Packaging
Primary Manufacturing Distribution Retail Consumption Production
The food and drinks industry is responsible for using over half of the total packaging output of the UK, approximately 4.5 million tonnes per year. Packaging therefore represents an extremely important sustainable development consideration acting at all stages of the food chain. Packaging is used to protect products, identify contents and allow for effective storage and consequently sustainability issues relating to packaging take three broad forms.
- Issues relating to the packaging itself.
- The information contained on it.
- The means by which it is disposed of.
Key considerations
- What are the key threats to sustainability at this stage of the food chain?
- How can I minimise the environmental impact of packaging in my operations?
- What is your organisation required to do by law?
- What external help is available?
1. What are the key threats to sustainability at this stage of the food chain?
- The form of the packaging and the materials used impact upon the efficiency of transportation, the ability to recycle the packaging and determines whether or not the packaging may be reused.
- The provision of recycling facilities influences what materials can be recycled, where. It is important to note that whilst a product may be recyclable, compostable and or biodegradable this does not mean that the relevant local authority will accept this product.
- Labelling Issues. The appropriate labelling of packaging in terms of its recyclability influences the disposal actions of the consumer. Labelling of environmental and sustainability credentials may govern the consumption patterns of produce. The nutritional labelling of products is also important in terms of the health aspects of sustainability.
2. How can I minimise the environmental impact of packaging in my operations?
It is vital to consider ways to minimise the environmental impact of packaging in all of your operations and the Waste Hierarchy provides a useful framework to do so. It acts as a useful guide, setting out the order of preference for actions to deal with waste based on their variable environmental impacts.
- Avoid - the most effective way of reducing the impact of packaging is to avoid its use wherever possible, for example through the reengineering of products/transportation techniques so that packaging is no longer required.
- Reduce - this can be achieved through reducing the volume of packaging, for example by cutting out unnecessary packaging.
- Re-Use - the use of reusable packaging such as crates which can be washed, returned and reused is an effective way to limit the environmental impact of packaging from your operations.
- Recycle - where the above actions are not possible recycling, for example through take back schemes, provides an effective means of reducing the environmental impact of packaging.
The 3Rs Checklists - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, are published on the WRAP website and provide specific details on each of the core elements of the Waste Hierarchy. Other websites which explore the Waste Hierarchy in more detail include The Environment Agency, Waste Online, Defra and Waste Cycle.
3. What is your organisation required to do by law?
The EU Landfill Directive aims to reduce and prevent the negative effects of waste to landfill, through increasing incidences of recycling and recovery. It introduces stringent technical requirements for waste and landfill and sets targets for the reduction of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill.
The EU Waste Framework provides an overarching legislative framework for the collection, transportation, recovery and disposal of waste. It requires the UK to take the necessary measures to ensure that waste is recovered and disposed of without danger to human health or the environment including permitting, registration and inspections requirements. Furthermore it requires the implementation of appropriate measures to encourage the prevention and reduction of waste production and the recovery of waste by recycling re-use and reclamation.
The Packaging Essential Requirements aim to minimise the amount of waste packaging generated a source and ensure that what remains can be re-used, recovered or recycled.
The Household Waste Recycling Act requires all English waste collection authorities to collect at least two types of recyclable waste from all households in their area. These types of recyclable waste include batteries, garden waste, glass, hazardous household liquids, kitchen waste, metals, paper, plastics, textiles and shoes, electrical/electronic waste and wood. The aim of this act is to increase national recycling rates by helping local authorities to achieve their statutory recycling targets which underpin national targets to recycle/compost a minimum of 25% of household waste by 2005, 30% by 2010 and 33% by 2015.
The UK government sets out statutory recycling targets, and regional planning guidance published by the regional assemblies in England also provides a framework within which local authorities must act. EU legislation also has a very prominent influence. In 1996 the European Incineration Directive introduced controls on pollution from incineration, and the targets set out in the Landfill Directive are now affecting local authorities through the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme.
Local authority statutory performance standards on recycling and composting, set out by the government, require a floor target of 18% (proposed increase to 20% for 2007/8) a 30% cap on recycling and composting targets in 2007/8. Failure to meet these performance standards will result in government engagement with the local authorities in question and intervention as a last resort.
4. What external help is available?
Defra's Food Industry Sustainability Strategy details the challenges faced by organisations when attempting to reduce packaging and the benefits of successfully doing so. It examines relevant current EU and UK legislation and provides case study examples of how organisations have successfully reduced packaging.
Envirowise provides free, independent, confidential advice to UK businesses on practical ways to increase profits, minimise waste and reduce their environmental impact. Their packaging publications provide assistance in the form of case studies, Good Practice Guides, Benchmarking Guides and Tools to those organisations looking to reduce the environmental impact and cost of their packaging.
The Food and Drink Federation works to promote the interests of the UK food and drinks manufacturing industry through communicating industry issues and concerns to the government, regulators, consumers and the media. They help their members to maximise their competitiveness through various means including through helping them to minimise their packaging, reduce waste and increase their recycling rates.
Forum for the Future engages with private and public organisations and aims to find practical ways for them to deliver a sustainable future, including through reduced packaging, as well as communicating their ideas and findings to them.
The Institute of Grocery Distributers provides information, research and Best Practice Guides to enable companies to develop whilst incorporating ideas of sustainability. Their website includes pages dedicated to packaging and waste reduction, hosting factsheets, Best Practice Guides and case studies.
Waste Online houses information, advice and factsheets, acting as an online document library intended to help organisations and individuals reduce waste and packaging.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme aims to encourage and enable consumers to use materials more efficiently and increase incidences of recycling through the provision of training, publications and funding.
The Courtauld Commitment is an agreement between WRAP and major grocery organisations which aims to develop and encourage new packaging solutions and technologies in order to bring about real reductions in packaging and food waste. Further useful resources on this site include WRAP's Guide to Evolving Packaging Design, their International Packaging study (a benchmarking tool), and the Golden Rules Optimising Packaging checklist.
Are there useful sources of advice we haven’t included? If so, please let us know.
Are there key considerations we haven’t included? If so, please let us know.