Rethink the target market
Adjust the good balance between packaging efficiency and food waste minimisation
The identification of an optimum between over and under packaging supposes that this optimum will be of interest regarding the environmental performance. But sometimes, the association of a food product and a packaging technology is simply… a bad idea.
Look for alternative routes after unsuccessful improvement of the over-under-packaging food balance.
Brand owner
Can my food process, conditioning equipment, shelf life target, and consumer profile (…) be changed to target less severe packaging specifications? What are the benefits to access more easily to better sustainable packaging?
Packaging provider
Can I change the applications/markets targeted initially for my new packaging technology? For each of these alternative markets, what constraints are lifted, what are the opportunities to use the technology with less (impacting) technical adaptations, what are the consequences in terms of environmental interest?
Make a SWOT analysis for the comparison of all alternatives.
Even if the developed solutions are environmentally friendly, are they acceptable by the consumer? If not, would it be possible to educate the market? Or would it be possible to target a specific market associated with consumer categories showing much higher acceptability?
2B Srl, 2021. General guidelines on environmental specification and LCA guided the selection of the best markets. Deliverable 3.5 of the MyPack project, 2B Srl, July 2021. Breedveld, L et.al, 2020. Under- or over-packaging: a key question in the food waste debate? Proceedings of the LCAFOOD conference, Berlin 13-10-2020.