2Sustain

There’s no doubt that sustainable packaging is getting plenty of attention in corporate board rooms these days. (Remember these headlines? “Food: Consumers Prioritize Fresh Ingredients and Green Packaging Over Taste, Convenience,” “Study Says Green Packaging Will Comprise Nearly One-Third of Market by 2014,” and others?) And that’s why just this week, Europen and Efficient Consumer Response Europe announced that they have published a new guide to help businesses better understand the complex role of packaging in the supply chain.

After all, let’s not forget: packaging is not simply a stand-alone entity. It’s used to protect, distribute, and display product and has impact throughout the value chain. The new guide, “Packaging in the Sustainability Agenda: A Guide for Corporate Decision Makers,” takes this holistic approach and aims to show how designers, manufacturers, and users of packaging can –and should –collaborate to optimize packaging performance while minimizing the risks of supply chain inefficiencies and maximizing benefits to a company’s overall sustainability plan.

Here’s an interesting statistic that helps illustrate the importance of a holistic approach to your company’s packaging decisions. According to the report, in Western Europe, no more than 3% of food spoils before it reaches the consumer. In developing countries, about 50% does. Packaging certianly plays an important role in preventing waste, which of course, is a fundamental environmental goal.

The authors even go so far as to decry the term “sustainable packaging.”

“There is, in fact, no such thing as inherently ’sustainable packaging’,” they remind us. “There can only ever be a more sustainable way of manufacturing a certain product.”

The 48-page user-friendly guide is a thorough, albeit non-technical, resource. The contents include:

• Preface: addresses the rationale behind the production of this guide.

• Executive Summary: presents the central arguments of the guide, key conclusions and recommendations for action.

• Chapter 1: provides readers with an understanding of the multiple functions and roles of packaging in society.

• Chapter 2: contains key definitions related to sustainability.  It offers summaries of the tools that can be used to assess the environmental profile of packaging, and reviews the legislation related to its environmental impacts.

• Chapter 3: explores how sometimes conflicting needs and obligations interact with packaging, and outlines how to reach sound packaging decisions.

• Chapter 4: offers practical advice about developing packaging plans that support a company’s overall sustainability goals; choosing the right metric(s); and ensuring decisions interact positively with others along the supply chain.

• Appendices: include notes on further reading references and a glossary of terms.

You can download the full report here.