We already have global solutions for sustainable packaging. We just need to use them. 

In November, I attended two congruent sustainable packaging conferences: SPC Engage and the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Amsterdam. With speakers from North America, the U.K. and Europe, and attendees from around the world, the events highlighted shared challenges on a range of packaging topics, including design for recycling, reuse and refill, compostability, on-pack labeling and consumer education. 

Hearing what experts are doing in different countries to “meet the moment” helped me realize that, across borders, we don’t just have shared challenges — we have shared solutions. There are clear tools and strategies that we can borrow from one another to address sustainable packaging challenges across borders. Instead of reinventing the wheel, we can go further, faster by applying learnings and designs from around the world to meet our local needs.

This transformation can start when our industry realizes three key ideas: 

Nearly everyone is under pressure from local legislation

While the scope of packaging legislation varies across countries, many now have extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws, recycled content mandates and single-use plastic bans. Countries in the EU are under great pressure to meet the ambitious targets set out under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. Among the long list of requirements, companies will need to design a majority of their packaging to be recyclable and to make significant inroads on reuse and refill systems. Some countries, such as Belgium, also have separate, more stringent targets. 

Meanwhile, in the U.S., California’s SB 54 has many companies considering the law’s impact on flexible packaging, which is facing the possibility of being effectively banned from sale in the state because of its historically low recycling rates. 

A new crop of packaging and software service providers such as Lorax EPI, Aura, Specright are ready to help companies get a handle on the data they will need to report their progress to countries and shareholders. Especially for professionals new to EPR, it’s important to lean on these service providers — and their wealth of knowledge from other markets — rather than going solo and starting from scratch. 

Standards and shared approaches will help us all row in the same direction

The breadth of packaging legislation can feel overwhelming. An important counterpoint to this is the realization that many, if not the majority, of companies have set very similar sustainable packaging goals. Most of the largest consumer goods companies and multinational packaging suppliers have committed to the Plastics Commitment. The commitment includes a shared pledge to move away from virgin plastic, use recycled content, transition to reuse models and make 100 percent of their packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable. Even companies that haven’t signed onto the commitment tend to have similar private goals.

What would it mean to harmonize these goals? Harmonization can be defined as the action or process of making something consistent or compatible. And these commitments mark the first step toward harmonizing how we’ll actually meet these sustainability goals. Because when we have consistent goals across companies, we can find shared strategies to meet these goals. 

Standards are another important tool for companies working to meet goals. They outline what success looks like, telling companies exactly what they need to do to deliver on their sustainability goals. For example, compostable packaging standards help to ensure that items will break down, are effectively labeled and are safe for finished compost. When it comes to reuse, a global standard being developed by PR3 will help to ensure that the on-pack labeling for reuse — as well as infrastructure, collection and washing systems — will be consistent across the globe. On-pack labeling programs, although not strictly a standard, help to create a standardized approach for how to measure a package’s recyclability and communicate it to consumers. 

As the complexity of packaging grows, it can be helpful to remember that the rules for many sustainability attributes are already written. They just need to be followed. 

We already have all of the solutions we need

With so many global packaging professionals pursuing sustainability, it’s almost guaranteed that someone out there has already solved your specific challenge. As SPC Engage keynote speaker Sille Krukow reminded attendees, we already have all the solutions we need. Isn’t it refreshing to know that we don’t need to go back to the drawing board, that our toolbox is already full of the right tools for the job? 

Krukow’s right. Almost any sustainability challenge thrown your way has been faced by someone before, and it’s probably sparked a practical solution that’s already being deployed somewhere in the world. 

Wondering about ways to reduce litter from beverages? Tethered caps are already on the market across Europe to help keep small, frequently littered items attached to their bigger, more recyclable counterpart. Looking for ways to educate consumers about how to dispose of packaging? North America’s leading labeling program has been tackling the nuances of how packaging design translates into recycling instructions for consumers for nearly 20 years. 

Knowing that we’re all facing the same challenges, and can move forward with the same harmonized set of approaches and solutions, can make a world of difference for accelerating our progress towards more sustainable packaging.

[Join over 1,500 professionals transforming how we make, sell, and circulate products at Circularity, April 29-May 1, Denver.]