truly green packaging

Truly Green Packaging

Jane BickerstaffeDirector INCPEN

FDIN30 April 2009

INCPEN – the Industry Council for Packaging & the Environment

Research organisation set up in 1974 to study environmental and social impact of packaging

Draws together an influential group of companies that operate throughout the supply chain, with a common interest in packaging, the environment and sustainable development

MembersMajor international and British companies from every stage of the supply chain

• Greener packaging

• Consumer’s trust in your packaging

• Long term vision

• A responsible packaging strategy

“Sustainable packaging”?

• Is it:• made from renewable or non-renewable resources?• recyclable?• biodegradable or inert?• reusable?• made from recycled material?

• ANY or SOME of these ...• because packaging can only be judged in the context of the

product it protects, the supply chain, and consumers’ needs

Sustainable product and packaging systems:

• optimise material, water and energy use• minimise waste (from products and used

packaging)• maximise recovery of value from waste -

as material, energy, compost

… whether they are made from paper, glass, metals, plastics or a mixture of materials

No material has a monopoly of environmental virtues!

Packaging in a

Environment:• Save more

resources than used

Social:• Meet consumers

expectations in all aspects of

• Product protection• Safety• Handling• Information

Economy:• Save costs in

distribution and merchandising of goods

Packaging

sustainable society

• Packaging is part of the system for delivering products from point of production to point of consumption

• Each part of the lifecycle has different expectations and demands on packaging all of which influence its design

Packaging and Product lifecycle

...minimumuse of material

...minimum

use of energy

...lessenvironmental

impact

Raw material suppliers & packaging converters want...

Sustainability & the packaging and product supply chain

...low cost ...less

environmentalimpact

...brand image

Manufacturers want...


...full loads

Distributors want...


...easystorage

...strongpacks

Wholesalers & Depots want...


...less environmental impact

...compact display

...attractiveproducts

Retailers want...


...wholesome food

...undamaged goods

...easy to open

...recyclable

Consumers want...


...efficient collection

...separated waste

...minimumuse

of staff & vehicles

Waste Collection Authorities want...


...clean inputmaterials

...saleable outputmaterials

...guaranteedmarkets

Material recycling facility operators want...


...clean material

...good profits

Reprocessors want...


...supportive community

...shorterplanningprocess

...localbuyers

for heat

Energy from waste recovery operators want...


...less waste

...planning permissionfor sites

...no NIMBYs

Waste Disposal Authorities want...


Waste Disposal Authorities

Energy from waste recovery operatorsReprocessorsMaterial recycling

facility operators

Waste Collection Authorities Consumers Retailers

Wholesalers & DepotsDistributorsManufacturersRaw material suppliers

& packaging converters

The Packaging Sustainability Chain

The Packaging sustainability chain

• Consumers, and politicians, see only two links in the chain – retailers and municipal waste authorities

• Limited view on packaging – No knowledge of product damage– ‘There’s too much packaging’– ‘Why can’t it all be recyclable?’– ‘Packaging is “bad”; environmental taxes are “good”’

• Tempting to politicians to tax, restrict, ban, impose “extended producer responsibility” on packaging

Need to know the whole system

• Municipalities want “ all packaging designed to be recyclable” but this often conflicts with distributors wanting “lightweight and shape for full loads”

• Retailers’ demands on suppliers have:– Stimulated measurement and identified opportunities for

improvement , but ...– Have tended to take single issues eg “minimised

packaging”, “recycled content”, “biopolymers” - without thought of impacts in other parts of supply chain, on consumers and wastes management

• Not necessary to do lifecycle analysis or carbon footprint but essential to consider impacts at all stages

Consumers’ views

People think there are “good” and “bad” materials

• Paper – “good”, from trees, natural• Glass - “good”, been around a long time• Metals – “not sure”• Plastics – “bad”, don’t biodegrade• Biodegradable plastics – “better”, won’t stay

around for ever• “All packaging should be recyclable and

compostable”.• … overall “too much packaging” whatever it is

made from!• … and the industry even gets blamed for labels

on packaging …

Labels on packaging

• Hair Dryer: Do not use while sleeping• Bread pudding: Product will be hot after heating• Children's cough medicine: Do not drive or

operate machinery• Korean kitchen knife: Keep out of children• Japanese food processor: Not to be used for the

other use• One of the first stick deodorants: Twist and push

up bottom

5957

4136

3332

2014

11109

64

211

Perceptions are related to specific products

% Mentioning

Easter eggs

Pre-packed fruit and vegetablesReady meals

CosmeticsPre-packed meat and fish

Chocolate

Drinks in bottles and cans

Food in tins / cans

Bread

Don't know / none of these

Q: Which of the types of products on this list, if any, do you feel are over-packaged?

