Environmental Stewardship

SICPA recognises the importance of addressing climate change, one of the main societal challenges of our time, identified as a material topic for the organisation and its sustainability strategy. As a company, we believe we have a responsibility to do our part to preserve the future of our planet and reduce our environmental impact.

In 2022, SICPA consolidated for the second year its own carbon accounting, according to the Green House Gas (GHG) Protocol standard, across 28 sites worldwide. As a result, the company's operations (scopes 1&2) accounted in 2022 for 11% (13,761 tCO2e) of its total carbon footprint, with scope 3 accounting for 89% (110,635 tCO2e).

SICPA’s environmental impact is mainly due to its manufacturing activities and the use of chemicals in the composition of security inks. Best manufacturing practices and operational controls are applied across all entities to limit our environmental impact as much as possible.

SICPA proactively monitors and complies with all applicable chemical regulations. Since the early 2000s,
we adhere to strict internal criteria for the selection of raw materials. These tend to be more stringent than
industry regulations. Moreover, we run effective, efficient change management programmes to maintain safety standards over time. In addition, SICPA uses ISO 14001 (environmental management system) as a certification framework on its sites. 

SICPA’s most energy-intensive activity is the production of printing inks where mixing and processing machines have the largest installed capacity. Ink production sites in Switzerland and the USA are the largest energy consumers in this area.

Among the various energy sources SICPA uses for its operations, electricity represents the major one. Therefore a key priority is the installation of renewable energy production systems. In 2022, solar panels across SICPA sites generated 663 MWh.

The unlimitrust campus by SICPA in Prilly, which opened in October 2022, includes 1,354 solar panels that
completely cover its roof and is certified Minergie P® – a Swiss green building standard guaranteeing very low energy consumption.

SICPA's overall impact on waste is limited as most of its production takes place in Switzerland, where waste is recycled or treated in modern treatment facilities, including filtration and energy recovery. However, SICPA continues to identify the most suitable waste treatment path for each of its entities and aims to eliminate landfilling from its waste disposal practices.

Although the impact of the company's water consumption is low by industry standards, SICPA maintains close contact with its stakeholders to consider potential issues related to its water consumption. In particular, the company conducts a water stress screening using a dedicated assessment tool (WRI Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas) and feedback from the local EHS team to identify, anticipate and mitigate water risks.

Sustainable packaging

SICPA has always been committed to providing packaging that is appropriate for its products, ensuring their integrity, safety and durability. Continuous efforts are made to ensure the recycling or reuse of packaging used for transport: cardboard boxes, steel drums, etc.

Sustainable sourcing

Security inks produced by SICPA must comply with strict technological and safety requirements. The raw materials used to produce inks in this specific market are mostly synthetic (resins, solvents, etc.) and have
a significant environmental impact from extraction to transformation. Aware of this reality, SICPA is working with its suppliers to significantly increase the percentage of materials from renewable sources.

Product safety & quality

The quality and safety of SICPA's products and solutions are essential to its sustainability and success and have been recognised in the marketplace for decades. For over twenty years, the company has been developing raw material selection criteria to minimise health and environmental hazards.