Food and beverage manufacturers have cut packaging waste by 1.5 billion lbs. since 2005 and expect to eliminate another 2.5 billion lbs. from the supply chain by 2020, according to a new report from the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

Food, beverage and consumer products manufacturers anticipate that they will eliminate 4 billion lbs. of packaging waste nationwide from 2005 to 2020, according to a new report from the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA).

To quantify progress of the food, beverage and consumer products industry’s sustainability efforts, the GMA enlisted McKinsey & Company and Georgetown Economic Services (GES) to survey its members on the results of their initiatives to manufacture more environmentally conscious packaging, and their efforts to accelerate the continuous improvement of more sustainable packaging over the next decade.

The trade group’s resulting two surveys, published in last month’s Reducing Our Footprint report, found that more than 1.5 billion lbs. of packaging waste have already been eliminated since 2005, and another 2.5 billion lbs. are expected to be cut by 2020.

“Across the board, the food, beverage and consumer products industry has been vigilant in its efforts to reduce its environmental footprint,” Pamela G. Bailey, president and CEO of GMA, said in an announcement of the findings. “When it comes to eliminating packaging from the supply chain, we have already made significant progress, but we know we can do more.”

Paper and plastic have received the most focus. The 1.5 billion lbs. of packaging eliminated since 2005 includes more than 800 million lbs. of plastic and more than 500 million lbs. of paper, according to McKinsey’s survey of 19 companies (representing $225 billion in annual U.S. sales).

However, packaging improvements have occurred in most product categories, with no single category dominating the trend.

Companies reported that they achieved the 2005-2010 reductions through the success of more than 180 distinct initiatives that included package redesigns and increased use of recyclable inputs. The initiatives were often as diverse as the companies that responded to the surveys.

For instance, a leading beverage manufacturer introduced a thinner plastic bottle, eliminating 2.45 billion lbs. of packaging between 1999 and 2009. In another example, a leading sauce manufacturer switched to 100 percent post-consumer material for its glass bottles and introduced a new plastic bottle made entirely from bioplastics.

“In eliminating this packaging from the supply chain, we are reducing a significant volume of waste that would otherwise end up in landfills, but the benefits go far beyond that,” according to John Shanahan, GMA senior director of energy and environmental policy. “Companies are reporting that packaging improvements are also enabling them to ship more units per truckload, reduce green house gas emissions and conserve resources such as water and energy.”

Between 2005 and 2010, one company saw a 50 percent improvement in transportation efficiency, while another saw a 43 percent improvement in shipping efficiency. During the same period, a third company reported 26 percent less water usage, 18 percent less electricity usage, 56 percent less fossil fuel usage, 10 percent less resin usage, a 35 percent reduction in transport distance and a 40 percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.

Moreover, the number of packaging improvements implemented by businesses has been increasing each year. Manufacturers expect to eliminate 2.5 billion lbs. of packaging waste between 2011 and 2020, according to the GES survey of 21 companies (representing $200 billion in yearly U.S. sales).

“All told, over the next decade, companies reporting in the GES survey will avoid manufacturing 10 percent of total average packaging weight,” the report says.

Survey participants reported that packaging improvements will result in the avoidance of 4 billion lbs. between 2005 and 2020. The 4 billion lbs. represents a 19 percent reduction of reporting companies’ total average U.S. packaging weight, according to the GMA.

The greenhouse gas emissions avoided by reducing 4 billion lbs. of packaging have the equivalent impact of removing 363,000 homes from the energy grid for one year or avoiding the consumption of 479 million gallons of gasoline, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

Related: 2011 Global Pack Trends

Resources

Reducing Our Footprint: The Food, Beverage and Consumer Products Industry’s Progress in Sustainable Packaging
Grocery Manufacturers Association, March 2011

Food, Beverage and Consumer Products Companies to Eliminate 4 Billion Lbs. of Packaging by 2020
Grocery Manufacturers Association, March 17, 2011