Can we break our addiction to plastic? The future of packaging

Can we break our addiction to plastic? The future of packaging (FT)

• Packaging remains the single-biggest use of plastic, with most of it being used once and then discarded, amounting to annual costs of US$80bn to US$120bn annually.

• While the Ellen MacArthur foundation and similar initiatives are bringing hundreds of consumer goods makers, packaging producers, retailers and companies in the recycling industry together with the aim of creating a “circular economy”, they still have a very long way to go to translate pledges made into reality.

• One issue is that the opinions on how to solve the plastic waste issue vary widely, with some focusing on improving recycling systems while others think the only solution is finding alternative materials and thus reducing the amount of plastic packaging used.

• According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, more than 40 large companies, (including Mars Inc, PepsiCo and Unilever), are now experimenting with reusable packaging.

Analysis and Comments

• The article (while a somewhat longer read than usual), introduces some interesting perspectives and insights on sustainable materials.

• For one, the space is highly fragmented and opinionated – some think recycling is the only answer, others swear on paper to replace plastic or focus on technological solutions, and then there’s also taxes and regulations…

• The answer is probably a “something in between”, as the recycling industry needs to be built up (plastics is far behind glass for example), but the amount of virgin material used will also need to be reduced to stop flooding recycling systems.

• Secondly, the focus is perhaps too much on finding a sustainable material rather than putting a sustainable system in place. Creating new materials without having the necessary systems ready to then deal with their end-of-life cycle poses additional challenges (as you can see with many of the “compostable” alternatives which need industrial composting sites and specific conditions to actually compost).

• In a nutshell: replacing plastic is difficult (!). And it is easy to forget that one has to balance the impact of the packaging material with that of the food it prevents from spoiling, as a reduction in plastic waste at the expense of higher food waste is only going to create a new problem rather than solve the old.

• Finally, it again adds to the on-going debate of whether customers increasing scrutiny regarding environmental topics is actually translating into changes in buying behaviour, with Unilever, for example, finding that 50% of customers will only change if it comes at no extra cost or hassle for them – something that we all know is difficult to achieve with most current sustainable alternatives…