Sustainex 2013 - Packaging Design Regulations Robert Duncan (PDF)

Sustainex Packaging Workshop

Robert Duncan Senior Environmental Consultant

Northern Ireland Science Park, Belfast 028 90 78 73 78

Workshop agenda

•  Packaging in your business • How packaging impacts on your business

and the environment •  Eco-design principles/ considerations •  Principles in practice/ opportunities •  Barriers and solutions • Q&A session

Exercises throughout – think about YOUR business

What exactly is resource efficiency?

•  It is about sustainable management and use of resources throughout their life cycle - from extraction, transport, transformation, consumption to the disposal of waste.

•  It means producing more value with less material and consuming differently, to limit the risks linked with scarcity and for less environmental impacts, within our planet’s natural limits.

And how does this relate to packaging?

• Considering eco-design principles • Optimising packaging use •  Selecting more sustainable materials • Reducing packaging waste • Complying with packaging Regulations

=> Cost savings for your organisation.

Levels of packaging…

Consider the total packaging system

•  Primary packaging - the pack that the consumer takes home.

•  Secondary packaging - inner cartons, trays, boxes. This includes retail-ready and display packaging.

•  Tertiary packaging - the outer transport packaging, such as pallets and stretch wrap, that gets products to the depot or distribution centre.

Packaging in your Business

Primary Packaging

Packaging in your business

Secondary Packaging

Packaging in your Business

Tertiary Packaging

Packaging in your business

60 SECOND EXERCISE

List what types and where packaging exists in your business

Packaging efficiency drivers

Cost Savings •  Less material (weight/volume) costs less • Reduced product loss/damage costs. • Reduced incoming supplier packaging

results in reduced waste management costs.

Packaging efficiency drivers

Supply Chain Pressures • Customers are requesting more efficient/

sustainable/green/recyclable packaging methods which business needs to adapt to cost effectively

•  Show your commitment to sustainability and adapting to customer’s needs

Packaging efficiency drivers

Legislation •  Improved packaging efficiency, tracking and reporting of

packaging consumption reduces legislative costs and liability – Producer responsibility obligations (packaging waste)

Regulations – Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations

Non-compliance?... A stationery supplier was taken to court and fined because goods

ordered through its website arrived in boxes which were only 7%, 19% and 29% full.

Packaging efficiency drivers

Marketing •  Increase your company’s competitiveness

in the marketplace •  Supporting your green credentials

(ISO14001, Carbon Footprinting etc.) • Good PR stories

Packaging efficiency drivers

Logistics • Optimising process

flows • Maximising

transport loads • Minimising

warehousing

Packaging efficiency drivers

Environmental

•  Increasing % of recyclable materials used • Reduce product wastage • Reduced carbon footprint • Reduce waste to landfill

How packaging impacts your business and the environment

60 SECOND EXERCISE

List your business drivers for and against improving packaging efficiency

(choose specific examples)

Packaging eco-design principles

•  Design for Minimisation

•  Design for Reuse

•  Design for Recycling

•  Design for composting

These principles will be relevant to you as;

•  A customer •  A supplier •  An end-user •  A packer •  A filler •  A distributor

Fit for Purpose?...

Remember why you use packaging… •  Ensure product arrives in good condition •  Protect the contents from hazards •  Easy to open •  Easy to carry •  Attractive to consumers

Design for Minimisation

•  Essentially we are talking about…

– Reduce packaging volume – Reduce packaging weight

… to the minimum required to achieve functional requirements (Fit for purpose).

Minimisation Considerations

•  Could a change in product or packaging design allow a reduction in the size or weight of the packaging while maintaining its capacity?

•  Could less material be used by modifying the volume sold, e.g. more sales units per box, larger portions, bulk or even loose?

•  Could you reduce packaging by changing the physical nature of the contents or by using an alternative material?

Minimisation Considerations

•  Are additional materials such as intermediate layers, shrink wrap, adhesives and tapes all necessary?

•  Could the distribution system be modified in a way that would reduce energy consumption or the amount of packaging needed?

•  Could certain components be strengthened or weakened to reduce overall material use?

Minimisation in Practise

Minimisation in Practice

Booker – U.K.’s leading food wholesaler

•  Worked with supplier to reduce thickness of stretch wrap from 17µm to 7µm whilst keeping the wrapping technique the same.

•  A reduction in average film usage per pallet from 303g to 125g

•  A reduction in annual film consumption from 315t to 130t

•  Carbon emission reductions of 500t/yr •  Greater than 50% saving in film cost •  Improved load consolidation

•  • 

Minimisation in Practise

Other minimisation opportunities • Review light-weighting of all packaging

(e.g. glass, plastic, cans, cartons etc.) • Reducing corrugated cardboard thickness • Removing unnecessary virgin layers,

inserts or replacing with (otherwise) packaging waste.

Interesting…

•  To package the same amount of coffee; needed a glass jar weighing 470g, a metal can weighing 120g or a laminate pack weighing 11g.

•  The laminated pack was not recyclable, and after use all 11g remained for disposal. However, even after 80% recycling of the metal and glass – an unlikely scenario - there was far more material left (94g glass, 24g metal) for disposal from these two options than from the laminate.

•  On top of the waste aspects, the heavier packs needed three times the number of lorries to deliver the same amount of coffee.

