As 2050 net zero targets loom, approximately 12 tonnes of packaging waste is disposed of in the UK every year. To play a part in reducing this, aircraft lighting innovators STG Aerospace worked with planet friendly packaging supplier, Priory Direct, to find a sustainable packaging solution for its new eco emergency exit marking product. The result almost halved the existing packaging’s weight and cost through material optimisation, highlighting the environmental and financial value of supplier collaborations with sustainability at their core.
In May 2024, STG launched the world’s first sustainable emergency floor path marking system, which are the lighting strips on an aircraft’s aisle, which illuminate the way to the exit. STG’s innovative products use photoluminescent technology, which is naturally rechargeable, and the new saf-Tglo® eco E1™ is made from recycled materials, is solvent free and with no ‘forever plastics’, due to a biodegradable additive. The product is packaged in two metre lengths at 11mm wide, an awkward shape for packaging. They are dispatched across the globe, so packaging must meet local and aerospace sector packaging regulations and standards, as well be as robust as possible to protect the product in transit.
STG’s Production Design Engineer, Ryan Vincent, who led the project to source new packaging, explains: “We had a packaging solution for our existing floor path marking range, which are the same dimensions. A review highlighted the need to improve its environmental impact, which didn’t align with the purpose of our new eco product.
“The packaging came in long, heavy, cylindrical tubes made of cardboard reinforced with a layer of plastic and with plastic end caps. The tubes, which were more than an inch thick, had a large diameter and, when empty, weighed around 7kg or 8kg. It was clear that we needed to find a more sustainable packaging solution for our new eco product, however, it still needed to be robust enough to keep our product safe and secure.”
Using oversized packaging is heavier, requires more filler materials and takes up more space in transit, all of which come with a higher environmental footprint and cost. STG’s packaging solution also needed to be more than just sustainable. It needed to be resilient and able to securely hold large quantities of floor path marking, as they are shipped across the world and potentially stored for long periods of time, before being installed.
Ryan engaged Priory Direct, a certified B Corp which supplies sustainable packaging to more than 21,000 businesses. Representatives came to the STG HQ in Cwmbran to assess the product and supply chain. The team spent the next few months working through a rigorous process to design prototypes and test several possible solutions, mostly cardboard based, including boxes.
Gordon Leer, Sustainable Packaging Consultant at Priory Direct, says: “Our first solution was a flat cardboard wrap that is folded around the product to make it robust and also prevent it from rolling. We also proposed a telescopic box option, for which two separate parts fit snugly together. However, due to the unique requirements of STG neither was suitable, so we reverted to the cylindrical tube shape and substantially reduced the volume and environmental footprint of the materials used.
“It was a useful reminder that sometimes it’s not about reinventing the wheel but working to optimise the existing solution as much as possible. Whilst from a business perspective this means we are ‘selling’ less material, we are supporting our client to reduce their packaging impact on the environment, which is our underlying mission as an organisation.
“Working with STG was refreshing because where often we work with limited information to design our solutions, STG sent us detailed drawings and specifications that needed to be met, which made it much easier for us to be precise.”
Priory Direct developed a bespoke design fully customised to STG’s product, without any use of plastic and with a 4kg weight reduction. This lighter packaging is also much easier to handle and carry, as well as being made of 100% recycled material and 100% recyclable. Removing plastic and using sustainably sourced materials also reduces the administrative burden around international packaging regulations and the packaging is also certified to international environmental standard ISO 14001.
Ryan adds: “Recyclability was important to us, because we cannot control what happens to the packaging once it leaves our warehouse. By ensuring it is 100% recyclable we know that wherever it ends up, even in landfill, it will ultimately break down, just like the eco product it was designed to protect. Because this packaging is so much better for the planet and our budget, we’ve moved our entire floor path marking range into the sustainable packaging.”
Priory Direct and STG are currently collaborating on a sustainable packaging solution for the aerospace supplier’s LED cabin lighting systems range too.