process improvements across manufacturing operations.
Looking ahead, Bruce said the company’s short- to medium-term investment priorities remain consistent, with a strong focus on electrification and renewable energy.
“Our focus will continue to be on further on-site renewable energy generation, sourcing renewable electricity through the grid, and using audits and improved performance monitoring to drive efficiency,” he said. “We’re also working more collaboratively with suppliers and customers to reduce upstream and downstream emissions.”
Shifting customer expectations
On the product side, Detmold Group reports that 88 per cent of its Detpak stock range is now reusable, recyclable or compostable, while 71 per cent of its raw fibre materials are sourced from responsibly managed forests with Chain of Custody certification. The company has also transitioned away from raw materials with intentionally added PFAS.
Bruce said regulatory compliance is now a baseline expectation across all markets, with sustainability requirements increasingly shaping packaging specifications.
“Recovery for recycling or composting at end of life, recycled content, labelling and PFAS content are now common criteria, but they still need to be balanced against functional and aesthetic performance,” he said.
He noted growing customer demand for transparency across the packaging value chain, particularly around responsible sourcing, manufacturing processes and credible end-of-life outcomes. Retail customers, in particular, are accelerating the shift.
Packaging end users are also more informed about chemicals of concern and on-pack claims, prompting closer collaboration between Detmold Group and its customers.
“There’s a growing desire for clear, reliable claims,” Bruce said. “Our role is to help customers navigate evolving requirements so packaging choices align with both environmental expectations and emerging regulation.”
Governance and disclosure
Detmold Group recently completed its second Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) submission, improving its score to a ‘C’. Bruce said the process has become more than a reporting exercise.
“CDP gives us valuable insight into how well sustainability is integrated across governance, strategy and risk management,” he said. “It also allows us to benchmark against industry peers and support customers that have made similar climate commitments.”
The work undertaken to lift the CDP score is also helping prepare the business for Australia’s incoming AASB S2 climate-related disclosure requirements.
Where the challenges remain
Despite the progress, Bruce acknowledged that some of the hardest sustainability challenges sit outside the direct control of packaging manufacturers – particularly recovery infrastructure.
“There’s still a gap between how packaging is designed and the level of investment in collection and recovery systems,” he said. “Fibre recovery rates are already high, but many fibre-based products designed for recycling or composting don’t reach their intended end-of-life pathway due to limited infrastructure.”
As more customers transition from plastic to fibre-based alternatives, that gap is becoming more visible.
Compostable packaging is another area where ambition has outpaced reality. “Compostable materials are widely promoted, but without the right infrastructure, many end up in landfill or contaminate recycling streams,” Bruce said. “That’s why the industry is increasingly focusing on solutions with the highest potential for recovery.”
Regulatory complexity also remains a challenge for a global operator.
“Requirements vary significantly across markets, creating confusion across the packaging value chain, including for consumers,” Bruce said. “We continue to invest in internal capability so we can anticipate change and ensure our packaging remains compliant and future-ready.”
From a materials perspective, fibre-based packaging continues to improve, but performance trade-offs persist.
“Moisture and oxygen barriers, heat resistance and shelf life are still areas where fibre can lag plastics,” Bruce said. “Balancing functional performance with end-of-life outcomes is one of the biggest challenges in R&D and new product development.”
He added that aligning customer expectations with legislative requirements is another ongoing task. “Customers often have clear sustainability goals, but not always a full picture of regulatory constraints. Our job is to ensure designs meet both objectives.”
For Detmold Group, that balance between ambition and practicality is shaping the next phase of its sustainability journey – one that increasingly links packaging design, infrastructure realities and regulatory readiness.
