Eco-Packaging As A Viable Brand Building Tool

In 2018, much before the coronavirus brought travel to a standstill, the Good Earth design team took a trip to Soneva Fushi in Maldives. The reason: The resort has a deep commitment to sustainability and recycles and repurposes almost all waste generated.

This inspired the team to re-look at how our products are packed and delivered, says Anupama Gupta, chief operating officer, Good Earth. Since then, we have researched and experimented with various packaging materials.

Good Earth started by introducing the crumping process, for which it uses 70% recycled paper and 30% virgin craft paper. Today, we are on our way to instituting sustainable packaging across our product universe,says Gupta.

Finding its place

When it comes to packaging, it seems the bubble (wrap) has burst. According to Acumen Research and Consulting, a global market intelligence firm, global sustainable packaging market is expected to reach around $255 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 7% over the forecast period of 2019-26.

A June 2021 report by the Metal Container Manufacturers Association (MCMA) said that the sustainable packaging industry in India is expected to grow by 4-6% and reach around 770-800 kilo tonnes (KT) by 2024.

Fashion commentator Namrata Zakaria feels that brands are no longer built by the four Ps of marketing "product, price, placement and promotion. People and planet count too. And thanks to rising customer awareness, they matter the most, she says.

While consumers have been ethically buying for a while now, Zakaria says it time FMCGs did their bit. They only have a recycling sign as a request to the consumer. Which basically means, that they damage the environment by using mass and cheap quality packaging, but it your job to recycle and clean it up for them, she says.

Consumption vs consciousness
Writer and beauty content creator Vasudha Rai social media post promoting sustainability went viral in 2019 when she shared a picture standing alongside stacked gift boxes, with the message that she would no longer be accepting free beauty products as PR gifts.

Rai feels the onus of packaging needs to be shifted from the consumer to the companies. Consumption is never 100% sustainable. True sustainability will come when we close that loop of consumption. Companies need to address what happens to the bottle once the product is over. Only then can the circle of consumption will be closed.

For instance, Kirti Poonia of rural artisans-led brand Okhai has shifted to 100% compostable packaging in the past two years despite the cost increasing almost five times.

Although committed to the cause of sustainability, Poonia says there are also multiple challenges with compostable packaging. Most of it is not home compostable and India has only eight industrial composting units. So, we are discovering loopholes as we discover the solution, says Poonia, adding, If you are a sustainable fashion brand, packaging is a key aspect. The brand cannot align with sustainability values if the delivery mechanism is unsustainable.

Rai, however, says that sustainability in consumption is a massive grey area.

According to Prateek Gupte, who founded Mumbai-based refill and reuse company Restore, India generates more than 25,940 tonnes of plastic waste every single day and 40% of this is from packaging alone. Recycling cannot solve this problem for two reasons: Recycling downgrades the quality of the plastic and second, it is not economically viable. We are in desperate need of more solutions, Gupte says, adding, Today, beauty comes at the cost of the planet not looking good.

At 10% CAGR, plastic usage in India is set to double over the next five to 10 years.

Beauty spot
For fashion and beauty businesses, says Zakaria, sustainable packaging is a good look.

And that probably why beauty businesses are looking within for a change of look. Enter brands like asa, which has a refillable programme for all its products.

Skincare brand Ilana has also started an initiative, #emptiestoearth, where it encourages customers to return their empties to the brand.

Samrath Bedi, executive director of Forest Essentials, says that by switching bottling of formulations in eco-friendly PET bottles and glass jars, they have reduced plastic usage by 70%.

Occitane as a group has pledged that by 2025, 100% of its bottles will be made out of 100% recycled plastic, and 100% of owned stores will offer a recycling service.

According to Harsh Agarwal of Jaipur-based luxury menswear brand HARAGO, shifting to sustainable packaging can help boost brand image. helps boost six months ago. Consumers now call out brands and tell them right from wrong, he says, adding that they shifted to eco-friendly packaging six months ago despite the cost going up by Rs 10 per shipment. This small change contributed towards a positive brand image, as our customers noticed the change and pointed it out.

Social media has played a role as well. In July 2021, the Flipkart Group (that includes Flipkart and Myntra) announced its tie-up with not-for-profit environmental organization Canopy for sustainable packaging� a move that won brownie points on social media.

More than the social currency, says Hemant Sagar, co-founder and designer of Genes Lecoanet Hemant, it a way to showcase brand image. Packaging definitely is a big part of communicating brand values and helps position the identity. But the discourse should be focused on responsible packaging instead of greenwashing. People do notice packaging now because who made the product and how it was made matters, he adds.

Filling the void
Small businesses are thinking better. Haresh Mirpuri, creative director of handcrafted bags company Aranyani, started the brand in 2016 with a focus on nine key goals from the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Businesses like sleepwear brand Dandelion, designers Saaksha & Kinni and shoe brand Fizzy Goblet reuse factory waste to create packaging, minimise plastic use within the brand and urge customers to repurpose boxes. Resort-wear brand Summer Somewhere has shifted to FSC-certified, acid-free paper that uses soy-based ink, as its compostable.

Meghna Goyal, founder of Summer Somewhere, says, Today's consumer is more educated and demand transparency from companies that they're associating themselves with. We have so many consumers reaching out to us for more details on our sustainable practices.

Zakaria says that it's important to note that all change comes about only when consumers ask for it. eConsumers must reject companies that aren't doing it right. They must refuse to buy products that are filled in plastic bottles or boxes or wrapped in plastic.

The revolution is on paper now.

BOX 1: PACK OF WOES
A march 2021 Mintel report reveals that two-thirds of Indians (72%) are aware of and concerned about the issue of single-use plastic.

Four in five Indians (79%) say there very little information on reducing packaging waste.

As many as 39% of Indian consumers expect brands to reduce the amount of plastics used in packaging.

44% say more brands should implement sustainability practices.

According to Mintel Global New Products Database, 82% of food launches in India in the past five years have used plastics as a primary packaging material

BOX 2: THE BIGGIES
On September 1, 2021, packaging company EPL Limited announced that it has partnered with Colgate-Palmolive India to produce recyclable Platina toothpaste tubes in India.

On June 29, 2020, Amazon India announced that it has eliminated all single-use plastic in packaging originating from its over 50 fulfilment centres in the country.

By 2025, Unilever plans to make all of its plastic packaging fully reusable, recyclable or compostable.

L'Oral Paris plans to make 100% of its packaging refillable or compostable by 2025.

Dior, too, has revealed its new perfume products that are refillable.

Nykaa has set up a recycling system for packaging.

Procter & Gamble (P&G) India produces 25% of its shampoo and conditioner bottles with ocean plastic.

In 2019, Hindustan Unilever (HUL), announced that it will halve the use of virgin plastic by 2025.

Box 3: Beyond the cotton bag
A recent report in The New York Times titled The Cotton Tote Crisis said that an organic cotton tote needs to be used 20,000 times to offset its overall impact of production, according to a 2018 study by the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark. That equates to daily use for 54 years" for just one bag.