Sustainability has been a living practice at SOMIC for many years and is an integral part of the company's philosophy. Since 2024, SOMIC has been bundling these activities in a structured manner in a separate function: As Sustainability Manager, Angelina Eilenberger is responsible for establishing company-wide sustainability management and implementing the requirements of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). The aim is to treat sustainability not as an isolated reporting obligation, but to anchor it as an integral part of mechanical engineering. In this way, SOMIC offers its customers a transparent basis for sustainable investment decisions.
The manufacturer of cardboard packaging machines SOMIC, headquartered in Amerang, Upper Bavaria, deliberately uses the CSRD as a strategic framework to systematically manage sustainability within the company. The central basis for this is the dual materiality analysis, which assesses both the impact of the company's own activities on the environment and society (impact perspective) and the financial risks and opportunities for the company. The steps SOMIC is taking to achieve this include identifying relevant ESG issues from legislation, industry analyses, and internal risk assessments; evaluating environmental and social impacts; analyzing financial risks and opportunities; consolidating these into a preliminary materiality matrix; and validating the results through interdisciplinary workshops and management reviews.
At the same time, SOMIC conducts a structured stakeholder dialogue: Employees from all areas of the company as well as selected external stakeholders – including customers, suppliers, and business partners – are involved. The results of the analysis and dialogue are incorporated into concrete measures, target definitions, and the first sustainability report.
Sustainability in mechanical engineering: life cycle instead of individual measures
“We have always placed a strong focus on sustainability and have taken it into account as a matter of course in many aspects of our machines. Sustainability is part of our DNA,” says Angelina Eilenberger. In the capital goods sector, the greatest leverage for sustainable impact lies in the complete life cycle of a machine. SOMIC relies on energy-efficient design, material-optimized packaging solutions, modular machine construction, and retrofit and upgrade concepts. This allows systems to be technically modernized over many years and adapted to new market requirements – a significant contribution to resource conservation and investment security for customers. Patrick Bonetsmüller, owner and managing director of SOMIC, emphasizes the business perspective: “For our customers in the food industry, reliability is what counts. At SOMIC, sustainability means building machines that operate efficiently throughout their entire life cycle, can be expanded modularly, and remain economically up to date through retrofitting.”
Measurability and transparency: PCF and digital product passport
Customer-related topics are another focus. SOMIC is working on establishing standardized processes for determining the product carbon footprint (PCF) of its machines. The aim is to collect reliable primary and supplier data in a structured manner and use it to calculate CO₂ balances. This information will be made available to customers in the future to support their own ESG reports and investment decisions. In the future, this product-related sustainability information will be available in a bundled form via the digital product passport – from CO₂ data and energy efficiency indicators to maintenance and recycling information. In this way, SOMIC is laying the foundation for sustainable decisions throughout the entire machine life cycle.
Energy efficiency in our own operations: Audits as a practical tool
Sustainability does not end at the machine. SOMIC has been conducting regular energy audits since 2022 to systematically identify internal savings potential. Measures include lighting systems, machine running times, and building technology. Data collection and processing are standardized using sustainability management software and serve to provide a sound assessment of internal options for conserving resources.
Service with a long-term perspective: resilience through continuity
To ensure the long-term perspective of packaging machines, the focus is primarily on developing durable, energy-efficient, and adaptable technologies. In addition, SOMIC is specifically expanding its range of services: preventive maintenance, targeted upgrades, retrofits, and the provision of relevant operating data increase the service life and efficiency of existing systems, reduce material and energy consumption, and secure investments in the long term. Patrick Bonetsmüller explains: “For us, sustainability is a factor in resilience. By consistently focusing our machines and services on efficiency and durability, we increase the competitiveness of our customers – and our own.”
Focus on customer benefits
SOMIC's sustainability strategy is geared towards delivering concrete added value for operators of cartoning machines at the end of production lines: reducing energy and material consumption through efficient design and optimized packaging solutions, extending machine life cycles through modular construction, retrofits, and upgrades, providing transparent sustainability metrics (PCF, digital product passport) to support ESG reporting, and increasing investment security through scalable modernization paths and reliable data. “We see all sustainability issues, whether they relate to machines, our infrastructure, or corporate culture, as part of our continuous improvement process. My job is to translate complex European requirements such as the CSRD in a way that enables real progress in mechanical engineering— ecologically, economically, and for our customers,” summarizes Eilenberger.
Conclusion: Sustainability as strategic continuity
SOMIC is fully committed to this approach: a double materiality analysis, materiality matrix, stakeholder dialogue, and the derivation of a clear strategy form the basis for measurable sustainability – both within the company and in machine technology. The combination of energy-efficient, modular design, retrofit concepts, transparent CO₂ data, and expanded services creates a long-term perspective that directly supports technicians and managers in the food industry. Sustainability thus becomes a structured management principle that combines technical innovation with corporate responsibility— and strengthens the resilience of customers and companies alike.