"Excessive Packaging – In Perspective"

At a recent packaging conference, Eric Illsley MP and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Packaging Manufacturing Industry, described that all recent Motions proposed and debated in UK parliament regarding packaging were about over-packaging.  Indeed the word ‘packaging’, he described, is never seen without being prefixed by the word ‘excessive’. 

But packaging protects, preserves and identifies product. And if designed appropriately would come a long way to eliminating process failure.

The environmental impact of product has been proven to be typically ten times greater than the impact of its packaging. Near elimination of process failure would therefore reduce environmental impact from product wastage equivalent to a 10% reduction in packaging.  Put another way a 10% increase in packaging would not increase environmental impact provided it reduced process failure to near zero, whilst simultaneously increasing retailer profits by 6% minus any increased packaging costs.