truly green packaging jane bickerstaffe director incpen fdin 30 april 2009
TRANSCRIPT
Truly Green Packaging
Jane Bickerstaffe
Director INCPENFDIN
30 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
Members
Major 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
...minimum
use of material
...minimum
use of energy
...less
environmental
impact
Raw material suppliers & packaging converters want...
Sustainability & the packaging and product supply chain
...low cost
...less
environmental
impact
...brand image
Manufacturers want...
Sustainability & the packaging and product supply chain
...full loads
Distributors want...
Sustainability & the packaging and product supply chain
...easy
storage
...strong
packs
Wholesalers & Depots want...
Sustainability & the packaging and product supply chain
...less environmental impact
...compact display
...attractive
products
Retailers want...
Sustainability & the packaging and product supply chain
...wholesome food
...undamaged goods
...easy to open
...recyclable
Consumers want...
Sustainability & the packaging and product supply chain
...efficient collection
...separated waste
...minimum
use
of staff
& vehicles
Waste Collection Authorities want...
Sustainability & the packaging and product supply chain
...clean input
materials
...saleable output
materials
...guaranteed
markets
Material recycling facility operators want...
Sustainability & the packaging and product supply chain
...clean
material
...good
profits
Reprocessors want...
Sustainability & the packaging and product supply chain
...supportive
community
...shorter
planning
process
...local
buyers
for heat
Energy from waste recovery operators want...
Sustainability & the packaging and product supply chain
...less waste
...planning
permission
for sites
...no NIMBYs
Waste Disposal Authorities want...
Sustainability & the packaging and product supply chain
Waste Disposal Authorities
Energy from waste recovery operators
ReprocessorsMaterial recycling facility operators
Waste Collection Authorities
Consumers Retailers
Wholesalers & Depots
DistributorsManufacturersRaw 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
59
57
41
36
33
32
20
14
11
10
9
6
4
2
11
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 glass
10 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 4
Packaging (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