How the food and drink sector can benefit from Envirowise advice

24th February 2010, 10:09am

Envirowise supports UK businesses by offering free advice to help companies increase profitability and reduce environmental impact. Envirowise eco design specialist Jenni Donato outlines the benefits to food and drink businesses of implementing 'cleaner design' principles.

On 1st April the Government's Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency scheme will open for registrations and could affect up to 20,000 businesses in the UK.

The introduction of CRC is likely to prompt many senior managers in the food and drink sector to put carbon reduction higher on their business agenda. One way that businesses can help to improve their environmental impact and reduce their carbon legacy is by adopting 'eco' design techniques.

Eco-design aims to minimise the costs and environmental impact of a product over its entire life-cycle. Improving resource productivity – producing more products and services with fewer materials and input from utilities, and with less pollution and waste – will create benefits for the environment, and ultimately reduce business costs.

There are opportunities for product designers to play a key role in helping the UK to meet future carbon targets and reduce the emissions associated with inefficient consumer goods. Designers can help companies by adopting best practice techniques and make valuable cost savings. They can also assist companies in gaining a competitive advantage from functionality and service innovation, which could help them reap the benefits from an enhanced reputation.

Packaging is one area where effective changes can be made to help businesses improve their environmental credentials and make cost savings. The need for sustainable packaging design is a growing issue recognised by many food and drink manufacturers.
 
In a survey conducted on behalf of the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment (INCPEN), it was revealed that 82 per cent of people were concerned by the impact of packaging on the environment.

With the introduction of the EuP (Energy Using Products) Directive and historic regulations such as WEEE, RoHS, the Packaging Waste Regulations and the Essential Requirements, it's becoming increasingly important to consider the design and lifecycle impacts of products and packaging.

As well as complying with industry targets and legislation, food and drink businesses that take time to optimise their packaging stand to reap numerous operational benefits, including improved efficiency, cost savings, increased sales and enhanced brand awareness.

This has been recognised by leading retailers, brands and suppliers who are setting bold packaging targets. The Courtauld Commitment for example, a voluntary agreement between WRAP and major UK grocery organisations such as ASDA, Tesco and M&S, aims to deliver absolute reductions in packaging waste by summer 2010 and we believe many other companies would see the benefits of making such a commitment.

The first step towards improving packaging design is of course to understand the environmental impact and what steps can be taken to cost-effectively make changes. This is one of the first stumbing blocks for many companies, who believe that making any adjustments is a time-consuming and costly process that could force them to raise prices.

Envirowise offers an online tool to help companies analyse and compare the environmental profile of their own packaging designs to identify where improvements can be made. Pack-In, the Packaging Indicator tool for eco-design helps businesses develop and redesign product packaging to ensure it meets the modern demands of customers and makes the best possible use of raw materials.

It is hoped that many businesses will benefit by using the tool as an integral part of the product development process to help ensure their packaging stands up to scrutiny, both environmentally and financially.

Making small changes, such as switching from a multi-material solution to a single one, or changing the shape of packaging to reduce waste, can make a significant difference to raw material and disposal costs.

By reviewing how much air-space can be removed from packaging, it may be possible to reduce pack sizes and transportation costs, without scrimping on protection for the product, which again has a knock-on implication for the bottom line.

While packaging has been challenged on environmental grounds for a number of years, the food and drink industry has responded, not only by putting significant resources into recycling schemes, but also by continuing to reduce the use of resources in packaging. However, there is always room for improvement and businesses stand to benefit not only in environmental terms but also financially by looking at how they can reduce unnecessary packaging.

Packaging Top Tips

o          Understand the environmental impact of your product packaging

o          Review packaging design and look at single material solutions

o          Ask your suppliers to supply products in more resource efficient packaging

o          Work with your suppliers to ensure that deliveries are packaged using recyclable, returnable or re-usable materials

For more info on eco-design visit www.envirowise.gov.uk/ecodesign or call the Envirowise Advice Line free on 0800 585794.

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