Nearly two decades ago, when conversations around ESG were largely absent from the luxury packaging industry, Francis Leung was already exploring environmentally responsible materials and processes. Over time, these early decisions naturally shaped the direction and evolution of Ijen Enterprises Ltd..
Having adopted these practices early, Ijen was able to respond quickly when clients later began requesting ESG-aligned packaging solutions. When its first client approached for sustainable packaging alternatives, the groundwork was already laid with ISO 14000 and FSC certifications. Soy-based inks, replacing toxic lead-based alternatives, were introduced ahead of market demand, despite limited availability.
“We don’t just follow regulations. We stay ahead of them, ensuring every solution is as environmentally responsible as possible,” says Francis Leung, founder and CEO.
Today, it continues to translate intricate design concepts into paper-engineered solutions, balancing design precision with sustainability and cost effectiveness.
Balancing Structure, Aesthetics and Sustainability
How does Ijen balance structural design, material reduction, and aesthetic expectations in packaging?
Structural simplification underpins Ijen’s approach to packaging design. By reducing unnecessary layers and complexity, it helps brands lower material use, production time and carbon impact while preserving the functional and aesthetic expectations of luxury packaging. Conventional plastic lamination is replaced with thick paper grades, maintaining structural integrity without multilayer composites.
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We don’t just follow regulations. We stay ahead of them, ensuring every solution is as environmentally responsible as possible.
Rather than operating as a transactional manufacturer, Ijen works with clients in a consultative role, outlining multiple material and process options along with their cost, performance and environmental implications. Multiple ESG pathways calibrated to application requirements, structural functionality and carbon impact are presented. Clients ultimately select the option that best aligns with their priorities, allowing them to balance performance, budget and environmental responsibility.
Ijen has collaborated with multiple brands, bringing expertise and innovation to every packaging need. While clients often request rigid packaging, which inherently involves higher material use and logistics costs, Ijen works to reduce impact where possible without compromising the expectations associated with luxury products.
Sustainability Built on Accountability
Why does Ijen integrate energy tracking and carbon measurement into its production systems?
At the operational level, Ijen embeds sustainability tracking into its existing ERP and production management systems. Every production cycle is benchmarked against predefined hour-based output standards, allowing precise energy consumption tracking per job. Electricity usage, machine runtime and production efficiency are measured to generate quantifiable sustainability metrics.
LED-based printing systems significantly reduce power intensity by 20 to 30 percent compared to conventional UV processes. The cumulative production data in the ERP system is used for immediate post-production carbon calculations. Each box produced carries a measurable carbon figure, which is shared with clients so they can better understand the environmental implications of their packaging choices.
Social Commitment beyond Partnerships
In what way does Ijen extend sustainability practices into education, workforce, and waste systems?
Ijen promotes sustainability awareness through annual factory visits for students, complemented by ESG education sessions led by the founder. These visits include packaging workshops where students assemble their own boxes.
Internally, long-tenured employees provide continuity in highly manual luxury packaging processes, where experience directly affects quality and consistency. With a team of 400 employees, including many with two decades of service, it fosters a culture of enduring trust and institutional knowledge.
Beyond its production processes, Ijen’s food waste processing system decomposes organic waste from the factory into fertilizer and fish feed. A small-scale aquaponics system in the facility uses nutrients in the fish pond to grow vegetables and returns filtered water to the pond.
Ijen demonstrates that sustainability can often be achieved without sacrificing visual impact or structural performance, though decisions are still guided by cost and application requirements. Through its experience-driven approach, Ijen helps brands make informed packaging decisions that balance environmental responsibility, design expectations and practical constraints.
