This article was published in the May 2024 issue of Pet Food Processing. Read it and other articles from this issue in our May digital edition.
As the sustainability narrative continues throughout the pet food industry, processors and suppliers continue to establish initiatives that reflect their commitment to improve operations that impact people, pets and the planet. These actions include committing to employee wellbeing as well as the welfare of the communities in which they reside, employing sustainable sourcing up and down their supply chains, and utilizing responsible resource management. It’s not enough to simply produce healthy and nutritious pet food; it’s essential that those production processes don’t result in negative impacts.
In an effort to dissect these macro sustainability initiatives into micro missions, industry stakeholders acknowledge the need to take a close look at the packaging piece of the puzzle.
“We have come to understand that the pet industry makes 300 million lbs of pet food packaging each year, with 99% of it ending up in landfills,” said Ali Boden, senior packaging manager for the Pet Sustainability Coalition, Boulder, Colo. “This is mostly because most pet food and treats have been packaged in multi-material flexible pouches and bags that cannot be easily recycled.”
To reduce the potential environmental impact of pet food packaging — which remains essential to protecting the integrity, safety and shelf life of the pet foods it encases — processors are considering sustainable options including recyclable and compostable packaging.
Consumer demand
While the decision to seek out and utilize sustainable packaging lies in the hands of the pet food processor, the influence to employ more sustainable solutions oftentimes involves a trickle-down effect. Consumers are calling for change and have high expectations from the brands they choose to spend their money on — especially younger consumers.
Thanh Phu was a founding member of the Pet Sustainability Coalition’s Packaging Pledge launched at SuperZoo 2022.
|
“Consumers are the ultimate driver for sustainable packaging,” said Alex Dam, executive vice president of Vietnam-based Thanh Phu Packaging Co. “They want packaging that is more friendly to the environment, particularly younger consumers. This new generation of consumers values brands offering good products while maintaining a sustainable environmental footprint.”
According to the recent “2024 Sustainability and Convenience in Packaging Survey” from ALPLA Group, a global plastic packaging company based in McDonough, Ga., consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 are willing to go out of their way in terms of distance, convenience and price to purchase products that come in more environmentally friendly packaging.
Additionally, 54% of younger consumers always or often base their purchasing decisions on sustainable packaging, compared to 33% of consumers ages 35 and older, and 25% of consumers ages 55 and older. Nearly half (48%) of younger consumers noted unsustainable packaging is often or always a deal-breaker when it comes to purchasing that product.
Many of these consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable packaged products. Seventy-nine percent of younger consumers surveyed said they would pay more for eco-friendly packaging, with a majority of this group stating they would spend up to 25% more. This is compared to only 56% of consumers ages 35 and older, and 41% of consumers ages 55 and older.
When it comes to pet food consumers, the push toward sustainable packaging alternatives is also strong. According to London-based Mintel, 56% of pet owners wish pet food packaging was easier to recycle, and 55% of pet owners prefer to purchase pet food brands that are actively working to limit their environmental impact.
“It’s no secret that consumers have been asking for more sustainable products for years,” said Jacob Reinke, Amcor Flexibles North America.
“It’s no secret that consumers have been asking for more sustainable products for years,” said Jacob Reinke, marketing manager, Amcor Flexibles North America, Oshkosh, Wis. “Now we need to think about the next generation that will start earning and growing their buying power: Millennials and Gen Z. This demographic is hyper-focused on sustainable products and initiatives. Seventy-seven percent of this demographic states that they would switch to a more sustainable product and pay more for it. So, the sustainable push is not going away anytime soon — it’s here to stay, grow and adapt to different initiatives.”
Processors respond
Pet food processors are heeding the demands of their pet parent consumers to offer such packaging alternatives, and they’re passing those expectations down the line to their supply chains.
“It’s been somewhat of a waterfall demand,” Reinke explained. “Consumers placed demands on retailers for more sustainable products. Retailers pushed producers for more sustainable products and packaging. In turn, the producers have pushed all their input suppliers to meet the needs of the retailers and consumers.”
Whether it’s stemming from consumer influence and demand or just from a desire to do the right thing, many pet food processors have sustainability initiatives as part of their short- and long-term corporate goals. Chilliwack, British Columbia-based Petcurean issued its third-annual Sustainability Impact Report last year, detailing its environmental, social and charitable initiatives including packaging alternatives.
“We are actively addressing the significant challenges posed by climate change, with a particular focus on reducing our environmental impact through innovative packaging solutions,” Petcurean said in the report. “Last year, we commissioned a third-party life cycle assessment to compare the sustainability of our non-recyclable bags with recyclable alternatives.”
Petcurean’s Go! Solutions Skin + Coat Care Lamb Recipe with Grains is now sold in recyclable bags which feature the How2Recycle logo along with recycling instructions for consumers.
|The company has set a goal to transition the majority of its bags to recyclable materials by 2025. In October 2023, its Go! Solutions Skin + Coat Care Lamb Recipe with Grains rolled off the production line in new recyclable bags. The recyclable bags feature the How2Recycle logo along with recycling instructions. The company will transition existing recipes to the new recyclable bags as the materials come up for reorder.
Petcurean is one of 14 pet food processors and distributors that have signed the Pet Sustainability Coalition’s Packaging Pledge. The companies have made a public commitment to transition their packaging to recyclable, refillable or compostable formats by 2025. Petcurean, alongside Canidae, Earth Animal, Instinct and Primal Pet Foods, was one of the original companies to sign the initial pledge at SuperZoo 2022.
“Since joining the Packaging Pledge, many have launched new recyclable packaging formats, or have developed new packaging supplier relationships to provide recyclable or compostable options,” Boden said.
