Companies considering their packaging strategies for the near future may want to make note of the results of a new industry report suggesting that sustainability and reducing the environmental impact of packaging will be the most important factor in this regard in the next decade.
Compiled by Manchester-based Duo UK, the Future of Packaging white paper reveals a gradual shift in attitudes, Packaging News reports, with innovative companies considering the efficiencies and benefits of being more sustainable with their packaging options.
However, it was also found that cost is one of the biggest factors that will influence design and development in the next ten years, which ranked in the three most influential factors along with end-of-life options and branding/customer experience.
This suggests that there is a disconnect somewhere between packaging ambitions for sustainability and expenditure constraints, which has limited the opportunity for wider adoption of sustainable packaging strategies.
Brand director at Duo UK Zoe Brimelow said: “Taking a cost neutral approach makes price a secondary consideration, enabling the proper review and trial of different sustainable packaging solutions. This is only possible if businesses move away from such a strong cost-bias during packaging design and development.”
Interestingly, chancellor Rishi Sunak recently revealed in the latest Budget that a plastic packaging tax is going to be introduced, with companies paying £200 per tonne of packaging that is made from less than 30 per cent plastic as of April 2022.
The idea behind this move is to encourage businesses to use more recycled plastic and, if they’re not compliant by April 2022, they could be hit with hefty financial penalties.
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