When was the last time that you sat and thought about where your products went when you were done with them? Whether you are buying a new couch or an outdoor piece of patio furniture, the outcome for this material tends to be a landfill.
Alejandro Pena, the CEO of Keter Group, is focused on changing the way we approach our relationship with sustainability while improving upon our purchasing outcomes.
Introducing Alejandro Pena’s Sustainability Goals
Alejandro Pena has spent more than 25 years of his working life in product experience, including leading the team at Rubbermaid. After finding success with Rubbermaid, Pena was brought on to lead the sustainability and marketing initiatives at Keter Group. With a focus on expanding into new markets while adhering to greener methods, Pena has enjoyed monumental success since his appointment in 2017.
Pena says of his goal with manufacturing, “We have a commitment as part of our sustainability to make sure that no waste coming out of our factories ends up in a landfill.”
With 20 manufacturing facilities worldwide, including in the United Kingdom and across North America, Keter has its work cut out for it with regard to sustainability. To offset potential issues, Alejandro Pena has focused on centralizing production and sales.
Pena says, “During the pandemic, we were able to leverage our global footprint and avoid long lead times that our competition had.”
Core Pillars of Sustainability
At Keter Group, the team focuses on creating sustainability by focusing on three communal pillars of innovation: design, responsible practices, and material innovation. These three pillars unite to ensure that Keter is creating products that can be recycled effectively and responsibly.
Since the company was founded more than 50 years ago, Keter has been focusing on offsetting its emissions while combating climate change. Keter has already pledged to make a difference with regard to operational efficiencies while also focusing on reaching its admirable goal of zero waste in any landfills. To aid in both of these goals, Keter is improving its use of recycled content by up to 55% by 2025 (it currently sits at 41%).
Spirit of Innovation
At Keter, Alejandro Pena is joined by the work of Zvika Zak, Managing Director of Keter Innovation Center. Zak has been at the forefront of many targets in their sustainable mission statement, with technology as his main focus.
Zak said, “New technology will also be employed to create a new portfolio of product finishes that will widen consumer appeal for Keter products, supported by speedily re-configured products that will get to market without delay.”
Zak went on to point out how new tech can be employed to minimize waste. Zak added, “We will do it all based upon the company’s stated commitment to a more sustainable future.”