Picture this: You have a beautiful product and want to package it in a way that feels really good. You dream of packaging that not only protects your product and looks good but also has the least possible impact on our planet. You think about recyclability, perhaps compostability or organic materials. These are important steps that more and more companies are taking, and that’s great.
But what if I told you that the sustainability of your packaging begins much earlier than when you think about how to dispose of or reuse it after use. It starts at the very first step: the extraction of raw materials and the production of the material itself. This is where many “hidden” sustainability criteria come into play.
Why the source is so incredibly important
The life cycle of packaging is a long journey. From the earth where the raw materials come from through the factory where the material is made, the transportation to the packaging manufacturer, the filling at your facility, the journey to the consumer and finally the end of life as waste or new raw material. Each of these steps has an impact.
We often focus on end-of-life recycling and reuse. This makes sense because it is tangible and appeals to the imagination. But the impact of extracting raw materials and producing the raw material is enormous and often underestimated. Consider the energy required to pump oil, cut down forests or mine minerals. And consider the water consumption in the factories that make packaging materials from these raw materials.
It’s a bit like building a house. You can install the most energy-efficient windows and solar panels (that’s like recycling at the end of its life) but if the bricks have already been produced with enormous pollution and brought in from far away, you’ve already started with a backlog.
The hidden criteria called energy and water
These are the two major players in resource extraction and production that often remain under the radar: energy consumption and water use.
Imagine the production of plastic. New plastic (also called virgin plastic) is made from petroleum, a fossil fuel. Extracting that oil and converting it into plastic granules takes an enormous amount of energy. Think about the pumps, refineries and transportation. And water is used for cooling and in various chemical processes during production.
This does not only apply to plastic, by the way. Producing new paper takes water and energy to make wood pulp. Smelting metals or glass from ores and sand is also very energy intensive and requires water.
The tricky thing is that these impacts are hidden in the chain. You buy packaging from a supplier, but where do the raw materials come from and how energy and water efficient was that process? If you don’t look into this, you miss a big part of the picture. You want to be sure that your packaging has made as little impact as possible at the beginning of its life.
Making a difference at the source with recycled versus virgin material
This is where it gets really interesting and you can see the importance of those “hidden” criteria. Let’s take plastic again as an example because we work with it a lot. If we recycle plastic and turn it into new packaging material like rPET (recycled PET) you save a huge amount of energy and water compared to making new plastic from oil. Why? Well because the raw material (old plastic) is already there and the process of making useful material from it again requires far fewer steps and less violent chemical processes than starting from crude oil.
Research shows that rPET production uses significantly less energy and emits less CO2 than virgin PET production. Exact figures may vary depending on the recycling process but the savings are significant. So by using recycled materials you are already tackling much of the impact that would otherwise occur at the beginning of the chain. You avoid the extraction of new fossil raw materials and the very energy- and water-intensive initial production steps.
The same is true for other materials. Making recycled paper requires less energy and water than making paper from virgin wood fibers. Melting down old glass or metal requires much less energy than producing from sand and ores. So choosing recycled materials is a direct way to reduce “hidden” impacts at the source.
The origin of your material and the chain
In addition to recycled materials, of course, you can also look at bio-based materials made from plants. Again, it’s important to look beyond “it’s organic. Where do those plants come from Are they grown sustainably or does cultivation lead to deforestation or water problems What is the energy and water consumption in converting those plants to packaging material This brings you directly to the complexity of the supply chain.
As a company, you want transparency. You want to know where your materials come from and how they were produced. But chains are often long and complex. Raw materials come from all over the world. It is a frustration for many companies that it is difficult to look deep into the chain and get reliable data on, for example, water consumption at a raw material supplier on the other side of the world.
Yet this is exactly where you can make a difference. By asking critical questions of your packaging supplier about their procurement policies and the origin of their materials. By choosing partners who are actively working on this themselves and want to be transparent about their processes and their suppliers. A family business with a hands-on mentality like MultiTray believes in transparency and short lines of communication, because we want to know just as much about where our materials come from and what the impact is.
Regulation and transparency is the future
The call for transparency in the supply chain is getting louder, including from the government. New regulations such as the European CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) and its standards (such as ESRS E5 on resource use and circular economy) are forcing companies to look beyond their own factory walls. You will soon have to report on the impact across your entire value chain including the sourcing of raw materials. This means understanding that energy and water consumption at the source.
This may sound like a challenge but it is also an opportunity. An opportunity to really make a difference by making conscious choices and encouraging your suppliers to be more sustainable. It helps to allay your fears about hidden costs and reputational risks because you know the facts and can act accordingly.
What can you do
Okay, you now understand that sustainability starts at the source and that energy and water consumption are crucial hidden criteria. How do you apply this?
- Ask critically: Talk to your current and potential packaging suppliers. Ask specifically about the origin of their materials and how they were produced. Ask about their policies on water and energy use with their raw material suppliers.
- Choose recycled material: Whenever possible, prefer packaging made from a high percentage of recycled material such as rPET. This is proven to have a lower impact at the beginning of the chain. For example, take a look at our circularsource solutions.
- Think about design: Smart design can save material. Less material means less resource extraction less production energy and less water consumption. Packaging that is easily recyclable also contributes to a more efficient supply chain and reduces the demand for new raw materials. We are happy to help you develop custom solutions or with our new product tool to design as efficiently as possible.
- Choose a partner that looks beyond: Work with a packaging manufacturer that understands these criteria and is committed to transparency and sustainability throughout the chain. A partner that thinks with you about the best materials and processes.
True sustainability starts early
It’s easy to assume that “sustainable” packaging is only about recyclability. But true sustainability requires a deeper dive into the chain to the origin of your materials. By paying attention to the “hidden” criteria such as energy and water consumption in raw material extraction and production, you can make a much bigger impact. You eliminate frustrations of ignorance take away fears about unforeseen environmental costs and get closer to your dream of truly responsible packaging.
At MultiTray, we believe in this approach. From our family business in Uden, the Netherlands, we are committed on a daily basis not only to making functional and innovative packaging but also to doing so as sustainably as possible from the source. That means looking critically at our materials investing in efficient processes and being transparent to you, the customer.
Want to learn more about how we handle the sustainability of our materials or have questions about your specific packaging challenges We’d love to think with you. Check out our about us page to read more about our approach or contact us directly to request a quote. Let’s work together to create packaging you really feel good about from start to finish.
