Countries are increasingly regulating plastic packaging, and companies are having to re-think how they package their products. For example, the European Union’s amended Directive 94/62/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste includes a mandatory 55% recycling rate for plastic packaging by 2030.
While regulations present compliance challenges for companies, many have already taken these challenges and turned them into opportunities for innovation. Read on to learn more about sustainable packaging initiatives companies have adopted.
Starbucks
Earlier this year, Starbucks announced plans to decrease the use of disposable paper cups in its stores. To reduce single-use waste, Starbucks plans to allow customers to either bring their own cups or borrow a reusable to-go cup from its stores, according to CNN. Starbucks has already rolled out reusable-cup pilot programs in multiple markets globally. Through Starbucks’ Borrow a Cup program, customers pay $1 to borrow a reusable cup from the store. If the customer returns the cup to the store, they get a $1 credit and earn rewards through Starbucks’ rewards program.
The company’s reusable cups are made from recyclable lightweight polypropylene and could replace 100 single-use cups, Amelia Landers, a vice president of product experience at Starbucks, told CNN. Starbucks plans to provide customers with reusable cup options by 2025.
Starbucks is also looking at ways to seamlessly integrate reusable cups for customers using its drive-thru and mobile ordering options. The company’s eco-friendly initiatives include a shift away from single-use packaging to achieve a 50% waste reduction in its stores by 2030.
Pandora
In September 2021, jewelry manufacturer and retailer Pandora launched reduced plastic packaging for use in its stores and for purchases made online. The new designs use 75% less plastic and will lead to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions savings of over 60%. The company is also removing all plastic from its carrier bags. Additionally, all paper the company uses in its bags and boxes is FSC-certified.
PepsiCo Europe
PepsiCo Europe set a goal to use plastic that is 100% renewable or recycled in all its packets by 2030, which will reduce GHG emissions by up to 40%. The initiative will affect chip brands such as Doritos, Lay’s and Walkers. PepsiCo Europe is transitioning all its bags to include materials that will allow them to be more easily recycled and adhere to the design for recycling guidelines from the Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging. This includes the use of “mono-materials,” which is one of the trends we highlighted in our “Top 9 Sustainable Packaging Trends” article.
Through the initiative, PepsiCo Europe said it is working toward building “a circular economy for flexible packaging in Europe.” The initiative is part of the company’s PepsiCo Positive sustainability campaign, which focuses on sustainable agriculture, achieving net zero emissions in its value chain and reducing single-use plastic, in addition to other goals.
Kraft Heinz
Kraft Heinz is developing a paper-based version of its HEINZ Ketchup bottle that will be made from “100% sustainably sourced wood pulp,” according to ESG Today. Kraft Heinz is working with sustainable packaging technology company Pulpex to develop the packaging, which is can be recycled in paper waste streams. The paper-based HEINZ Ketchup bottle initiative is part of Kraft Heinz’s goal to make all packaging compostable, reusable, or recyclable across the world by 2025 and to achieve net-zero emissions targets by 2050, according to ESG Today. Kraft Heinz and Pulpex are working to test the ketchup bottle prototype and are looking at ways to use the technology in other products.
IKEA
Home furnishings company IKEA announced a commitment to eliminate plastic from consumer packaging for all new products by 2025. By 2028, it plans to expand the initiative to its current product range, according to ESG Today. IKEA has already decreased the amount of packaging it uses—less than 10% of the total annual volume of its packaging materials includes plastics. To meet its goals, the company plans to focus on using paper packaging due to its recyclability.
How to Create a Sustainable Packaging Strategy
Both consumers and regulators are putting pressure on companies to use more sustainable packaging. As this pressure mounts, companies will need to ensure the packaging they use is compliant with regulations and meets consumer demands. As the above examples show, it’s possible to integrate sustainable packaging strategies into a company’s current and future product lines.
As we move to a circular economy, companies will need to take a holistic approach to assessing the environmental impact of their packaging. Conducting a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) allows companies to calculate the environmental impact of their packaging, identify sustainable packaging options and compare the environmental impact of different packaging solutions.
LCAs help companies make data-driven decisions and can be an essential part of a company’s ESG journey. With the right data, software and expertise, companies can create sustainable packaging strategies that are good for consumers, regulators and the planet alike.
