Review

your internal processes

Whatever systems your packaging fits into, you can take steps to track and ensure that the systems are working properly. If you find they aren’t functioning as well as they could, identify the pain points and work to reduce them. Reliable data is invaluable here.

Help your customers

change their behaviours and give clear directions

Clear communication to customers about what to do with the packaging after they use it will help to make your chosen packaging system more effective in practice.

Upstream Innovation

A guide by the Ellen Macarthur Foundation

This is one example of how businesses are innovating and moving towards circularity in their packaging. Globally recognised frameworks and certifications are readily available and can help your business to set the course to improve your packaging.

Getting out of this Pickle

Step back and ask yourself these questions:

What were the reasons for choosing a certain set of materials, a supplier, or a system? Do the reasons for these decisions still stand, or is there room to move? What aspects of your current packaging are the most environmentally costly? What aspects are the simplest to improve? Are there components in your current packaging that could be removed altogether?

The success of a refill system

relies on educating customers

"Beauty Kitchen is doing a fabulous job of educating their customers about the importance of plastic packaging reduction and shifting out of single-use packaging. They credit that educational process with the success and the acceptance of this program by their customers.”

Beauty Kitchen

has designed and implemented an effective packaging refill system

“Beauty Kitchen has developed a really exciting program called “Return, Refill, Repeat”, which is a packaging refill system. They have designed their packaging to support the system, made from aluminium and glass jars and bottles. They're making it possible to move away from single-use packaging and promoting refilling of packaging, which is high up on the hierarchy of sustainable packaging strategies.”

How to scale successfully

A lesson from the Recube founder

“The biggest learning for me would be, don’t rush to do things at scale. It helps you understand the customer really, really well, because only when you understand what the pain points are, will you be able to address these and scale it up successfully.”

From a return-based system

to an on-the-spot refill system

“The system worked in a manner that once you're done using it, we'd collect the old aluminium bottle back and give you another. Six months into the pilot, we thought, why keep returning bottles to the washing centre when we can actually refill at their doorstep itself?"

Refillable

is an on-demand service direct to consumers

A platform by Recube, Refillable is a localised approach to refillable packaging, where a truck or electric bike arrives at a customer’s doorstep, ready to refill common household products into their existing packaging.

4 categories

of reusable packaging

Current systems include 1. Refillable bulk dispenser 2. Refillable parent packaging 3. Returnable packaging 4. Transit (returnable) packaging

Customers expect convenience

and industries rely on customised packaging that's affordable

Supply chains are far more complex, with online sales only driving the complexity further as cross-border commerce expands and last-mile problems continue.

"Before the 1940's

things were actually quite circular"

“Waste in itself is a relatively modern idea that came about when it became more economically viable to produce new materials than to repurpose existing ones - and to burn and bury the rest. Up until the 1940s, when mass production, shifts in consumerism, and plastics came into play, things were actually quite circular.”

Research and testing

are important to overcome barriers and create change

The knowledge sharing and in-progress updates by Asda’s leaders are invaluable, and allow other businesses to take advantage of these learnings and apply them to their own initiatives.

Key barriers

to customers embracing the refill system

"Those barriers are really all related to a natural fear of trying something new: What if I do it wrong, or spill it all over the floor? Am I allowed to bring my own container or do I need to buy yours every time? How much is it going to cost, and will it be cheaper than my usual packaged line? Is it really worth the effort?"

Refill stations

in Asda supermarket stores

UK supermarket chain, Asda has partnered with household brands to roll out product refill trials in a handful of stores, to see how suppliers and customers respond.

Options

are available for circularity in packaging

“There's not a one-size-fits-all approach to pursuing circularity in packaging since there are so many different types of packaging needs and approaches. We give companies a menu of options to choose from to demonstrate that there are circularity measures in place for the packaging."

Lack of research

into circular economy initiatives

While the concept of a circular economy has become more prominent as “an alternative to the classic use of ‘make-use-dispose’”, the practical implications and opportunities for businesses have not been widely documented.

Circularity scepticism

Ken Pucker of Berkshire Partners argues:

A “misplaced faith in overhyped approaches such as ‘creating shared value’ and ‘the circular economy’”. Pucker argues that these have been “ touted as win-win, pain-free solutions… [using] case studies, not empirical research, as evidence”.

Packaging + the circular economy

What happens when they meet?

The packaging design process is not limited to eliminating unnecessary packaging and selecting packaging materials. Consider the design of systems that enable customers to maximise the embedded value of the packaging through circular processes, like reuse and refill programs.

