Sustainable packaging: The value of joined-up thinking

Making packaging more sustainable is no longer just a case of switching materials and reducing weight, according to Two Tomorrows consultant Rob Pearson

Improving the environmental credentials of packaging is simple, right? Switch to a more environmentally friendly material and reduce its weight – is that enough? Not any more.

There is a fast-moving trend towards a much more inclusive approach, called sustainable packaging. A 2009 study by Pike Research suggested that sustainable packaging will make up 32% of the global packaging market by 2014. So what makes packaging sustainable? How is it different to standard packaging?

In the same way that the term “sustainability” continues to widen its appeal and evolve, sustainable packaging is doing something similar. Various industry groups have set their own definition; see Sustainable Packaging Alliance and Sustainable Packaging Coalition for good examples.

But what does this mean in practical terms to a company with a wide range of packaging lines? The general principle of sustainable packaging thinking is that it looks at a much wider scope of the entire packaging process. The full process of packaging design and manufacture involves many stages and touches the roles of a wide range of professionals – from product design to marketing to operations to procurement.

It takes a lifecycle approach and considers every step of the product packaging system to identify the key environmental impacts. This includes looking at the materials used, their sources, energy intensity, design impacts and efficiency of use. It considers how consumers use your packaging and addresses wider issues such as logistic efficiencies within the supply chain. Sustainable packaging thinking also looks at end-of-life scenarios – for example whether the infrastructure is in place to recycle the packaging or whether re-use could be engineered into the design.

Let’s consider a few examples to demonstrate this.

If a designer or marketer dictates that a packaging product must have a particular design element, then generally the environmental impacts further down the chain have largely already been decided. What if this decision determines the major environmental impact of the packaging?  For example, the product must be a particular shape or use a particular material? The trick is to improve team working so that design and marketing needs are met within a context of reducing sustainability impacts.

Another consideration is that, in the majority of cases, the product, its packaging and subsequent conversion into the final packed product are separate operations at different locations. What are the impacts of switching to a different converting process or a different supplier of packaging? This could have a significant impact on transportation distances.

With all of these processes, the key challenge is to involve all the relevant professionals appropriately throughout and make this an ongoing process. Feedback is important – each change will have a knock-on impact elsewhere in the process. How do we know what consumers expect? It is essential that there are good processes for sensing and responding to such feedback and that this intelligence reaches the correct personnel in the relevant functions.

Sustainable packaging is about balancing these needs and ensuring that, at all stages of a design process, all stakeholders are informed as to the impact of their decisions and the choices available to them.

One way to achieving this is to build a toolkit, something which incorporates an overview in enough of the detail to empower the decisions across all of your packaging stakeholders. Start by building this approach into new designs and then turn the focus to improving the current packaging systems already in place.

The bottom line is that companies must please consumers, promote brands and reduce costs. These factors should also be built into your toolkit. Is there a good process for sensing and responding to such feedback? Do we know what consumers expect? Does this intelligence reach the correct personnel in the relevant function? In order to make good decision, designers should be empowered to understand the impacts of their key decisions.

There is growing evidence that attitudes are changing, particularly among younger consumers. Is it correct to assume that sacrificing, say, cosmetic appeal will always result in a loss of sales? Might consumers accept this, or expect it as evidence of a brand embracing sustainability through its packaging choices, and make a conscious decision to choose your product? The growth of refills in products from coffee to washing liquid suggests they are. It is essential that there are good processes for sensing and responding to consumer feedback and that this intelligence reaches the correct personnel in the relevant functions.

In summary, the concept of sustainable packaging gives you an ideal opportunity to show your customers you are taking the sustainability issue seriously.