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Online shopping offers convenience and security. Meal kits allow us to cook elegantly without going out to eat. Restaurant delivery brings the restaurant meals home without cooking. The problem is the packaging. There are cardboard boxes and product bottles in our delivery boxes. And most of this packaging has limited sustainable benefits.

The good news is that this is changing. Many companies are rethinking packaging. These enlightened companies see the writing on the wall. There is too much plastic and unsustainable packaging on our planet.

According to packaging giant Tetra Pak, here are some facts:

• The production of fossil plastics is growing – and only 9% of all plastic is recycled
• 32% of all plastic packaging is not collected, and plastic can take hundreds of years to break down
• Plastic production powered by fossil fuels reached 359 million tons in 2018.
• Packaging made of aluminum is energy-intensive to manufacture
• Paper-based packaging is attracting great interest in the industry
• Vegetable materials are renewable and more environmentally friendly

According to the Center for International Environmental Law, packaging accounts for 40% of global demand for plastics.

The latest edition of MIT Technology Review covers food and technology. Jocelyn Eason, General Manager of Science and Food Innovation at Plant & Food Research in New Zealand, said, “New packaging materials will allow many food manufacturers to move away from plastic forever.” She says that plastic is becoming “… one of the greatest environmental hazards that we as a society are exposed to ”. Ms. Eason adds: “… consumers don’t want plastics.” This means: “… sooner or later most manufacturers will have to switch to more sustainable materials.”

Packaging is more than just a container. It’s a recurring opportunity to hold a brand in hand. Packaging represents more daily impressions from consumers than any other communication medium. Think of packaging as content marketing.

Package design communicates

Sustainable packaging shows that the brand is acting responsibly. Responsible packaging creates customer trust. A brand can be organic or pure or authentic. However, if the packaging isn’t sustainable, the brand promise won’t be believable.

For most brands, packaging has been one of the problem areas when it comes to accountability plans. Technology is changing this rapidly.

According to an interview with Ernst & Young, the professional services network, on FoodNavigator.com, plastic packaging will be as important an issue as the product itself. Ernst & Young states that some branded companies are allocating resources to technological marvels that complement our current situation Will reduce package pollution. The goal is 100% recyclable packaging.

Ernst & Young gives three examples of companies that choose recyclable plastic.

• Nestlé, the world’s largest food company, invests exceptional resources in the development of non-virgin plastics.
• For Western Europe, Coca-Cola pledged to collect 100% of its plastic bottles and to switch to PET (petroleum-based) plastic bottles with 50% recycled plastic by 2025.
• PepsiCo’s goal is to use 50% recycled plastic in bottles in the European Union by 2030. This step corresponds to a step of 13% recycled plastic. The intermediate phase is set to 45% recycled plastic in bottles by 2025.

Another source, Business Monitor Online, highlights Unilever’s April 2020 announcement on plastic packaging. Unilever is working with a technology start-up to turn PET waste into recyclable packaging material.

Mars, Inc., maker of M & Ms, Snickers Twix, Pedigree, Whiskas, and other confectionery, food, and pet food products, is working on a packaging change. In an announcement from PR Newswire, Mars, Inc. announced that recycled plastic would be used in the “primary packaging” of some of its popular brands of pet food. Mars. Inc. states that the reduction of virgin plastic in pet food packaging reflects the goal of building a circular economy where packaging does not become waste.

Working with a global packaging supplier and Mars, Inc., it uses recycled plastic that is made using an “advanced recycling process”. Mars, Inc. is committed to a Mars sustainable packaging plan. The goal of the plan is to have 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging by 2025. Mars will use advanced technology to achieve this goal. These actions “… are part of Mars’ mission and responsibility to help create a healthy planet that all humans can thrive on – a belief that is at the heart of Mars.

Another major initiative comes from the Swedish fast fashion brand H&M. According to Industrial Goods Monitor Worldwide, H&M is testing paper packaging. The aim is to eliminate plastic packaging. H&M is another brand that has a circular economy goal. H&M is committed to reducing the use of environmentally harmful packaging by up to 25% by 2025.

The German chemical and consumer goods company Henkel has already launched some of its popular beauty brands with new sustainable packaging. For example, Henkel’s beauty brand Nature Box now has bottles made from 98% social plastic. Social plastic is plastic that is collected from people living in poverty before the plastic finds its way into the oceans and other waterways.

Syoss (another beauty brand from Henkel) uses an iconic black bottle. Henkel introduced a technological solution to produce a 100% sustainable black bottle. Black bottles were a challenge for recycling. This is because the soot color cannot be identified and sorted by recycling centers.

Kimberly-Clark, the global personal care products company, produces primarily paper-based goods. Some of the most famous brands are toilet paper from Kleenex, Cottonelle, Scott and Andrex. Kimberly-Clark also makes the Huggies brand of disposable diapers and baby wipes.

Kimberly-Clark now uses 100% recycled fiber in its wiper packaging for its line of professional wipes, disposable wipes. The brand also makes the Wipers product from recycled cardboard boxes and recycled office paper.

The above Tetra Pak has a sustainability promise. Tetra Pak promises: “We want to create the most sustainable food package in the world.” Tetra Pak adds: “The most sustainable package in the world should be fully renewable, fully recyclable and carbon neutral – and created by Tetra Pak.”

Problems and opportunities

DS Smith, a global leader in corrugated packaging, conducted a survey in August 2020. Ninety-three percent (93%) of respondents said they received a box with a waste of space. 73% of respondents said they had received a box that was twice as big or bigger than necessary. Wasted space in delivered boxes affects brand perception.

Contrary to popular belief, Amazon is not a bad guy when it comes to cardboard boxes. According to The Times Picayune newspaper of New Orleans, Louisiana, Amazon ships an average of 608 million packages a year. But Amazon “… has saved more than 665,000 tons of packaging material and more than 1.18 billion shipping boxes since 2008. These measures are part of Amazon’s frustration-free packaging program. The boxes from Amazon are “… recyclable, easy to open and free of excess materials such as plastic ties and cable ties.”

Packaging is considered to be one of the easiest ways for a brand to change in terms of sustainability. Sustainable packaging is important for the Generation Z cohort (born 1995 – 2009). This younger generation is focused on corporate responsibility, especially sustainability. The Gen Z cohort is concerned about packaging’s eco nightmare. Sustainability is a key buying factor for younger buyers. Gen-Z will avoid buying brands that are unfriendly to the planet.

Sustainable packaging is on the agenda in many companies. 2021 will be the year in which packaging evolves from destroying our environment with excess waste to becoming an environmentally friendly planet.

Contribution to Branding Strategy Insider by: Larry Light, CEO of Arcature

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