Australasian Recycling Label

an evidence-based system for packaging labels

It provides people with clear direction about what to do with the packaging in their hands. There are three types of label classifications, relying on a mix of visual and written cues.

The universal recycling symbol ♻️

while well recognised by consumers, can be misleading

“... its use without text assumes that all consumers understand its meaning; and/or that all of the product’s material can be recycled. It also only shows that the packaging is recyclable but not that this recycling is actually available via local infrastructure.”

Drivers and barriers

to packaging waste avoidance and recycling

A 2022 review identified “communication of information on functions and environmental consequences of packaging material” and “communication of recycling functions and consequences” as two factors among several driving people’s behaviour.

ISO

provides internationally agreed standards for a range of environmental claims

Including: compostable, degradable, recyclable, recycled content, pre-consumer material, post-consumer material, recovered material, reusable, refillable.

The problem with reusable

is when it is treated as single-use

For reusable packaging to be effective, it needs to fit within a broader system that supports reuse: a return and reuse program, a refill program, or other education initiatives to support customers to continue reusing the packaging.

Reusable

A high priority for circular economy solutions

Reusable packaging maintains the highest possible value of the material, avoiding the energy use involved in processing materials, and reducing packaging waste.

Biobased materials

are not always biodegradable or compostable

So disposal of these materials is important as they can contaminate PCR stocks if not properly separated in recycling plants.

EcoPacific Packaging products

are 100% fibre material from biomass

"We have a good arrangement with the farmers to buy the patty straw waste biomass material after they have completed their harvesting so that they would secure supplemental income. Normally, the farmers would burn the paddy straw after harvesting rice. A prevailing practice that is a major cause of air pollution."

Biobased packaging

is made from biomass: plant-based materials

EcoPacific Packaging is a Malaysia-based supplier of biobased packaging to hospitals and retail settings, which has been certified by Cradle to Cradle. Their lines of packaging products include patient-care products and food trays.

180 days

is the normal compostable period

“Some European countries have more disciplined practices in separating some of these different types of materials, and they have industrial composters to handle them. But even for the consumer, you can [compost] in the garden. There is no harm, and they will break down over time.”

'Compostable'

"When we are talking about compostable, we are talking of materials that break down with exposure to temperature, humidity, and so on. They will then break up easily in the soil without any harm to it at all.”

Biodegradable, or just degradable?

“There has been a misuse of the word biodegradable. Not all bio-plastics are biodegradable. If they can degrade into smaller plastic micro-plastic components, that's all they are: degradable."

Biodegradable

is material that returns to nature when they break down

‘Biodegradable’ as a claim is unevenly regulated and is a catch-all for a range of bio-based or fossil-fuel based materials, with varying conditions needed for the materials to properly break down.

PCR

Post-Consumer Recycled materials

“There's been such an increase in demand for [PCR] materials and the supply hasn't kept up. Small companies are finding this particularly challenging since they may have trouble meeting minimum order quantities and are competing with large brands. My advice would be to plan ahead and expect delays.”

Recycled content

can refer to pre-consumer or post-industrial recycled material

It is the waste generated from the original manufacturing process that is used again in the same material, or from the waste we put in our recycling bins.

Shortages of recycled materials

are causing big problems

“A lot of the big manufacturing companies are facing a tremendous shortage of recycled paper, because some of the countries have actually stopped the importation of recycled paper, not to mention recycled plastic.”

A Sixfold increase

in exports of packaging material for recycling abroad between 2002 and 2017

A UK audit of packaging recycling practices found this astonishing increase, with exports accounting for half of the packaging reported as recycled in 2017. What happens to the packaging materials once shipped overseas is difficult to trace.

Single-material packaging

is easier to recycle than multi-material packaging

“Most recyclable plastic claims use the universal recycling symbol and a general statement directing the consumer to recycle... While these brands should be commended for giving clear instructions to consumers, it could also be argued that they allow companies to shift the burden to consumers."

Paper bags

have a higher carbon footprint than plastic bags

Paper bag production requires more raw materials and energy and produces more waste than the equivalent process for plastic bags. A UK study stated that a paper bag must be used at least three times to decrease its impact on the environment to match that of a plastic bag used just once.

49%

of consumers

believe paper bags to be more sustainable than plastic. Some consumers consider [multinational fast fashion retailer] Primark to be the most sustainable brand purely because of its use of paper bags.

"Green"

claims on packaging

How much of it is environmentally sound, or greenwashing? It’s difficult to compare the virtues and vices of different packaging materials because each type of packaging has different impacts at different points in its life.

