Although the Packaging Waste Regulations and the recent Courtauld Commitment have led us to question even more the nature and amount of almost every item of packaging, many in the industry are using these developments to help prompt ways in which they can meet the requirements whilst still running a thriving business.
Packaging weight and volume should be reduced to the practical minimum for safety, hygiene and consumer acceptance. The packaging produced must ultimately be recycled, converted to energy or organically recovered. If reused it should be fit for purpose and still meet least one of the three recovery methods at final disposal, rather than going into landfill.
It is difficult to ascertain whether current changes are a result of legislation or if they would have ultimately emerged from competition and the commercial pressures for quality, efficiency and lightweighting. These are not new concepts, but learning what to do and how to do it correctly is an art and, even though companies are much more aware of their requirements, they may still not have the training, methodology or resources to maximise the abundant potential in packaging development, cost efficiency and intelligent use of materials.
Minimising packaging without compromising functionality and market appeal is always possible and gains can be made through the application of packaging technology, understanding, rules and standards. Keeping a database of packaging weights, for example, can be a good first step in identifying whether your weights are ‘normal’ or whether you are performing better than the competition. Starting to undertake lifecycle assessments (LCA) could also bring savings that could benefit the company as well as meeting targets. LCA is commonly referred to as a "cradle-to-grave" analysis and, as it is a continuous process, companies can start an LCA at any point in the packaging cycle and still benefit.
The company ethos should be to reinforce a solid environmental decision-making culture in which packaging use is continuously reassessed. This can be achieved through a knowledge-based, systematic approach to minimisation, a culture of quality and continuous improvement and, finally, a decision-making process which addresses the issues.
