If there’s one thing the pandemic showed us, it was how quickly ‘sustainability’ had to go out the window once the crisis hit. Gone were the keep cups and reusable items, and back were the disposable cups and cutlery – not to mention the single-use masks and all the single-use plastic antigen test paraphernalia.
However, now that things are somewhat returning to normal, the idea of ‘zero-waste’ packaging and making items more sustainable is back at – or hopefully close to – the top of the agenda. That is necessary because, as of 2022, Ireland remains the biggest producer of plastic packaging per capita in the EU. The question is: is ‘zero waste’ a pipe dream?
Zero-waste pipeline
Zero waste is a possibility, says Stephen Prendiville, head of sustainability at EY, but it requires a very thorough rethink by companies in terms of how they facilitate their customers’ consumption of their product or service. “This really cuts to the root of ‘what is packaging for?’. It supports the mass logistical movement of a product, over great distances and changing conditions, such that it arrives to the customer for consumption in its intended state. Most early approaches to zero waste packaging will focus on the packaging material itself - substituting a non-recyclable packaging for one that can be perhaps.
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“However, zero-waste packaging actually needs to start with the product itself and the interaction with the customer – where the packaging approach becomes part of the brand and product promise. In this way, companies will question their entire packaging strategy. We have seen very novel and interesting approaches to date – from tablet-form toothpaste (moving away from the plastic tube) to edible containers for takeaway food, to TV boxes that convert into a TV stand for your new TV. All of these approaches have placed zero waste and reuse at their core. There are other models too – such as the milkman model of use and return – all can have the desired effect of leading to zero-waste packaging.”
In fact, businesses that are already implementing measures to achieve zero-waste packaging are the frontrunners for an inevitable transition that many may be forced to follow, says Russell Smyth, head of sustainable futures at KPMG. “Similar to net-zero carbon emissions being a key component of the climate change agenda, zero-waste packaging is at the core of a successful circular economy model.”
Realistic implementation
It is critical to see the packaging solution being core to the product and its brand promise to customers, according to Prendiville. “This is not just a logistical challenge or issue,” he says. “It is important for companies to have a customer focus while engaging with their full production system to embed zero waste.
“So many aspects of packaging inertia are built up over time, designed to solve problems that often no longer exist, for example using excessive padding of a product that, when it was made from glass, required it but now, due to the use of a new solution, could be reduced significantly.”
Businesses can identify opportunities for implementing zero-waste packaging through a supply chain assessment, says Smyth, who adds: “This can include communicating your zero-waste ambitions with suppliers to encourage prevention and diversion of waste, incorporating recycling and reuse principles if redesigning products, and educating both internal and external stakeholders on the overarching waste issue.”
Supporting the goals
The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy and the resulting Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 sets the market context and incentive structures for packaging and product providers to embrace waste reduction initiatives, Prendiville says. “This has created the Circular Economy Fund, which will be available to support innovations in this space. Separately the Bill introduces a number of incentives that are focused on consumer behaviour (e.g. a coffee cup levy), which will have a number of implications for packaging also.
“The Waste Action Plan makes clear the goals for a zero-waste economy by 2030, and so we would expect more incentives to be forthcoming over this decade to drive the agenda forward. Our decarbonisation goals are also closely tied to zero waste, particularly in areas such as food waste, so we would expect that zero-waste packaging will form a significant part of companies’ decarbonisation and sustainability plans also.”