Reducing packaging waste: a target for companies in 2025?
Have you ever ordered a small item on Amazon, only to receive it wrapped in a plastic bag and then placed in a box ten times too big? Or bought a packet of pasta which, once opened, turned out to be half empty?
Although commonplace, these experiences are fuelling consumer outrage, against a backdrop of growing pressure to take action on global warming.
Behind consumer expectations, increasingly stringent regulations are also forcing companies to rethink their business models.
In France, the "3R" decree (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) requires a 20% reduction in single-use plastic packaging by 2025. At least half of this reduction must be achieved through reuse.
At European level, the Green Deal reinforces this dynamic, requiring all packaging to be reusable or recyclable by 2030.
For many companies, this transition has become a priority. Since 2019, for example, the giant Amazon has avoided the use of more than a billion plastic delivery bags in its European network, points out Olivier Pellegrini, director of the user delivery experience and sustainable development program at Amazon.
Another example is the growing number of supermarket shelves dedicated to bulk products. All signs that retailers are ready to rethink their business models and offer more sustainable solutions.
In the pharmaceutical sector, reducing GHG-generating packaging while meeting safety requirements is a major challenge. However, some initiatives are proving that this change is possible.
For example, for its flu vaccines, Sanofi is gradually replacing its PVC blisters with cardboard. The group aims to eliminate 300 tonnes of plastic per year from all its vaccine packaging by 2027. This initiative is a response to the challenge posed by blister packs, which account for 40% of pharmaceutical packaging in France and cannot be recycled due to their plastic-aluminum composition.
The cosmetics industry is also committed to reducing packaging. For example, L'Oréal is developing cardboard shampoo packaging to reduce the use of plastic.
For their part, many perfume chains now encourage their customers to bring their empty bottles back to the store for refilling or recycling.
These initiatives to reduce packaging waste through refilling, recycling and eco-design practices are part of a more global strategy by the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries to promote ecological transition and decarbonization.
In the food industry, where packaging is essential, alternatives to polluting materials are being developed.
The Bel group, famous for its Kiri, The Laughing Cow and Boursin brands, is working to replace its aluminum packaging with 100% paper. After four years of research, a new paper packaging for Kiri will be tested from 2026 in France.
Other chains are opting for packaging made from plant fibers such as sugar cane or corn, robust bio-sourced alternatives that reduce dependence on fossil plastics, which have a major ecological cost.
Technological innovations, alternative materials, logistics optimization: there are many ways to limit the environmental impact of packaging waste.
For companies in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics or agri-food sectors wishing to integrate these changes, our supply chain transition management offer is a major ally.
Contact us on 01 46 04 52 77 or on our company contact.