Imagine... a world without packaging

2 December 2008



PackSource hears the arguments from Dick Searle, Chief Executive, The Packaging Federation


Dick Searle has spent more than 40 years in the packaging industry, working across all sectors and dealing with every customer type. He spent over 30 years as a CEO, and knows the industry inside-out. The past four decades have seen the evolution of many new packaging types, many of which have developed in response to the demands of modern consumer society, where shopping and food preparation time is limited and the concept of the communal family meal has almost disappeared.

Since his appointment as Chief Executive of The Packaging Federation in December 2006, Dick has been making waves for the industry. The continual sniping from government and the popular media has led to a backlash against packaging, fuelled by misinformation and misunderstandings. Dick has thus made it his personal vendetta to set the record straight, appearing at a dizzying schedule of conferences, undertaking political lobbying and appearing on television and in print. PackSource caught up with him at his London HQ.

PackSource: What are the primary objectives of packaging in the modern industrialised environment?

Dick Searle: The purpose of packaging is to Contain, Protect, Preserve and Promote. The major misunderstanding regarding packaging is that the environmental problem that emanates from modern lifestyles is not packaging – it’s food waste in the home. With the weight of ‘avoidable’ food waste being greater than that of packaging waste, and with food producing methane when it rots in landfill, food waste has at least 15 times the effect on the environment of packaging waste.

Packaging is inextricably linked with our lifestyles and our 24/7 consumption patterns. Currently, the amount of food waste in the UK supply chain only amounts to around 3 per cent. This is entirely attributable to the use of appropriate packaging materials and techniques. In countries such as India and Russia, food waste amounts to between 40 and 50 per cent.

Without packaging, the maximum size of city that can be sustained is 1 million people, as all food would have to be farmed locally, transported before it went bad and there would be far greater food waste. Consumers would also be forced to shop virtually every day. The population of London is currently 8.2 million. The supply chain has done a bad job in educating the general public about packaging and it’s the job of The Packaging Federation, together with the rest of the supply chain, to set the record straight.

PackSource: Which properties must be embodied by packaging materials and designs?

Dick Searle: They must demonstrate appropriate functionality. All materials have specific characteristics, being suitable for particular product types. Plastics are lightweight, but can present recycling issues, particularly regarding separation in the waste stream. Glass and metal are infinitely recyclable, but they are heavier. Paper and board are recyclable and degradable, but they aren’t suitable for all products. Manufacturers must select the material that is most suitable for the application.

We hear a lot of talk about excess packaging, but I don’t see much of this happening. Exceptions are, of course, gifting products, such as Easter eggs, but they are overpackaged for a reason – part of the gift experience. Some of the worst offenders are imported toys from China, as the economics of overpackaging have a negligible effect on profits.

Unbelievably, certain sections of the public consider that packaging is unnecessary. The truth is that they can’t survive without it.

PackSource: What are the implications of government concepts regarding sustainability?

Dick Searle: I wish someone would give me a clear definition of sustainability. The current directives relate to the reduction of weight and carbon emissions, recyclability, returnability and the use of packaging that is fit for purpose. In my opinion, the government should leave the packaging industry alone and leave it to the industry experts to decide how to meet these objectives. We all agree that we need packaging; we also agree that this should be recycled, wherever possible. In the UK, around 60 per cent of packaging is currently recycled.

PackSource: What will be the effect of the recent EU regulation on chemical registration (REACH)?

Dick Searle: This is a luxury that we can’t afford in Europe – a sledgehammer to crack a nut. It requires manufacturers or importers of substances to register them with a central European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), supported by a standard set of data on that substance. The amount of data required is not proportionate to the amount of substance manufactured or supplied. Adherence at this level is relatively straightforward, but there could be confidentiality problems regarding the composition of packaging materials.

PackSource: What are your opinions on the lightweighting of packaging materials?

Dick Searle: This isn’t a new idea – I started looking at lightweight materials for use by Proctor & Gamble back in 1967. The packaging supply chain has been looking to do this for decades, and the concept wasn’t invented by WRAP. Pet food manufacturers were amongst the first to make the move by changing from cans to PP pouches. On average, the net weight of packaging materials has reduced dramatically over the past 40 years. However, without further materials developments, it’s going to be difficult to achieve dramatic further significant reductions – packaging weight is currently reducing by some 0.5 per cent per annum.

Lightweighting should not become a goal in its own right. The choice of packaging and packaging material is a very complex issue. Weight is only one of a number of characteristics that determine the overall environmental impact of packaging. Pack functionality must be the overriding issue. There is nothing more useless than packaging that doesn’t perform.

PackSource: What are the effects of government attempts to reduce carbon emissions?

Dick Searle: We must not reduce packaging without clearly understanding the potential for the environmental impact of increased product wastage. Within the whole carbon footprint, it has a minimal impact on carbon emissions. The focus on issues like plastic bags reduction merely serves to trivialise the whole carbon debate. The global carbon footprint of packaging, including disposal, is around 1 per cent. As it minimises product wastage, the overall contribution of packaging is to actually reduce carbon emissions.

PackSource: If the current trajectory of legislation is pursued, what will be the long-term effects for the packaging and food industries?

Dick Searle: The packaging supply chain will eventually rebel if the industry remains under attack at this level. However, I believe the debate will eventually run out of steam. Packaging is an easy target for the government as it’s a visible part of everyday life. Let’s never forget that packaging is the enabler for the modern convenience society.


Dick Searle, Chief Executive, The Packaging Federation Modern packaging has been developed to satisfy the demands of contemporary lifestyles TV dinner - friend or enemy? In rural India, packaging is minimal, consumers shop every day and food wastage amounts to between 40 and 50 per cent Life without packaging Both metal and glass packaging are infinitely recyclable, and effective waste stream separation systems are already in place – but they are heavy to transport Time-honoured and infinitely recyclable Easter Eggs and other gifting products have been traditionally overpackaged for a reason, but attempts are now being made to minimise the packaging components, such as for the Thornton’s ‘Lovely’ egg Rationalising luxury

Dick Searle, Chief Executive, The Packaging Federation Dick Searle, Chief Executive, The Packaging Federation
Time-honoured and infinitely recyclable Time-honoured and infinitely recyclable
Rationalising luxury Rationalising luxury
Life without packaging Life without packaging
TV dinner - friend or enemy? TV dinner - friend or enemy?


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