Packaging remains a big influence to shoppers

According to a survey taken by WePack, 28.6% of shoppers have revealed that they choose a gift item down to the way that the product is shaped. If the shape of the product packaging would make it hard to wrap, then customers tend to avoid the item.

Sustainability of the packaging itself is becoming high on consumers want list; with over a quarter of the respondents (26.6%) have prioritised having reusable packaging on the products when they search for a gift. Another question revealed that around 16% of consumers would look at the quality of the packaging and preference products that signifies quality.

Manufacturers could make the packaging more eye-catching, using the likes of a jar or tin to wrap their products. Although it may be more expensive, people would be more likely to reuse or recycle the packaging. These statistics prove that consumers care about the way that an item is wrapped, however, there is a big dilemma with plastic packaging and the effects that it is having on the environment. So what’s being done about this issue? 

leading companies working towards 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging.

11 major companies are taking steps towards 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025 or earlier. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation announced in January at the World Economic Forum om Davos announced the following brands – Amcor, Ecover, Evian, L’Oreal, Mars, M&S, PepsiCo, the Coca-Cola Company, Unilever, Walmart and Werner & Mertz – were taking part. These account for more than 6 million tonnes of plastic packaging per year.

Paul Polman, CEO Unilever, said: “It is welcome news that many other major companies are making their own commitments to address ocean plastic waste. Yet as a consumer goods industry, we need to go much further, much faster, in addressing the challenge of single use plastics by leading a transition away from the linear take-make-dispose model of consumption, to one which is truly circular by design.”

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is calling for the rest of the industries to follow the lead of its competitors. Industry pioneers must include as a second step that their packaging is being dealt with correctly in practice, and be made of recycled content.

These announcements create a great step towards the issues that continue to hit the news. These show the foundations are coming into place. Companies are starting to take initiative about these problems. This will ask questions for their competitors if they’re able to promise and provide these statements; then why can’t the rest?

Below is a full list of the companies announcements.

Company announcements

AMCOR

AMCOR are a leading development and manufacture of packaging which helps the both the environment and consumers. They’re becoming the first global packaging company to pledge to develop all of its packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2025. Increasing the use of recycled material, whilst helping driving better recycling of packaging around the world.

DANONE / EVIAN

Danone announced that Evian; whose bottles are already 100% recyclable, will make 100% of all bottles from plastic by 2025. this move will see the natural mineral water brand will adopt a circular approach to its plastic usage. Evian plans on achieving this by pioneering partnerships to redesign the packaging, increase recycling initiatives and cleaning up plastic waste from nature.

ECOVER

Ecover already offer reusable, recyclable or compostable on all their packaging. Their ambition is to rethink the way it uses plastic. Ecover are suggesting to set itself the task of using 100% recycled plastic in all bottles by 2020. They want to introduce recycled content into its caps from 2018 and trial new, non-plastic, fully biodegradable materials that can still be recycled by 2020. They have started this in January 2018, launching its 100% recycled and 100% recyclable washing-up liquid bottle in Europe.

L’OREAL

“L’Oréal are trying to commit that their plastic packaging will be rechargeable, refillable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. This is in parallel with their efforts working over the pasts years trying to improve the environmental and social impact of 100% of its new products by 2020.

MARS

“At Mars, we will continue to work towards 100% recyclability of our packaging by 2025.  Packaging innovation is one way we can reduce our carbon footprint in line with the science-based targets of our Sustainable in a Generation Plan.”

Marks & Spencer’s

M&S have announced that all plastic packaging inside the UK will be 100% recyclable, with it being widely recycled in the UK by 2022. M&S are working towards eliminating packaging that ends up in the environment and design out packaging part that can’t be reused or recycled. They will introduce products with reclaimed social plastics as a component, giving a social benefit to the communities where the materials are being sourced from. Furthermore, M&S will assess the possibility of the plastic packaging being made from one polymer group by 2025. In order to reduce consumer confusion and improve the recycling.

PEPSICO

PepsiCo have the target of trying to design its packaging to be 100% recyclable, compostable or biodegradable. Another target is to increase the recycled materials in its plastic packaging, reduce the carbon impact created from the packaging, and in partnership with the PepsiCo Foundation, work to increase the recycling rates by 2025.

THE COCA-COLA COMPANY

In a bold announcement, The Coca-Cola Company have set their ambitious goal to help collect and recycle 100% of the packaging it sells by 2030. They support these claims by two key goals. Firstly, continue toward creating all customer packing by 100% by 2025, with 50% recycled content inside its packaging by 2030. Their plan, called “World Without Waste” will work with partners to achieve their goal on a global level, which included design, collection and partnering.

Need more information – If you would like to get in touch with one of the directors at Vision One for any more information or if you have an enquiry of services, please don’t hesitate to give us a call or email us here.

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