It is possible to meet customer demand for greener packaging while keeping costs and prices down, says Jean-Louis Evans
According to the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment, packaging accounts for approximately 10 million tonnes of household and industrial waste a year. It is clearly a thorn in the side of retailers, especially as recent research from Experian shows that 70% of consumers are now concerned about what they can do to help the environment, compared with 40% a decade ago.
So, while consumers are increasingly focused on value during recession, companies cannot cut corners with their green credentials.
Customers seem to want it all -they demand an environmentally friendly approach to packaging but want low-cost items attractively wrapped and for their items to arrive in a good condition. In response, the industry is moving towards more environmentally friendly alternatives. The emphasis is on packaging made from sustainable resources that decompose over time but still protect the product in transit and on the shelf.
Packaging should represent only about 10% of the total cost and it must sell the product. A common fear is that eco-friendly alternatives will be more expensive and affect purchaser appeal. In fact, a greener approach can be no more expensive.
Rather than seeing environmentally friendly packaging as a
nuisance, retailers need to take full advantage and think further than simply recycling.
A word of caution, though: test the durability of any new material. Damage to the product is costly and the retailer must be 100% certain that there will be no compromise of the packaging's integrity. A number of proactive companies in the UK are already having their packaging independently tested.
More than ever, the options available to manufacturers and retailers to improve their green packaging credentials, whilst actually reducing and not increasing costs, are huge. Thinking outside the packaging box is not a step into the unknown, but a business necessity that will deliver a competitive advantage and reap rewards from an increasingly green and value-aware consumer.
Jean-Louis Evans is managing director of TÜV Product Service.
According to the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment, packaging accounts for approximately 10 million tonnes of household and industrial waste a year. It is clearly a thorn in the side of retailers, especially as recent research from Experian shows that 70% of consumers are now concerned about what they can do to help the environment, compared with 40% a decade ago.
So, while consumers are increasingly focused on value during recession, companies cannot cut corners with their green credentials.
Customers seem to want it all -they demand an environmentally friendly approach to packaging but want low-cost items attractively wrapped and for their items to arrive in a good condition. In response, the industry is moving towards more environmentally friendly alternatives. The emphasis is on packaging made from sustainable resources that decompose over time but still protect the product in transit and on the shelf.
Packaging should represent only about 10% of the total cost and it must sell the product. A common fear is that eco-friendly alternatives will be more expensive and affect purchaser appeal. In fact, a greener approach can be no more expensive.
Rather than seeing environmentally friendly packaging as a
nuisance, retailers need to take full advantage and think further than simply recycling.
A word of caution, though: test the durability of any new material. Damage to the product is costly and the retailer must be 100% certain that there will be no compromise of the packaging's integrity. A number of proactive companies in the UK are already having their packaging independently tested.
More than ever, the options available to manufacturers and retailers to improve their green packaging credentials, whilst actually reducing and not increasing costs, are huge. Thinking outside the packaging box is not a step into the unknown, but a business necessity that will deliver a competitive advantage and reap rewards from an increasingly green and value-aware consumer.
Jean-Louis Evans is managing director of TÜV Product Service.
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