In the current context, the conversation around packaging has never been more pressing – or more complex. While packaging remains an essential part of product consumption and for supporting global trade, optimising its design and material choices is increasingly crucial for minimising environmental impact and resource consumption. The time is ripe to champion sustainable solutions and strategically innovate packaging, beginning where it all starts: at the source.
Recently, the environmental cost of packaging materials has prompted growing concern. Globally, over 141 million tonnes of plastic packaging is produced each year, yet only 9% is recycled, according to OECD.
In India alone, packaging waste accounts for a significant portion of the 9.8 million tonnes of plastic waste generated annually.
This underscores the critical need for materials that offer inherent sustainability advantages and contribute to a circular economy. For true impact, the solution lies not merely at the end of the life cycle, but fundamentally at inception, through thoughtful design, responsible material choice, and efficient manufacturing processes.
Amplifying effect of wasteful design
Packaging plays a vital and indispensable role. In fact, it serves a vital role in reducing food waste, preserving medical products, and ensuring the safe transport of goods. The challenge lies in how it is designed and produced.
Too often, packaging is designed without properly considering what happens once it’s served its purpose. Materials that are difficult to recycle, multi-layer formats that complicate recovery, or unnecessary bulk — these are design decisions made upstream that create problems downstream.
To fundamentally change this trajectory, we must adopt a ‘design for environment’ mindset. This means selecting materials that are recyclable, reusable, or compostable – creating packaging that uses less, does more, and fits into a circular economy. The success of this hinges on asking the right questions at the start: What is the end-of-life scenario for this material? Can it be collected, processed, and reused efficiently? Is it fit for purpose without being excessive?
Striking a balance
This process is not as simple as completely switching to a single ‘eco-friendly’ solution. Packaging must still meet functional requirements – to protect, preserve, and perform across the journey of the product. Here is where innovation comes into play.
Across the industry, we are seeing the emergence of highly sustainable solutions, including mono-material formats that are easier to recycle, bio-based materials derived from agricultural by-products, and reusable systems designed for closed-loop systems. Glass packaging, with its inherent recyclability and reusability, stands as a prime example of a material perfectly suited for these circular economy principles.
One particularly promising approach is lightweighting, which involves designing packaging with reduced material content without compromising integrity. For glass, innovations in lightweighting are making significant strides, reducing carbon emissions during transport and production. Another key strategy is increasing the use of recycled content in manufacturing, which not only reduces the demand for fresh resources but also supports the recycling economy. In glass manufacturing, the increased use of cullet (recycled glass) significantly lowers energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
Focusing upstream
The best way to manage waste is to prevent it from being created in the first place. This calls for a shift in mindset, one that does not consider packaging an output, but a responsibility. Lifecycle assessments, material innovation, and digitalisation are enabling manufacturers to make smarter decisions. This commitment to upstream thinking is precisely where transformative innovation comes into play.
In India, this upstream shift is of particular importance. With a rapidly growing consumer base and expanding infrastructure, the packaging industry has a unique opportunity and responsibility – to lead with foresight. Rethinking packaging at the source not only aligns with national environmental goals but will also support business resilience in a dynamic economic future.
Looking ahead
World Environment Day serves as a reminder that sustainability is not a destination but an ongoing journey. For the packaging industry, part of a series of impactful contributions will come from upstream thinking rooted in innovation and responsibility.
As manufacturers, we must continue to look beyond existing paradigms, investing in research, collaborating, and design. Rethinking packaging at the source is not just an environmental imperative – it’s an opportunity to build smarter, more sustainable systems that benefit everyone.
