Rik Pennington Photography
Talia is the ESG Director at Colpac, an award-winning British designer and manufacturer of innovative food packaging solutions. Talia leads on multiple strategic projects including net-zero and deforestation free supply chains.
Talia drives cross-industry collaboration, including through the PackUK Steering Group for EPR and as co-chair and co-founder of the Alliance for Fibre-Based Packaging. Colpac’s net-zero programme, SBTi targets, and recent 22% carbon reduction are testament to Talia’s impact.
Prior to this, Talia spent five years working in political communication, nature campaigning, and sustainability. This includes leading pan-European engagement on the 2019 European Elections for the European Parliament in Brussels and as Co-Director for UK Youth for Nature (UKY4N), the UK’s leading youth movement calling for urgent political action to address the nature crisis, where she now sits on the Board.
In 2021, she was seconded as a Policy Advisor to the Cabinet Office on the UK’s COP26 Nature Campaign. Using her experience in forest supply chains and campaigning, her work here led to advancing policy on illegal deforestation, driving forward the meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, and engaging business.
Can you walk us through how Colpac incorporates circular economy principles into its product design and manufacturing processes?
Our packaging specialists consider circularity when developing new food packaging and making changes to existing products. We carefully consider product design and the materials that we use, to create products that fit with recycling processes. We do this by working with organisations such as On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL) and waste management companies to understand recycling in practice, and by following the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM). Sustainable sourcing is also a key priority to ensure that materials are obtained from trusted suppliers that meet UK/EU timber and deforestation regulations and prioritise FSC® certification. We further reduce packaging impact by lightweighting products to reduce material use, increase resource efficiency and promote the recyclability of paperboard as a packaging material.
Sustainable sourcing is a key element of your strategy—how do you ensure that the materials you use align with circular economy goals?
Our supplier network is really important to us, and we have a rigorous supplier selection process and a clear supplier code of conduct that suppliers must adhere to. Our relationship with our supplier base enables us to source products sustainably, with material properties that support our goals to design recyclable packaging. We actively pursue full traceability of materials from our supply chain and many of our products are FSC® certified.
Your commitment to innovation in materials and circular solutions is impressive. Can you share an example of a breakthrough that has made a tangible impact?
We have recently pioneered the use of direct food contact inks in foodservice for a custom food packaging project, a really exciting development which supports circularity through plastic reduction. This project involved replacing a plastic laminate coating with direct food contact inks for Pret’s platter bases, resulting in simpler recycling. This change, alongside switching the paperboard used to a lighter weight, FSC® certified option, is projected to achieve 9407kg* of packaging material savings/year and has enabled significant Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) cost reductions for the customer. We have since worked on utilising this technology on another bespoke packaging project and look forward to bringing this solution to more customers in future.
Balancing functionality with sustainability in food packaging can be complex. How do you ensure that packaging remains effective while also supporting the circular economy?
Balancing functionality with sustainability is a key challenge faced by our customers and is something that we continuously consider. We have many years of experience in developing highly functional, yet recyclable food packaging, and the depth of our material and supply chain expertise allows us to continuously innovate within the bounds of recyclability.
For example, our core Stagione® range is highly capable and has a very effective barrier which enables the product to be utilised in freezers, hot-hold cabinets, microwaves, and even specific oven parameters, all whilst using FSC® certified, recyclable materials from renewable sources, and can be recycled after use.
You’ve committed to using 100% renewable energy in your factory. What role does this play in reducing your carbon footprint and supporting circularity?
Our decision to only procure 100% renewable electricity to power our factory and offices is a core component of our net-zero strategy. This was a logical step for us to take in support of reducing our scope 2 emissions and has helped us to reduce our reliance on finite resources, minimise waste and pollution, and to underpin circularity.
Transparency and traceability are becoming increasingly important in sustainable supply chains. How do you maintain and improve these aspects in your operations?
We develop strong relationships with our suppliers to improve the reliability of our material sources, through rigorous supplier selection and due diligence. We carry out full chain of custody exercises to demonstrate material traceability and transparency through our supply chains. Compliance with the incoming European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will further support our ability to demonstrate supply chain traceability for all paperboard materials that we use.
Compostable packaging is often discussed as an alternative to traditional plastic. What are the biggest benefits and limitations you’ve encountered with compostable materials?
Compostable food packaging is a highly effective solution which demonstrates circularity, but only where closed-loop systems are in place. Composting has many benefits, namely the fact that it helps to combat the issue of food contamination, as compostable packs and any remaining food can go through the same waste stream. However, composting facilities are not yet commonplace across the UK, with many local authorities not collecting food waste or packaging as part of compostable waste. We utilise compostable materials across many of our product ranges to support our customers in being able to implement closed-loop compostable systems, but recycling currently provides a more reliable circular system due to the availability of recycling facilities across the UK.
Recycling is a key pillar of the circular economy. How do you encourage and ensure that your food packaging is effectively recycled by end-users?
Consumer education is hugely important with regards to circularity – ultimately it is down to the consumer to recycle the packs after use to ensure they can be recycled effectively, multiple times. We have been helping our customers to educate consumers about how to recycle their packaging for several years, directly with our customers and through other means such as by printing recycling instructions on our packs. This helps consumers to quickly and easily see what to do with their packs once finished with them. We also print QR codes on our packs which link to more detailed information and provide a central location for accessing sustainability credentials for each Colpac product.
Reducing food waste is a major global challenge. What specific strategies or innovations has Colpac implemented to help tackle this issue?
Packaging plays a huge part in reducing food waste, a larger contributor to carbon emissions than food packaging, by increasing the shelf-life of food contents. We offer packaging solutions that increase food shelf-life by several days, extending the time in which food can be transported, sold and consumed. This can be achieved, for example, using heat seal packaging, where closures are pressed closed by a hot sealing machine and creating an air-tight seal to reduce oxygen flow. Alternatively, we offer modified atmosphere packaging, where oxygen is replaced with a protective gas mix within a sealed pack, inhibiting the growth of microbes and slowing food decay. Both options help to support the reduction of food waste and help our customers to increase the shelf-life of their food products.
Any more information on this, please go to www.colpacpackaging.com