Constantia Flexibles

How ethical is Constantia Flexibles?

Constantia Flexibles is a flexible packaging manufacturer which has fallen below The GOOD Shopping Guide’s ethical benchmark on our Ethical Packaging Ratings Table. Constantia Flexibles’ below-benchmark performance is driven by poor ratings across a broad range of criteria, including pollution, fossil fuels, armaments, irresponsible marketing, and political donations.

What does Constantia Flexibles do?

Constantia Flexibles was founded in 1912 in Weinburg, Austria, and is headquartered in Vienna. The company is the world’s third-largest producer of flexible packaging, employing approximately 8,500 people across 37 production sites in 18 countries. Constantia supplies flexible packaging to more than 4,000 customers in the pharmaceutical, food, and consumer goods sectors. In January 2024, Constantia was acquired by One Rock Capital Partners LLC, a New York-based private equity firm, from European investment group Wendel for net proceeds of approximately €1.1 billion.

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

Constantia Flexibles receives poor ratings across seven criteria, the highest number of any brand assessed in this sector. The environmental poor ratings are the most significant. Constantia receives poor ratings for both pollution and fossil fuels. This is a notable concern for a company that holds CDP Climate Change A- and EcoVadis Gold sustainability ratings. The gap between these external environmental credentials and the poor ratings for pollution and fossil fuel dependency suggests that Constantia’s operations have not yet translated its stated sustainability commitments into measurable environmental improvement across all criteria assessed by The GOOD Shopping Guide.

Constantia also receives poor ratings for armaments and irresponsible marketing. The armaments poor rating is a concern for consumers seeking to avoid involvement in the weapons industry through their purchasing decisions. The irresponsible marketing poor rating indicates that the company’s promotional practices have not met the standards required.

The poor rating for political donations indicates documented political financial activity that may be of concern to consumers and businesses seeking to purchase from companies free of political influence. These concerns are likely to reflect the broader activities of One Rock Capital Partners as Constantia’s private equity parent rather than Constantia’s own operating history.

Constantia also receives a poor rating for vegan options, indicating limited focus on plant-based or vegan-certified packaging solutions within its product range. The company’s toxic chemicals policy rating is acceptable rather than good, indicating further room for improvement in chemical management practices across its manufacturing operations.

It is worth acknowledging that Constantia Flexibles achieves good ratings for its environmental report, eco certifications, animal welfare, and public record criticisms. The absence of documented public record criticisms despite a broad range of poor ratings across other criteria suggests that Constantia’s below-benchmark performance reflects structural and governance concerns rather than documented incidents of harm.

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. Our how we rate page explains the criteria used to assess all brands in this sector.