"Glass is not the solution"

to being plastic-free

“People see there’s a packaging problem, and decide to use glass, but glass is not the solution either because glass has got a huge environmental footprint. ...plastic can have a smaller environmental footprint than glass.”

Glass bottles

have a greater negative environmental impact

Life cycle assessments have shown that glass bottles have a greater negative environmental impact than their plastic counterparts.

Customers want more glass

but is it the best choice for the environment?

A survey of consumer sentiments towards sustainability in packaging revealed that for beverages and household products in particular, customers are requesting more glass packaging. However, life cycle assessments have shown that glass bottles may have a greater negative environmental impact than their plastic counterparts.

Mushroom packaging vs polystyrene

More expensive but more environmental benefits

Corner protectors made from mushroom packaging are listed as more than double the cost of that of comparable polystyrene shipping corners, however the environmental benefits of mycelium packaging far outweigh those of expanded polystyrene.

Mycelium packaging

“...mycelial networks are unique, extremely fine, and strong, with high tensile strength and the ability to resist water, decay, and immense internal or external pressures. They come from nature, and under the right conditions, return to nature as nutrients."

Mycelium

from which mushrooms grow

In 2006, Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre discovered that Mycelium could be formed into a packaging material with similar properties to that of expanded polystyrene.

Brown seaweed

used for single-use food packaging

The material is biodegradable in 4 to 6 weeks, and home compostable. It's also competitively priced. So far Notpla has partnered with the likes of JustEat Takeaway UK and Heinz to introduce seaweed-based packaging as a plastic-free alternative.

Notpla

packaging made from brown seaweed

Growing up to 1 metre per day, [brown seaweed] doesn’t compete with food crops, doesn’t need fresh water or fertiliser and actively contributes to de-acidifying our oceans.

Redesigning the wine bottle

to reduce the environmental impact of packaging

Made from 100% recycled PET, 100% recyclable and 87% lighter than a standard glass bottle. However, as customers associate a glass wine bottle with a higher quality product, the use of a less environmentally costly material has created a barrier to acceptance in the market.

For the wine industry

glass bottles are the single largest source of emissions

More economically and environmentally sustainable packaging options will become increasingly attractive for the wine industry.

20% increase

in the price of glass bottles in the US

Global events are driving a price increase in glass. Producers relying on imports of glass have felt the pinch, as US wine producers are experiencing, while the Australian wine industry, which mainly relies on locally produced glass bottles, has been more protected from price shocks.

50 billion tonnes

of sand used globally every year

Given the UN’s warnings of a global ‘sand crisis’, recycled glass should be used wherever possible.

The 'cons' of glass packaging

It's heavy, requiring more energy to transport and distribute.

Although glass packaging is commonly recyclable, contamination is a problem, when mixed with non-recyclable types of glass and other ceramics. When contaminated, recycled glass can’t be used for packaging, and is only suitable for down-cycled applications, such as an aggregate in construction materials.

The properties of glass -

non-reactive to most chemicals, and impermeable to liquids and gases

Glass is one of the oldest packaging materials. It does not degrade, can withstand high temperatures, is strong enough for stacking, and is easy to clean and sterilise. Glass’ impermeability and stability make it a clear choice for perfumes and a range of cosmetics.

Soda-lime Glass

is the most common type of glass, and the most popular for packaging

It’s comparatively inexpensive, durable, and easy to form into various shapes. While soda-lime glass is recyclable, other forms of glass, such as borosilicate (used for products like Pyrex dishes) are not recyclable.

Over 40% price increase

for aluminium in the US in the past two years.

Producers may face aluminium can shortages over the next year or so.

Striking a balance

between environmental and cost considerations.

“[The packaging material] had to be infinitely reusable and recyclable. We had the options of aluminium and stainless steel. In terms of costliness, a steel bottle was five times the cost of an aluminium bottle. While the Indian economy is evolving every day, customers would not be okay with the fact of paying $10 for one particular item of packaging itself. So we chose aluminium bottles, because $1 does not really hurt the pocket. That’s essentially what drove our decision.”

95% less energy used

Recycling aluminium uses around 95% less energy than producing virgin aluminium, where the material is cast and rolled, and formed into a new packaging component.

The environmental credentials of Aluminium

Aluminium is infinitely recyclable and readily accepted

However, the production of virgin aluminium is environmentally costly: it involves mining for bauxite and the smelting process requires significant energy, and releases emissions.

Aluminium is used in ‘metallised plastic film’

This mixed-material, often used in chocolate bar wrappers and potato chip packets, is multi-layered and very difficult to recycle.

