Speciality Food Magazine -November/December 2025

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 19 specialityfoodmagazine.com PACKAGING FOR PEOPLE & PLANET So much more than a simple vessel for goods, smart packaging bridges the gap between supply chain and consumer experience – so is a valuable place to begin your sustainable evolution P erhaps the aspect of sustainable supply that consumers understand best, packaging can be one of the most underrated elements of a forward-thinking supply chain. Often an afterthought rather than a carefully considered cog in the wheel, it’s well worth investing time into curating your packaging portfolio to ensure that it benefits everyone in the chain – from the planet to the end consumer. For Alex Jackson, sales and marketing director at Icertech, packaging plays a key, vital role in sustainable supply chains system Packaging is often one of the most visible indicators of a company’s sustainability commitments. On the surface, we tend to focus on what packaging is made from – is it paper or plastic? In reality, packaging’s role within a sustainable supply chain goes far beyond material choice. In a truly sustainable supply chain, packaging is designed not just to move products from A to B, but to minimise waste, reduce emissions, and prevent product damage, ultimately lowering the number of returns and the associated environmental impact. When done well, packaging becomes a key enabler of efficiency and circularity, supporting both environmental goals and commercial performance. Both businesses and consumers recognise the value of sustainable packaging. In fact, consumers are often among the strongest drivers of change, challenging brands to improve their environmental performance. For businesses, however, there are barriers that aren’t always visible to the end user, from cost pressures and supply chain complexity to the difficulty of finding solutions that are both truly sustainable and capable of meeting performance and affordability requirements. “THE UK SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING MARKET SIZE REACHED USD 9.71 BILLION IN 2024. LOOKING FORWARD, IMARC GROUP EXPECTS THE MARKET TO REACH USD 18.70 BILLION BY 2033 , EXHIBITING A GROWTH RATE (CAGR ) OF 7.56% DURING 2025-2033 ” IMARC “ Packaging goes far beyond material choice ” PACKAGING ACCOUNTS FOR SOME 5.4 PER CENT OF EMISSIONS, WHICH IS MORE THAN TRANSPORTATION OR OTHER SUPPLY CHAIN FACTORS United Nations Francisco Gaffney, CEO and chairman of Trinity SES, shares tips on how to integrate sustainable packaging into a business’s day-to-day operations Three moves that pay off fast: 1 Make packaging recipes part of resource management and flow them through orders 2 Publish live role-specific dashboards so teams see how their work serves strategy 3 Run a shadow-IT sweep, then consolidate into integrated tools to restore a single source of truth Done this way, sustainability reporting stops being a tax on time and becomes proof of a better-run supply chain. “Reuse cuts inefficiency and downtime” Andy Maddock, regional managing director at IPP The constant and perpetual use and reuse of supply chain assets in a cost-effective and efficient way reduces time and cost and boosts productivity to make sure the right products are in the right place at the right time and at the right price. At the same time, it cuts inefficiency and downtime – reducing millions of hours, miles and metric tonnes of carbon emissions by eliminating redundant journeys. This in itself optimises journeys and reduces further wear and tear on vehicles. Each link in the supply chain is a key top and bottom-line beneficiary of the circular economy. Any industry where the raw materials are largely or wholly sustainable in terms of recyclability or re-use can engage with the circular economy. There’s more to uncover – get the full report today specialityfoodmagazine.com/sustainablesupply