As global warming intensifies, packaging is increasingly viewed as a waste product that should either be eliminated or significantly transformed.
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Each year, the packaging sector consumes 158 million tonnes of the 400 million tonnes of plastic produced globally. This plastic is predominantly used to create single-use containers—such as boxes, bags, bottles, and pouches—emitting over 1,800 kilograms of CO2 per tonne of product, according to data from the NGO Surfrider.
The resulting pollution is particularly significant. Besides releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that between 80 and 85% of the 14 million tonnes of waste dumped into the oceans each year comes from packaging. This enormous mass of waste has formed an aquatic « 7th continent » three times the size of France, severely impacting marine biodiversity. It affects fish populations, coral reefs, phytoplankton, krill, molluscs, cetaceans, and algae.
In 2019, the study « Microplastics and synthetic particles ingested by deep-sea amphipods in six of the deepest marine ecosystems on Earth, » conducted by researchers from Newcastle University, revealed that plastic particles were present in the bodies of mini-crustaceans living at the bottom of the six deepest ocean trenches in the Pacific, several kilometres below the surface. Terrestrial ecosystems are also affected, as plastic particles found in meadows, woods, and fields take several centuries to disintegrate.
The situation is no better for other materials used in the packaging sector. Aluminium production, a result of mining activities, has well-documented harmful effects on the environment, including the pollution of waterways and farmland, soil disruption, and the generation of large quantities of toxic waste. Glass production is depleting sand stocks worldwide, posing a significant risk as this resource takes on average several hundred thousand years to regenerate. Although considered more environmentally friendly, cardboard production requires the felling of around 17 trees to produce one tonne of packaging, at a time when protecting forests is crucial in the fight against global warming.
Packaging has reached an impasse. How can we ensure that product packaging does not accelerate the decline in biodiversity and the rise in temperatures? What sustainable processes could be implemented for all stakeholders?
To meet the challenge of being economical, companies can embrace eco-design. According to the French Ministry for Ecological Transition, this process involves « integrating environmental protection into the design of goods or services » by reducing the environmental impact of products throughout their life cycle. This spans from the extraction of raw materials required for their manufacture to the point when they become obsolete, worn out, or broken, and are ultimately discarded.
Valentin Fournel, director of eco-design services at Citéo, a company specialising in reducing the environmental impact of packaging, explains how this approach can be applied to packaging:
« The whole issue is to limit the use of natural resources as much as possible and to ensure that we can recover as much material as possible at the end of its life. We have to look for ‘the right packaging.’ In other words, packaging that retains its essential functions, avoids product waste, and minimises its impact on the environment. One of the first questions to ask is about reduction: we need to determine whether all the components of the packaging are essential; if the answer is yes, we need to use the right amount of material, neither too much nor too little. »
This means optimising the size, weight, and volume of the packaging to avoid over-packaging while ensuring that all components used have a minimal environmental impact, from the main container to the cushioning materials, labels, and strapping. It’s a double challenge. To achieve this, the Raja Group has developed the « 5Rs » method, which is used internally but can be adopted by anyone. This method involves reducing the weight and volume of consignments, reusing packaging wherever possible, replacing packaging with a high environmental impact with more eco-responsible alternatives, renewing packaging that is harmful to the environment, and recycling as much of the packaging as possible.
It is clear that for eco-design to achieve its full potential, it must go hand in hand with a shift towards the circular economy, requiring companies to rethink their production cycles.
In France, as we strive to encourage reuse and move towards green packaging, the Agec law (anti-waste law for a circular economy), adopted in 2020, has established a legal framework that obliges the packaging industry, as well as all French companies, to abandon disposable plastic and take action against planned obsolescence, with a precise timetable and penalties for non-compliance.
This legislation has triggered a packaging revolution, demanding innovation and a change in direction. Annette Freidinger, consultant for the All4Pack packaging trade fair, explains: « Today, packaging is being singled out. We need eco-design, but we also need to aim for zero waste, meaning packaging that is not generated because the material is 100% recyclable, while also using more and more materials of natural and renewable origin. »
For example, in 2021, French e-commerce giant CDiscount became the first to offer its customers the option of receiving their orders in flexible polypropylene packaging that can be reused at least 100 times before it starts to deteriorate, thereby eliminating 83% of the CO2 emissions associated with its use. Taking a step further, Lactel has developed the first HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) milk bottle made from recycled plastic waste using « advanced recycling » technology, which is compatible with current health and food standards.
This challenge extends far beyond France’s borders. In the UK, the DS Smith Group has collaborated with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to develop easily applicable « circular design principles. » With the help of a team of 700 designers, they have created sustainable and reusable packaging alternatives that « eliminate waste and pollution, extend product life, and regenerate natural systems. »
In the United States, Coca-Cola, often criticised for the very high carbon footprint of its activities, has made a commitment as part of its « Action Plan for Less Packaging » to collect and recycle every can or bottle it sells worldwide by 2030.
These initiatives are undoubtedly a step in the right direction, but in addition to reuse, there are other levers to pull.
Biomaterials, such as plant fibres, agricultural residues, and wood offcuts, represent the latest advancements, enabling the creation of biodegradable packaging that pollutes less during manufacture and decomposes naturally at the end of its life, much like any other organic material.
Active since 2008, Vegeplast, a French company specialising in alternatives to polluting plastics, has, after fifteen years of research, developed a food tray made from maize, wheat, rapeseed, and sunflower that completely degrades after six months without impacting the environment. Better still, this environmentally-friendly packaging can also have a second life. Vincent Pluquet, founder and CEO of Vegeplast, explained in an interview with Europe 1: « For industrial composting, the packaging turns into quality compost in six weeks. This benefits farmers, who can use less chemical fertiliser and water less. »
Another relevant example is the Sphère group, the European leader in bags and films for food use. They use bio-sourced and compostable materials, bio-waste, plant-based polyethylene made from ethanol derived from sugar cane, and even materials that are biodegradable in water and non-toxic for aquatic ecosystems in seas, lakes, and rivers, instead of plastic. These materials offer the same levels of quality and resistance as conventional packaging.
As the climate crisis intensifies and is set to worsen in the coming years, eco-friendly packaging is crucial for transforming the packaging industry and the sector as a whole. Tomorrow’s packaging will be eco-designed, recyclable, biodegradable, or it won’t be.
