Rethink your packaging

Although sustainability is increasingly a priority for consumers when making purchasing decisions, with packaging often central to a product’s visual appeal for purchasers - many businesses are yet to sufficiently prioritise sustainability and circularity when considering design, use and disposal of packaging, with most packaging still single-use and nonrecyclable.

This ‘take, make, dispose’ economic model still largely dominates capital production. Only 14% of the plastic packaging used globally is recycled, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation reports. A worrying 40% ends its useful life in landfills, while a further third does so in fragile ecosystems such as the ocean. One estimate predicts that by 2050 there could be more plastic in our ocean than fish.

Why should we care about sustainable packaging? Sustainable packaging is important because it reduces the ecological footprint of all the stages in the product's life cycle. It helps both the producer and the consumer reduce their environmental impact. Let us not forget, packaging generates the most plastic waste of any sector. The impact of humankind on the natural world is one the greatest challenges we face today and, in the decades, ahead. So, it is time to #RETHINK

If you are looking for proof of a return on investment from sustainable packaging and sustainable-operations, why not look at some encouraging financial evidence from recent years. • According to the World

Economic Forum-, consumers are willing to pay more for goods and services from sustainable companies • The 100 most sustainable companies in the United

States, as named by investment magazine-Barron's, enjoyed share price growth of 29% in 2017, compared to 22% for the

S&P 500 Index. • The 2018 Global Sustainability

Index Institute Report looked at the number of sustainable development goal statements in the annual reports of

400 of the world’s largest business-es and found that sustainability goals had more than doubled. The reasons for the in-crease? Company performance benefitted, and stakeholders were interested in sustainability-. Brands turn to sustainable packaging for many reasons, including corporate social responsibility, reducing their carbon footprints, reducing waste, increasing sales — and because retailers require it.

How do you prevent packaging waste and be more sustainable? Here is some examples of how others are approaching it

ELIMINATE: The simplest way to prevent packaging waste is to consider whether the packaging is needed at all. Supermarkets like Tesco and ASDA have been phasing out the use of unnecessary plastic films for products such as multi-buy tins.

INNOVATE: In some cases where the packaging was doing an essential job, innovative design can achieve the same result in a unique way. For example, Carlsberg has replaced the plastic rings holding six-packs of beer with dots of glue that stick the cans together. ICA Gruppen in Sweden has tried laser etching to replace labels on fresh fruit and vegetables. There are even edible coatings, which keep food fresh by using organic materials rather than plastic.

REFILL: Where packaging cannot be eliminated, it can be reused. Major manufacturers such as Unilever and SC Johnson have started offering concentrated versions of products that can be decanted into spray bottles at home. There is a thriving start-up scene of companies specialising in refills for products ranging from toothpaste tablets to detergents in powder form that can be made up just by adding water. Global beverage giants Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have invested heavily in modern technologies to improve drinks dispensers, encouraging consumers to use their own bottles.

RETURN / REUSE: The traditional milkman has seen a renaissance in recent years – but consumers can now get a lot more than milk. Danone offers a subscription service for its water dispensers in Latin America, reusing the jugs it collects. DabbaDrop in London is one of many locally based meal delivery services, with its containers inspired by the tiffin boxes of Mumbai. Global reuse platform Loop recently signed a partnership with Tupperware, adding their iconic reusable plastic food containers to its existing stock of glass and metal.

RECYCLE: If the packaging itself cannot be reused, at least the material it is made from can be. The average European generates about 175kg of packaging waste a year – with only two-thirds of that being recycled.

To improve that, manufacturers are finding ways to make recycling plastic a more attractive option. Coca-Cola has started selling Sprite in easierto-recycle clear, rather than green, bottles. Even “invisible barcodes” embedded within product branding are being trialled, so that the plastic can be automatically sorted by recycling plants.

COMPOST: Replacing long-lasting plastics with biodegradable materials can help to reduce environmental damage. PG Tips and Yorkshire Tea are among the brands that are replacing the plastic in their tea bags with compostable alternatives. In New Zealand, apple grower Bostock is using compostable stickers on their fruit.

SUBSTITUTE: Innovations in paper packaging could eliminate the need for polystyrene and bubble wrap.

Packaging sustainability encompasses everything from design to production to disposal. The true size and scope of “sustainable packaging” can make it difficult to appreciate (and account for) the many varied factors and variables that go into creating a sustainable packaging program in the first place.

LET NNZ HELP – TIME FOR A ~RETHINK Developing (and implementing) a sustainable packaging program is not easy, but that does not mean it is not worth doing. With growing consumer demand for purpose-driven products, companies and organisations that challenge conventional packaging will be rewarded for their efforts.

With all the new options in our portfolio and as this year we are celebrating our 100-year anniversary we are launching #RETHINK – a free audit of all your packaging – to see how we can offer you more sustainable, impactful, dependable, and affordable packaging – protecting your produce whilst helping save our planet!

So why not give Craig or Gordon a call in our Glasgow office and see how we can help you with making the right choices for your business and our planet – let us help you #RETHINK your packaging!