Minimisation Opportunities

60 SECOND EXERCISE

List what packaging minimisation opportunities may exist in YOUR business

Design for Reuse

•  Essentially we are talking about… – design to minimise lifecycle impacts, e.g. by

maximising return rates. – design for ‘closed loop’ reuse in preference to

an alternative use. … without compromising functional

requirements (Fit for purpose!).

So what’s reusable?...

•  Pallets •  Drums and intermediate

bulk containers (IBCs) •  Crates, boxes and trays •  Separators, layer pads

and collars •  Pallet boxes/systems •  Metal cages and stillages

Reuse Considerations

•  Ensure that the packaging is designed for and is robust enough for re-use.

•  Check that your business partners will also treat the packaging as re-usable and will return it as appropriate, or that collection arrangements are in place to enable private end-users to return it.

•  Additional storage space will likely be required.

Reuse Considerations

•  Ensure that facilities for cleaning, repair or reconditioning are available if this is necessary before the packaging can be re-used.

•  Obtain written confirmation from your supplier that the packaging is capable of re-use, and confirmation from your customers that they intend to place the packaging into a re-use circuit.

Reuse in Practice

Invest NI Client Example •  Swapped single use

cardboard for reusable plastic crates

•  Savings of £300,000 reported and under a 2 year project payback.

Reuse in Practice

Invest NI Client Example •  Returned high value,

unrecyclable foam protecting layer and plastic inserts back to local supplier

•  Reduced landfill waste costs and negotiated discount on product

Reuse in Practice

Other reuse opportunities •  Reusing incoming supplier packaging (e.g. boxes,

crates etc.) for outgoing product dispatch •  Reusing incoming supplier packaging for internal

movement of product •  Store and reuse bubble wrap, air pockets etc. •  Engage frequent suppliers/customers to swap multiple

deliveries of single use packaging with one combined reusable packaging container

•  Return secondary and tertiary packaging to supplier

Reuse Opportunities

60 SECOND EXERCISE

List what packaging reuse opportunities may exist in YOUR business

Design for Recycling

•  Essentially we are talking about… – specifying a material with an existing and widespread

system for recovery –  if possible using only one material, if not using

materials which are easy for you/the consumer to separate or do not contaminate recycling systems

– Using the maximum amount of recycled content that’s physically possible (preferably post-consumer).

… without compromising functional requirements (Fit for purpose!).

Recycling Considerations

•  Try to avoid materials, combinations of materials or designs of packaging that might create problems in collecting, sorting or recycling.

•  Minimise the use of substances or materials that might create technical, environmental or health problems in the recycling process or in the disposal of recycling residues.

Recycling Considerations

•  Construct your packaging so that the end-user can easily separate any components that should not go into the recycling process (‘design for disassembly’).

•  Can you have a policy for ‘recyclable’ single use packaging only?

•  Minimise the use of substances or materials that might have a negative influence on the quality of the recycled material. For example, do you need a colour tint on your plastic bottle or could you achieve the same effect with an eye-catching label?

Recycling in Practice

Other results were very positive: •  Cement in plastic bags is 39% more

environmentally-friendly than other solutions. •  14% less energy is required throughout the

lifecycle of the plastic. Why is this? With plastic bags, there is less waste than with traditional bags.

•  Its carbon footprint is also 45% less throughout the product's lifecycle as plastic is more resistant to perforation, which avoids losses and waste of the product on suppliers' premises and building sites.

•  The reduction in product losses also leads to a fall of 81% in waste water and 52% in solid waste throughout the lifecycle.

Lafarge – World leader in building materials •  Changed traditional paper-plastic unrecyclable cement bag with a

recyclable plastic bag

Recycling in Practice

Interesting…

WRAP research on consumer attitudes towards purchasing goods packaged in recycled plastic.

Design for Composting

•  Essentially we are talking about… – specifying compostable rather than oxo-

degradable materials – ensuring that a system is available for

collection and processing.

… without compromising functional requirements (Fit for purpose!).

Composting Considerations

• Will your compostable packaging be lighter or heavier than the packaging it replaces?

• Will the use of biopolymers adversely affect the contents of your packaging?

• Clear and conspicuous labelling is essential to prevent it ending up in landfill!

Composting in Practice

•  Quality Street twist wrappers are now made from a compostable material which comes from a renewable resource – wood-pulp from managed plantations.

•  Fully compostable mushroom-based protective packaging will be used to ship stand-up paddle surf boards from PUMA to retailers or directly to people who order them online.

Interesting…

Recycling and Composting Opportunities

60 SECOND EXERCISE

List what packaging recycling and composting opportunities may exist in

YOUR business

Barriers to Implementation

Barrier 1.  Supplier and/or

customer push-back 2.  Lack of top

management buy-in 3.  Lack of in-house

knowledge

Solution 1.  Communicate proven

case studies 2.  Produce a detailed

business case 3.  Industry best practice

guidance or obtain support from Invest NI, packaging experts etc.

Barriers to Implementation

Barrier 4.  Fear of product

damage 5.  Supplier can’t

provide alternative 6.  Staff attitudes

towards packaging waste recycling

Solution 4.  Run a trial before

rolling out changes 5.  Source new

packaging supplier 6.  Making recycling the

easier option than general waste bin

Want to learn more?...

•  Envirowise PackGuide: A guide to packaging eco-design - GG908

• NI Business Info Packaging www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/types-reusable-packaging

•  Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment - www.incpen.org

Questions?

Thank you for your time today.

1-to-1 discussions available after the session, just ask!

Or Get in touch:

 duncan@mabbett.eu  fiona.walker@investni.com