This past April the Hong Kong government furthered its goal of reducing packaging waste by implementing the second phase of its plastic bag levy scheme. The levy on plastic shopping bags has now expanded to over 100,000 retail points across the city. Apart from exceptional cases, all retailers - from street hawkers to electronic appliance stores - are required to charge customers for plastic bags. Not only has the levy helped conserve the environment, but it has also raised consumers' awareness of environmentally friendly packaging.

However, reducing the use of plastic bags is but a small step toward conserving the environment. The bigger goal is to minimize the environmental impact of all packaging in the long term. Some may argue that the SAR government must take a more aggressive approach to reducing the amount of product packaging used in the SAR. Unfortunately, it is not that simple as there are many aspects to be considered.

Packaging performs several important functions. It contains and protects the goods, provides brand identity, and is where consumers will find usage instructions and other important information (such as the expiration date). Packaging also offers consumers convenience. Imagine if we eliminated all drink containers, consumers would need to bring their own bottles to the supermarket if they wanted to buy fruit juice. And once they brought the juice home, they would not know when it expired. What we need is good packaging that can achieve both goals: A good experience for the user and environmental protection. That is where sustainable packaging comes into play.

There is a misperception that sustainable packaging is packaging made of sustainable material. In fact, sustainable packaging is not only about the packaging itself but also the packaging's whole life cycle - from the material source and manufacturing process to transportation and recycling.

For example, it is commonly considered that glass bottles for milk are very environmentally friendly because we do not need to dispose of the containers. However, compared with paper-based liquid containers, manufacturing and transporting these heavy glass bottles consumes more energy and emits more carbon, especially if the production plant is far away from the retailers. During the process, some bottles will get damaged and become waste. All these factors need to be taken into account when determining whether the environmental impact of glass bottles is less than other materials - for instance, paper containers which are easy to make, lightweight and biodegradable.

The goal of sustainable packaging is to use thorough research, through the collaboration of the private and public sectors, to determine the environmental impact of packaging so that we ultimately help protect the environment.

This concept is not new to Hong Kong. According to a study conducted by Green Power, a local organization that focuses on ecological conservation, over 1 million mooncake boxes are disposed of every year. In 2008, the Environmental Protection Department issued the Environmental Guidelines on Mooncake Packaging Design. By adopting environmentally friendly packaging, mooncake manufacturers are now able to provide add-on value for their products by optimizing various factors during the design stage (such as environmental protection, hygiene, shelf life, transportation, appearance, brand image and costs).

More than a dozen bakeries and hotels have signed the agreement. Many of them use alternative materials for the box, such as paper instead of metal. This not only reduces overall weight but also minimizes energy use. The manufacturers also monitor the whole design, manufacturing and transportation process to minimize environmental impact.

Globally, Amazon.com works with manufacturers on packaging design so that it can package products in Certified Frustration-Free Packaging, which allows consumers to easily open their packages, reduce the overall amount of packing materials used and ensure that all materials are fully recyclable.

Promoting the concept of sustainable packaging should be the next step to conserve the environment in Hong Kong. It is important for Hong Kong consumers to understand the concept of sustainable packaging so that they can make wise purchasing decisions. Consumer preference will help drive companies to further improve their packaging and become more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

The author is manager for Sustainability and Stakeholder Engagement (Hong Kong) at Asia Pulp & Paper.

(HK Edition 09/01/2015 page10)