With beverage packaging under intensifying environmental scrutiny, specialist in stretch blow moulding for PET bottles Sidel has named Luc Desoutter sustainable development VP.
An ICAM engineering school graduate, Luc Desoutter spent four years working in production with Plastic Omnium before joining Sidel in 1991. He has held a number of positions at the company: he worked on special projects management; led the R&D department for expert evaluation and testing of packaging materials; provided technical sales support; and has represented Sidel at numerous international conferences.
“We want to make sure that we meet the high expectations of our customers who are driven by consumer demands,” he states. “Environmental impact is going to become a distinct factor in our decision-making process. Our solutions must be backed by indisputable data and possibilities for improvement. This is even more critical since sound environmental choices often mirror sound economic choices.”
Sidel says Luc Desoutter’s missions are to define concrete environmental objectives for the company’s product innovation efforts; anticipate and respond to environmental regulations; adopt industry standards to evaluate the environmental performance of proposed packaging solutions; and strengthen ties with partner organizations, players in the waste collection and recycling industry, and trade organizations.
Sidel has already initiated various life cycle analyses on its equipment and packaging systems. It plans to expand the use of this standardized method as a way to design greener solutions. The company has proposed a number of equipment innovations aimed at reducing the consumption of energy and other resources
