INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION BY RACONTEUR.NET #0686 18/09/2020 FUTURE OF PACKAGING CHANGING ATTITUDES BUSTING COMMON WILL REFILLS EVER 03 TO SUSTAINABILITY 06 PACKAGING MYTHS 16 GO MAINSTREAM? Making a label.averydennison.com Material Difference INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION BY RACONTEUR.NET #0000 00/00/2020 RACONTEUR.NET 03 FUTURE OF SUSTAINABILITY PACKAGING COVID crisis puts Distributed in sustainability in focus What if Published in association with As health and safety becomes consumers’ top concern, some fear the food packaging were coronavirus may have halted sustainable packaging’s progress carbon neutral? Jim McClelland concerns, however, there are still Contributors ways to level up the safety and sus- re-pandemic, packaging tainability equation a little, for Oliver Balch Sarah Dawood P was on a roll. The global instance by optimising use of recy- Journalist specialising Journalist and former market value in 2019 was cled content, says Dales. “Companies in sustainability, deputy editor at Design $917 billion, according to research that survive this challenging dec- business and travel, and Week, covering the by Smithers, with forecasts it would ade will manage to balance these author of travelogues on creative industries, design Shutterstock via Shyntartanya South America, India and the public sector. top the one-trillion mark by 2024. elements sufficiently, but those that and Wales. As the climate emergency loomed want to excel should lead from a ‘sus- Mark Hillsdon large in the minds of consum- tainability-first’ perspective to have Olivia Gagan Contributor to titles such ers, numbers for environmentally the greatest positive impact and odds Journalist writing about as The Guardian and responsible options were strong too. of success,” she says. energy, sustainability BBC Countryfile, writing and culture for titles on topics including A YouGov survey last year found Following the upheavals of lock- including The Times, The sustainability, wildlife, half of UK shoppers were willing to down, the packaging industry is New York Times and Time health and sport. pay more for sustainable packaging. also dealing with disruption of a Out London. So how has the coronavirus changed different kind as restrictions ease. Jim McClelland the game? In general, according So, for instance, pubs and bars reo- Marcus Lawrence Sustainable futurist, Journalist, content speaker and writer, to Nicholas Mockett, partner at pening have thrown up new pack- specialist, and specialising in the built Moorgate Capital, most packaging aging-related changes in consumer former editor of B2B environment, corporate manufacturers have seen strong sales behaviour, motivated by hygiene publications including social responsibility and during the pandemic, which augurs considerations, says Adrian Curry, CSO Magazine, Business ecosystem services. well for funding and finance. managing director of Encirc, a mar- Chief and Energy Digital. Peter Yeung “Investors do not invest if there is no heightened the risk factor associated The evidence from waste man- ket leader in container glass. Rich McEachran Award-winning journalist prospect of a return on investment. with anything arriving at your door. agement is also that the pandemic “Our research with YouGov showed Journalist covering tech, with a background in Fortunately for packaging, the vital In response, a new logistics lan- has forced packaging companies to people choosing glass bottles over startups and innovation, social anthropology, role it plays in supply chains, as evi- guage emerged, explains Amelia speed up decisions on sustainable pint glasses. Some 60 per cent of writing for The Guardian, featured in The Guardian, denced by the robust performance Dales, business development man- solutions and bolster their green UK adults say they’re more cautious The Telegraph and Wired and the BBC. Professional Engineering. during COVID-19, suggests investor ager at Garçon Wines. “Contactless credentials. But again this view about drinking from reusable glasses appetite will be sustained,” he says. delivery is now a term that has carries a caveat, according to Roger due to fears around contamination Inevitably, there have been win- become part of our vocabulary and Wright, waste strategy and packag- and four in ten people are more likely ners and losers. It has been boom has allowed many who have had ing manager at Biffa. to choose glass-bottled beverages time for ecommerce, including the to self-isolate to access everyday “Hygiene and sustainability are by than before lockdown,” says Curry. “recommerce” market for previ- household essentials safely.” no means mutually exclusive; the By contrast, another example of a ously owned, new or used goods, Sustainable packaging