Involving consumers At the most recent London Packaging Week, as part of a panel discussion, Michelle Atkinson,
Senior Global Breakthrough
Innovation Lead – Sustainable Solutions at Diageo, highlighted the fact that consumers are now more aware than ever of climate change and its implications. “Consumers care about the planet, they care about climate change, and they want to be more sustainable in the way they live, but there’s a gap between what they say they want and what they actually purchase,” she says. “In the drinks industry, we’ve seen that, while 68% of consumers express a desire to buy sustainable products, only 12% do so.” Her points raise some important questions
‘what prevents consumers from following barrier is considered to be the huge array of choices available in the marketplace. For many consumers, the sheer volume of options can lead to decision fatigue, making it challenging to prioritise sustainability amidst a myriad of factors such as price, convenience, and brand loyalty. Another speaker on the panel, Cory Connors,
Director of Sustainable
Packaging at Orora Packaging Solutions, highlighted the clutter of symbols often found on packaging today, which can confuse consumers rather than aid them. “During an event last year, a poll asked
Traditionally, most confectionery wrappers contribute to pollution and waste due to the fact that they cannot be recycled using traditional methods because of their often- complex composition. Lyon Baker,
Content Manager at
Brightmark, explained that, unlike plastic, paper, glass, or aluminum – which can be easily separated and repurposed – candy wrappers often contain a combination process them.
Food residue or contaminants on the wrappers can further complicate the recycling process. As a result, most recycling programs either don’t accept candy wrappers often requiring them to be placed in separate bins or dropped off at specialised recycling facilities.
Fortunately, there are now alternative candy wrapper options available that are more environmentally conscious. Nestlé, for example, is exploring biodegradable materials,
compostable materials, and
recyclable paper. Additionally, consumers can opt for candy that comes in recyclable
packaging, such as aluminium, cardboard, paper, or plastic. Here Reese’s, Dots, Nerds, Mars bars, Junior Mints, and most gummy snacks, offer good examples.
While traditional recycling facilities need help processing candy wrappers due to their complex material composition and small size, advanced recycling technologies do offer a promising solution. These specialised facilities employ techniques like pyrolysis – a process involving the separation of covalent bonds in organic matter by thermal decomposition within an inert environment without oxygen – which is able to break down the wrappers into their original building blocks, which can then be repurposed into new products. For example, Brightmark’s Plastics Renewal technology can recycle all plastic types, candy wrappers, and convert it into a single output that can be used to create new circular products.
Small steps, big impact
While recycling candy wrappers cannot solve the entire confectionery waste problem, it is a small step that can make a
consumers about 27 different packaging symbols, and they only recognised one. We have these symbols now which are on packaging because people assume they will mean something to somebody but actually all it does is create a lot of noise,” he says. This lack of recognition highlights the need for standardisation in sustainability messaging.
Another vital aspect of aligning with eco- conscious consumers is also education as many consumers today are eager to learn about sustainability and the implications of their purchasing decisions. However, there remains a knowledge gap that needs to be addressed. Going forwards, brands have an opportunity to educate their consumers about the impact of their choices, empowering them to make informed decisions. It is important to engage consumers in a dialogue about sustainability, helping them understand the
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Widening recycling options for wrapper
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