The use of bespoke packaging solutions makes a lot of sense when one considers the differing needs of the items being transported. Some will simply be fragile. Some, like plants, will need ventilating. Some are unusual shapes and there will also be items that are highly valuable and need to be kept secure.

All these needs may be met by measures varying from very robust packaging with lots of padding, bubble wrap and shredded paper through to odd-shaped packages.

However, in these increasingly eco-conscious times, there is a growing requirement that the need to keep the item inside a package safe must be balanced with the requirement to minimise waste, use eco-friendly materials where possible and do lots of recycling, with the latter being aided by the use of recycled materials in packaging.

A significant question is how this may be achieved. Is it a matter of big-name companies setting an example with their packaging, or are there technological developments that could help encourage more recycling? The answer is both.

Retailer To Cut Plastic Packaging

In the first instance, supermarket Sainsbury’s has announced it is introducing new packaging across its in-store bakeries. Items that currently come wrapped in clear plastic will henceforth be packaged mostly in paper, a move the retailer states will save nearly 560 tonnes of plastic per year and help consumers reduce their own plastic waste at home.

This will involve doughnuts and pastries that currently use plastic cam-shell packaging being switched to paper, a 90 per cent plastic reduction that accounts for 414 tonnes of plastic saved. The only plastic left will be a very small window in the cardboard packing boxes the doughnuts will come in.

In the case of bread, items will switch from fully plastic packaging to paper with a small window, a 90 per cent reduction. This will reduce plastic use in bread packaging by 60 per cent, or 152 tonnes a year.

Sainsbury’s said the new packaging would be introduced “in the coming months” and pointed out that these steps add to previous measures to reduce packaging, with 775 tonnes a year saved by removing plastic mushroom punnets and 485 tonnes by switching its toilet paper and paper towel packaging from plastic to paper.

This sort of move becomes a win-win for everyone except the plastics industry. It is better for the environment, helps customers reduce their domestic plastic waste and enhances the image of Sainsbury’s. In the same way, if your operations involve using more recycled and biodegradable packaging, this is good news for the planet and also for your image.

Chipping Away At The Problem

However, while a major retailer setting the example may have a lot of positives, it is not necessarily the only way to make packaging more sustainable. Some very different measures could have a big role to play.

Food Navigator has reported on the development of microchips that can be inserted into packaging to help users know when and if it can be recycled. This is being made possible by a UK start-up called Pragmatic, which has devised radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that can be attached to packaging and provide information about it.

These can provide important information such as what material the packaging is made from, when it was made, by whom, and what the rules are about recycling it. This aims to ease confusion among users and ensure more packaging is recycled, with less ending up in landfill sites.

Speaking to Food Navigator, chief commercial officer at Pragmatic Alistair Hanlon said: “I think we’ve all been faced with that challenge of not being quite sure whether packaging is recyclable or not.” The RFID chips in the packaging, which can be tapped with a mobile phone, will answer these questions.

How A Combined Approach Helps

These very different approaches show that the path to sustainability is not just about one measure, but a combination of several.

For example, if a company commits to using more sustainable packaging, that is good news; but they can improve matters further by adding tags that provide information to help ensure the recyclable material is disposed of in the appropriate manner.

Indeed, by doing this, more recyclable material will find its way back into the chain, with the end product being more likely to form a part of the sustainable packaging used by Sainsbury’s and others. This will make such packaging greener still, not least if the small amount of plastic still in it has also been recycled.

Therefore, by approaching the problem from both ends, you can go a long way towards ensuring that the packaging you use is sustainable and helps reduce dumping in landfill sites.