Facing Up to oU r r esponsibilities

David Little, Chair of The Irish Packaging Society and MD of Leonard Little & Associates, has some interesting suggestions for how the Irish packaging industry can step up in terms of meeting its environmental responsibilities, which would involve retailers, brand owners and packaging producers working together to limit the range of food packaging formats on the market.

The challenges continue… Most of the Packaging sector is still very busy; however, the e-commerce growth has dropped back significantly and we have also seen issues of high stock levels after the previous uncertainty. this affects order patterns, resulting in them not being quite as predictable as pre- covid times.

there are drives in most Packer / Filler and Brand owner sectors, to continue to search for more sustainable and circular packaging. while the supply side of the sector is working hard to find suitable greener alternatives or more easily recycled materials, the outcome is… more complexity.

the sheer range of new monomers, bioplastics and biodegradable materials is becoming challenging, particularly for those without a Packaging technologist or the internal expertise to manage and drive these changes. when i mention changes, these would normally be in the pack structural design / format, or in the packaging substrate / material specification. in both cases, the impact on the functions of the packaging can be considerable. the general pack performance, the stack-ability, seal strength, shelf-life and recycled content percentage etc. can all impact on the product preservation and potentially, if not done correctly, can increase food wastage.

Avoiding food wastage is essential, as the food itself and the processing of it contain the vast majority of the carbon Dioxide equivalent, co2e. the packaging is usually a small percentage of the final pack co2e; for instance, in a MAP pack of meat, packaging accounts for just 10% of the overall pack co2e, so is not the devil every one targets but the easy one to see and pick on.

it is also possible to be naïve and make what sounds like good changes, for the right reasons, but actually increase the co2e used in the manufacture or transporting of the packaging raw material. For example, products coming in from long supply chains, or packaging that is potentially impacting the environment, directly or indirectly, like some hemps, bamboo, paperboard additives or some cellulose fibre supplies or bio-plastic starches etc. they can create unknown consequences or divert agriculture production away from food use, or, for instance, they can radically change the biodiversity in a region. As a result, an understanding of what you have, the existing spec. and the co2e of the existing material or source is now nearly as important as running new product development tests and trials on proposed new substrates. i suggest that you take nothing for granted and check the full impact of your choice, including the local production and shipping costs, the co2e and the required barrier properties for your pack’s required performance in whichever geographic region. Also be aware that shipping product or packaging in from far away can have consequences, as we have recently seen. this may have gone away for now, but just buying on price alone will come back to haunt you. the retailers themselves are, in many cases, listing the available choices and banning certain substrates, such as compostable films / trays. For those substrates allowed, they now often require a more advanced packaging specification, to include things like the percentage of recycled content. ireland is reasonably well placed, with a unified approach to recycling packaging, that for the large part, is working well.

New technology has assisted the Municipal recycling Facilities (MrF ) ability, to process the various types of packaging waste, including rigid and flexible plastics, paperboard, aluminium, steel etc. Due to our size and the lack of scale, we will have to continue to export a large amount of packaging waste that is at least now well sorted and baled. However, the MrF process under its current set-up is unable to process compostable materials, which can badly affect the quality of oleo-based recycled plastics if they get in the mix.

i suggest a potential solution for ireland’s compostable packaging is to do what the UK do for their flexible films at the moment: we could take compostable packaging back to the supermarket, where it could be collected and sent for composting, thereby getting the benefit of the natural circularity of compostable packaging, without the risk of it compromising or contaminating the main plastics recycling waste streams. obviously this needs some consensus and planning, but it should be doable, without too much cost. this would open up the benefits of compostable packaging to the market, with the sustainably-minded consumer assisting in the collection and sorting. these sustainably-minded consumers, together with the sustainably-minded organisations and enterprises of the country, need to up their game. we all need to start taking responsibility for our impact on the environment and the market. we cannot continue to consider we are top of the class if we just recycle. we cannot just recycle our way out of the impending environmental upheaval that is coming down the line. we need to ask tough questions and consider our whole lives as individuals, and businesses need to do the same. Do we need X amount of flights each year? what is our personal or family carbon Footprint? is it necessary? Do i need it or just want it? is this the best format and amount to buy / make? is there a better format? Should we continue to supply this product at all? Should we bring it in from so far away? etc. etc.

