Working toward a common language for sustainable packaging

Linda Casey -- Packaging Digest, 2/3/2010 12:20:09 PM

At an assembly of The Consumer Goods Forum's (http://www.ciesnet.com) (The Forum) Global Packaging Project (GPP) last month, executives from global consumer goods companies and major retailers have approved a suggested set of common definitions and principles for sustainable packaging. This common language will support a global discourse on packaging in the context of environmental, economic and social impacts.

"Sustainability is a shared responsibility," said Roger Zellner, GPP co-chair and director, sustainability, research, development & quality of Kraft Foods "By creating a common language and identifying shared global industry metrics this initiative will enable manufacturers and retailers to work together to develop packaging solutions to help achieve agreed sustainability goals."

"The Global Packaging Project started because retailers and manufacturers wanted a consistent approach to packaging of consumer goods," said Sonia Raja, GPP co-chair and head of packaging, Tesco. "We need to find a common way of measuring environmental and sustainability improvements on packaging that can be used across the world."

Collectively there was recognition that inconsistent measures between different actors in the packaged goods supply chain intended to improve packaging's contribution to sustainable development risked leading to unnecessary complexity, added cost and suboptimal environmental, economic and social results.

The next phase of the project is to validate the output of the project; the principles for packaging and sustainability and a set of agreed indicators and metrics, within real business situations. Pilots will take place over a six-month testing stage. The Forum is targeting approval of the final report and deliverables in November 2010.