A lack of knowledge about packaging could present a threat to the “sustainable future of internet-based retail in the coming years”, according to Michael Nieuwesteeg, managing director of NVC Netherlands Packaging Centre.
In his opening speech at the easyFairs Empack show in the Netherlands, 27-28 March, Nieuwesteeg warned that the main risk is that lessons learned during the 1960-2010 ‘brick-retail’ boom “are not being applied as ‘click-retailing’ is taking off”.
According to NVC, web retailing is growing more than 10% annually, with 15 million packages being delivered daily around the world.
Nieuwesteeg described as “considerable” the environmental impact of the choices made in packaging materials and methodologies throughout the supply and recycle chain, and added that packaging “may contribute inadvertently to overconsumption in combination with product waste”.
NVC’s position is, therefore, that such risks “should be avoided by raising awareness throughout the supply and recycle chain that these two risks exist.”
“Appropriate action must be taken to ensure that an adequate level of knowledge is made available within retailers, service providers, manufacturers and packaging suppliers,” the association states.
Founded in 1953 and based in Gouda, NVC brings together more than 550 member-companies from the total supply and recycle chain of packaged products.