Electronics equipment

Pre-packed sandwiches / lunch meals

Breakfast cereals

Household cleaning products

Wine

Base: 1,010 British adults aged 16+, f-2-f, in-home, 10-16 October 2008

Packaging for 73 product categories grouped by approx frequency of purchase

Packaging for all product categories perceived to be excessive = 2.034% of total sales packaging

width of bars showsweight of packaging

Used household packaging currently collected for recycling

Recycling collection systems already exist for 86% of household used packaging: -– paper/board – glass– steel, aluminium cans – plastic bottles– liquid food cartons

... now need to increase the capture rate and quality

Collection systems are not widely available for 14%: -– plastics film– plastic tubs, pouches– mixed materials (often food contaminated)

… but they can be used as a fuel

Explaining the environmental impact of flexibles to consumers

• No type of material or packaging has a monopoly of environmental virtues– heavier packs are often worth recycling– thin, lightweight packs are often not worth

collecting for recycling from households but they minimise environmental impact by allowing more goods (and less packaging) to be packed in fewer lorries

– and energy can be recovered after use

Weight of packaging compared with number of packaged itemsUK primary and secondary packaging

43 paper/board

Weight%

Number of packaged items%

25 paper/board

4 mixed materials

5 mixed materials

20 plastics20 plastics

53 plastics53 plastics

19 glass19 glass10 glass10 glass

14 metals

7 metals

Source: Dr Jan Kooijman, Towards Greener Households, INCPEN

Packaging in waste

• Packaging is less than 3% of all solid waste

• Used household packaging is 18% of household waste

• 60% of all packaging is recovered and recycled each year

• Businesses have paid £1.5 billion in the last 10 years to double the amount recovered and recycled

Improve overall resource-efficiency, not just one impact

Per serving Oven chips

Microwave chips

Weight of packaging

1.2 g 19g

CO2 emissions

from cooking

452g 41g

Less packaging but more climate change impact!

La Saladière

Industry opportunities to help consumers live more sustainable lifestyles:

Improve packaging/product systems

How the supply chain can help consumers

Deliver products in good condition, appropriate portion sizes, instructions for use (precise rice:water ratio, boil only amount of water needed), easy to open etc…

Help consumers reduce their own environmental impact eg reduce food wastage, provide tablets of laundry detergent to help avoid over-dosing

Design containers so they can be emptied completely

Design so it’s possible to recover value (as energy or materials) from all used packaging in modern integrated waste management systems

Get rid of all excessive packaging

Explain why packaging is needed

Industry opportunities to help consumers live more sustainable lifestyles:

Explain role of packaging in society

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

GJ / Year

Energy use in the food chain (per person per year)

Food supply (farm / sea as prepared food

leaving the factory)

Primary packaging

Secondary & transport packaging

Factory to shop

transport

Retailing Consumer shopping

Consumer cooling / freezing

Consumer cooking

49% 7% 3% 3% 3% 5% 16% 14%

Packaging protects far more resources than it uses

Meat Energy Footprint107 MJ per person per week

Packaging plays a crucial role in preventing wastage of the huge amount of energy invested in producing meat

Potatoes Energy Footprint 22.2 MJ per person per week

Cooking energy can be reduced by using a microwave or keeping a lid on the pan while boiling.

Packaging prevents far morewaste than it generates

• Packed in modified atmosphere bags in-store waste reduced from 3% to 1%

Packaging prevents far morewaste than it generates

• Modified atmosphere bag absorbs ethylene so extends shelf life by 2/3 days

• Prevents over-ripening of nearby fruit and vegetables

• Prevents shoppers breaking bunches

• Prevents shoppers moving labels from organic and Fair Trade

• Keeps costs downIdentical bunches stored for 7 days

Packaging in perspective:3% of average household energy use

Production of household goods 34

Central/water heating 24

Personal transport 15

Household appliance use 6

Storing and cooking food 5

Education and leisure 4Packaging (primary and secondary) for all goods and foods 3

Transporting and retail 2

Food Production 8

UK household’s total environmental impact Percent, measured by energy

A Responsible Packaging Strategy

• Improve packaging so it continues to make a positive contribution to helping consumers live more sustainably– Design primary, secondary, transport as an

integrated system– Communicate with all parts of the supply chain

and the reprocessing chain to design for overall efficient use of resources

• Tell consumers why you use packaging and what it does

• Explain that whether packaging is recyclable, or “biodegradable” is of secondary importance compared to its role in protecting the product

www.incpen.org

truly green packaging

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