Toward sustainable goods flows: A framework from a packaging perspective

Purpose of this paper The purpose of this paper is to explore the role and potential of packaging in order to obtain more sustainable goods flows. Design/methodology/approach An explorative research approach based on case survey methodology in which description, exploration and analysis of 34 reported cases are made. The empirical focus is goods flows in fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) supply chains. Findings The insights presented highlights and provides guidance on the pros and cons packaging provides for sustainable goods flows in the FMCG industry. Research limitations/implications (if applicable) Based on knowledge and insights about the flows of goods and tomorrows requirements on sustainable societies, this paper reports on insights for making the goods flows in the FMCG industry sustainable based on a packaging perspective. The research has focused on FMCG goods flows, starting with the inbound flow of packaging at the product filler and ending at the retail outlet. Practical implications (if applicable) The insights can guide organisations to consider and reflect on how and when packaging enables or hinder sustainability aspects of goods flows. Extra effort should be on designing packaging system solutions that mitigate the negative effects of non-consumed products. What is original/value of paper While several studies have reported on the sustainability impact of logistics, transportation or supply chain structures, the perspective of packaging is rarely treated, neither in theory nor in practise. With a packaging perspective, the assessment of goods flows in supply chains is integrative, since packaging is naturally built on the intersection of logistics, marketing, sales, ergonomics and environmental considerations

Bra förpackning skyddar och säljer i hållbart system

Förpackningar ses ofta som en belastning för miljön och något ont som ska minimeras. Ny forskning visar att det tvärtom finns tillfällen då det är motiverat att öka mängden förpackningsmaterial, exempelvis när man kan minska spillet. Tvärvetenskapligt framtagna sätt att förpacka varor kan bidra till en hållbar utveckling och öka marginalerna för handeln. Nyckeln till effektiva varuflöden är välfyllda lastytrymmen och välanpassade förpackningssystem

The greenhouse gas profile of a “Hungry Planet”:quantifying the impacts of the weekly food purchases including associated packaging and food waste of three families

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) have estimated that 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted across the supply chain, while food security emerges as one of the leading challenges facing a growing global population. Life cycle assessment (LCA) can illustrate the environmental implications of food production, consumption and waste. In 2005, Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio presented a photographic study in “Hungry Planet – What the World Eats” documenting what thirty families across twenty-four countries ate during the course of one week. The weekly food purchasing inventories of three of these families have been combined with LCA data to report the greenhouse gas intensity of these food purchases. The greenhouse gas emission profile including those of 128 varieties of fresh food, along with data on packaging material production and household food waste, have been used in the calculations. The paper will present the findings illustrating the contribution each component has: food, packaging and food waste; and will also discuss the implications for food packaging desig