The future of packaging: sustainable and as media

Compostable packaging is as effective as conventional plastic and may even outperform it for shelf-life of fresh produce, two peer-reviewed studies have shown.

The news comes on top of a recent report on the plastic alternative packaging market, which found an increasing number of companies investing in alternative packaging materials that are better for the environment.

Why it matters

Packaging – and especially plastics packaging which is particularly damaging in terms of carbon emissions and ocean pollution – is at the intersection of sustainability and marketing in today’s consumer society. Brands have an opportunity to both burnish their eco-credentials and to develop packaging as a lead media. 

Context 

• FMCG giants like Nestlé, Unilever, Diageo and Mars are already developing materials that can be easily recycled.
• Brands are rethinking aspects of their packaging in the light of the damage it can cause; many breweries, for example, have switched from using plastic rings to hold four or six-packs of beer cans together to using cardboard cartons or glue.
• In WARC’s database, 22% of digital packaging case studies use sustainability or responsibility as a creative strategy.