How can packaging tell a brand’s sustainability story?
Ahead of World Environment Day, we hosted our first LinkedIn Live Q&A with some of the biggest names in the glass industry. We set out to address the question every brand wants answered: with companies committing to ambitious sustainability targets over the coming decade, how can packaging help brands tell their sustainability story?
As we strive for a more sustainable future, consumers are demanding that brands make lasting changes to protect the planet. It’s a challenge shared by brands, retailers and businesses alike, and the glass industry can help them meet that call. To get a better insight into some of the key ways the glass industry and its partners are rising to the challenge, we invited Michel Giannuzzi, CEO of Verallia and President of FEVE, and Sandrine Sommer, Moët-Hennessy’s Chief Sustainability Officer, to join FEVE’s Secretary General Adeline Farrelly for a live discussion on June 4 2021.
Did you miss the session? Tune in on LinkedIn – or read our rundown on the top four themes that emerged.
Failure to engage with sustainability is a reputational risk
Sustainability is on the rise as consumers increasingly evaluate the impact of the products they buy and the choices they make every day. We’re seeing that consumers are changing the way that they discover, purchase and consume products. And according to Michel Giannuzzi, companies face real reputational risks if they fail to meet their public sustainability goals and help consumers live in line with their values.
Brands are looking to their supply partners to help meet consumer expectations on sustainability
According to Sandrine Sommer, the first priority for businesses is to mitigate climate change. She’s convinced that it’s our responsibility to have a positive impact on the planet, putting the onus on companies to reduce their carbon emissions and prioritise renewable energy. When it comes to the luxury industry, there’s a growing need to meet consumer expectations of sustainability: among French consumers, an estimated 77% are ready to turn away from luxury brands if the packaging isn’t environmentally friendly.
What’s more, when it comes to packaging and branding, Sandrine pointed out the importance of maintaining an eco-design mentality: avoiding excessive secondary packaging, reducing the weight of bottles, using more and more recycled glass for luxury goods like champagne, and continuing to work on reducing energy consumption with partners.
“Sustainability is key for Moet-Hennessy and our ambition is to become an inspiring leader of sustainability for luxury wine and spirits. We think it’s a business opportunity to meet consumer expectations, and our duty to engage our community for the common good.” – Sandrine Sommer
Glass packaging can help companies rise to the challenge
Glass isn’t just a beautiful material with a premium feel. It’s also an inert material with strong safety benefits, and it’s 100% recyclable and made from materials found in nature – sand, soda ash and limestone, along with recycled glass. What’s more, it’s infinitely recyclable and can be reused, with minimal impact on the environment. Through initiatives like the breakthrough Furnace for the Future decarbonisation technology and Close the Glass Loop recycling action platform, the glass industry has been working hard over the last few years on a long-term transformation to become carbon neutral and scale up our use of recycled cullet content.
“At Verallia, we started by getting our carbon reduction target validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative. We’ve committed to investing close to €200 million in the next decade to move to a less carbon-intensive process.” – Michel Giannuzzi
By choosing to package their products in glass, companies can enhance their sustainability footprint – not just by contributing to reducing packaging waste, but also saving raw materials and protecting consumers’ health through the use of non-toxic materials.
The Glass Hallmark can help brands tell their sustainability story
Lastly, we need to keep championing the endless potential of glass to consumers. That’s why the brand-new Glass Hallmark was created as a symbol to easily communicate brands’ sustainability commitments to consumers. The hallmark symbolizes brands’ efforts to use resources wisely, recycle, maintain product quality and protect the health of the planet, people and society. It also aims to remind consumers of the unlimited benefits and infinite recycling potential of glass.
Did you find these topics insightful? Do you think that brands are headed in the right direction? Head over to LinkedIn and let us know! To keep up-to-date with the latest trends in the glass industry or our upcoming Q&As, don’t forget to follow our new LinkedIn account: @glasshallmark.
