Welcome to the Solutions Database,
a guide to technologies, strategies, and best practices for reducing plastic waste

Choose your solution

Eliminate plastic

Minimize plastic

Reuse models

Paper

Compostable

Glass

Metal

More recyclable formats

Enhance recyclability

Bio-based content

Mechanically recycled content

Chemically recycled content

Minimize Plastic

Once a packaging system has been designed to be as reusable, recyclable, or compostable as possible, any remaining plastic packaging material should be minimized. There are three main techniques for minimizing the plastic packaging per item without sacrificing packaging functionality or user convenience: (a) minimizing the size/shape of packaging (reduce over-packaging); (b) minimizing the thickness/weight of packaging (smart-weighting); and (c) shifting to concentrates that require less packaging.

All these solutions, particularly smart-weighting, need to be carefully assessed to avoid compromising the overall system outcomes due to unintended consequences, such as impeded recyclability, increased leakage, or inadequate product protection.

Developing appropriate packaging design is about finding the balance between unnecessary over-packaging and ineffective underpackaging. In contrast to eliminated packaging, minimized packaging still needs to be collected, sorted, and recycled/reused/composted. (3).

Best Practice

Guidance on ambition level: An ambitious plastic minimization target for highly applicable packaging types, such as multi-wrapping (if elimination is not an option), is 80% by 2030. Achieving this target will often require productvand/or packaging redesign, such as switching from six-pack wraps to multi-pack handles (e.g., Nature Multi Pack by KHS). Shifting to a concentrated product (e.g., concentrated all-purpose cleaners) could make even higher minimization ambition levels possible.
After a careful assessment of recyclability, ambitious smart-weighting can minimize around 30% of plastics. For example, ALPLA recorded a 28% material reduction by light-weighting milk bottles while WRAP reports a 30% material reduction in stretch film following the simple modification of existing equipment (15). In other cases-, only a 10-15% material reduction is feasible, for example reducing the size of liner back seals by utilizing a new sealing approach (e.g.,Marks & Spencer salad packaging (15)).

Guidance on different packaging formats: Minimization is currently most applicable for the following types of packaging:

Bottled products such as beverages, cleaning, and personal care products; PET/HDPE/LDPE/PP bottles for syrup or other condiments; and trays and pots used for products like yogurt, fruit, and vegetables – high potential.
Stretch wrapping used for fruit and vegetable and other wrapping, pouches, and plastic bags such as for bread – moderate to high potential.

Costs

Minimizing packaging material leads to reduced packaging costs for businesses through efficiency savings. Plastic IQ estimates a 100% cost saving for each ton of plastic packaging reduced via minimization. However, packaging redesign and innovation may incur initial R&D costs that are not quantified in the Plastic IQ tool but should be evaluated by companies.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

If done right, reducing the quantity of packaging material eliminates the GHG emissions associated with the “reduced” plastic and does not cause any unintended increases in emissions. This equates to 4 metric tons less CO2e per metric ton of plastic reduced.

But it is crucial to make sure that packaging minimization does not cause unintended consequences, such as increased food waste or a need for more secondary packaging to ensure product protection, both of which can increase GHG emissions. While the 100% GHG savings potential refers to the plastic material saved, other emission-related processes – including after-use transportation, sorting, recycling, or cleaning (for reusable packaging) – may not result in the same level of GHG savings.

Solutions and Case Studies

Detailed solutions, applicability per plastic type, and case studies are available for each of the minimization approaches:

Reduce overpackaging (e.g., reduction of unnecessary headspace or cap sizes)
Smart-weighting (e.g., thinner bottles or pouches)
Make the product more concentrated (e.g., shampoo or lemonade concentrate)

Key Benefits

Cost reduction: By minimizing packaging size and/or weight, business costs for packaging and transportation can be reduced. (8)
Meeting shifting consumer expectations: Minimizing over-packaging can score an important win with certain consumers. Over-packaged items may even turn more ecoconscious consumers off. However, the new packaging should still meet consumer expectations for functionality and user experience. (14)
Reduced environmental impacts: By achieving material savings and improving the efficiency per individual packaging, plastic minimization can reduce GHG emissions from plastic production, transportation of products and waste, use of natural resources, and land use space associated with disposal.

How to make it work

Think from a system perspective: reusability, recyclability, compostability first. If a packaging system is already reusable, recyclable, or compostable, minimizing material may be beneficial under certain conditions (see points below). If not, focus first on making packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable to improve its overall performance in the system, rather than minimizing a material without a system for after-use in place.
Avoid unintended consequences: by leveraging machine & packaging technology and design insights. Strike a balance between unnecessary overpackaging and ineffective underpackaging by checking product requirements to identify any “over-requirements” in product protection (e.g., shelf life, protection against contaminants, maintaining freshness), tamper resistance, packaging quality, pack appeal, or convenience when planning where to decrease material input.
Ensure recyclability: of minimized packaging formats. A heavier, recyclable rigid plastic may be more circular, and therefore more sustainable than a non-recyclable, lighter, multi-material. The costs of collecting and recycling complex, lightweight multi-material formats may exceed the revenue from recycling them and, if that results in this packaging not getting collected and/or recycled, the overall system outcomes can be worse than for heavier but more recyclable packaging.
Consider logistical aspects: Different forms of packaging may handle and store differently. Reducing primary packaging can lead to additional protection from secondary or tertiary packaging being required. Aim to optimize the total system rather than only the primary packaging usage. In some cases, secondary and tertiary packaging can offer great packaging savings opportunities, which should be taken into account even if they are beyond the scope of the project.

Enabling system conditions

Government policy and support: Policies such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes may incentivize a reduction in packaging use.
Consumer acceptance: In particular for solutions that amend the product itself, for example by shifting to concentrates, changes require the engagement and acceptance of consumers to be successfully adopted.
Supply chain collaboration: Collaborating with supply chain partners can be necessary to innovate and scale minimization solutions, such as the development of more concentrated products.
Mindset shift of packaging designers: The view on how much packaging is needed is changing. Many companies are starting to question the need for packaging in different applications, encouraging them to minimize plastics to the necessary amount. It is imperative that packaging designers also adopt this lens when designing products and packaging (3).

Examples and case studies

Aqua Life from Danone label-free bottles: An embossed water bottle, eliminating the label and, reducing the amount of packaging components. The barcode that was previously on the label has been integrated into the cap. The embossed bottle was launched as a pilot in Bali in early 2019, and is now available in Jakarta and Surabaya with plans to expand distribution.

Welcome to the Solutions Database, a guide to technologies, strategies, and best practices for reducing plastic waste

Choose your solution

Minimize Plastic

References and Further Reading

Welcome to the Solutions Database,
a guide to technologies, strategies, and best practices for reducing plastic waste