Interview on MCC’s Sustainability Vision With a Panel of Experts

Our Sustainability Vision A Persistent Pursuit of A Better Tomorrow, Today

MCC works every single day towards sustainable development that helps build a brighter future for all. Our customers’ growing demand for a sustainable approach is getting louder each day. Therefore, we commit ourselves to minimize environmental impact and develop sustainable label solutions that meet the needs of our customers and partners within the value chain. Based on our corporate values of integrity, passion, creativity, perseverance and achievement, we describe here how we work towards this every single day. We spoke with three MCC key figures and assessed their vision on sustainability, and all things sustainable in the beverage space.

Q: Sustainability is an allencompassing concept. What does sustainability mean to MCC and where does MCC put the emphasis?

SB: The best definition of sustainability is meeting the needs of all our stakeholders without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. We are not only limiting this to the environmental side, but equally important is the social, economic and governance aspect. In 2020, we unified this into our sustainability vision. The simple statement “At MCC we CARE about a better tomorrow, today” embodies what we try to do daily at MCC. We continuously strive for sustainable development that delivers shared value and helps build a better future for all. CARE is also an acronym for our four main pillars within sustainability. The first pillar is Collaborate. This means that at MCC, we engage with multiple stakeholder partners throughout the value chain who are aiming for a sustainable future.

Secondly, we have Act. We want to lead by taking action to optimize our supply chain and production process. We will use a continuous improvement approach in each facility globally with clear and transparent reporting about our KPI goals and

Dr. Stijn Billiet

Global Director Sustainability progress made. at MCC Act is followed by the third pillar, Resolve. We want to offer label solutions that meet today’s sustainability needs. By understanding our customers’ goals, we offer the optimal label solution that is also the most sustainable. We end up with the fourth pillar, Engage. At the core of our business are the people we interact with every day. We know that our people are our greatest asset as they are the key ingredient in making us

more sustainable, which is one of our most important competitive advantages.

Q: A sustainability policy is invaluable today, but has this always been the case? How would you describe MCC’s evolution in terms of sustainability from where we started and how you see MCC in the future?

SB: MCC was established in 1916 and our extensive experience in providing premium label solutions has always been combined with an ecological mindset. With the strong growth that the company has experienced in the last several years, we determined that there was indeed a greater need to update our sustainability strategy to ensure that it fits within the new MCC family. The first steps in elaborating this sustainability policy were taken in 2020. However, more details will be made public in the coming months. In offering sustainable solutions to our customers, we consider regional differences and, of course, marketspecific trends. For the beverage market, we have a lot to offer, and we are excited to be able to share this with the outside world, and by extension, all our stakeholders.

Q: What role does sustainability play in the beverage market?

RG: Over recent years, sustainability has become a driving force within the beverage market, influencing both brand owner and consumer purchasing decisions. Brands are consciously looking for sustainable solutions in terms of recyclability of their products, in addition to using more sustainable materials for decoration. On the one hand, consumer behavior is consciously impacted by consumers’ personal preferences and choices. On the other hand, however, unconscious influence by advertising and peer pressure also plays its role.

Q: How does MCC succeed time after time in providing customers with appropriate, up-to-date and sustainable solutions?

RG: MCC addresses sustainability questions at various levels, both corporately and divisionally. Through active involvement with the industry, we have a clear understanding of both regulatory requirements and market expectations. Thanks to our in-house R&D teams and close partnerships with both customers and suppliers, we are able to build sustainability within our product development cycles. This enables us to offer sustainable solutions to our customers across our wide range of labeling technologies. JW: In addition, being close to our customers and understanding their needs is of utmost importance to

us. We are connected with many organizations and with our suppliers to identify opportunities. For both new projects and existing products, we always ask ourselves what is the best possible label solution that requires as few resources as possible and which packaging or materials can be reused at the end of the life cycle. Ongoing investments in machinery and new printing technologies contribute significantly to waste reduction. Richard Gilliatt What supports us in our quest Technical Director at MCC for ever more advanced solutions is that we always try to stay close to the market, we question our actions day after day, but we also have set clear goals and we continuously strive to achieve them.

Q: What do you think MCC has to offer the beverage market in terms of sustainability?

RG: MCC offers a genuine commitment to sustainability on a day-to-day basis across all product ranges, ensuring that we can offer sustainable labeling solutions for all market segments including the beverage market. It’s reflected in our global commitment to ensure by 2025 that all MCC customers have the option to choose label products and solutions that do not prevent the end package from being recyclable, reusable or compostable. JW: Our global presence, combined with the different printing technologies we offer, makes MCC a one stop shop offering a wide variety of label solutions. Most of the time, however, we develop the appropriate sustainable option together with our customers.

“What supports us in our quest for ever more advanced solutions is that we always try to stay close to the market. We question our actions day after day, but we also have set clear goals and we continuously strive to achieve them.”

Jörg Waldorf, EVP Global Sales at MCC

Jörg Waldorf

EVP Global Sales at MCC