Packaging is indispensable
In many ways, our modern food system wouldn’t be possible without packaging.
We ask a lot of the containers that hold our foods and beverages. They protect food from damage and spills during transportation and storage. They also provide a barrier against physical or microbial contamination, tampering and oxidation that can impact flavor, freshness and quality1. Both of these functions are critical for maintaining the safety and quality of food, extending its shelf life and preventing unnecessary food wastage.
Packaging is also an important way to share information. From ingredients and nutrition labels to crucial messages about how to prepare and store the contents, packaging labels share important details with everyone who encounters them. And packages can even help with practical functions like portioning and point-of-sale display1.
For all these reasons, some form of packaging is essential. While too many packages are thrown away after a single use instead of being reused or recycled, there would be still more generated food wastage generated if it were shipped and stored unprotected.
Who should take the lead?
Even though governments own post-consumer waste and regulate waste management systems, the results of a survey* showed that 39% of consumers believed companies have a strong role to play in the end of life of consumer products, while 26% believe it should be the government and 13% think it should be consumers.
Collaboration is needed between governments, consumers and companies.2
* Ipsos Research among 1000 adults in each market: US, UK and France, 2019
Consumer perception: Does it match the reality?
- Glass and PET are ranked as “very sustainable materials” by consumers and indeed both materials generally have higher recycling rates than other materials.
- Compostable plastics are generally considered “extremely sustainable” solutions. In reality, industrial composting systems’ availability is locally specific today.
- Metal is ranked low by consumers, but aluminum and steel can be easily recycled into new packing or products.
Sources
1. Packaging in the Sustainability Agenda: A Guide for Corporate Decision Makers
2. Unwrapping Investor Risk: Global Plastic Containers and Packaging Sector: Planet Tracker (2021)
3. Global Buying Green Report (2021): Sustainable Packaging in a Year of Unparalleled Disruption
4. Rising Tides: Global Opinions on Actions to stop Plastic Pollution in 28 countries (2022)
5. Footprint Sustainability Index (2022)
6. McKinsey: Sustainability in Packaging inside the minds of global consumers