In stories #19 and #20, I focused on correctly applying the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle guiding principles in sustainable packaging and setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to ensure consideration of both the CO² involved in producing the packaging and the waste—especially plastic waste—resulting from its use.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution: Packaging serves important purposes, such as keeping food and pharmaceutical products clean and hygienic, protecting them from bacteria and viruses, extending the shelf life of food, and reducing the overall carbon footprint. It also protects the environment from toxic chemicals needed to produce batteries for electric vehicles, solar panels, and medicine. Consider the hundreds of millions of face masks used, wrapped in plastic, and discarded during the pandemic in recent years. My impression is that the recycling rate for these is close to zero. Referring back to packaging, it is important to note that different materials and pack designs offer different advantages and challenges from a sustainability perspective. As discussed in my previous stories, I differentiate between three main materials: plastics, paper, and metal. While metal and paper have a high CO² footprint in their production process, they are slightly less problematic from a landfill/river/ocean waste perspective than plastics. Plastics, in a linear economy, have a slightly lower initial carbon footprint but pose a significant challenge to rivers and oceans as they break down into microplastics and can persist in the environment for thousands of years.
Therefore, closely consider the key sustainability goal you want to achieve when designing your packaging (ideally, avoid packaging altogether if possible): Use the right material, the right amount of material, and think beyond single-use. Design the packaging for multiple rounds of reuse and, ultimately, recycling. Proper design is crucial for circularity; it requires an end-to-end approach and thinking beyond single-use, including what happens to the packaging after its use.
To summarize, while the best case is to avoid packaging altogether, this is often not feasible. When packaging is necessary, many aspects must be considered, from the choice of material to the amount used, all the way to planning for the end of use—what happens to the packaging after it has served its purpose.
