The sustainability of packaging

Considering the facts a company should learn about its packaging in order to minimise the implications of increasing legislation.

For many manufacturers, the biggest source of environmental impacts – such as greenhouse gas emissions – will be from the materials and components used to make their products. However, it is important to also consider the product’s packaging. In this article, we will explore how companies can reduce the impact of their packaging. We will also discuss legislation, including ‘Extended Producer Responsibility Schemes’ which aim to encourage the adoption of more sustainable packaging solutions.

The function of packaging

The primary purpose of packaging is to protect the product on its journey from the factory to the final consumer. The packaging must be strong enough to prevent the item from being crushed, as well as shielding it from conditions that it may encounter in transit, such as heat, moisture and humidity. Packaging can also play a key role in an organisation’s marketing strategy. For example, it can influence the consumer’s perception of the quality of the product and be used to clearly communicate the brand’s identity.

Before a company makes any changes to its packaging, it is essential to ensure that the modifications will not compromise the functionality of the packaging or adversely affect the perception of the brand in any way.

Reducing the environmental impact of a box

A reduction in the amount or weight of packaging used will lead to a proportionate reduction in the environmental impacts associated with the packaging. For instance, can the box design be re-engineered to consume less cardboard, or is a reduction in the weight of the cardboard possible? If changes are made that could affect the structural integrity of the box, it is vital that the new box is tested to ensure that it still meets the necessary performance requirements.

It is common to see multiple swing tags attached to a product to provide the consumer with information. Can multiple tags be replaced with one smaller tag incorporating a QR code? The consumer can then scan the code to access all relevant information and this process also provides the brand with additional opportunities for consumer engagement.

Design features (such as gloss finishes and foil stamps) are very appealing to customers as well as supporting the marketing of the product. However, these finishes will typically have a higher environmental impact and will make it more difficult to recycle the packaging. If packaging is difficult to recycle, it could in turn have financial implications for the company, as explained later in this article.

The choice of ink used in printing packaging is also important. There is now a range of inks available which are derived from vegetable and soy. These are less harmful to the environment than traditional solvent-based inks.

The two most common types of material used for transit and product packaging are cardboard/paper and various types of plastics. There is a general trend for companies. to move away from plastic packaging (where practical) due to its known environmental impacts and various legislation that intends to reduce its use. Where plastic packaging is used, we recommend that companies aim to use packaging manufactured from recycled or bio-based content. Every company will need to balance the competing demands of functionality, cost, design and sustainability when selecting its packaging.

Consumer information

The European Union directive 2018/852 (amending directive 94/62/EC) on packaging and packaging waste requires companies to provide consumers with information on what each packaging item is made from and how to responsibly dispose of it. Each EU member state can choose how to implement the directive – the requirements in France and Italy are given as examples below. Any companies operating in Europe will need to check the requirements of each member state into which they are selling.

In France, the requirement is to use the French ‘Triman’ logos on all packaging. The logos illustrate what the item is (for instance, a box) and how to dispose of it. The labels are colour-coded, based on the recycling bin into which the item should be placed. Therefore, cardboard packaging would have a Triman label with a yellow background, as in France cardboard waste is placed into a yellow recycling bin, which is for all packaging waste.

In Italy, the alphanumeric packaging codes detailed in Decision 97/129/EC are used to identify the material from which each item is manufactured. Hence, the code ‘PAP 20’ would be used on corrugated cardboard, while ‘PAP 21’ is reserved for non-corrugated cardboard. Additional text in Italian is required to show how the item should be sorted and separated for disposal, and to advise consumers to check for disposal arrangements available in their area.

Any packaging produced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified raw materials must also display the FSC logo.

This all means that it is now common to see an array of different logos on the same box (and other packaging), which can be challenging from a design perspective and potentially confusing for the consumer.

EPR and taxes

‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ (EPR) schemes are now commonplace for packaging. They operate on the principle that the polluter pays. Organisations must pay fees into the scheme, based on the volume and type of packaging they have placed onto the market in a particular region over a given period of time. This can include outer cartons – the transit packaging – in addition to any packaging that a consumer may need to dispose of, such as boxes and any tissue paper used to wrap the items.

The income generated by the schemes is used to fund activities relating to recycling. These include:

• the collection and recycling of packaging
• the development of new recycling infrastructure
• raising consumer awareness.

The United Kingdom and most European countries already have packaging EPR schemes in place. While the requirements vary for each scheme, an organisation must typically collate and submit data on the volume of each type of packaging (by weight) it has placed onto the market. The fees payable will be lower for packaging that is shown to have a lower environmental impact.

Organisations must always check the EPR requirements for each country in which they are operating. Every scheme will have different revenue and volume thresholds that will determine if they need to comply. An organisation’s position within the supply chain can also affect its obligations, for example, if the company operates as a wholesaler or is selling directly to the final consumer.

Taxes on plastic packaging have also been introduced by the United Kingdom and the European Union. In the EU, the tax is charged per kilogram of non-recyclable plastic packaging placed on the market. In some EU countries, individual organisations are obliged to pay the tax, whereas in other countries, organisations only have to submit data to the government and the tax payment is managed at a national level.

The UK’s plastic packaging tax applies to packaging containing less than 30 per cent of recycled content. This is subject to a minimum threshold of ten tonnes of plastic packaging placed onto the market in a 12-month period.

Restricted substances

While packaging may not be an obvious consideration for restricted substances testing and compliance, it is possible that restricted substances could be present in certain coatings and dyes. In France, there are also restrictions on mineral oils in packaging. These are mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) and mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (abbreviated as MOSH).

In conclusion

Although packaging is a peripheral part of a product, it can still have a role to play in reducing the overall environmental impacts of a product. This can be achieved through choosing sustainable material options and by minimising the amount of packaging that is used. These choices can also have a significant and direct financial impact in terms of EPR fees and taxes that need to be paid.

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