DS Smith engages bees to monitor natural habitats at packaging facilities in France

DS Smith has announced the first results of its partnership with Apilab, a world leader in bee biomonitoring. 

Launched in 2025, the scientific partnership is transforming bees into environmental sentinels at 13 packaging facilities across France. The bees provide early warning signs of changes in their ecosystem.

Apilab has developed a methodology that is AFNOR certified and validated by the European Insignia protocol. The bees forage within a three kilometre radius to collect millions of micro-samples each day. They deposit the non invasive sampling materials, including nectar and pollen captured on silicone bracelets, propolis grids and Apistrips in their hives. These samples are analysed by Apilab experts in the laboratory and assessed for floral biodiversity, air quality, and pollutants.

This innovative biodiversity mapping approach enables the measurement of industrial impact on local ecosystems, supporting the objectives of the corporate sustainability reporting directive (CSRD). The CSRD requires companies to disclose detailed environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information to enhance the transparency and accountability of their business practices. It also supports the monitoring of ecosystems around industrial and manufacturing sites and track changes in biodiversity over time. 

Analysis across the 13 DS Smith facilities, ranging from urban environments, green spaces, and rural areas, reveals:

• An average biodiversity score of 0.54, demonstrating a moderate to good level of floral diversity across sites.

• An average of 25 plant families detected per site via environmental DNA, with a variation of 12 to 35 families depending on the region.

• A high presence of dominant taxa such as Salicaceae (23%) and Fagaceae (22%), including willows, poplars, and chestnut trees, important nectar sources for pollinators.

‘This biodiversity mapping allows us to identify the strengths and areas for improvement of each packaging site. It is extremely valuable to us in terms of helping to guide our actions and inform our planning decisions when we create ecological corridors, plant native species, and approach our management of a variety of differentiated green spaces,’ said Julien Clery, CSR manager, DS Smith Packaging, France.

The project is a key contributor to the wider international Apilab biomonitoring network that consists of over 500 natural areas.