KLS Pureprint A/S
Company:
KLS Pureprint A/S
“Nature matters deeply to us at KLS, and working to understand and reduce our impact is something we take very seriously. For us, this is not just about documentation; it is about building a solid foundation for prioritizing the right actions and taking the next steps in a credible way to make our printing and packaging material even more climate-friendly.”
– Janni Toft Nielsen, CEO of KLS PurePrint
Context and motivation
KLS PurePrint A/S is a small and medium sized enterprise (SME) and Danish printing and packaging company producing Cradle-to-Cradle certified products, focusing on circular, non-toxic, and climate-friendly solutions. KLS is already making great progress in driving nature solutions throughout the business and its value chain, having achieved 100% renewable electricity, a complete phase-out of toxic substances, comprehensive FSC-certified sourcing, and Cradle-to-Cradle certification already, but it wants to develop a science-based framework to drive nature action further.
Nature is central to KLS because of how dependent the supply chain is on functioning ecosystems including the provision of forests and water. Additionally, there is pressure from customers and regulators for KLS to have high transparency in its operations and supply chains and to evidence measurable action on biodiversity and resource use.
KLS was keen to participate in SBTN as it provides a structured, science-based pathway to measure and improve nature performance beyond carbon, aligning with global frameworks and recognition from well-known companies in Denmark. Crucial to this process, for KLS as a business, is the opportunity to be externally validated on their targets; this contributes greatly to KLS’s market differentiation as customers are attracted to KLS for its sustainability credentials.
After learning that one of their paper suppliers, UPM, was part of SBTN’s first method pilot, KLS were very pleased that their suppliers think the biodiversity agenda is as important, and that only together with suppliers can they make a difference for nature.
Actions taken
Once KLS had defined its organisational boundary using the operational control approach, KLS completed Step 1 and 2 for both direct operations and upstream activities within the company. However, they decided to focus their efforts on gathering as much data as possible on their upstream raw material sourcing due to the impacts of forestry and water consumption in paper production.
KLS had already begun engaging more closely with suppliers that wanted to join them on their sustainability journey, but the SBTN process allowed them to intensify this, putting greater investment into suppliers that had data already or were willing to go the extra mile to get it. KLS is now looking at the high impact areas highlighted from Steps 1 and 2, such as Sweden, Austria, Slovakia and UK, and deepening supplier partnerships in these areas.
Findings
As expected for a paper and printing company, the forestry-related supply chains (those pertaining to paper and board) were highlighted as particularly important for nature impacts, alongside water use in production. This was very much in line with what KLS expected to see from the results, although they did receive greater insight into specific geographies (Sweden, Spain, Austria, UK, Chile). For example, land use footprints differ greatly between sourcing countries (Sweden = 46 ha/year, Chile – 9 ha/year).
One interesting discovery of the process was that KLS’s upstream nutrient-related soil pollution was negligible due to the positive practices of existing suppliers and successful certification schemes; this was contrary to KLS’ initial assumptions.
KLS also found that the process, while initially daunting for an SME of only 34 employees, was easier to complete than expected, once they had properly digested the guidance and utilised the myriad of ways to reduce the data burden including SBTN’s feasibility pathways.
Challenges
KLS’s greatest challenge during the SBTN process was retrieving data from suppliers and tracing commodities beyond Tier 1, something which is likely to affect most companies, especially those with small operations but large supply chains. KLS were happy to discover that completing the assessment was not fully dependent on this data; KLS used a wide variety of data sources to inform their value chain assessment including global metrics (WWF Risk Filter, Global Forest Watch), supplier information (Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), and trade statistics) and site-level indicators (IUCN Red List, Key Biodiversity Areas database). KLS also utilised internal team members and external consultants to inform consistent and compliant methodology.
KLS thinks it would be beneficial for its sector for SBTN to provide greater specificity in metrics and more granular datasets, particularly related to water and biodiversity. KLS is also keen to establish partnerships with companies in the wider supply chain network to harmonise supplier reporting and reduce the burden on suppliers of having to gather data for multiple customers and purposes.
Benefits of process and next steps
The SBTN process is important for KLS in providing a rigorous, science-based methodology, which raises the company’s ambition and improves the credibility of the company in the eyes of customers, as well as enhancing alignment with regulatory expectations. It is important to maintain its status as a frontrunner in the industry. KLS also acquired many useful outputs from the process, including country-level index pressure results for land, water and biodiversity, which can be used more widely across the business for comparing sites/sourcing activities and targeting hotspots within its value chain for further work.
KLS plans to continue the journey toward science-based targets for nature, while further refining geographic sourcing traceability as part of its wider strategy. They also plan to use the process to support CSRD reporting and TNFD disclosures.
Advice for other companies
- SBTN is possible for any company; KLS is only a company of less than 35 people but found no barriers due to cost or capacity.
- Don’t let data gaps stop progress; use global datasets and tools like Global Forest Watch when direct data is unavailable and combine data collection with other data-focused work, including for sustainability certifications and regulations.
- Use the SBTN framework as a strategic tool to future-proof the business by staying ahead of upcoming regulations and using your status as an early mover on nature to attract both environmentally minded customers and suppliers.
>> See validated progress on the SBTN target tracker
>> Learn more about setting science-based targets for nature
