Unfortunately, packaging data potholes are creating a bumpy journey
Nobody could accuse the CPG sector of not wanting to evolve, committing to change, nor making some real strides towards consumer packaging sustainability in the past few years.
Many firms set ambitious 2025 consumer packaging sustainability targets. Nestle, Unilever and Mondelez pledged to slash their use of virgin plastic. Kellogg’s, Mars Petcare, Kraft Heinz aimed for entirely reusable or recyclable packaging.
Unfortunately, making those changes a reality has proved incredibly hard. Colgate-Palmolive, PepsiCo and Unilever are the latest to revise their targets, despite launching innovative ideas such as recyclable Colgate toothpaste tubes, bagless snack multipacks and refillable stainless steel Dove deodorant cases respectively, alongside many other innovations.
Missing the mark on consumer packaging sustainability aims
Gartner said three years ago that 90% of public sustainable packaging commitments won’t be met by 2025. Analysts cited indiscriminate selection of goals, as well as an over-reliance on single use plastics and non-recyclable plastics.
In 2024 we have seen a slew of admissions by major CPG organisations that they are indeed falling behind where they wanted to be. Many brand owners are set to miss their packaging sustainability targets.
If the giants of the CPG world are struggling, the rest are certainly struggling too. Because these larger corporations should be significantly further ahead on understanding and tracking their use of materials. They should have highly integrated enterprise-wide information systems and good packaging data governance – although this is not always nearly as comprehensive as one might assume. Smaller firms can have an even harder time, with less sophisticated IT systems and more disjointed processes.
The problem is, intention is not enough. Vision is not enough. Innovation is not enough. An effective change journey requires a firm place to stand at the start, before you set a destination and can track your progress towards it.
The starting point for consumer packaging sustainability change
Many CPG companies lack the very foundation for effective, continuous and deliberate change: complete, centralised, accurate and accessible visibility of data about their current use of plastics, recyclable and compostable materials.
Without the knowledge of exactly what they do today, and how, across their entire product range, knowing where to start is left to guesswork, rather than informed decisions. Teams everywhere are often challenged to change, but unable to collaborate for change together because they do not share the same knowledge and information.
4Pack helps CPG businesses gather up that knowledge and make it accessible, and actionable.
Change is about more than vision
The leaders of many CPG organisations, large and small, have unquestionably bought into the vision of a more sustainable future, for products as well as packaging.
Visions of consumer packaging sustainability
Check out some of these powerful packaging sustainability statements and strategies:
Nestle packaging sustainability strategy
Kellogg’s packaging sustainability strategy
Unilever plastic packaging sustainability strategy
Mondelez packaging sustainability strategy
Mars packaging sustainability strategy
P&G waste and packaging sustainability strategy
Yet, experts all agree that to create effective change requires more than a vision of the future. It also needs information, which is used to set achievable objectives, against which progress can be monitored. Everyone involved needs to have the same information, in order to be able to collaborate around those objectives. While reporting successful change requires you to compare your end point with where you began. A structured, measurable and consistent environment is essential.
Centralised packaging data management creates a connected, consistent environment
Without easy and consistent access to products and packaging data and specifications, and efficient workflows around them, it is hard to see how any CPG can create truly actionable plans for change, make them happen. They will struggle to be transparent about progress to their consumers or stakeholders. As well report accurately to governments that are demanding that packaging producers own up to and pay for the impacts of their waste.
Implementing a centralised packaging data management solution with 4Pack delivers a consistent source of truth about products and packaging, which not only enables effective control, consistency and compliance across the organisation but also enables it to connect and align critical workflows and decision-making processes.
