Case
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel leads the way in American group
Achieving a more sustainable profile across continents.
In 2015, the battery manufacturer Energizer was certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. Before that, the environment and sustainability were not given much weight by the American organisation.
The company nevertheless sought and achieved certification, which was solely due to massive demand from the business-to-business segment in the Nordic market.
The lack of the Nordic Swan Ecolabel was quite simply the company's Achilles' heel. Energizer could not be considered for public tenders, among other things, when their batteries were not certified with either the Nordic Swan Ecolabel or a similar Type I ecolabel.
This prompted Energizer to take action, and in order to achieve certification, the company addressed a wide range of areas to reduce the environmental footprint of its products.
For example, PVC is no longer used in any of the certified products, which has reduced the environmental impact associated with the waste management of Energizer’s batteries.
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Knock-on effect
Working with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel has also had a knock-on effect on a number of other Energizer products. For example, PVC has been replaced by metal in lamps, which has extended the service life by 10 to 20 years.
"Getting the Nordic Swan Ecolabel was tough, but it was worth it."
In addition, the company has been forced to focus its efforts on documenting how raw materials for the production of batteries are extracted, just as it must ensure that there is at least 80 % recycled material in the packaging.
In addition to the concrete and measurable results, working with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel has also resulted in a cultural change within the company. Where sustainability was previously a costly nice-to-have factor, it is now seen as a crucial parameter at Energizer.
The Nordic region leading the way
In 2021, when the American company first described and systematised an actual ESG campaign at Group level, it could draw on the experience gained from working with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.
Several production processes and supply chains had already been adapted to the Nordic Swan Ecolabel requirements. Among other things, the work on environmental management could be implemented on the basis of the experience gained in the Nordic part of the organisation.
Sustainability has become a strategically indispensable action area for the global American corporation, and the knowledge that Energizer gained from working with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel now contributes to a more sustainable profile across continents.
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel’s requirements for disposable batteries include:
- Limit values for the use of heavy metals in batteries.
- Ban on the use of PVC in batteries and packaging.
- The company has a CSR policy to avoid the use of scarce resources and conflict minerals (minerals from countries in conflict). Testing of battery life, durability, safety and quality.
Find all batteries from Energizer with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel
December 2022
Casen er udarbejdet på baggrund af interview med Hanna Osterlund, Marketing Manager, Nordic, Energizer.