This series is an insight-driven look at environmental issues facing the CPG industry. Each month, we survey media, handpick relevant stories, and interpret them for you. Sustainability Watch aims to spark conversation and inspire the CPG industry to help solve the planet's environmental problems.

Welcome to the tenth edition of Invok's Sustainability Watch series. We share relevant news and insights on the CPG industry's pressing issues here. We hope these articles will spark conversations among your team and inspire you to consider how our industry can participate in long-term solutions to environmental problems. 

Recycling “Check” Launched to Help U.S. Consumers Understand Local Recycling Capabilities

The Recycling Partnership is a mission-driven NGO “committed to advancing a circular economy by building a better recycling system,” and has just announced the launch of the Recycle Check – a “package-specific labelling platform providing up-to-date recycling information directly to U.S. consumers.”

The new platform, powered by a centralized database covering 97% of the U.S. population, allows shoppers to quickly and easily determine whether a specific product is recyclable in their area by entering their ZIP code or sharing their mobile phones' location. Another great thing about Recycling Check is its compatibility with existing label systems already being used on thousands of products, such as How2Recycle® and SmartLabel.

General Mills and Horizon Organic were singled out as early adopters of the program as part of the announcement. Patrick Keenan, Packaging Sustainability Research and Development, General Mills, stated, “We are excited to leverage this technology to localize the consumer experience and see this as a collaborative step to making the recycling system more efficient.” It makes perfect sense – utilize existing technology to not only educate shoppers and drive brand engagement but also empower them to recycle properly. It’s a win-win and something we hope more brands will take advantage of.

Learn more here: PackagingDive

Canadian Grocery Stores Still Full of Single-Use Plastic

After auditing more than 40,000 products in Canadian grocery stores, the Canadian environmental organization, Environmental Defence, has published a report called Holding the Bag. In it, the organization outlines the ongoing prevalence of single-use plastic packaging in Canadian grocery stores.

Their research found that 64% of products in a typical grocery store are packaged in plastic. Baby food scores the highest at 76%, followed by produce at 71% and pet food at 66%. While the high percentage of plastic in the produce section may seem surprising at first, the report points out that “grocery stores incentivize the purchase of plastic-wrapped produce: the price per weight of whole fruits and vegetables is cheaper when the produce is pre-packaged in multiples than when it is sold unpackaged.”

This explains why more than half of the four million tonnes of plastic discarded in Canada each year is plastic packaging. With over 3 million tonnes of plastic waste being thrown away each year in Canada (equivalent to the weight of roughly 23 CN Towers), only 9% is actually recycled.[1]

All in all, about 85% of that plastic packaging is not recyclable. Though consumers want to make sustainable purchases, price, quality, and convenience are still clearly top of mind. This means that it is essential for governments and businesses to help push consumers in the right direction by making environmentally friendly purchases more accessible and appealing to consumers.   

Along with their findings, Environmental Defence has presented a series of recommendations for both governments and retailers:

Governments:

1.     Ban plastic packaging material that is not recycled at scale and has no prospect of effective and safe recycling.

2.     Require refill and reuse of 30 percent of retail packaging by 2030.

3.     Set a legal requirement for labelling of hazardous chemicals in products, including food packaging in the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act or other law.

4.     Urgently assess chemicals used in packaging, including bisphenols and phthalates, with the aim to eliminate whole classes of hazardous chemicals from food packaging.

5.     Improve transparency of formulations of chemicals used in food packaging to facilitate safe recyclability and elimination of hazardous substances in contact with food.

6.     Set high targets for the safe and environmentally-sound recycling of plastic packaging.

Retailers:

1.     Eliminate packaging for at least 90 percent of produce and encourage the use of reusable produce bags.

2.     Eliminate the use of plastic packaging for foods marketed to babies and toddlers.

3.     Phase out the use of plastic pouches, wrappers, and films for all products.

4.     Introduce or scale up reuse and refill opportunities, including return-to-retail of containers for food marketed to babies and young children and prepared foods in the produce section.

5.     Be transparent about the additives used in the packaging of food products and require this information from suppliers. [2]

What do you think about their recommendations? We would love to hear your thoughts on how brands can better drive sustainability efforts.  

[1] https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/managing-reducing-waste/reduce-plastic-waste.html

[2] https://environmentaldefence.ca/report/left-holding-the-bag-plastic-packaging-in-grocery-stores/, Accessed June 12, 2024.

Source: Advanced Recycling Opportunities for Growth - McKinsey & Company