And what about sustainability?
When it comes to packaging, the biggest environmental impact comes from the size, the weight, and the type of material. We are constantly working to increase the amount of recycled material used in our packaging. A few things are still a bit tricky, like removing the last little pieces of plastic remaining in some labels and laminates, but we’re aiming to get there as soon as we can.
Why is 100% plastic-free packaging tricky?
To answer that, we need to look at the bigger picture. On its journey from our factory to the shelf, the packaging is put under a lot of pressure, potential bumps, hits, and scratches. The packaging needs to protect the product while also keeping its good look. From a sustainability point of view, a product that can’t be sold because of transport damage is the worst type of waste. So small things like stickers that keep the packaging closed and laminates that protect the information on the surface are still crucial for us. But we’re working on finding plastic-free solutions for that.
There are apparently a lot of aspects to keep in mind. Does packaging deserve more time in the limelight?
I think it does. Then, of course, I’m a bit biased. But packaging really is much more complex than you might think. If our only job was to protect the product the best we can, we could just pick the most durable, heavy, and protective material we could find. It would probably be very expensive and very unsustainable. The fact that we have to consider aspects like sustainability, recyclability, size, weight, and aesthetics makes the job way more difficult and also interesting. It’s a big puzzle with very few corner pieces.
It sounds hard. How do you do it?
The thing with packaging is that you hardly notice when it’s good, only when it’s bad (if you’re not as nerdy about it as we are). But I’d say that the perfect experience is when it looks good and feels good To open. No hiccups, snags, or dead weight, just a good feeling. And most of all, easy to recycle.