Aluminium

retains its properties indefinitely.

It has a range of packaging applications. It can be made into cans - think soft drinks and deodorant - and can also be rolled into sheets for use as aluminium foil and food trays.

Cardboard products hit by inflation

US corrugated cardboard has seen five price increases since 2020

Prices are expected to continue to rise through 2022 and are attributed to a combination of rising energy and fuel costs, as well as a limited supply of corn starch (a small but important part of paper production).

100% recycled cardboard

has limitations for boxing and shipping products.

"When you fold recycled cardboard, it splits in half down the seam. So there are limitations for making boxes that have enough rigidity for shipping products. ...because of the splitting edges problem, we’d have to coat it - and the coatings are usually plastic. So we go for FSC certified material (for boxing products) because at least that is from a renewable source."

Paper & Paperboard

are not infinitely recyclable

The cellulose fibres that make up paper shorten during the recycling process, reducing their strength. In theory, paper and paperboard materials could be recycled up to 6 or 7 times, before the fibres break down too much. Because of the loss of strength, businesses can run into challenges when using fully recycled paper and cardboard.

420 million tonnes

of paper and paperboard produced each year

About half of this is used for packaging. Globally, around 55% of all cardboard is still made by cutting down trees, but the majority of logging is now performed in a controlled, renewable way, as certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and others.

48% increase in 2021

in the price of major packaging resins, such as PET.

These once-in-a-lifetime increases in plastic packaging pricing are a result of weather events, infrastructure breakdown, Covid-19, and labour shortages… Recent events in Ukraine continue the upward pressure on packaging resins, with regional PET prices increasing by USD 0.20/lb in the first two months of 2022.

PET bottles vs. Glass

A glass bottle may be cheaper to produce than a PET bottle

Transportation costs are a different story: a glass bottle may be more than 10 times heavier than a plastic bottle, with the heavier glass bottles needing 40% more energy to transport, at a cost up to five times higher than plastic bottles. This means that a single-use plastic bottle may turn out to be a more economical and less environmentally costly option than a single-use glass bottle (though single-use is never the ideal).

80%

of expanded polystyrene

is recycled in Denmark. While technically recyclable, EPS is in many contexts not economically viable to sort and recycle. Th recycling program in Denmark is not only successful, but an exception to the rule.

Platforms like TerraCycle

take on soft plastics and multi-material packaging for recycling.

It's difficult to do and these cases are the exception to the rule.

4 categories

of plastics destined for landfill

1. Small-format packaging 2. Multi-material packaging 3. Uncommon plastic packaging materials 4. Nutrient-contaminated packaging materials

7 Resin Codes

categorise thousands of different plastic products

For recycling, these plastics must be sorted differently given the variations in characteristics even among the same resin group (mainly melting points). This dynamic affects the recyclability potential of other plastics requiring investments in infrastructure to allow for cost effective collection and sorting of these plastics.

45%

of global plastic consumption is from packaging.

381 million tonnes

The global production of plastics in 2015

200 times that of 1950. It is estimated we produce 300 million tonnes of plastic waste every year.

The trade-offs

between plastics and substitutes are complex

“It is important to keep in mind that plastic is a unique material with many benefits: it’s cheap, versatile, lightweight, and resistant. This makes it a valuable material for many functions. It can also provide environmental benefits: it plays a critical role in maintaining food quality, safety and reducing food waste. The trade-offs between plastics and substitutes (or complete bans) are therefore complex and could create negative knock-on impacts on the environment.”

Online libraries

provide information on packaging materials

Sites like Material ConneXion offer detailed information about the properties of thousands of substrates.

600 tonnes

of virgin plastics replaced with recycled materials, since 2018

"L'Oreal are leading the way in designing their products’ packaging to be more circular, but also investing in innovative materials and recycling processes for the systems and materials of the future.”

L'Oreal make a committment

to reach 100% recycled plastic in their packaging by 2030

In addition, a number of the L'Oreal products have been Cradle to Cradle certified.

For business

becoming Cradle to Cradle certified has many benefits

Some of these benefits include: Globally recognised standard, third-party assessment and emphasis on progress over perfection.

5 Principles

for a global packaging standard

1. Material Health 2. Product Circularity 3. Clean Air & Climate Protection 4. Water & Soil Stewardship 5. Social Fairness

3 Principles

A packaging design framework

"The design framework is characterised by three principles derived from nature: 1. That everything is a resource for something else 2. To use clean and renewable energy 3. To celebrate diversity. These Cradle to Cradle Design Principles became a founding school of thought for the circular economy.”

