Food and Drink: How Packaging Can Pave the Way Toward Eco Progress

For companies looking to improve their sustainability, focusing on packaging is essential. In the UK, approximately 100 billion pieces of plastic packaging are thrown away per year – including plenty of food and drink packaging from ready meals to vegetable wrappers.

In a world where climate change is on the rise, sticking to your corporate environmental responsibilities is essential to help improve the impact of your products on the environment.

Cardiff based CCS McLays Director, Jacques Cannon says: “More companies are looking towards their environmental responsibilities, from avoiding greenwashing in their messaging to improving transportation emissions. So, we take pleasure in being in a position to help clients and their specific sustainability goals through the provision of packaging products that aim to be less detrimental to our planet.”

Partnerships with sustainable suppliers
Jacques Cannon stresses that: “Finding the right supplier for you is crucial when it comes to all your environmental considerations. You’ll want to build a partnership with a supplier who understands the need for eco-friendly packaging and transport within your industry, alongside the right expertise to ensure that packaging products demonstrate innovation where possible, that they are fit for purpose and that they ultimately, help enhance your ability to sell your core product(s) to consumers.”

Partnerships with suppliers who align with your environmental goals can make these steps a bit easier. Instead of undertaking it alone as a company, your supplier can make it a joint effort. Knowing you can rely on your supplier to create packaging to the environmental standards as high as possible is essential to avoid complications, regulatory problems, and even greenwashing claims.

By way of an example, CCS McLays have demonstrated a valuable service provision to long-standing client, Wasabi. Since beginning trading with the Japanese sushi and bento brand in 2018, CCS McLays helped Wasabi eradicate single-use plastic bags and non-plastic lids and instead Wasabi are now in a position where all packaging products are recyclable. Additionally, in line with government legislation on single-use plastics, CCS McLays also replaced all plastic cutlery with wood and paper disposables.

Looking ahead, the team at CCS McLays are also excited to remove plastic away from the ready meal market after designing a paper dual ovenable bowl for Wasabi that is recyclable after consumer use. These products are due to launch throughout Sainsburys and Tesco within the UK later on this year.

Recyclable materials
Choosing the right materials for your products is essential. In an industry where reducing packaging is paramount, finding a supplier who understands your regulations is crucial for your customers. Shifting away from single-use plastics and towards more sustainable methods can be a great way of opening your products up to a more sustainable approach without compromising style, taste, or sanitation.

You might also consider creating a closed-loop system for your packaging and products. Whether you’re offering soft drink cans, coffee pods or ready meals, being able to recycle and reuse the packaging on your food and drink can contribute to a better environmental campaign.

Raising awareness through packaging
Eco-packaging is a great way to start getting your customers thinking about sustainability. By adding sustainable messaging to your packaging, you can encourage others to think about how they’re treating their food and drink products, where they’re placing their packaging, and even opt for companies that are providing sustainable options over companies that don’t within a buying situation.

With 60% of customers claiming they’d rather buy from a company with sustainable options, it can both be beneficial for the environment and your sales to investigate ways of improving your packaging.

Food and drink is an essential part of everyone’s lives. At some point every day, we come into contact with some form of food packaging. By incorporating your sustainable measures into your packaging design, you can encourage your customers to buy into a closed-loop system, recycle more, or even consider their own impact on the environment. However, finding the right supplier with the right expertise to maintain your high-quality product standards is a must in this transition.