41% Recycled Content Achievement and Future Goals Highlighted for Global Outdoor Furniture Leader Alejandro Pena, Keter CEO, discusses the company's ambitious recycling goals, which reflect the company's proactive approach to sustainability.

Keter, a leader in outdoor living and storage solutions, recently unveiled its 2023 Sustainability Report, highlighting its impressive achievements. Even with the constraints in obtaining recycled resins for large-scale manufacturing purposes, Keter "maintained a rate of just above 41% recycled content in 2023, due both from our regular stream of recycled content from our in-house recycler in the U.S., Trigon, and our technical experts who continue to explore new recycling opportunities tirelessly," stated Keter CEO Alejandro Pena.

This milestone marks a significant step toward the company's long-term sustainability goals and underscores its commitment to innovation and environmental responsibility. As a leader in the home and garden space, the company's fruitful tactic combines growth with a deep-rooted dedication to sustainability, setting a benchmark for others in the sector.

Alejandro Pena explained that Keter "continued to drive down our carbon footprint across our global operations with a reduction of 8% in absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions, the result of ongoing efficiency efforts by all our operational teams as well as procuring electricity from suppliers that also offer energy from renewable sources. Achievement of our pledge of a 25% reduction in emissions per ton compared to 2018 is now well in sight, with 24.6% having been achieved by the end of 2023."

Alejandro Pena Helps Keter Shape a Sustainable Future Through Innovative Home Solutions

In the report, Alejandro Pena shared, "At Keter, we continue to pursue our purpose and our passion, which is to shape what's next for a better day by creating, inventing, designing, and building solutions for homes, gardens, and storage, so that our customers and communities can live comfortably and adopt more sustainable lifestyles."

The company's commitment to using recycled materials is a cornerstone of its sustainability strategy. By integrating recycled content into its products, the company reduces waste and minimizes the environmental impact associated with producing new materials. In 2023, it significantly reduced its landfill waste. Only 6% ended up in landfills, compared to 20% in 2022.

The company aims to increase its recycled content to 55% by 2025, a target that underscores its industry leadership and commitment to environmental stewardship. To achieve this goal, it has implemented various initiatives to enhance its recycling capabilities and reduce its reliance on virgin materials.

A vital element of the company's recycling strategy is its in-house recycler, Trigon, in the United States. Trigon is pivotal in Keter's efforts to source and utilize recycled materials, ensuring a steady supply of high-quality recycled materials for the company's products. Trigon's advanced recycling processes enable Keter to reclaim, repurpose, and transform waste into valuable raw materials for new products. This closed-loop approach reduces waste and bolsters the company's goal of creating a circular economy.

Spreading Sustainability: Keter's Global Network

In addition to its in-house recycling efforts, the global company has introduced product take-back and recycling programs in collaboration with key retailers. For example, in the Benelux region, the economic union and geographic region comprising the three neighboring countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg in Western Europe, the company actively engaged in initiatives with customers to support the EU's circular economy action plan.

It implemented product take-back programs for recycling plastic products. Collaborating with Blokker, a large Dutch household product distributor, and Action, a European discount store chain, it created systems for collecting end-of-life, unsalable, or returned products from consumers. The company's partnership with Action, which has been in operation since August 2023, has already produced round, black organizer containers in various sizes from recycled materials.

The collected products are then processed through its partners, GP Groot and Van Werven, who separate, sort, and grind the materials to meet Keter's raw material specifications.

Keter Europe is a member of the Circular Plastics Alliance, which aims to boost the EU market for recycled plastics to 10 million metric tons by 2025. It also participates in national and industry recycling schemes, such as Valorlux in Luxembourg, a nonprofit that organizes the collection of household packaging waste for reuse and recycling.

Manufacturing for a Greener Future

For over 75 years, the company has empowered people to transform their ordinary spaces into amazing ones by offering a wide range of practical, long-lasting, inspiring, visually appealing, and highly functional products.

The company, with CEO Alejandro Pena at the helm, sells its products in over 110 countries through over 25,000 retail stores and online through its website and other online retailers. It maintains 20 manufacturing sites in 10 countries,

Keter is firmly committed to driving its sustainability strategy throughout the organization. To ensure consistent implementation, the company has established a dedicated network. A global chief sustainability officer and a team of specialists at the corporate center spearhead this network. They work hand in hand with regional heads who are also members of the global sustainability team. Each regional head leads their team within the country, ensuring sustainable practices are applied effectively across Keter's global operations.

Communication is another vital pillar of Keter's sustainability efforts. In 2023, the global sustainability team met weekly and reported progress on their strategy and goals to executive management quarterly. Additionally, quarterly meetings were held at the regional level to monitor operational progress toward environmental goals in each area. To further foster engagement, regional teams convened monthly to review their individual progress.

Keter also prioritizes keeping its employees informed about sustainability matters. The brand achieves this through a variety of communication channels. Quarterly newsletters update employees on progress and share best practices from across the company.

In 2023 alone, the company went above and beyond by holding over 65 sustainability-focused meetings and training events for employees. Their dedication extends beyond the company walls, with sustainability managers and teams actively participating in more than 20 external conferences and webinars throughout the year. This level of engagement demonstrates Keter's commitment to not only implementing sustainable practices within the company, but also being a leader in the conversation around sustainability on a broader scale.