The Real Cost of Sustainable Packaging
Customers want sustainable packaging. More conscious of the environment than ever before, demand for so-called environmentally-friendly packaging options is at fever pitch. A large number of companies are stepping up to offer alternative packaging in myriad materials and forms. However, these new options come with a price tag, and not in the way you might expect.
As McKinsey writes in their recent report on sustainable packaging: “Successful sustainability innovations will need to be at a neutral or affordable cost trade-off to gain scale.” These new packaging materials may be desirable to the consumer, but if it costs more to produce then this cost inevitably gets passed on to the consumer. Manufacturers face a balancing act between pleasing the public with packaging solutions they can feel good about, whilst keeping it convenient and cost-efficient at the same time.
“Since the airing of David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II nature documentary series on the BBC, environmentally-friendly products and sustainable packaging have become increasingly demanded by consumers. It’s what those in the industry call ‘the Blue Planet effect’.” - The Future of Sustainable Packaging, PPMA Show
Plastics: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Without the right approach, we may find that banishing plastics actually leads to more problems, both in terms of financial cost and, in a strange plot twist, for the environment. Plastics, for all their problems, are cheap, lightweight and adaptable in ways that are hard to replicate with alternatives. They also have some benefits in terms of reducing food waste. For example, people often talk about plastic packaging on cucumbers as surplus to requirement. However, the opposite is true. Plastic packaging like that used on cucumbers actually pushes the time food lasts from days to weeks. A cucumber would last just two days unpackaged. In the fridge with its packaging, it could last up to twenty days.
“Energy-efficient packaging machines are an important element of the sustainable packaging movement. Machines which use less electricity and water in the packaging process go a long way to reducing a company’s impact on the environment.” - The Future of Sustainable Packaging, PPMA Show
Being lightweight is another reason that plastics may not be as environmentally-detrimental as you might think. The comparative weight of glass bottles means that transporting them uses about 40% more energy than transporting equivalent-sized plastic bottles. This means more polluting carbon dioxide. It also increases transport costs by up to five times per bottle. Essentially, if the soft drinks industry was to switch to solely glass, tin or aluminium and discard plastic altogether, five times the amount of pollution would be produced than at present.
One solution is to stick with plastic, and recycle it. In fact, due to rising oil prices, it’s actually cheaper to use recycled plastic than virgin plastic. To give some context, a tonne of virgin PET costs around £1,000, whereas clear, recycled PET weighs in at £158 per tonne. Of course, this doesn’t take care of the problem of PET bottles and other plastic packaging ending up in the sea, countryside or (at best) landfill. The responsibility to recycle plastic remains with the consumer. Recycling, however, still appears a better option in many ways.
Many companies are switching from PET to PLA, a biodegradable, semi-compostable plastic that is similar to PET. Yes, it is biodegradable, but when it’s mixed in with PET for recycling, it renders the recycled plastic weak and essentially unusable. Biodegradable packaging materials, therefore, need to be kept separate from standard recycling - another difficulty in ensuring their viability as a truly environmentally-friendly option.
Sustainable Packaging is Not Straightforward
In Why Shrink-wrap a Cucumber? The Complete Guide to Environmental Packaging, Stephen Aldridge and Laurel Miller write, “"A recent Environment Agency study found that a cotton bag would have to be reused approximately 130 times before it became as environmentally efficient as a single-use bag. If the 'single-use' bag were reused just three times as a shopping bag the cotton bag would have to be reused 393 times to achieve the same carbon footprint."
Clearly, the sustainability issue is more complex than most consumers realise. Nonetheless, manufacturers are bound to meet demand and demonstrate commitment to sustainability through the packaging they use on their products. We cannot ignore the need to be environmentally conscious, and it’s still crucial to know and understand our responsibilities: the planet is at crisis point and there’s no getting away from that. It’s up to manufacturers to make decisions that benefit both the consumer and the environment, and to continue to research the best way to package their products for the future.
“Packaging is a huge aspect of production, and in such a consumption-heavy culture, manufacturers have a responsibility to lead the way with eco-friendly packaging options.” - Compostable and Biodegradable Packaging for the Anti-Packaging Age, PPMA Show
PPMA Show Sustainable Packaging Expo
If you would like to learn more about sustainable packaging and the ways it can benefit your business, register for PPMA Show 2021. If you are planning to cement your place at the crest of the sustainable packaging wave, the 2021 PPMA Show is an important packaging expo to put in your calendar.
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