Researchers at Leeds Beckett University’s Leeds Business School have published a report consulting senior leaders from across the FMCG supply chain, intending to lay out a roadmap for sustainability-minded packaging progress into 2034.
Looking ahead, the report considers a variety of future scenarios that could impact sustainability-minded developments. These include disagreements and bureaucratic roadblocks that could delay or completely stall developments in policy.
Global trade and supply constraints, possibly due to international conflicts or the impacts of climate change, could limit manufacturers to locally sourced materials – an outcome that could restrict transitions from plastic to paper, to name one example.
Consumer acceptance or rejection of new packaging formats could also impact their sales and, for some companies, determine the financial feasibility of a sustainability-minded transition.
As such, the report calls upon the industry to take a large-scale, systemic approach to change rather than implementing short-term fixes for smaller issues.
All sectors – government, industry, academia, and NGOs, as well as action learning group founded by academic institutions – are encouraged to ‘lead with a vision’. Packaging organizations themselves should acknowledge the value of industry collaboration and increase their engagement with stakeholders over time, sharing knowledge across the supply chain and facilitating representation from senior decision-makers.
Yet the industry must also be the driving force behind positive change, the report asserts, rather than waiting for government action.
It argues that packaging formats should be simplified. Namely, the report asserts that complex and difficult-to-recycle multi-polymer packaging should be replaced with mono-material solutions designed to streamline consumer disposal and subsequent waste management.
Manufacturers and retailers should hold themselves responsible for recycling their products and avoiding waste in their operations. Goals and actions should be harmonized across supply chains, including the reduction of Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Action learning groups could be harnessed to share knowledge across materials and formats, the report suggests.
Organizations are encouraged to plan in the long term. For instance, employees should be continuously upskilled to account for new complexities. At the same time, plans should remain flexible to account for future developments, and occasional failures should inform the learning process. Any attitudes, practicalities, or other roadblocks standing in the way of a circular transition should be addressed.
Together, packaging industry players should make a ‘balanced and representative case’ to policymakers that encompasses the whole sector; the report suggests this can be used as a model for other sectors to replicate in their own transitions into sustainable practice.
Knowledge gained from successful systems should be retained and used to inform the development of future systems, models, and packaging designs.
A trusted spokesperson should be appointed to represent the packaging industry and explain the complexities of a sustainable transition for FMCG goods. An independent body of work should also be created to collect evidence and share learnings to inform sustainable packaging solutions and national policy.
While the industry is encouraged to take independent action, governments are still encouraged to provide financial support. Specifically, they should invest in scientific research and help academic institutions form multi-stakeholder groups, specifically including policymakers, in order to share knowledge, develop policy, and establish more sustainable solutions and skills.
The report underlines the importance of supporting innovations in recycling technologies for existing materials, as well as securing financial viability for the secondary materials market. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the polluter pays principle are expected to fund the waste management industry and provide a consistent flow of post-consumer waste.
On that note, measures should also be taken by the government to back circular, closed-loop, and reuse systems. These are expected to have impacts across supply chains, ranging from a product’s design to their method of recycling.
A self-sufficiency strategy should also be created, complete with spending plans and standardization measures.
Furthermore, governments should define and agree upon environmental principles, which should then be effectively communicated to everyone it applies to, including the general public. In particular, official guidance should be provided on a standard approach to Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) for packaging materials, enabling producers to design and dispose of their packaging appropriately.
LCAs should then be conducted for every product and pack to form an ‘evidence base’ for sustainability-minded progress. On a consumer level, this will help the environmentally conscious make an informed choice at the point of purchase; companies can also use this information to inform long-term planning, while practitioners and policymakers can theoretically find the most appropriate solutions to help tackle pressing environmental issues.
Waste management processing should be standardized and funded to ensure consistency between the kerbside collection and recycling of waste materials. The report recommends that the ‘hardest to recycle’ plastics are banned, while investments should be made in national infrastructure and technology and initiatives should be developed to create value from waste.
Packaging materials and formats should be standardized based on the fulfillment of circular economy criteria. Technology and recycling equipment should be optimized and shared for improved efficiencies and waste value.
A roadmap of ‘preferred materials’ should be established; providing grants and fiscal incentives could get businesses on board with switching their packaging materials.
Policymakers should create a legal definition of ‘greenwashing’ to prevent the exploitation of environmental concerns and build trust among consumers. Laws should consult scientific evidence and consumer behaviour as they implement incentives, build capacities, educate the public, and enforce targets or mandates – all of which are expected to minimize uncertainty for businesses.
Together, government and industry are prompted to develop new domestic manufacturing methods, adopt circular economy practices, and localize supply chains to minimize disruptions and Scope 3 emissions. These steps are set to help countries become self-sufficient in the sourcing and processing of packaging materials.
Joint efforts between industry, government, academia, and NGOs should develop standardized packaging, measures, and systems, the report says. These efforts should utilize scientific evidence and maintain consistency and integrity when reporting on goals and progress, all while avoiding ‘greenwashing’ completely.
Universities are urged to provide independent and empirically tested evidence for use in company-level strategies and practice, as well as inform the media and general public about best practice.
Continuous innovations should drive the adoption of renewable energy in line with net zero targets, the report says, while risks around the consumer acceptance of new solutions such as refill systems should be mitigated.
Public perception should also be shaped in the pursuit of a more sustainable future. Consumers should be made aware of the correlation between their actions and packaging-related environmental impacts, then guided through best environmental practice, including packaging and waste initiatives.
Evidence-based public awareness campaigns, distributed via entertainment services like television and social media, should make the industry’s case for improving the sustainability of packaging solutions. Educational institutions are encouraged to share knowledge about the role of packaging, how waste is processed, and other environmental factors.
Interventions like these should be informed by the collective research, industry connections, and campaigning experience of academia and NGOs. Educational and recycling campaigns, among other waste interventions, should be evaluated, with the most successful used as an example for future action.
The report raises the example of anti-littering campaigns in schools and communities, which should consult and replicate effective educational programmes for each consumer demographic. Industry players, universities, NGOs, and councils can also join forces to run communication campaigns about the correct ways to recycle household waste.
Particular organizations or public figures should be identified to help explain or support industry action on packaging sustainability and balance public perceptions. The media should also be supported and encouraged to provide ‘balanced and reliable’ reporting on sustainable consumption and recycling practices.
If you liked this story, you might also enjoy:
The ultimate guide to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation in 2025
How are the top brands progressing on packaging sustainability?
Everything you need to know about global packaging sustainability regulation in 2025
The key to increasing the use of reusable packaging in supermarkets
No comments yet