these are all very difficult questions, particularly as companies create employment and wealth, and there is an impact on this if they start dropping products. equally, various products are designed for convenience and often form part of the way we live. i recently heard someone say, “convenience is the enemy of sustainability”. this is so true, in that portion packs, ready meals, prepared foods, fast food etc. while useful and often seen as required, all create a greater need for packaging. that’s great if you make packaging, but the more variety, the longer the shelf-life and the more complex the packaging is, the more difficult recycling is and the bigger the co2e impact on the world. How can we make the required changes, but yet bring the retailers, the customers and the packaging sector with us? with the lifestyles we have, the reduction in home cooking, the long commutes, the longer days and the endless drive to grow market share and to offer the latest thing, allied to the seemingly endless demand for new, better, brighter products, one has to wonder where it will end. we need to end this drive to solely focus on convenience on the one hand and ‘demon’ shareholder value on the other, as the be all and end all of business. this is what has got us to the place we are in, environmentally. i appreciate we need to make a profit, to ensure business continuity and growth. However, some people will be annoyed and say they cannot cut their nose off to spite their face, or want to stick their head in the sand and just selfishly push on, saying “i’m all right Jack”. i am saying this for those people and for the sake of all our children; we need to work smarter and try to make a difference, before it is too late. i believe retailers and producers could come together in an agreed and structured way (with Government consensus) and discuss the challenge and hopefully agree which product formats are good and which are not sustainable. then, agree to work together to thin out the range and variety of food packaging formats and reset the game. essentially, to limit the range for the consumer, who will have to buy what’s on the shelf (so you still sell the product). i cannot see any other way this can happen quickly. the alternative is for Government and the eU, in time, to eventually ban particular packaging formats, which will put us on the back-foot and inevitably cost more and take longer. tethered closures are also coming down the line and should hopefully help recycling, keeping the cap and the bottle together.

Aside from this challenge, there are a number of others coming down the line. Deposit return Scheme for ireland (DrSi), is being introduced next year and the ground is being prepared, presumably for the return machine, the collection system, the supply chain, etc. this will obviously have a large impact on the drinks sector and the waste sector. it will bring up interesting differences in approach between north and south of the island and even Scotland. it is looking a little complicated, with different approaches required to the labelling and even the adhesive specifications potentially being used in different markets. Again, a drive for a consensus on the approach would really help to simplify things.

DivergenCe between eu AnD uk APProACh there are differences in the approach between the UK’s ePr, which requires a 30% recycled content in packaging to avoid additional tax, and the irish / eU approach for eco-modulation, which requires no recycled content, but a recyclability. this difference creates challenges for companies exporting their product to the UK. Do they hold two different formats types for a particular product, or do they go with the UK recycled content for both markets, perhaps at a higher price, to keep things simple?

Last but not least is the Packaging and Packaging waste Directive that is coming down the line, with some pretty tough proposed recycled content targets for 2030, 2040 and beyond. these concern me, as the impact in production and performance of plastic with 30% compared to 50% recycled content is dramatic, not to mention the proposed higher targets. it is important that those making the laws understand the impact on performance and possible increases in food wastage. it also seems to me, that many of these legislators appear to think that plastic and other packaging formats, such as paper-based products, can be endlessly recycled. this is not the case. Most of these items can only be recycled, between three and seven times, depending on the calliper, spec., use, waste stream, etc. this also does not take into account possible pathogens or other contaminates that may have gotten into the mix from some previous use or storage conditions. As a result, increased recycled content could lead to greater food wastage and will continue to also require virgin materials to boost the quality at regular intervals. taking these points into consideration, it does start to support the benefit of my earlier argument, to start simplifying the range of products offered from the offset, to ensure an easier transition to a more circular economy. Let’s make a difference. trAining ProgrAmmeS in PACkAging teChnology to help in all of this, the irish Packaging Society (www.irishpackagingsociety.ie) offers members webinars, networking opportunities and also a range of training programmes in Packaging technology. in my experience, a Packaging technologist, pays for themselves in speed-to-market, NPD roll-out, cost savings and increased efficiencies. the training programmes include:

• Diploma in Packaging Technology – tUD accredited / Design Print & Packaging Skillnet Level 7 cPD Diploma, run over 8 months, blended learning.

For more information, visit: dppskillnet. ie/course/diploma-in-packagingtechnology.

• Certificate in Sustainable Food Packaging – PiABc accredited / Food Drink ireland Skillnet; Level 7 eq. certificate, run over 11 half-day sessions on-line.

For more information, visit: www.fooddrinkirelandskillnet.ie.

David Little is Managing Director of Leonard Little & Associates Ltd, Packaging consultancy and training: www. leonardlittleassociates. com. David has over 30 years’ experience in the Packaging industry. David is a qualified Print and Packaging technologist. He is chair of the irish Packaging Society, a member of the UK ioM3 Packaging Leadership Group and Head trainer ioM3 (Packaging) and a Fellow of the institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.