The Future of Fat Reduction and Replacement in Food and Drinks

The amount of packaging used in the delivery of consumer goods is an issue concerns many consumers and packaging waste reduction is a key goal of many environmental initiatives. This report highlights key innovations pursued by brand owners and packaging companies to reduce the amount and weight of packaging used in food and drinks products. Analyzes factors driving improvements in the environmental performance of packaging. Assesses the benefits of environmental packaging innovations. Explores the challenges of improving green credentials while maintaining packaging’s role to protect, contain, and preserve food and drink products. Analyzes the latest innovations in lightweighting food and drinks packaging. Assesses the key influences on the future of lightweighting food and drinks packaging. Brand owners, retailers and packaging suppliers are responding to consumer pressure to improve environmental credentials. Lightweighting will become much more sophisticated, forming part of more comprehensive advancements in product packaging which address the resource efficiency throughout the lifecycle if the product and its packaging. Building standardized reporting metrics and labels as a platform for communicating with consumers is currently starting to develop and will provide brand owners and retailers the tools to capitalize on innovations. Collaboration on such projects across sectors will provide opportunities for all parties to advance their own CSR goals. Lightweighting will continue at pace in the future as brand owners look to reduce costs and improve their environmental credentials with consumers. It will move towards greater penetration in sectors where the opportunity has already been identified. More brand owners will take up the innovations which have been achieved by the industry leaders.What are the drivers influencing brand owners’ strategies to reduce the environmental impact of food and drinks packaging? What are the most common types of environmental claims on packaging as identified through analysis of product launch data? What challenges do brand owners face in addressing environmental concerns while maintaining the functionality of packaging? Which category has seen the most successful innovations in packaging through lightweighting?

Table of contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The place of lightweighting in the sustainability landscape
Drivers of sustainable packaging
Innovations in lightweighting
Challenges for packaging functionality and branding
The future of lightweighting
Lightweighting in the sustainability landscape
Summary
Introduction
Solid waste volumes in the US, EU, and Asia-Pacific
United States
European Union
Asia Pacific
Approaches to making packaging sustainable
Different types of sustainable packaging solutions
Why focus on lightweighting?
Drivers of sustainable packaging
Summary
The business benefits of sustainable packaging
Public awareness of packaging sustainability issues
Legislative drivers for sustainable packaging
Retail and industry initiatives for sustainable packaging
Life cycle assessment – a holistic approach to sustainability
Industry examples of successful life cycle analysis for better sustainability
Major brand owners innovate across categories
Innovations in lightweighting
Summary
Introduction
Environmental packaging claims
Lightweighting by category
Alcoholic beverages
Non alcoholic beverages
Other categories
Case study: Easter egg packaging reductions
Different types of lightweighting according to packaging type
Glass bottles and jars
Plastic bottles
Bottle closures
Cans
Plastic film and pouches
Paper, board, and corrugated
Lightweighting packaging throughout the supply chain
Challenges for packaging functionality and branding
Summary
Introduction
The importance of maintaining branding
The importance of maintaining packaging functionality
Competing trends in packaging
Finding the optimum packaging model
The future of lightweighting
Summary
Introduction
Future lightweighting innovation strategies
Collaboration throughout the supply chain and society
Communication and building trust with consumers
Standardizing language and labeling
Conclusions
Appendix
Methodology
(Untitled sub-section)
Secondary research
Glossary
Bibliography/References
FIGURES
Figure: Resource efficiency loop
Figure: US total municipal solid waste by category, measured by weight, 2009
Figure: The waste hierarchy
Figure: ISO Standard 14040: Life Cycle Assessment
Figure: Product life cycle
Figure: Product packaging environmental claims 2010
Figure: Product packaging claims: share of types of environmental claims
Figure: Lightweighting packaging claims by category
Figure: Standard ‘Bordeaux’ wine bottle design– reduced weight
Figure: Lightweighting in bottled beer
Figure: Wolf Blass Green Label lightweight PET bottle
Figure: Products launched in plastic film pouches rather than glass
Figure: Alternative pack designs for wine
Figure: Reducing packaging weight of plastic bottles in the soft drinks category
Figure: PepsiCo’s EcoFina bottle and Nestlé’s Eco Shape bottle
Figure: Waitrose minced beef in new snip and slide waste reducing packaging
Figure: Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes new box design
Figure: Cereals supplied in bags rather than boxes
Figure: The role of packaging
Figure: The packaging matrix
Figure: Optimum packaging model
Figure: Innovation hierarchy
Figure: Incremental environmental impact savings
Figure: Key parties in packaging innovation
Figure: Tesco’s carbon footprinting

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By sector: General drinks