All Facts & Findings

100% recyclable

Heinz tomato ketchup bottle and cap

The unique new cap – made of an innovative single type of material – has been created after Heinz invested eight years of research and development involving more than 185,000 hours and investing US$1.2 million to find a suitable replacement cap for their convenient and extremely popular squeezy bottles, which sold one billion units globally in 2020.

Recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025

Heinz tomato ketchup bottle commitment

The Heinz bottle itself has long been made from recyclable PET plastic, the bottle cap is a mix of 2 components: the rigid plastic twist top, and a silicone leak-proof valve. This mixed componentry has prevented the recyclability of the ketchup lid for the one billion units sold globally each year.

HP reduces environmental impact of boxes

and improves their bottom line.

“While the higher-quality packaging material itself costs roughly the same as the previous boxes, the new solution does have an economic as well as an environmental benefit: reducing the boxes’ weight by 18 percent results in air freight cost savings of $3 million to $5 million annually.”

40 million laptops

are produced by HP in China, every year.

Many of these laptops are shipped to Europe and the US. HP was looking for a way to reduce the weight of the boxes they shipped the laptops in to reduce shipping costs, while maintaining the boxes’ sturdiness during transit.

Small changes

make a big difference

An HP shipping box redesign made an impact at scale. Redesigning even minor elements of packaging can lessen their environmental impact, while also creating a cost saving.

Don't reinvent the wheel

There are many tools available to help businesses design better packaging, as well as global standards and certifications that provide external validation of a product’s packaging.

Early design

sets the stage for overall product cost and sustainability

“…although only 5–7% of the entire product cost is attributable to early design, the decisions made during this stage lock in 70–80% of the total product cost… one can hypothesise the same to be the case for environmental impacts. That is, whether or not a product is relatively sustainable is largely determined during the early design stage.”

We demand a lot from packaging

From the practical function to sustainability

We demand it protects the contents, extends the shelf life, is cost-effective, made sustainably, aligns with the brand identity, is appealing and considers the environment - to name just a few of our expectations.

Overpackaging

is a persistent problem

In ecommerce, overpackaging is a persistent problem leading to ‘overuse of materials and energy’.

Ecommerce creates more packaging waste

In a traditional retail setting, products can arrive in bulk and packed on a pallet, for ecommerce purchases, each product is packaged to reach the customer, in turn creating more packaging waste.

Touchpoints 20 x higher

on ecommerce packages

The number of touch points on an ecommerce package can be twenty times higher than brick-and-mortar retail items, with more packages travelling through various logistics networks to reach their final destination.

7 x types of materials

can be used in ecommerce packaging

A typical ecommerce parcel may use up to seven types of packaging materials: paper, envelopes, cardboard box, plastic bags, woven bags, tape, and buffer materials (bubble wrap, styrofoam).

Varying humidity

and other environmental factors affect packaging choices

With stock being moved through different world regions, varying levels of humidity and other environmental factors mean that packaging must be more durable.

3-4 times more robust

Ecommerce vs. onshelf packaging

Ecommerce packaging needs to be three to four times more robust than ‘traditional onshelf packaging’ so that it can withstand shipping and handling.

What does the rise of ecommerce mean for packaging?

“Despite technological advancements, increasing length of global supply chains for products has led to a simultaneous increase in the use of packaging layers and associated waste along the supply chain.”

3/4 of people

will continue to shop online after the pandemic

Three-quarters of people using digital channels for the first time during the pandemic say they will continue using them when things return to “normal”.

The rise of ecommerce

The growth of online shopping, accelerated by the pandemic, is here to stay.

Ecommerce 20%

of total retail sales

Ecommerce still makes up a minor share of total retail sales, accounting for about 20%, however, this is growing year on year.

US$4.28 trillion

Global ecommerce revenue in 2020

From 2015 to 2020, global ecommerce revenue grew by almost three times, reaching US$4.28 trillion.

Which trends will continue...

Tamper-proof packaging, antimicrobial packaging and other hygiene measures may become more common after the Covid-19 pandemic, while behaviour changes (such as reusable bags and coffee cups) may take time to reset.

2/3 of people

concerned about products being touched in stores

Hygienic packaging expected ‘to be a lasting priority once the Covid-19 pandemic eases’, with two in three people concerned about people having touched products before them in stores.

Plastic packaging increased

when single-use bans were lifted

During the pandemic a number of cities lifted their single-use bans and plastic packaging increased as a public health protection measure.

Covid-19 impacts consumer behaviour

Customers have ‘become more sensitive towards health and hygiene’

Hygiene in the time of Covid-19

has seen an increase in packaging and a drop in recycling

‘On the negative end of the balance sheet, the pandemic has also seen the suspension of recycling programs, plastic bag bans, reusable bags, and coffee cups… Fear of infection transmission has reduced public appetite for bulk food items… and unpackaged fresh produce and conversely has increased demand for prepackaged food items.’ (216)

Consumer passion grows

The concern for the environment post-pandemic

Consumers' responses in a study across 24 countries show the issues they want businesses to address are to reduce waste, reduce pollution, and address plastic pollution from packaging and products.

3 in 5 people

are more aware of their own environmental impact since the pandemic

A study across 24 countries showed that close to 3 in 5 people (58%) are more aware of their own environmental impact since the pandemic, with a similar proportion (62%) agreeing that ‘it’s now more important than before that companies behave in a more sustainable and eco-friendly way’.

64%

believe climate change is an emergency

Survey responses from 1.2 million people across 50 countries show almost two thirds (64%) of the population identifying climate change as an emergency.

3 major concerns

Environmental awareness, sustainable consumption, and social responsibility

In Brazil and Portugal a survey found that environmental awareness, sustainable consumption, and social responsibility have become front-of-mind concerns for a growing number of people since the Covid-19 pandemic.

It's not just the packaging but the product itself

"We need to fundamentally rethink and redesign packaging systems for the circular economy and, in some cases, the form of the product itself (for example a switch from liquid body wash to a solid bar) to allow reductions in packaging overall and particularly in single use packaging.”

Consumers are concerned

with the impacts of packaging on the environment

Businesses are under increasing scrutiny to opt for eco-friendly alternatives to single-use packaging.

The world is waking up

to the impact of single-use packaging on our environment

There is growing awareness around the fact that our reliance on single-use packaging - particularly single-use plastic - is wreaking all kinds of havoc on our environment.

Packaging decisions

are impacted by several major dynamics

Growing qualms and activism regarding the impact of our packaging choices on the natural environment, the heightened concern around hygiene in the face of the Covid pandemic, and the rapid rise of ecommerce are just a few to give current context for businesses making packaging decisions.