Sustainable Packaging

Supporting sustainable packaging in design and production

Guide | EU Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation

Services Case Studies Insights Team Contact Us

Our team of experts advise global organisations across the packaging value chain, including retailers, manufacturers, brand owners, associations, and NGOs. We specialise in helping clients navigate the balance between the functional and economic needs of their packaging while responding to the evolving sustainability landscape.

We support clients in navigating the balance of functional and economic needs of their packaging with the dynamic sustainability landscape. We build packaging footprints, craft data-led sustainable packaging goals, create holistic and transformational packaging strategies.

Clients’ projects can leverage our packaging engineers and subject matter experts to understand and go across the complexities of upstream and downstream supply chains in global markets. Our global resources can benchmark best practices, spot trends and evolving and fragmented legislation, and help to identify and qualify meaningful packaging sustainability opportunities.

Packaging Sustainability Solutions

Our sustainable packaging consultants provide expertise in building packaging footprints, crafting data-led sustainability goals, and developing holistic packaging strategies that drive long-term transformation. Clients leverage our global team of packaging consultants and subject matter experts to address the complexities of upstream and downstream supply chains across global markets. With a deep understanding of emerging legislation and best practices, we help identify and implement meaningful sustainability opportunities.

Our Approach to Sustainable Packaging

Packaging Footprints & Baselines – Developing a packaging footprint across a client’s packaging portfolio to support understanding of material and environmental impact. Mapping a packaging baseline to understand the client’s material footprint. This is a critical first step for identifying hotspots, establishing a sustainable packaging strategy, as well as for optimising for meeting EPR and broader disclosure requirements.

Strategies & Roadmaps – Building a tailored enterprise position and strategy to address internal ambition and external expectations. Supporting the development of goals and actionable glidepaths through research, analysis and gap to goal scenario modelling.

Policy & Compliance Support – Researching global and local market relevant policies and legislation, conducting risk analysis and recommending strategies for risk mitigation. Interpreting recyclable definitions and recyclable content mandates. Assisting with management and reporting for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees, packaging taxes and labelling regulations.

Life Cycle Analysis – Performing LCA analysis to support packaging environmental footprinting, ecodesign, data-based goals, sustainability communication and green claims. Supported by digital LCA tools to aid packaging engineers in holistic and data led decision making. Identifying innovative material and/or technology solutions, considering cost, feasibility and scalability.

Waste Infrastructure Analysis – Landscape review of existing and upcoming waste infrastructure developments that will support the collection, sorting and reprocessing of packaging waste.

Communication & Green Claims – Developing data-based, substantiated narrative, reporting and infographics to communicate the sustainability attributes of the packaging.

Case Studies

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Contributions to a Global Packaging Data Standard

Anthesis worked closely with WBCSD members to conduct an analysis of key packaging regulatory frameworks, models, and standards.

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Overcoming legal challenges in plastics and packaging with Quadpack

The Situation Quadpack is a global cosmetics packaging manufacturer who wanted to better understand and assess compliance with present and future legal requirements for the plastics and packaging it produces and distributes across its markets. This knowledge is essential to anticipate regulatory changes and support its clients in adapting to new legal challenges. Solutions Sustainable…

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Developing a Sustainable Packaging Roadmap for a Pharmaceutical Company

The Situation An international pharmaceutical company wanted to embed sustainability principles throughout its packaging inception, design, and production. This included improving data quality and quantity to help identify key areas for impact and to monitor progress against its targets. Anthesis became the trusted partner to assist the large, international pharmaceutical company with developing and implementing…

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Developing a Resource Footprint Tracker for WWF

The Situation World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) ReSource: Plastic was released to close a critical measurement and reporting gap on corporate plastic engagement, helping companies turn their large-scale commitments into meaningful measurable action. The initiative works with a membership group to measure their plastic footprint and to track plastic management outcomes by country. WWF selected Anthesis as a…

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Conducting Plastic Footprinting for a Global Food Retailer

The Situation A global food retailer has recently become a signatory to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, led by Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF). All signatories to the commitment are working to eliminate unnecessary plastic, innovate new packaging solutions, and contribute to a more circular economy. The food retailer, along with the other signatories, has…

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Expanding Microsoft’s Compliance Platform for Sustainability

The Situation In 2020, Microsoft committed to ‘zero waste’ by 2030 and also set Cloud Responsible Packaging Goals, to ensure its cloud hardware packaging meets global regulatory compliance requirements and creates minimal environmental impact. Additionally, as the compliance landscape changes rapidly with emerging worldwide packaging regulations such as Substances of Concern in Products (SCIP), Microsoft…

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Developing a Plastic Packaging Strategy for a Global Retailer

The Situation A large global food retailer set out targets and an ambitious plan to reduce the plastic used in its packaging. To achieve these targets, the retailer required support to kickstart its internal strategy. Anthesis worked with the retailer to establish a packaging baseline and plastic waste prevention strategy. This strategy set out to raise awareness…

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Collaborating to Create Sustainable Packaging Systems with IGD

The Situation In 2021, Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) convened key stakeholders from across the food and consumer goods industry to tackle a shared challenge — how to make packaging systems more sustainable whilst ensuring the benefits of packaging are maintained. As a result, the ambition was created: to halve the environmental impact of all…

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