Notes from the Grocery Manufacturers Association Executive Conference, Part 3: Sustainable packaging for sustainable cities
Through all of the discussion at the GMA Executive Conference about the importance of energy management and water conservation in consumer products/food & beverage manufacturing, product packaging reduction remains a hot topic as well. When manufacturers and retailers look to make their products, manufacturing, and supply chain more sustainable, the first place many of them look is packaging redesign – for good reason. There are many downstream benefits to reducing the amount of packaging, from less energy & water to manufacture, to improving logistics efficiency – all positive for municipalities and cities. Consider the following research from McKinsey and Co., published in the GMA report, “Reducing our footprint: The Food, Beverage and Consumer Product Industry’s Progress in Sustainable Packaging”, that depicts these benefits:
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS FROM PACKAGING IMPROVEMENTS, 2005-2010
- One company reduced landfill waste by 20.7 million pounds and green house gas emissions by 11 million pounds
- One company was able to eliminate 2,000 trucks from its fleet
- One company saw a 50 percent improvement in transportation efficiency
- One company saw 26 percent less water usage, 18 percent less electricity usage, 56 percent less fossil fuel usage, 10 percent less resin usage, 35 percent reduction in transport distance and 40 percent less greenhouse gas emissions
- One company saw a 43 percent improvement in shipping efficiency
Source: McKinsey’ & Company Winter 2010-2011 Survey
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is a solution that enables manufacturers and retailers in part to achieve their packaging reduction goals. For more information specifically on Siemens PLM’s solutions for sustainable packaging design, you can go to this white paper.
For more on sustainability solutions from Siemens, and our North American and Canadian Green City Index, you can go to this special GMA Executive Conference microsite.
