Circular Packaging: For the Entire Christmas Supply Chain

When we talk about sustainable packaging, we tend to focus on the package sat on the shop shelf, ready to be picked up by a consumer. Whilst improvements to the eco-credentials of these boxes, jars, tins (etc) are cause for celebration, there’s a world of sustainable packaging that’s also part of the festivities. Those supply chains that get the products there.

Join us as we drive home the importance of circular packaging for Christmas!

What is Circular Packaging?

Reduce, reuse, recycle. It’s the trifecta of ‘R’ verbs that’ve stood the test of time. First etched into our minds in the seventies, the simple message has resonated with people and businesses worldwide looking for simple ways to reduce the impact of daily life on the planet.

These three Rs are also front and centre of circular packaging. It’s so-called to lengthen the lifespan of products and limit the amount of new, virgin materials needing to be mass-produced to keep up with demand. (Just think of the associated environmental implications!)

Circular packaging:

• Reduces materials use
• Transforms energy- and resource-intensive processes into ones with greater efficiencies
• Recycles or repurposes waste that can be used over and over

Circular Packaging at Christmas

Christmas is one of the simplest examples of how easy it is to achieve sustainable packaging economies. Whether you’ve ordered new furniture in time for the break or you’re unwrapping a bottle of perfume on 25^th December, chances are the boxes they come in will litter your house for days. And though you’ll put many of these boxes in the recycling bin, we bet you save a few to use later down the line. (No-one’s ever moved house and wished they had less boxes to put items in!)

The same concept can be applied to retail and supplier supply chains.

Right?

Well, here’s where circular packaging in a commercial environment can hit a wall.

Challenges of Circular Packaging

1. Firstly, not everyone thinks to reuse or repurpose the cardboard box or glass container that’s safely delivered the goods.
2. Packaging needs to be robust to hold shape and withstand bumps from Santa’s sleigh or handling. Poorly designed, generic boxes that don’t take these factors into account are likely to end up arriving damaged, reducing how effectively they can be reused.
3. There’s limited consideration to what happens to the package once it’s fulfilled its primary purpose. Wherever you are in the supply chain, think about how the packages you’re moving from one workshop to another can be used by your recipient – and their recipient, and so on.

Extended Producer Responsibility

Jumping ahead to October 2025, circular packaging will be having its moment in the spotlight. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) comes into force next Autumn, replacing the current packaging waste regulations in the UK. The legislative framework means packaging producers, importers, suppliers will be fully responsible for the costs associated with managing the waste generated from a product’s packaging.

Who’s Affected by EPR?

Yet it’s not only those ‘directly’ involved in packaging who’ll be affected. The government’s EPR guidance defines packaging as ‘any material that is used to cover or protect goods that are supplied’. This includes ‘anything that’s designed to be filled at the point of sale’ – like a coffee cup. It goes on to state that packaging ‘makes goods look appealing for sale and may display a company’s logo or brand’. Here, ‘goods’ extends to both manufactured items and raw materials.

Under EPR, a business’s responsibility for the waste associated with packaging begins from the second the products enter the market. It doesn’t stop until the products reach end of life. Getting ahead and embracing a more circular packaging model now will take the pressure off a last-minute rush to get EPR-ready for October 2025. And, stand you in good stead with customers and consumers alike. We know they’re placing more weight on the sustainability of the brands they purchase from.

EPR and a Circular Packaging Model

Looking into the finer details of the legislation further and EPR makes producers responsible for the cost of recycling the packaging they put on the market. That includes the cost of collecting packaging waste and/or recycling it. From a financial point of view, EPR will certainly have implications – particularly for packaging manufacturers like us at Greyhound Box. Yet, we stand firm in saying it doesn’t come close to the cost all this packaging waste has on the environment!

What’s more, the legislation is set to incentivise packaging that’s more recyclable than ever, with more favourable tax treatment in return. The easier it is to recycle packaging when it reaches the end of its life, the more likely it is to be granted preferential tax treatment. At the other end of the spectrum, packaging that’s challenging to recycle could end up costing a business more. That’s thanks to higher tax liabilities.

Go Around in Positive Circles for Christmas 2024

So, as we sleigh our way into Christmas 2024, we’re helping our customers get into a more circular packaging mindset. If you need advice on…

• Extended Producer Responsibility
• Sustainable branded packaging improvements
• Kickstarting a more circular packaging economy

…our friendly team are at the end of the phone.

Get in touch!