Packaging and business sustainability targets

There are many facets to successful packaging. Protecting products from damage, promoting brands and catching consumer attention. But, now more than ever, the sustainability of packaging is coming under ever increasing scrutiny.

We recognise that packaging is just one part of a companies Corporate, Social Responsibility (CSR) policy and, with more than 90% of the worlds top 250 companies now producing an annual report on CSR according to KPMG, there is little wonder that both large multinational blue chips and business start ups alike are placing sustainability high on their agendas.

But what does sustainability look like in real packaging terms?

Millennials have certainly been a driving force behind more recyclable packaging. They are the generation being credited with actively supporting or dismissing brand dependent upon the way their products are manufactured, the way they are packaged, the responsibility that they take in everything from working conditions to recycling and environmental policies. It is these expectations that has meant that businesses have been driven by conscience as well as tangible business targets that have been set by a wider Government or global directive, or by internal board policies to ensure sustainability has its place in all business decisions.

In a report by McKinsey it is reported that businesses are actively seeking ways to tackle packaging sustainability, be that through a reduction of existing material, a change of material to something more sustainable, or to redesign and repurpose its business models to facilitate significant changes rather than smaller amends.

We recognise that the variables within this are massive and it is far from a ‘one size fits all’ solution. The range of packaging materials are considerable. The way in which they can or cannot be recycled are similarly substantial. And then, of course it is about what the product actually is. As much as we love corrugated, we know that its not suitable for some products although there are some exciting developments being made to expand its use such as to engineering paper to be able to hold liquids.

We are integrating into this overall increased awareness of sustainability in a number of ways and it’s all adding up to make a difference to our customers.

We have had great success in re-engineering products into newly designed boxes reducing the amount of material required to successfully protect the product through all elements of the supply chain.

We have also worked hard with customers in their droves across the UK to remove non-recyclable elements of packs. It has been a whole range of solutions ranging from re-designing packs that had materials such as plastic or wood, or for those businesses that used air cushions or bubble wrap and successfully explored the possibilities of removing this from their packaging solution.

And we’ve worked with new product manufacturers who were keen to ensure that all elements of their business were as sustainable as possible, and this included the packaging that they sourced.

Sustainability is the word of the moment and it is so important that businesses integrate this into their business decisions. With everyone from company directors to consumers driving this forward and making decisions based upon it, we’re all obliged to take sustainability into account and develop strategies to support this.


As experts in engineering fully recyclable packaging solutions we have a wealth of experience and a raft of experienced packaging professionals on hand to help you integrate sustainability into your packaging. Together, we can make it possible.