Why it matters

The issues

Packaging serves many purposes. We would not be able to store powder and liquids without it. It protects products, keeping them clean and safe from contamination. Packaging allows us to display vital information about how to use and dispose of goods safely – a legal requirement for some products – and to present our brands in attractive ways, communicating product benefits.

Packaging also offers convenience and portion control to match the needs of different consumers. In Europe, demographic changes such as more single person households mean there is growing demand for smaller portions. In developing countries, some products such as shampoos are sold in single-use sachets to increase accessibility and affordability for consumers on low incomes.

Yet concerns are growing about the environmental impacts of packaging. Consumers, governments and campaigning organisations are increasingly alert to what they see as unnecessary waste. This has led to commitments by some leading retailers to reduce the packaging of the products they sell and the materials used in transportation. Consumers are also beginning to choose brands with less packaging.

The challenge we face is to continue to use packaging that is appealing and effective but to reduce significantly its environmental impacts. Improving sustainability is not just the right thing to do – it can also bring immediate business benefits. The more we reduce the impacts of our packaging, the greater the potential saving in materials, energy, transport and disposal costs for customers and consumers. At the same time we must be careful not to go too far and reduce our packaging to the point where it becomes inadequate – the environmental impact of the packaging is often much less than that of its contents.

We need to be able to reconcile these conflicting objectives.

While consumers can drive change through their purchasing decisions, they also need to be part of the solution through the way they dispose of used packaging. Consumers have a responsibility, through their purchasing choices and in how they dispose of product packaging. They in turn rely on the provision of effective waste management infrastructure by municipal authorities. This requires a joined-up approach to solving the disposal-related impacts of our packaging.

A complex picture

In reality, totally sustainable packaging is very difficult to achieve. Each type of packaging material has a different footprint; some with more environmental impacts in sourcing, some in disposal; some with a greater impact on resource use, others in energy or water use. Often the best solutions are not the obvious ones.

The footprint is also dependent on local approaches to waste management. This can be seen in the way the developed and the developing world approach waste differently. In countries such as Brazil, waste can be seen as an opportunity for economic activity, with many informal but highly organised networks collecting waste for recycling. In mainland Europe, a significant proportion of waste is incinerated, with systems to harness energy from the process, and EU legislation will drive further reductions in landfill. Only by understanding how waste is treated at a local level can we design products suitable for each country's system.