Innovation in support of CSR to help reduce our impact

Altus Coating, the creator of UV varnishes, UV lacquers and dyes offering specific, technical, esthetic and ethical solutions for coating all kinds of materials (plastics, metals, glass, biosourced or recycled materials, paper, cardboard) will be at Paris Packaging Week on 29-30 June, taking part in the “Eco Tour” and partnering Ecovadis France for a talk on 30 June: “A virtuous circle between brands and suppliers: a dual CSR & Innovation approach!”

As a preferred partner of industrial stakeholders and buyers in the cosmetics, perfume and luxury goods sector, Altus Coating initiated a corporate social and environmental responsibility approach combined with an agile innovation approach from the very beginning.

The two initiatives support each other, enabling construction of the company’s ecosystem and the production of innovative customized solutions.

Having long been specialized in UV reticulation polymer chemistry, which offers decisive technical and esthetic results, Altus Coating anticipated the need to save energy: with radiation to replace convection.

In these times of constant pressure to reduce energy consumption, to upcycle more to preserve the climate and to limit the use of Volatile Organic Compounds, Altus Coating will be presenting its UV varnish solutions, developed by the R&D laboratory, at Paris Packaging Week: high dry substance content, biosourced, special water-based varnishes for glass and water-based primers.

 

limit the environmental footprint
Since its creation and in its everyday actions as a responsible manufacturer, Altus Coating has chosen to limit its environmental footprint to enter the virtuous circle and satisfy the requirements of its customers:

• by implementing a participative collaboration approach with its customers to develop more environmentally-friendly products,
• by limiting VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and using less energy in their implementation,
• by using biosourced substances, made from secondary materials and waste from the agrifood industry to minimize the use of primary natural resources; a decisive first step on the demanding route towards the circular economy,
• by designing varnishes with “high dry substance content”, a technology that enables a huge reduction in the quantity of solvents required, thus reducing the VOCs in the atmosphere,
• by developing a range of “water-based” primers that use water instead of solvents, also to reduce our impact,
• by doing its bit during the pandemic and investing in research into the antimicrobial compound, Alsafe_®, to play an active role in health and safety, while helping to reduce the proportion of VOCs that are widely used in hand sanitizer products.

 

 

Environmental Approach: a demanding charter for a proactive commitment

By signing its own Environmental Approach charter in 2019, Altus Coating opted to continue to develop safer and more environmentally-friendly products. These “Environmental Approach” products comply with at least one of the following criteria:

• product containing no more than 10% volatile organic compounds
• product containing at least 10% biosourced substances
• product that can be dried under LED lamps

In 2021, more than 40% of projects complied with at least one of the charter’s criteria.

 

A strong company culture, known for its CSR commitments

Altus Coating has convictions. These are evaluated and measured in terms of its daily actions. In practice, since the company began, environmental impact has been one of the many indicators calculated in the specific context of a manufacturing company working in the chemical industry.   Over 15 years, this approach has been confirmed and enhanced. This firm commitment as a company that adheres to the principles of social and environmental responsibility has gradually brought each decision and choice to be viewed as an opportunity to press further along the path to increasingly neutral impact.

This implies a complex system, in the “systemic” sense of the term, in which each decision is assessed on the basis of the least possible impact on nature in its broadest sense, while fulfilling its primary mission.
The Altus Coating team therefore examines every aspect of a problem methodologically before proposing a customized solution based on a number of considerations.
Naturally, our main goal is to help produce “more sustainable” packaging solutions.

 

 

The milestones of labels, certifications and medals

The ambition of a small, independent company, such as ALTUS Coating, is to ensure respect of its commitments by organizing itself in a responsible manner:
• to improve its economic, social and environmental performance,
• and to satisfy the growing requirements of its customers and buyers.
The certifications, labels and medals obtained by ALTUS Coating illustrate this approach that has been implemented since the company was created in 2007:

• 2010:  “Innovative young company” label – Bourgogne Franche Comté regional council
• 2016: initiation of the CSR approach with Afnor, based on ISO 26000;
• 2018: e-CSR certification by Afnor
• 2018: ISO 9001:2015 certification in recognition of the deployment of a robust quality management system
• 2018: stringent international charter, “Responsible Care”, proposed in France by France Chimie and present in more than 65 countries
• 2021: AEO status (Authorized Economic Operator), a internationally recognized certified standard authorization issued by European customs administrations
• 2021: Bourgogne-Franche-Comté regional council CSR trophy in the Working Conditions and Relations category
• 2021: deployment of an environmental management system and ISO 14001:2015 certification
• 2021: ECOVADIS Platinum medal from the global standards organization for CSR evaluations, which places ALTUS Coating in the Top 1% of its professional category, following on from the Gold medal won in 2020 and the silver medal in 2019.

 

 

Of course, in this constantly changing world, Altus Coating strives to contribute to the ambitions of the European Green Deal: “Helping Europe to become the first climate-neutral continent.”

 

To learn more about Altus Coating’s commitment, mindset and CSR approach