Pandora, a global jewelry maker, will no longer offer jewelry carrier bags containing plastic and is working to reduce its jewelry boxes’ plastic content by over 75 percent.
This initiative will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60 percent in comparison to previously used packaging. It will also improve recyclability of its packaging.
The transition to sustainable packaging is expected to reduce the company’s carbon footprint by 3,600 tonnes annually. This is equivalent to the emissions of 800 cars per year.
The new bags and boxes are already available in the U.S., as well as most stores in Europe and Asia. The rollout will continue globally through 2021 and 2022 until the company uses up its current stock.
“Pandora is committed to reducing its climate footprint along every step of the value chain, and we are working hard to ensure our materials are renewable, recycled, or otherwise sustainable,” said Carla Liuni, chief marketing officer at Pandora.
The new packaging is part of the more comprehensive sustainability plan to halve Pandora’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and ultimately become net zero by 2040. The 2030 target encompasses its operations as well as its supply and business partners.
Eighty percent of Pandora’s greenhouse gas footprint comes from emissions produced by raw materials, transportation, packaging, franchise locations, and other outside sources. The company plans to reduce these by 42% by 2030 and to include carbon impact in crucial business decisions and supplier selection.
Pandora also plans to implement energy savings and increase its use of clean energy across its stores, offices, crafting facilities, and distribution centers. For the remaining unavoidable emissions, the company will buy carbon offsets.
In addition, it has put in place a program to increase the use of recycled silver and gold. This will help the company to reduce carbon emissions, water usage, as well as other environmental and social impacts. Metals recycling requires fewer resources than mining new metals. The company estimates this can save 37,000 tonnes of carbon per year through recycling metals. This is equivalent to the annual use of electricity by as many as 6,000 homes.
“The climate crisis is the most urgent issue of our time, and companies must do what they can to find the necessary solutions,” said Alexander Lacik, CEO at Pandora. “Our commitment will prepare Pandora for the low-carbon economy of the future and hopefully contribute to positive change in the jewelry industry. We have a clear line of sight to how we will achieve most of our emission reductions, but we also realize that we do not yet have all the answers. We will call on our suppliers and business partners to help us make this reality” Lacik commented.
Pandora is paving the way for a more sustainable jewelry industry.
Pandora, which is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, sells jewelry in over 100 countries via 6,700 points of sale, including over 2,600 concept stores. It is listed on the Nasdaq Copenhagen stock exchange. It employs 26,000 people worldwide and crafts its jewelry at two facilities in Thailand where it is using mainly recycled silver and gold.
