New Technologies to Reduce Packaging: Innovations in lightweighting, biodegradation, future opportunities and challenges

Although packaging waste accounts for around 15% of the total waste burden in developed countries, its disposal has become a significant and pressing problem because it tends to be high-volume and highly visible. As consumers continue to demand convenience, freshness and quality in their food and drinks purchases, retailers are prioritizing getting products onto store shelves as rapidly and efficiently as possible. However, as packaging waste grows, retailers are coming under pressure from consumers, governments and lobby groups to take action in order to reduce the amount of packaging used on products. This report evaluates innovation in packaging reduction in food and drinks by region and product category, pinpointing growth opportunities and highlighting technologies with the strongest future potential. It examines packaging waste issues from various stakeholders in the supply chain: packaging suppliers, food and drinks manufacturers, retailers and consumers. Through examples of company initiatives and NPD trends, this report highlights what has already been achieved in terms of packaging reduction and provides insight into the new technologies that will impact the packaging industry in the future. It also identifies the challenges and barriers of implementing packaging reduction strategies and highlights opportunity areas.

Table of contents

New Technologies to Reduce Packaging
Executive summary
Market drivers and resistors
Trends in reduced packaging
Recyclability and reusability
Reduced materials and lightweighting
Emerging technologies
Commercial implications and future outlook

Chapter 1 Market drivers and resistors
Summary
The problem of packaging
Lifestyle shifts and convenience trends
Enhancing brands through packaging
The size of the problem
Environmental impact
Energy consumption and pollutants
Waste disposal
The rising costs of raw materials
Retail trends are helping to reduce packaging
Legislation - stick before carrot?
US
Europe
EU 20-20-20 targets
EU Landfill Directive
WRAP and the Courtauld Commitment
Asia-Pacific
Japan focuses on sustainability
China reaffirms commitment to packaging reduction
India helped by informal recycling sector
South & Central America

Chapter 2 Trends in reduced packaging
Summary
Reduced packaging by category
Alcoholic drinks
Soft drinks
Bakery and cereals
Dairy
Reduced packaging by material type
Plastic
Paper
Glass
Metal
Company initiatives
Asda Wal-Mart, UK
Britvic Soft Drinks
Marks & Spencer (M&S)
Mars, Inc
Nestlé UK
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc

Chapter 3 Recyclability and reusability
Summary
Introduction
Plastic
Plastics additives
Bioplastics
Bioplastics – risks and challenges
Paper
Technologies preventing the degradation of recycled materials
Paper – risks and challenges
Tree-free paper
Glass
Metal
Reusable products

Chapter 4 Reduced materials and lightweighting
Summary
Introduction
Lightweighting glass
Modern glass manufacturing techniques
Attitudes towards glass lightweighting
Major manufacturers
Lightweighting wine bottles
UK retailers
Lightweighting beer and cider
Using less metal
Lightweighting plastics
Breaking category norms
Lightweighting paper packaging
Reduced packaging at Easter
The “naked” product

Chapter 5 Emerging technologies
Summary
Introduction
Nanotechnology
Nanoclays
Active packaging
Smart packaging
Barriers to the commercialization of nanotechnology
Oxybiodegradability
Edible packaging
Designing packaging for resource efficiency

Chapter 6 Commercial implications and future outlook
Summary
Introduction
Conflicting demands on packaging
Do consumers know what they want, or want what they know?
Commercial viability of technology drives innovation
Regulatory guidance will foster innovation
Can reduced packaging help marketing?
Key players shaping future trends
Amcor
Owens-Illinois
Crown Holdings
Rexam
The Coca-Cola Company
Cereplast
Appendix
Glossary
Index
References

List of Figures
Figure 1.1: Growth of MSW vs. GDP and population increase in OECD countries (index), 1980-2020
Figure 1.2: Per Capita MSW Generation: EU27+EFTA, 1995-2008
Figure 1.3: Share of packaging waste in total household waste by country (%), 2004
Figure 1.4: Commodity price index, June, 2001-2010
Figure 1.5: Green Dot symbol
Figure 2.6: Share of food and drink products launched by packaging material, by region (%), 2007-2009
Figure 2.7: US Recycling rates by packaging material (%), 2005
Figure 2.8: The UK’s first resealable can from Aimia Foods
Figure 2.9: “7 Rs” of sustainable packaging
Figure 2.10: Packaging scorecard metrics for the “7 Rs”
Figure 3.11: Naya 100% rPET Still Water
Figure 3.12: Naked reNEWabottle
Figure 3.13: Bioplastics volume share by type (%), 2008
Figure 3.14: Coca-Cola PlantBottle
Figure 3.15: Recycled paper share of paper making raw materials globally (%), 1990-2015
Figure 3.16: Consumer attitudes towards packaging in Europe (% of respondents), 2009
Figure 3.17: Dairy Crest “Jugit”
Figure 4.18: Magnitude estimations of barriers to lightweighting generic glass containers, (average score), 2008
Figure 4.19: Grolsch lightweight version beer bottles from Coors Brewers
Figure 4.20: Fusion BottleCan
Figure 4.21: Eska C2C bottle
Figure 4.22: Bottle Fly, NitroPouch and NoBottle (left-to-right)
Figure 4.23: CalNaturale Cabernet Sauvingnon
Figure 4.24: Aluminium beer bottles from Anheuser-Busch
Figure 4.25: Sainsbury’s Australian Shiraz
Figure 4.26: Cadbury Treasure Egg
Figure 5.27: Benefits and drawbacks of nanotechnology in packaging manufacturing
Figure 5.28: Bericap DoubleSeal SuperShorty Crown O2 scavenger
Figure 5.29: Nanoclay technology benefits
Figure 5.30: NatureFlex biodegradable film from Innovia Films
Figure 5.31: Nestlé Carnation Milk resealable carton
Figure 6.32: Consumers’ primary associations with packaging (%), 2009
Figure 6.33: Amcor ReClose
Figure 6.34: The Crown SuperEnd beverage can end
Figure 6.35: Rexam wine cans

List of Tables
Table 1.1: Average number of occupants per household (absolute), 1990-2010
Table 1.2: Global ready meals market value ($m), 2002-2014
Table 1.3: Material share of consumer packaging (%), 2008
Table 1.4: Regional share of sustainable packaging launches (%), 2007-2009
Table 2.5: Category share of sustainable packaging launches (%), 2008-2009
Table 2.6: Category share of sustainable packaging launches indexed against share of total launches (index), 2008-2009
Table 4.7: Estimated savings per million bottles due to 10% lightweighting ($ and tons), 2006
Table 4.8: Owens-Illinois’ Lean + Green wine bottles
Table 4.9: Potential annual saving of glass after lightweighting standard sparkling wine bottles in key producing countries (tons)
Table 6.10: Packaging attributes I would “pay a little more for” (%), 2008-2009

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