Page 45 - Packaging News Jan-Feb 2020

January-February 2020
www.packagingnews.com.au
PLASTICS & BIOPLASTICS
45
I
A better way
The upward trend in online shopping is generating an increase in plastic packaging waste. For the 60 per cent of consumers who would prefer to buy products from brands taking action to reduce their environmental impact, a solution is at hand from start-up The Better Packaging Co. Lindy Hughson speaks to co-founder Kate Bezar.
n the lead up to Christmas, Aus- tralia hits annual peak con- sumption with online sales accounting for a major chunk of all retail sales. According to the Australia Post 2019 eCommerce Industry Report, the five weeks
from 11 November to 15 December accounted for almost 15 per cent of all e-commerce transactions in 2018, which totalled $27.5 billion for the year (an increase of 24.4 per cent year on year). End-of-year sales like Black Friday and Cyber Monday saw a significant 28 per cent growth in consumers shopping online. The report states that the week before Christmas 2018 was Australia’s peak week for express shipping, account- ing for nearly 32 per cent of all deliv- eries compared to an average of 19 per cent across all other weeks. All indicators point to an increase again in the 2019 figures.
So, what does this mean for e-commerce packaging?
According to Kate Bezar, co- founder of The Better Packaging Company, the uptick in parcel traffic sees a corresponding increase in single-use plastics in the form of plastic shipping bags, bubble wrap and polystyrene filler.
Bezar and business partner Rebec- ca Percasky had observed this trend over the years they worked with couriers and in e-commerce. Bezar says they were both alarmed by the amount of waste the e-commerce industry was generating so they set about finding a solution to bring what they call ‘Earth-friendly alternatives’ to the packing table. After two years of R&D, the duo founded The Bettter Packaging Co in 2008. The company is headquartered in New Zealand, but 75 per cent of its sales are in Australia.
Bezar says the latest industry reports indicate that some 60 per cent of consumers want to receive
their parcels in sustainable packag- ing, with many choosing to purchase from ethically aligned companies and brands.
“With 73 per cent of Australian households now shopping online, brands are actively contributing to the waste issue if they aren’t making the most sustainable packaging choice,” says Bezar.
The company has created a range of sustainable (compostable, biode- gradable, and recyclable) alterna- tives to traditional plastic packaging to encourage the e-commerce and re- tail industry to make the swap. Brands can customise the packaging with logos and marketing messages.
Bezar says they have racked up thousands of customers already, and by October 2019, the year-on-year growth had reached 570 per cent.
The corn-based feedstock for the company’s packaging is sourced in Asia, where the packaging is also manufactured. Bezar tells PKN the corn source was stockpiled by the Chinese government in years past in case of famine. The product is no longer fit for human consumption, she says, but can be converted to cornstarch and ultimately into a bio-
ABOVE: Finding
a better way: Rebecca Percasky and Kate Bezar.
BELOW: The company’s range includes courier bags, poly bags and padded mailers.
based plastic that can be combined with PLA to form the packaging sub- strate used for the bags and labels. While the packaging is compostable in home composting facilities, The Better Packaging Company is also establishing a global network of col- lection points for certified com- postable packaging, which Bezar says they hope to have established by early 2020. Via a customised app ,consumers will be able to access in- formation about the closest collec- tion point by scanning a QR code on the packaging.
Commenting on whether the slightly higher price point of the company’s packaging will limit growth in uptake by brands, Bezar says, “The pressure on brands to pro- vide consumers with a sustainable alternative is only going to increase. The cost of not doing it far outweighs the premium paid for a better pack- aging alternative.” ■