New standard for sustainable packaging

A new standard for packaging sustainability has been developed to address environmental, social, and economic factors.

The newest Global Protocol for Packaging Sustainability (GPPS) was recently released by GS1, the not-for-profit body creating global standards to facilitate collaboration among trade partners.

The GPPS, which was developed in collaboration with the Consumer Goods Forum, works by providing the consumer goods and packaging industries with a common language to discuss and assess sustainability.

Marcel Sieira of GS1 Australia said the GPPS aims to optimise the resources used to protect consumer goods across various indicators.

“There are social indicators that look at child labour and working hours involved in the creation of packaging. The GPPS is quite comprehensive in terms of the overall sustainability, not just looking at the environment,” Sieira said.

The environmental metrics detailed in the GPPS include packaging weight, the amount of material waste in the manufacturing process, and the re-use rate of packaging.

GS1 believes there are benefits for businesses big and small who adopt the GPPS: cost benefits, reduced environmental impact, and improved customer perception, to name a few.

“This project is a real example of partnership working to meet a critical need, and I believe that it augurs well for addressing product sustainability in a similar manner,” Sieira said.

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