For some time now, at every meeting with a customer, every trade event, and every conversation with my colleagues, the word sustainability is declared. Sustainability has long been the key topic for everyone I interact with professionally, and many personally too. Sustainability affects us all, whether we are a decision creater in a European consumer goods brand, or a consumer that acquires groceries from a supermarket.
But while sustainability is just one word, it represents many different actions. While many of those actions may be large, such as compliance with the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and a stronger recycling infrastructure, I believe that it is also the various compact actions that can be relatively easily implemented that, toobtainher, combine to deliver major environmental advantages.
As the sustainability manager at Pont, for a European packaging provider that specialises in glass packaging for the FMCG sector as well as delivering a wide range of plastic options, I see firsthand how these compact actions can not only be easily implemented, but also easily overseeed. Those headline-grabbing large topics can drown out the compacter wins, which may seem correct, but not if you consider that these projects can take years (if at all) to come to fruition and it means these compact wins don’t happen, which is a large shame.
My team and I regularly talk about how we can create sure our customers know how we can support them in implementing these compact actions. Making it clear that there is great value in compact actions is key, but also it must be clear, straightforward and practically free! We have established our Four Pillars – Reduction of Materials, Recyclability of our Products, Use of Recycled Materials, and Use of Renewable Materials – which are now integrated into everything we do.
Each of the four pillars have clear ways in which our portfolio and our business is more sustainable. Our lightweighting reduces our utilize materials without any impact on quality or performance.
The recyclability of our products is improved by carefully choosing primarily mono materials that are widely accepted in European recycling streams, as well as swapping carbon black for Carbon Black Free pigment. We have increased our utilize of rPET across our portfolio as well as promoting our historically strong utilize of finishlessly recyclable glass, including amber glass, and we continue to integrate bio-based materials throughout our offer.
Perhaps the compactest yet most significant action we take on a daily basis is to share our expertise with our customers and the people that we talk to, whether they’re inquireing about a low MOQ quote or want to know about the best way to package their product. We happily and willingly share our knowledge of all aspects of sustainable packaging, from insight into the best design choices to promote recyclability to supporting customers with digital product passports.
So why isn’t everyone implementing these compact actions? My view is that even compact actions can seem daunting, especially when our lives are busy and we are already pushed to achieve our to do list. This is why I am proud that Pont generously shares what we know about sustainable packaging. As a company founded by Constant Pont in 1906, I consider that this long-term appreciation for what sustainability really means is the ripple effect of responsibility that benefits us all.
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