Only a quarter (25%) of business leaders in the packaging and retail industries believe that their strategy to achieve sustainable packaging is ‘robust’, a study by packaging sustainability consultancy Aura has found.
According to the study, which was carried out over a series of webinars, just one in seven believe their business is ‘on track’ to achieve 100% accuracy in the data they need to manage their packaging sustainability, in order to meet compliance with regulations like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
Also, less than a third (29%) admitted that they are still collecting this data manually, and half (50%) said that they were still in the data gathering part of the process.
The remainder noted that they are either either still trying to understand global legislation, or are still in the process of establishing a packaging waste strategy.
‘Behind the curve’
“It is not surprising so few brands consider their sustainable packaging strategy to be achievable – many are still far behind the curve when it comes to collecting the data they need,” commented Greg Lawson, managing director at Aura.
“Legislation like EPR demands 100% data accuracy across all components, or brands and retailers will likely face higher fees. Another major source of concern is that so many are leaving it to be done manually, which is simply an impossible task. Businesses need reliable, agile processes in place to collect and manage that data and design their sustainable packaging right first time.”
Packaging sustainability regulations
Respondents were also asked about their understanding of packaging sustainability regulations. Only 11% expressed confidence in knowing what needs to be done now and in the future, while 89% acknowledged they were aware of only part of the requirements at best.
According to Lawson, the “first step” in achieving compliance with EPR relates to developing accurate and robust data on every packaging component a business deploys.
“If you don’t know exactly where you’re starting from, you cannot possibly know what level of charges and fees you might be liable for – let alone the incentives and subsidies to improve,” he said.
The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) process in the European Union involves several key steps for producers. These include registering as a producer, adhering to product or packaging design and labelling requirements, reporting the amount of product or packaging introduced to the market, meeting recycling targets, and financing the recycling or recovery of products and packaging at the end of their life cycle. Find out more about Aura here.
