We were thrilled to be a part of Haney’s VIA Alliance Learning Series, The Sustainable Reality, where S-OneLP’s Ralph Giammarco presented alongside Meghann Jones from Ipsos and Craig Robinson from PTI.
When it comes to the conversation around a more sustainable world, it’s natural in our market to zero in on packaging. But before we get to that, we heard from Jones and Robinson about some fascinating consumer and industry behavior.
“78% of people surveyed believe we’re heading toward environmental disaster if we don’t change our habits … and waste and packaging are growing concerns,” Jones explains.
However, some companies, governments and even consumers are finding more sustainable ways to manage packaging and handle waste.
“[Consumers] are more willing to recycle and to reuse. This makes sense. It’s where consumers experience the greatest sense of urgency,” Jones says. “When it’s just them and the empty package, they start to feel some responsibility to what happens next. It’s their responsibility. When it’s just [the consumer] and the empty package, they start to feel some responsibility to what happens next. It’s their responsibility.”
— Meghann Jones, Ipsos
Next up, we learned about recycling challenges we’re facing in the U.S. with Robinson.
“In the United States, only 26% of glass is collected [for recycling],” Robinson says. “29% of PET plastic is collected. PET can actually be completed recycled back into a bottle. There’s not a lot of loss. 50% of aluminum cans are recycled in the United States.”
Rounding out the presentation, Giammarco discussed the current state of recyclable and compostable packaging materials.
“Today, the easier point of entry is recycling because we have some infrastructure in place; it’s easier and lower-cost” he says. “For compostable packaging, it’s far more complex and needs a lot of product testing … but it is the better end game.”
To hear highlights from the discussion, watch the video posted above! To learn more, visit S-OneLP.com