Driven by consumer demand and evolving legislation, the pet industry is embracing alternative packaging. “Reduce, reuse, recycle” is top of mind for both consumers and pet food producers when it comes to packaging.
Packaging protects the pet food’s shelf life and flavor characteristics. When planning pet food packaging materials, being aware of the lifecycle and circular recovery path of those materials can help pet food producers and consumers make environmental choices while avoiding “greenwashing” – false or misleading statements about the positive environmental impact of a product.
Greenwashing can convey a false impression or provide misleading information about the environmental benefits of a product, service or company. This may include making exaggerated environmental claims, using vague language, or emphasizing small environmental successes while ignoring significant negative impacts. The goal of greenwashing is often to attract environmentally conscious consumers without making significant changes to reduce environmental damage.
Consumers are increasingly environmentally conscious
Mary Jo Werlein, senior packaging manager – sustainability at Adept Group, a packing and engineering consulting company, will speak with Katie Ireland, packaging engineer with CRB, during Petfood Forum in Kansas City this spring on the topic of pet food packaging sustainability and how to avoid greenwashing claims on pet food packaging.
When it comes to packaging pet food, sustainability needs to be top of mind for these three reasons, says Werlein.
- Environmental impact: Packaging in the pet food industry contributes a large portion of the waste. Adopting sustainable packaging helps reduce the environmental footprint of the industry by minimizing the use of plastic, promoting recyclability, and reducing overall waste generation.
- Consumer awareness: Modern consumers are increasingly environmentally conscious. Sustainable packaging aligns with the values of pet owners looking for ecofriendly products. It can enhance brand image, attract a wider customer base, and foster loyalty among environmentally conscious consumers.
- Regulatory compliance: As governments and regulatory bodies focus more on environmental regulations, adopting sustainable packaging will help the pet food industry stay compliant with changing standards. This proactive approach minimizes the risk of legal challenges and ensures long-term viability.
Werlein and Ireland say having a plan can help avoid greenwashing claims on your packaging. Things like backing up your environmental claims with evidence and data and avoiding exaggerated or misleading claims go a long way in clearly communicating the environmental attributes of your food product. of pets.
What’s next for pet food packaging?
The shift towards recyclable monomaterial packaging, post-consumer recycled material (PCR) and renewable resin continues to gain momentum. Compostable packaging options are also expanding.
“The world is good at recycling paper, glass and metal,” Ireland said. “The circularity development of plastics outside of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) is the next big change.”
Werlein and Ireland shared this list of what’s next for pet food packaging:
- Degradable materials: Advances in the development of truly biodegradable materials that are environmentally friendly could revolutionize packaging sustainability. Research in this area aims to create alternatives to traditional plastics, reducing the persistence of packaging waste.
- Circular economy models: Adopting circular economy principles involves designing packaging that can be easily recycled, reused or reused. Future developments may focus on creating packaging systems that are seamlessly integrated into circular supply chains, minimizing the need for new raw materials.
- Smart packaging: Integrating packaging technology to improve sustainability is a promising area of development. Smart packaging may include sensors to monitor product freshness, reduce food waste, or indicators that help consumers make informed choices about recycling or disposal.
- Alternative sources: Research into alternative sourcing for packaging materials, such as plant-based or renewable resources, is ongoing. The hope is to find materials that are not only sustainable but also economically viable and scalable for large-scale production.
- Reducing packaging weight and volume: Innovations in materials and design can lead to packaging that is lightweight yet robust, reducing the overall environmental impact associated with transportation and storage. This can contribute to saving energy and reducing the carbon footprint.
- Innovative recycling technologies: Advances in recycling technologies, including chemical recycling and improved sorting processes, can improve the efficiency of recycling systems. This can enable the recycling of a wider range of materials and reduce the amount of packaging that ends up in landfills.
Consumer education, awareness is needed
Future developments in pet food packaging will also involve an increased focus on educating consumers about sustainable packaging choices and encouraging behavior that supports recycling and responsible disposal. Improved consumer awareness may drive demand for sustainable packaging solutions.
“The trailing arrows around a number don’t indicate it’s recyclable, it just clarifies the type of plastic resin used,” Ireland explains. “The ability to separate the resins and reuse them as primary barriers will be important to the lifecycle of oil-based plastics and the impact on our environment.”
Educating consumers to identify the right materials for function, use/reuse/recycling for products in all industries is crucial for sustainable living today and for our future generations, added Ireland .
“I hope that more research is done to understand how and what we do affects us as humans and our environment so that we can help eliminate the sources and causes of the harmful effects on our bodies, our environment, animals and ecosystems,” he concluded.
Katie Ireland and Mary Jo Werlein will speak at the Petfood Forum on Tuesday, April 30, in Kansas City. Their session, Identification and prevention of greenwashing in packaging sustainability, will offer tips on how to plan and apply packaging sustainability to your pet food products while avoiding greenwashing to succeed in today’s market. For more information, visit petfoodforumevents.com.
