Ardagh

How ethical is Ardagh?

Ardagh is a metal and glass packaging manufacturer which has fallen below The GOOD Shopping Guide’s ethical benchmark on our Ethical Packaging Ratings Table. Ardagh’s below-benchmark performance is driven by a poor rating for irresponsible marketing and an acceptable rather than good rating for public record criticisms.

What does Ardagh do?

Ardagh Group traces its origins to the Irish Glass Bottle Company, founded in Dublin in 1932. The group is now headquartered in Luxembourg and operates 58 metal and glass production facilities across 16 countries, employing approximately 19,000 people with revenues of approximately $9.6 billion. Ardagh manufactures metal beverage cans and glass containers for the food, beverage, personal care, and specialty markets, serving customers in more than 100 countries.

Why does Ardagh fall below The GOOD Shopping Guide’s benchmark?

Ardagh’s below-benchmark performance is driven by two key concerns. Most critically, the company receives a poor rating for irresponsible marketing. For a company that positions itself as a global leader in sustainable, infinitely recyclable packaging and publishes sustainability commitments across its operations, a poor irresponsible marketing rating indicates that the company’s promotional practices have not met the standards expected by The GOOD Shopping Guide. This is a concern that sits in tension with Ardagh’s stated environmental values.

Ardagh also receives an acceptable rather than good rating for public record criticisms. Violation Tracker records 69 penalty instances relating to the Ardagh Packaging Group totalling over $131 million since 2000. This is a substantial penalty record for a packaging manufacturer, and one that consumers and businesses should be aware of when assessing Ardagh’s overall ethical standing.

Ardagh also receives a poor rating for vegan options, indicating limited focus on plant-based or vegan-certified packaging solutions. As consumer demand for sustainable and plant-based alternatives grows across the sectors Ardagh serves, this represents a further area requiring attention.

Beyond these poor ratings, Ardagh’s toxic chemicals policy and political donations ratings are both acceptable rather than good, indicating further room for improvement in chemical management and corporate governance.

It is worth acknowledging that Ardagh achieves good ratings across several criteria, including environmental report, pollution, fossil fuels, eco certifications, animal welfare, and armaments. The company’s use of infinitely recyclable metal and glass materials and its engagement with circular economy principles are genuine strengths. However, the irresponsible marketing poor rating and the substantial penalty record reflected in the public record criticisms acceptable rating are concerns that The GOOD Shopping Guide cannot overlook.

Consumers seeking packaging solutions that meet The GOOD Shopping Guide’s ethical benchmark are encouraged to consult our Ethical Packaging Ratings Table and our guide to ethical packaging, and prioritise brands that hold Ethical Accreditation. Several higher-ranking alternatives in this sector have achieved independent ethical verification and represent stronger choices for ethically conscious consumers. Our how we rate page explains the criteria used to assess all brands in this sector.