Food and Beverage Manufacturing

Reduce emissions from packaging

Cut product emissions by rethinking your packaging, enhancing your brand reputation customer unlocking cost savings.

This set of actions forms part of the Food and Beverage Manufacturing action checklist.

Key steps for SMEs to take

1. Assess
Assess your current packaging for carbon footprint and inefficiencies.
2. Redesign
Redesign packaging to reduce packaging use and provide cost savings.
3. Engage suppliers
Engage suppliers to find lower emissions intensity packaging materials.
4. Communicate
Communicate proactively with customers on your new packaging and associated impacts.
5. Formalize
Formalize your company’s policy on sustainable packaging.

Examples of SME actions

Minimise material use by optimizing packaging and product design.
Change out packaging materials, for lower emissions options like post-consumer recycled fiber or films, recyclable and recycled materials (e.g. glass, ​aluminum​), lightweight alternatives (e.g. wax coatings), or other innovative packaging solutions (e.g. Tetra Pak).
Provide clear, consistent, and accurate labelling to promote recycling.
Collaborate with retailers to implement refill and reuse systems, ensuring they deliver better environmental outcomes based on life cycle assessments.

Relevant resources

External resource

Wrap

Resources to boost your circularity and embed it into your business.

External resource

FDF’s Packaging checklist

A sustainability checklist for food and beverage businesses to help them optimise their packaging.

External resource

Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Guidance and case studies for circular design and insights into improving food systems.

External resource

Sustainable Packaging Coalition

Offers design guides, recyclability labels, and tools.

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