pioneers able bigger challenge for businesses will potential trade-off between safety plus online shopping and direct-to- to adapt to these new criteria are pros- be controlling costs,” he says. and sustainability sees consum- consumer models. Demand for med- pering, including Garçon Wines that Safety and sustainability are not ers wanting coffee shops to resume ical packaging is atypically high, for has seen unprecedented demand for always an easy match though. Terms serving in reusable cups, despite Publishing manager Head of production obvious reasons, plus food provision its contactless supply of climate and such as “single use” and “plastic” hygiene issues. Oliver Collins Hannah Smallman for people staying home to eat, espe- letterbox-friendly flat wine bottles. have become red-flag badges of dis- Furthermore, in a sign of confidence cially takeaway meals, has seen a “COVID-19 has redefined sus- honour for a Blue Planet generation in sustainable packaging returning, Associate editor Design spike in unit sales. tainability,” says Kaushal Shah, of shoppers. TerraCycle launched its zero-waste Peter Archer Sara Gelfgren Kellie Jerrard All these uplifts in end-user founder and chief executive of sus- The fear among environmental- refillable UK shopping pilot, in July, Deputy editor Harry Lewis-Irlam demand bring with them opportuni- tainable papers specialist envoPAP. ists is that a reactionary shift back in collaboration with Tesco. Francesca Cassidy Celina Lucey ties for transit packaging and whole- Fundamentally, though, the sce- to a more risk-averse mindset post- With existing operations in the Colm McDermott sale business happening along the nario remains simple. “Consumers’ COVID might see more packaging, United States and France, Loop had Managing editor Samuele Motta supply chain. current top priorities are staying particularly plastic, not less, with delayed its original start date due to Benjamin Chiou Jack Woolrich On the downside, volumes in heav- healthy and spending as little as the excess meaning more resource COVID, but is now pressing ahead, Digital content executive Art director ily impacted market sectors, such as possible. The real challenge is to consumption, CO2 and waste, and with major brands, from Heinz to Taryn Brickner Joanna Bird air travel, tourism and hospitality, deliver a truly sustainable packag- less sustainability. Nivea, signed up. plus some high street retail, notably ing product that ticks both boxes,” Even with single-use solu- Reusables also received a signif- Design director fashion, have sadly been hit hard. adds Shah. tions designed to assuage hygiene icant show of support when more Tim Whitlock Where then does this leave sus- than 125 health experts from 19 Go nature. tainable packaging? The more countries signed a statement with eco-conscious end of the general Greenpeace USA assuring retailers Although this publication is funded through advertising and of global consumers agree consumer market has held up sur- and consumers such packaging is sponsorship, all editorial is without bias and sponsored features that manufacturers should are clearly labelled. For an upcoming schedule, partnership prisingly well, even advanced in be obliged to help with the safe during COVID-19. Go carton. inquiries or feedback, please call +44 (0)20 3877 3800 or some cases. recycling and reuse of the Ultimately, then, the message from email [email protected] Data from more than 40,000 con- packaging they produce clients is sustainability will be the Raconteur is a leading publisher of special-interest content and % sumers in 23 countries, collected 80 number-one priority for the future research. Its publications and articles cover a wide range of topics, Food packaging plays a critical role in getting food safely to consumers around the world. But it can also cause by global intelligence platform of packaging, even or perhaps espe- including business, finance, sustainability, healthcare, lifestyle and problems for the planet. What if all food packaging came from plant-based materials and didn’t impact the technology. Raconteur special reports are published exclusively in Streetbees, reveals 35 per cent of cially, in a post-pandemic world, The Times and The Sunday Times as well as online at raconteur.net people worldwide have changed says Dr Tim Breker, co-founder and climate? At Tetra Pak, we already have paper-based carton packages with reduced climate impact. But we won’t said in May they had are likely to avoid The information contained in this publication has been obtained their sustainability habits, since the managing director of reusable pack- purchased products products that have a stop there. Our aim is to create cartons made solely from plant-based materials that are fully renewable, fully from sources the Proprietors