Every year the Consumer Goods Forum brings together leading companies across the consumer goods industry to discuss the challenges facing them – and 2019 was no exception. In honor of the theme “collaboration”, I chaired a Plastics Panel at June’s Global Summit which brought together a selection of speakers from Mars, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Return-It, to discuss how brands, retailers, manufacturers, packaging companies, governments and NGOs can work together to solve the challenges around providing more sustainable packaging.

So, what solutions and success stories did we discuss? To find out, you can keep reading for highlights, or watch the video of our panel discussion at the bottom of the page.

The opportunity for collaboration in the packaging industry

The role of packaging is more important than ever before. People around the world are living longer, healthier lives, and that’s due in part to the globalized access to safe food, water, medicine and other products transported safely through modern packaging innovations.

However, plastic's best properties - its cost efficiency, light weight, great barrier properties, and reduced carbon footprint - also means it’s a problem in the environment. The good news is that while this problem might seem extremely complex and difficult to solve, we can learn a lot from the success other industries have had from a collaborative approach.

One great example is how the aviation industry came together to improve safety for everyone.

In the 1970s, the aviation industry was faced with a shared challenge when accident rates peaked. Operators were at a crisis point; no one business could solve the problem on its own. So, manufacturers, regulators, the airline operators and others came together.

By sharing knowledge and collectively standardising many parts of the business – including airline design, maintenance, crew training, and a shared air traffic-controlled infrastructure – accident rates began to decline. This example provides a compelling case for collaborative action within the packaging industry, which faces a similar existential crisis that can be solved if people across the entire supply chain – from consumer to government – work together.

Related watch: Beyond Buzzwords Sustainability Webinar

To successfully redesign the current system, we need to understand how we got here

Kevin Rabinovitch, Global VP of Sustainability at Mars talked about the changes that Mars has had to embrace to redesign the current system in their business.

In the past, the biggest considerations when choosing packaging were food safety, light-weighting, long-shelf life and looking attractive to consumers on the shelf. The option which seemed to suit all of those was thin plastic flexible films.

That approach imagined that the journey of packaging ended in the hand of the consumer. However, the reality is that there is in fact a sequel: the consumer is left holding the empty package and needs to do something with it. Originally, Mars and other brands didn’t design packaging thinking about that sequel. And as a result, its packaging wasn’t being recovered or recycled.

Now that we understand the consequences, the challenge is to redesign the system in such a way that doesn’t completely “unsolve” some of the problems solved with lightweight films. The way to do that properly, is by collaborating to design a system that works.

“It's not just about the branding manufacturers, it's about our suppliers, recovery systems, governments – all our systems need to be designed together at once or the whole thing won't work, and that is happening, which gives me optimism that we are going to achieve something here.” – Kevin Rabinovitch

Making recycling and recovery work in practice

But, even if companies like Mars and Amcor come together to create recyclable packaging, how can we ensure it is processed and managed correctly? One solution is Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

Allen Langdon, President and CEO of Return-It explained how EPR offers a platform for companies to leverage and further advance the sustainability of their products and packaging.

EPR obligates producers to ensure there are systems in place to recycle their products and packaging. While mandated by governments, EPR is the responsibility of brands owners and operated by third parties (mostly non-profits) who carry this out on behalf of brand owners. What makes it different from a traditional regulatory approach is its flexibility.

The EPR system drives performance and continuous improvement in recovery and offers a framework for different regions to develop a model for recycling and recovery that can be scaled. But to realise the true benefits of EPR, we need engaged brand owners who are committed to implementing and optimising the system. And, we need operators such as Return It that are committed to implementing these systems, and to supporting and accommodating ongoing changes in packaging.

Allen acknowledged that EPR isn’t a silver bullet. “EPR on its own isn’t going to eliminate ocean plastics or ensure packaging can become more sustainable. But it’s a policy framework that can support companies as they advance the sustainability of their products through a more circular model.”

Related read: Amcor to develop all packaging to be reusable or recyclable by 2025

A world without plastic waste or pollution: The New Plastics Economy

Sander Defruyt, Lead of the New Plastics Economy initiative at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation explained why a unified vision is essential to success.

Our current plastics economy is broken. Globally, just 14% of plastic packaging is collected for recycling, and just 2% of that is recycled at a high enough quality to go back into packaging. A staggering one third ends up in the environment, and more than half ends up in landfill or is incinerated.

It's clear that we need to fundamentally rethink the way we produce, use and reuse plastics. With the launch of the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment in October 2018 in partnership with the UN Environment Programme, more than 400 organizations are now all aligned on one common vision of how to address this issue: we need a circular economy for plastics.

Three actions are required to achieve this vision and create a circular economy for plastic. Eliminate all problematic and unnecessary plastic items. Innovate to ensure that the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable, or compostable. Circulate all the plastic items we use to keep them in the economy and out of the environment.

Sander wrapped up with a clear call to action for stakeholders: “The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment has brought together more than 400 stakeholders behind one common vision – from companies representing 20% of all plastic packaging produced globally, to governments, NGOs, universities, industry associations, investors, and other organisations. The next step is to see all signatories delivering on the 2025 commitments they made.”

Collaborating for a better planet

Our CGF plastics panel was a reminder of the importance of collaboration to help us face the challenges ahead. We need systemic change in order to establish a circular economy model and design waste out. But to get us there, will require the participation of everyone in the value chain.