Food and Drink Businesses Urged to Re-think Packaging Design

Packaging represents a significant proportion of a company's production overheads – costs that can easily be reduced by minimising in-process packaging waste and by making changes to the type of packaging and methods of use.

04/08/06 Envirowise is calling on food and drink firms to re-consider the role of design in packaging to help optimise resource efficiency – and save money.

Packaging represents a significant proportion of a company's production overheads – costs that can easily be reduced by minimising in-process packaging waste and by making changes to the type of packaging and methods of use.

And with petrol prices edging towards a record £1 per litre, reducing or re-designing materials can help optimise pallet loads, enabling businesses to combat rising transport costs by moving a larger volume of goods at any one time.

Envirowise, which offers free advice and support to firms looking to become more resource efficient and save money, recommends the following tips to reduce packaging costs:

* Undertake an initial review to assess how products are currently packaged and how much packaging is actually required. Companies often find it is possible to design-out an unnecessary layer of packaging.

* Use simple measures to reduce the need for padding and fillers, such as drawing on air pressure or altering box design

* Ensure that pallet loads are fully utilised. Keep to ISO standard box footprints or invest in palletisation software to optimise the load

* Consider whether a box is necessary. In some cases, shrink wrap can be more efficient whilst offering the same level of protection of cardboard at 30% of the weight

* Re-use packaging where possible to save on material, transport and storage costs 

Dr. Martin Gibson, Envirowise Programme Director, commented :”As an industry that produces an estimated 10 per cent of all commercial and domestic waste, food and drink enterprises have a crucial role to play in achieving long-term sustainability.

“Packaging is a major environmental issue for the sector, yet our experience has shown that most businesses can achieve significant savings through straightforward resource efficiency measures, without compromising the integrity of their end product.

“A systematic approach to optimising packaging design can also help businesses work towards more rigid legislative standards and often results in a product that is easier and cheaper to make.”

Dr. Gibson cited the example of a company bottling wine which saved around £45,000 per year from improving their resource efficiency and reducing their waste production from packaging. The company found that they could reduce the amount of shrinkwrap they used to the tune of 15 tonnes per year. They also reduced cardboard use by 19 tonnes per year by optimising packaging and 2.5 tonnes per year in packaging materials by re-using spacers.

Envirowise provides a range of free guidance and help on packaging, including good practice guides, workshops and designtrack on-site visits.

Envirowise has published a series of case studies, including a compendium of examples in GG411: Packaging reduction saves money: industry examples. The case studies are supported by a comprehensive guide to design GG360R: Packaging design for the environment: reducing costs and quantities.