Subtle reductions in packaging can add up at scale

Any packaging material, whatever its credentials, will create some degree of negative impact on the environment.

Reduce single-use packaging

Prioritise reusable packaging

“Replacing one disposable product (e.g. made of plastic) with another disposable product made of a different material (e.g. paper, biodegradable plastic) is only likely to transfer the burdens and create other problems.”

No plastic packaging!

sell fresh uncut produce loose

WRAP UK has called for its members to remove additional plastic wrapping from multi-sale packs, and eliminate as far as possible wrapping of uncut fruit and vegetables.

Over-packaged products

Eliminating unnecessary packaging is the first step in packaging design.

3-steps

to think about packaging design through an environmental lens

1. Eliminate 2. Reuse 3. Material circulation (recycle)

LCAs and the risks

“Although methodological tools like Life cycle assessment (LCA) can enable quantification of environmental burdens and impacts over the whole life cycle of a product, they can even increase the risk of greenwashing if poorly conducted or communicated. Same is true when packaging sustainability protocols and guidelines are followed in a too narrow way.”

Other LCA tools

include paid options

like the LCA Calculator - a quick and intuitive way for designers and engineers to understand, analyse and compare environmental impacts of products and particular design decisions.

Open Source

life cycle assessment tool

is free to download, it’s a technical application and takes some time to understand, but manuals, case studies, and training programs are available.

Life Cycle Assessments

can be highly technical, potentially expensive endeavours.

Traditionally, performing one single life cycle assessment could take months of work due to the large amount of data that needs to be collected from the value chain.

Real popcorn vs. polystyrene corn

An example comparison of two packing materials

Results can sometimes be counter-intuitive. When compared on volume, in this example polystyrene is found to be the more environmentally friendly option. Still, it’s not without barriers...

LCA

Life Cycle Assessments

“Package design should also be subjected to LCA in order to ensure that the ensuing solutions are more environmentally friendly than the original ones.”

A life cycle assessment

evaluates the impacts of a product

...from the extraction of raw materials through to post-consumer use, and indicates a product’s footprint.

‘Why are we doing all of this stuff?’

"...to make sure that we meet all our criteria before we even launch a product, instead of trying to retrofit it."

"We've made a lot of great decisions in the past... We've eliminated all of our soft plastics, even if they're a hundred percent carbon neutral, recycled bioplastics - we’ve removed them because they are not recyclable at the end of life."

“When you come up with something that's innovative in packaging design, it needs to be open sourced.”

This sends a clear signal that the company’s motivations behind their sustainability commitments are truly for the good of the planet, and positions that business as a leading innovator in their field.

One product, multiple materials

"...there’s just not really a solution"

"The thing that is really difficult for us is nail polish [packaging]. ...the cap is PP, which is not home recyclable. Then the wand is made of something else, and the bristles are made of nylon. Yes, we can make them out of post-consumer recycled plastics if we have a minimum order quantity of 300,000, but then they're still not recyclable at the end of life anyway."

Heinz created 45 different designs

on their mission to create the new recyclable cap

Printed in-house using a state-of-the-art 3D printer, Heinz then followed a rigorous testing procedure to make sure the cap met the highest quality standards. Given the volume of their annual product sales, this seemingly minor change may go on to create a major positive impact at scale.

100% recyclable

Heinz tomato ketchup bottle and cap

The unique new cap – made of an innovative single type of material – has been created after Heinz invested eight years of research and development involving more than 185,000 hours and investing US$1.2 million to find a suitable replacement cap for their convenient and extremely popular squeezy bottles, which sold one billion units globally in 2020.

Recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025

Heinz tomato ketchup bottle commitment

The Heinz bottle itself has long been made from recyclable PET plastic, the bottle cap is a mix of 2 components: the rigid plastic twist top, and a silicone leak-proof valve. This mixed componentry has prevented the recyclability of the ketchup lid for the one billion units sold globally each year.

HP reduces environmental impact of boxes

and improves their bottom line.

“While the higher-quality packaging material itself costs roughly the same as the previous boxes, the new solution does have an economic as well as an environmental benefit: reducing the boxes’ weight by 18 percent results in air freight cost savings of $3 million to $5 million annually.”

40 million laptops

are produced by HP in China, every year.

Many of these laptops are shipped to Europe and the US. HP was looking for a way to reduce the weight of the boxes they shipped the laptops in to reduce shipping costs, while maintaining the boxes’ sturdiness during transit.