Back in 2020, almost three in four consumers would pay more for environmentally friendly packaging. However, after several years of global economic turbulence, it’s unsurprising new studies have shown a decline in consumers prepared to pay a premium for sustainably packaged goods.
I explore alternative solutions for how companies can promote environmentally friendly packaging without passing on the cost to the consumer.
Reduced packaging
In eliminating unnecessary packaging components, brands can make big savings on production costs all while lowering greenhouse gas emissions associated with production, shipping, and disposal.
For example, Walkers recently announced it will be trialling a new ‘bagless’ multipack for its Snack A Jacks range. Instead of a larger external bag to house the individual packets, Snack A Jack crisps will be connected with a tape-like strip to secure five packets together, seeing a reduction of 86 percent less plastic.
However, for food products in particular, packaging plays an important role in preserving products from contamination or spoilage. Brands need to carefully balance where it is appropriate to reduce primary and secondary packaging without compromising the quality of goods.
Minimalist packaging design
Complicated packaging design using mixed materials is not only more expensive to produce but is notoriously difficult to recycle since some materials may be too small to separate which can interfere with recycling processes.
Consumers are not always made aware of this and may ‘wishcycle’ their discarded packaging in the hopes that it can be recycled. Wishcycling can contaminate truly recyclable materials, risking entire recycling loads being rejected at local waste management centres.
To combat this, brands have begun taking a simplified approach to packaging design. For example, brands may seek to eliminate unnecessary components or may improve labelling to make it clear to consumers how packaging parts can be separated and discarded appropriately.
Shifting away from plastic
Plastic has long been the most popular packaging material of choice thanks to how cheap it is to produce and transport. However, plastic is the nation’s most wasteful packaging material; UK households throw away 100bn pieces of plastic packaging each year, 83 percent of which comes from food and drink packaging waste.
To combat this waste, FMCG brands have begun to turn away from plastic packaging in favour of more environmentally friendly alternatives. The rise of circular packaging challenges the traditional linear model of single-use disposable packaging. Instead, packaging is designed to be reused, recycled or composted, cutting down on production and waste management costs while minimising waste.
Additionally, the UK’s Plastic Packaging Tax gives businesses further incentive to switch to more environmentally friendly packaging alternatives or face steep fines.
Optimising production
Waste during the production process is a big drain on a company’s finances, which is often passed on to the consumer. Poor visibility of inventory, over-production, defects and excessive energy consumption will not only eat into profits but will also hinder sustainability efforts.
Investing in automated systems can help mitigate these issues, improving supply chain efficiency and driving down costs over time. Automation removes the risk of human error during the production process to boost quality control, as well as optimises resources to ensure as little waste as possible occurs and accelerate production processes.
By streamlining operations, implementing better inventory management practices, and reducing product loss through spoilage or expiration, supply chains can contribute to overall waste reduction. This, in turn, reduces the need for excessive packaging and lowers the environmental impact of packaging materials.