When less means more
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans generated about 251 million tons of trash and recycled more than 65 million tons of material in 2012. Containers and packaging made up the largest portion of trash generated that year: 30 percent, or more than 75 million tons. It’s no wonder, then, that in recent years, conversations around sustainable packaging practices have intensified as both consumers and companies look for ways to reduce packaging waste.
To help companies identify what a sustainable package is, the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) — a project of Charlottesville, Va.-based GreenBlue, a nonprofit organization working with companies to integrate sustainability into their core business practices — defined the term “sustainable packaging” in 2005. The definition lists eight criteria and is intended as a target vision for companies to strive toward. The definition states that a sustainable package is one that is sourced responsibly, designed to be effective and safe throughout its lifecycle, meets the market criteria for performance and cost, is made entirely using renewable energy and, once used, is recycled efficiently to provide a valuable resource to subsequent generations. (For the full definition, please visit the sustainablepackaging.org website.)
For retailers, this definition could seem daunting as they look to use more sustainable packaging with their store brand products. But Katherine O’Dea, senior director, innovation and advisory services for GreenBlue, puts the definition in perspective for retailers.
“Sustainable packaging is a complex term. There is no such thing as a sustainable package; there is only a more sustainable package,” she says. “Every package has its own sets of benefits and tradeoffs. The definition created by the SPC acts as an aspirational target for companies to continually improve the sustainability of their packaging.”
For retailers that are just beginning to consider or implement sustainable packaging practices or for retailers that are looking for some extra guidance, O’Dea recommends that they review the SPC’s “Sustainable Packaging Design Guide.” The guide is divided into three sections: sustainable sourcing, efficiency/optimization and recovery.
It gives retailers examples and points to consider as they go through the process.
A number of other experts also have solid advice for retailers looking to boost their store brand packaging’s sustainability quotient. Read on for six helpful suggestions from these experts.
1. Consider lightweighting. “Source reduction is the first step toward minimizing waste and maximizing product delivery and value,” says Robert Lilienfeld, editor of The ULS Report and co-author of Use Less Stuff: Environmentalism for Who We Really Are. “Reduced waste not only produces less waste that needs to be reused, recycled or disposed of, but it also reduces the amount of energy it takes to transport that product from point A to B.”
2. Seek out suppliers that make a commitment to sustainability. Tetra Pak is just one example of a packaging supplier that made such a commitment.
“We look at every package’s lifecycle from start to finish,” says Jason Pelz, vice president, environment for Tetra Pak Americas, Denton, Texas. “We start with using mainly paperboard that comes from responsibly managed forests; we make sure our factories are as efficient as possible so as to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible; and, of course, we make sure our cartons are recyclable.”
Looking to grow its use of renewable resources, Tetra Pak is working to use less paperboard per package and replacing when possible its use of petroleum-based coatings with bio-based coatings derived from sugar cane.
3. Make recycling easier on consumers. To help out consumers, some retailers joined the SPC’s How2Recycle program. The program was started in 2008 after many studies showed consumers were confused about what they could and could not recycle, says Amy Duquette, sustainability project manager at HAVI Global Solutions, Downers Grove, Ill. Consumers were either putting non-recyclable packaging into the recycling bin or throwing recyclable packaging into the trash.
To help eliminate this confusion, the How2Recycle program created a new logo to help consumers understand which parts of their packaging are recyclable, non-recyclable or require the consumer to “check locally” to see if it is recycled in their area. And in some cases, the logo includes special instructions to the consumer such as “Rinse before recycling” to ensure successful recycling.
Using the How2Recycle logo with its store brand products demonstrates a retailer’s proactive approach to sustainability, Duquette adds. Consumers most often think about recycling at the end of the product’s lifecycle, and it could color their experience with the product. If they don’t know what to do with the packaging, that could cause anxiety. This logo could help consumers avoid a negative emotional experience and influence them to make a repeat purchase.
4. Consider using oxo-biodegradable plastics. Jacksonville, Fla.-based Symphony Environmental USA offers retailers a way to make plastics oxo-biodegradable. It can take plastic 50 to 100 years to decompose, but Symphony Environmental offers an additive called d2w that shortens that timeframe to about six to 18 months.
“What we provide is a security that says if your product winds up in the open environment, you won’t have the negative stigma of product packaging floating around in the environment for decades to come with your name on it,” says Michael Ricciardi, president and CEO of Symphony Environmental. “Instead, that packaging will degrade just as a leaf would degrade. This is a great addition to the sustainability component of a product, given that the packaging with this additive is less harmful to the environment.”
Simply put, when the additive in the plastic packaging is released, it breaks down the molecular chains of the plastic and allows bacteria to consume the carbon atoms of the plastic. It deteriorates as any organic matter would in the environment and it actually turns into bio-mass, Ricciardi says.
“It’s quick, responsible and it doesn’t leave behind harmful residues that can pollute the environment. We call it ‘intelligent’ plastic,” he says.
5. Look to the future: cardboard, corrugated cardboard and paperboard. Ten or 15 years ago, most cardboard, corrugated cardboard and paperboard stayed in a retailer’s store and got recycled, but with online purchasing increasing exponentially in recent years, a ton of corrugated cardboard is making its way into consumers’ homes and not being recycled, Lilienfeld says.
To address this issue, retailers could allow consumers to bring cardboard back to them, regardless of where they purchased the product online. The infrastructure already exists — every retailer already has a baler, and they’re already handling the cardboard. This effort would be similar to the way retailers allow consumers to bring back bottles, cans and plastic bags.
6. Sometimes more packaging is the sustainable option. With the increase in smaller households, retailers might want to give thought to protecting food and preventing spoilage and food waste. This means that portion-controlled options are important and could actually be a more sustainable option than offering items only in bulk, even though they use more packaging, Lilienfeld says.
Additionally, many people think produce doesn’t need packaging; however, studies show that an English cucumber has a longer shelf life both in store and at home when it is packaged in a thin film because of its thin skin, O’Dea says.
The aim is for the consumer to eat everything she has purchased and prevent food waste, so a little more packaging is better than a little less in some cases, Lilienfeld adds.