Green credentials can be a powerful selling tool, but PKN Packaging News editor Lindy Hughson has a word of advice for those looking to hitch a free ride on the ethical bandwagon.
If Snow White’s vain stepmother was employed in the packaging industry today, she might be posing an entirely different question to her psychic mirror. Indeed, ‘fairest’ in the 2010 context of packaging has taken on a decidedly green hue, and the rosy cheeks of our fairytale beauty would have to blush verdant in her recyclable glass coffin when the handsome Prince Sustainability happens upon her, lying resplendent in her biodegradable garb.
Fantasy aside, in the retail world, a story of a different kind is unfolding. The race is on to establish green credentials for packaging materials; credentials which will support brand owners’ marketing claims and sustainability policies alike.
As new studies are undertaken, certifications achieved, and analyses completed the companies concerned are eager to share their news with consumers, as they should be. With environmental consciousness at an all-time high, consumers are open to ideas on how they can green up their shopping act.
But when it comes to claiming environmental credentials on packaging, there’s still considerable confusion in the marketplace and it’s often not a case of comparing apples with apples, or bags with bags. One company’s ‘biodegradable’ is not always the same as another’s, especially when testing or verification is done in other markets.
One good lesson for retailers lies in the recent fracas over certain supermarket shopping bags making misleading biodegradability claims, a problem traced to the lack of consistency in testing and standards. This could have been avoided.
In the case of biodegradability claims, there is in fact a certification system in place for the Australian market, managed by the Australasian Bioplastics Association and in accordance with Australian Standard AS 4376 and European Standard EN 13432. Companies seeking to verify their claims have recourse to recognised testing labs and certification bodies that can supply the necessary certification.
Speaking more broadly about environmental claims, for retailers who have signed up to the National Packaging Covenant, they’d be aware of the covenant’s guidelines on environmental labelling and self-declared claims, which refer to the existing Australian Standard AS/NZS ISO 14021: 2000.
The revised covenant, which changes its name to the Australian Packaging Covenant and comes into effect in July 2010, incorporates new sustainable packaging guidelines that simplify what signatories have to do in order to ensure they comply with the covenant’s requirements governing green claims and sustainable packaging practices.
Meanwhile, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has released a new online guide informing businesses of their legal obligations when making claims about biodegradability, degradability or recyclability, covering plastic bags and other plastic packaging.
The ACCC makes it clear that false or misleading claims can be deemed a breach of Australia’s Trade Practices Act.
Stepping back from the legalese, what’s important to remember is that in pursuit of the sustainability ideal, and in big picture terms, the spate of stories reaching the media about environmental initiatives all collectively spell good news. The industry is starting to take sustainability seriously.
Now I won’t be so naive as to believe there’s not some degree of greenwashing going on, but I think it would be fair to say that with ACCC restrictions tightening up on claims and the revised covenant’s guidelines coming into play, there’s not a lot of scope for misleading the consumer.
Certainly, market analysts love to wax lyrical about consumers’ increasing product savviness. But they also tell us of the disconnect between consumers’ thinking and buying habits – they’re concerned about the environment, but don’t put their money where their mouth is.
A new report from independent business analyst Datamonitor puts a different spin on this though. Packaging is bridging the disconnect. Datamonitor says consumers are changing their choices to include products with reduced packaging as this is a relatively simple measure for them to take in order to translate their good intentions to action.
They can only do this if they’re aware of the retailers’ sustainability credentials, however, so brand owners are well advised to make a noise on-pack. If the claim is true and substantiated it will go a long way towards winning over the consumer, without help from a handsome prince.