Sustainable Plastics - January/February 2022 - 21

sustainable packaging
In independent companies,
decisions can be made quickly
and action gets results fast.
Now Sir David Attenborough
and Greta Thunberg
have shocked the world into
action, plastic has become a
dirty word and 'green' is no
longer a quirky adjective, but a
sought-after status.
An online search for ecopackaging
produces a long
list of small organisations that
have developed sustainable
solutions.
Some products even use the
compostability of their packaging
as part of their advertising
campaign, a complete aboutface
from the products that
used to use luxurious layers of
packaging to attract customers.
More than recyclable
Sustainable packaging isn't
just about providing recyclable
packing products. It reaches
much further than that. It's
about choosing the raw materials
from sustainable sources,
making products compostable,
using recycled materials in the
production process and even
about the energy consumption
of the manufacturing process
- and that's just scratching the
surface.
Planting a tree to compensate
for unecological products
a company uses is no longer
enough. There are many strategies
that bigger organisations
are working through to improve
ecological impact and sustainability,
from Six Sigma to Lean
Manufacturing.
Smaller organisations are
looking at alternative solutions.
When they look at the
critical questions, they don't
have to move a mountain to
get from where they are now
to where they aspire to be.
When they've answered key
questions such as:
Can we package this product
differently using less packaging
product or in an alternative,
eco-friendlier material?
Does it need outer packaging?
Can
we change the existing
packaging for something that
can be recycled, refilled or composted?
Can
we reduce the energy
required to create the product's
packaging?
... they can go into action fast.
What will take months to agree,
trial, communicate throughout
the organisation and put into
action in a large organisation
can take a matter of weeks or
even less in a smaller company.
Larger brands need to slowly
phase out their existing packaging,
work with new suppliers,
check costs and gauge consumer
reaction.
Independents have the opportunity
to simply offer their
customers one way - the refill
way - and no other option. This
immediately taps into the sustainable
wants and needs of the
consumers. Packaging can provide
a larger area for branding.
A larger size of a refill pouch,
for instance, allows more space
for you to include more content,
perhaps even featuring QR
codes to learn more about the
product, application and other
products in the range, as well as
full details of where the customer
can recycle the packaging
if their local council isn't quite
there yet.
The devil's in the detail
Some aspects of packaging
are not just in the type of
material used. If you've ever
bought a product in a sealed
package that is almost impossible
to completely empty, that
item containing the dregs of
the product can't be recycled
because it can't be cleaned,
which makes it unsuitable for
recycling.
A better solution is to package
the item in a bottle or tube
that is accessible, making it
easy to get every last bit of the
product out - and also to clean
in order for it to be recycled. But
an even better alternative would
be to change the packing to
something more effective, and
that's where innovators come
into play.
Real innovators don't just
look for a way to improve packaging;
they look at a completely
different packaging solution.
Bottles have gone from glass
to plastic and now can be made
with cardboard, cornstarch and
a variety of other compostable
materials.
Rigid containers have
transformed to lighter, flexible
sachets or pouches that
are easier to produce with a
significantly reduced carbon
footprint and can be used for
a wide variety of products that
would otherwise be packaged
in jars, bottles, tins or much
heavier and hard-to-recycle
plastic containers.
Small local organisations offer
refill shops where you can
buy a wide range of 'loose'
products, from soap powder to
rice. You bring your own containers
and refill them.
Independent brands are
leading the way with refillable
beauty. They have the advantage
in that they can launch
from day one with refillable
packaging and stylish multiuse
bottles and pots.
Education and
communication
The consumer is now more
aware of the importance of sustainability,
but they still need
educating.
It's the responsibility of the
packaging industry to help educate
consumers about what
their purchasing choices mean
in terms of sustainability.
For instance, bio-based plastics
are partially made from biological
resources, rather than
fossil raw materials. They are
not necessarily compostable or
biodegradable. Simply making
the packaging capable of degrading
in a shorter time frame
does not reduce the environmental
impact; it just makes it
less apparent. Biodegradable
and compostable plastics, on
the other hand, break down in
certain conditions.
Most consumers see 'bio' and
assume sustainability.
Surprisingly, many councils
will not accept compostable
packaging in either their garden
waste or food waste collections
because of the risk of contamination.
It's important to look for
alternative collections locally
in order to make a meaningful
impact on compostable items,
and consumers need to understand
this to ensure they dispose
of sustainable packaging
sustainably.
Given the need to help consumers
to make well-informed
choices, it's important that
packaging organisations have
a means to communicate. That
can include QR codes that lead
to information on a particular
product's packaging or using
social media to inform followers
about how packaging is - and
isn't - sustainable.
Independent companies can
influence their local councils
directly and interact with their
local community through presenting
to local groups, running
online Q&A sessions and being
visible to both businesses and
individual consumers locally.
While large brands have a
wider reach and marketing
budget, they don't have the
same level of personal impact.
Local people often support local
companies, and what they
have to say has more impact on
the people around them. Word
of mouth is one of the most effective
marketing tools.
Sustainable packaging is the
driving force changing the industry
for the better. Just knowing
that biodegradable or compostable
packaging is making
a difference to landfill is a huge
positive. To quote a cliché or
two, 'Knowledge is power', but
even more important, 'Understanding
creates commitment'.
When independent companies
pin their colours to the
mast of sustainable packaging,
the local community will support
them - and a few ripples
soon create a tsunami.
Sam Frankel
Sam Frankel is the sales
director at Polypouch UK
(www.polypouch.co.uk)
January/February 2022
21
http://www.polypouch.co.uk
Sustainable Plastics - January/February 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Plastics - January/February 2022
