The Retail Institute calls for packaging industry to lead
The academic research centre recommends the UK packaging industry drives change rather than rely on government action.
The centre based at Leeds Beckett University recommends the UK packaging industry develops national self-sufficiency in sourcing and processing packaging materials.
This could be via new methods for domestic manufacturing and circular economy practices, as well as localised supply chains to minimise the impact of global disruptions and Scope 3 emissions.
Other recommendations for industry and government in its Collaborative Industry Group Future of Packaging 2025 report, include circularity on a systemic level and learning from successful reuse systems.
It highlights communication and collaboration, urging the use of scientific evidence, eliminating greenwashing and ensuring integrity and consistency when telling the public about environmental goals and progress.
The authors Dr Ben Mitchell, Research Fellow at the Retail Institute, and Olga Munroe, Head of the Retail Institute, also recommend creating an independent body to work towards 'project-by-project circularity for all packaging materials', and appointing a trusted spokesperson to convey the compexities of a sustainable transition for fast moving consumer goods.
The Future of Packaging 2025 report suggests the standardisation of packaging and its related measures and systems, as well as aligning 'organisational goals and actions for greater supply chain harmonisation'.
It calls for investment in research and multi-stakeholder groups, to better share knowledge and shape policy.
The authors say that 'Extended Producer Responsibility and the polluter pays principle should ensure funding for the waste management industry and a reliable flow of post-consumer waste'.
The report also calls for 'official guidance on a standard approach to Life Cycle Assessments for packaging materials'.
Members of the group include representatives from Morrisons, Asda, Nestle, Arla, amcor and the British Plastics Federation.
The Retail Institute draws knowledge from Leeds Business School's academics and the wider Leeds Beckett University.