The Pet Sustainability Coalition also offers member companies a Packaging Supplier Checklist which helps manufacturers compare sustainable options offered by different packaging suppliers. Its recently launched Packaging Supplier Marketplace allows users to search, filter and evaluate a pre-vetted directory of packaging suppliers that offer sustainable packaging options including recyclable, refillable or compostable solutions, Boden said.
“This can lead to new pet food processor/packaging supplier partnerships,” she said.
Packaging possibilities
Processors looking for sustainable packaging, specifically recyclable options, have a number of choices they can consider. But the key to finding solutions that best fit the needs of the pet food product and the processor’s existing operations is to consider packaging suppliers as active partners in the process.
“It is all about collaboration,” said Tim Kieny, vice president of Strategic Marketing, TC Transcontinental Packaging, Chicago. “There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Pet food processors can partner with their packaging suppliers like TC Transcontinental Packaging to understand their options and select the right sustainable choice for their particular situation and application.
“Processors are active participants in the development and adoption of innovative packaging solutions by providing valuable insights driven by consumer preferences, testing new concepts and materials, investing in new technologies, and partnering with packaging companies like ours to create custom solutions tailored to their products’ specific needs,” he added.
The “100% recyclable” label on TC Transcontinental Packaging’s pet food bags informs pet parents about what their sustainable options are when shopping for pet food.
|TC Transcontinental Packaging’s vieVERTe® Recycle Ready product line includes 100% recyclable products designed for How2Recycle store drop-off. The company also offers vieVERTe® PCR (post-consumer recycled) products which enhance the sustainability of flexible packaging through the incorporation of post-consumer recycled content.
“We are actively developing offerings for fresh and refrigerated pet foods, dry kibble and pet treats available in a variety of formats such as quads-seal bags, flat-bottom bags, stand-up pouches, chubs and rollstock,” Kieny said.
Amcor has designed a line of materials in its AmPrima® portfolio that are focused on the inclusion of polyethylene (PE). AmPrima is designed to be recycled at store drop-off locations or through curbside recycling, if clean and dry, Reinke said.
“At Thanh Phu, we adhere to the rule that 95% of packaging composition comes from a single material, even for high barrier structures,” Dam said. “This should give our customers the highest compliance with CEFLEX or How2Recycle packaging design-for-recyclability (D4R) guidelines.”
Many states are requesting that post-consumer recycled resins are used in packaging.
“Thanh Phu offers advanced recycling food-safe PCR in our D4R or recyclable packaging for our pet care customers, through our exclusive partnership with ExxonMobil using their Exxtend technology,” Dam said. “Additionally, we can also produce bio-based mono-polyethylene packaging materials for pet food and other industries.”
The pet food industry is leaning toward using more recycle-ready packaging, but there are challenges with package sizes. Pet food and snack packages range from less than 1 lb to large kibble packages that could weigh 40 to 50 lbs. Recycle-ready packaging must be able to hold up to the product’s weight. In addition, the packaging integrity must be able to maintain product quality and safety.
Amcor offers recycle-ready rollstock and pouch packaging options. The rollstock applications can be used on horizontal and vertical form-fill-seal lines and pouch offerings include stand-up, flat bottom, pinch bottom and fold-over glued bottom pouches.
|“Sustainable packaging needs to protect the product exactly as the incumbent packaging has always done,” Reinke said. “In addition, any off smells or compromises to freshness could impact taste or acceptance. Pets have a very good sense of smell and can detect these things much easier and quicker than humans. The packaging industry has been trying to clear these hurdles for years.
“New packaging may also require updates and alterations to processing lines,” Reinke added. “There needs to be a strong bond of partnerships between pet food processors and packaging suppliers to achieve success.”
Compostable considerations
Compostable packaging has its own set of challenges, and many say it’s not the sustainable solution that recycle-ready is for the pet food industry.
“The composting infrastructure in the United States is extremely limited, particularly when you look at facilities that allow compostable packaging to be collected and processed,” Reinke said.
“Compostable materials are generally suitable for small size and weight packages based on material performance characteristics,” Dam said. “In addition, compostable packaging has limited oxygen and moisture barrier options — the basic properties that most food-based applications need.”
Compostable packaging often results in limited product shelf life and requires specific storage and distribution conditions, Dam explained.
“There is a larger question with compostable materials — under what conditions are they truly compostable?” said Alex Dam, Thanh Phu Packaging Co.
“Lastly, there is a larger question with compostable materials — under what conditions are they truly compostable?” he added.
TC Transcontinental Packaging offers its vieVERTe® compostable portfolio which includes BPI-certified industrial compostable products that provide a sustainable solution for packaging by diverting it from landfills.
Helping the consumer
Of course, pet food manufacturers can do their part to provide sustainable packaging options such as recycle-ready and compostable, but it’s up to the consumer — the pet parent — to close the circle and keep those packages out of the landfill. Accomplishing this starts with consumer communication.
“Communication that continues to educate consumers is vital,” Reinke said. “Currently, most consumers are still somewhat confused on what can be recycled and what cannot be recycled. Additionally, there is a lack of trust in younger generations in what will truly be recycled.”
ProAmpac’s QUADFLEX® Recyclable packaging solution, which first appeared on the market through Nestlé Purina PetCare’s Pro Plan Veterinary Diets line of pet food, received a 2023 AmeriStar Award in the shelf-stable category.
| Source: Nestlé Purina PetCareUsing on-pack “How to recycle” and “How to compost” labels is an important part of consumer education. The labels tell consumers if the material can be recycled or composted and where it can be done.
“Consumers must learn to look for a ‘please recycle’ or ‘please compost at home’ label, and be able to identify How2Recycle labels,” Boden said.
Packaging suppliers can use third-party verification to prove their packaging is indeed recyclable or compostable. After that, they need to tell consumers what to do next.
“The information needs to be clear,” said Katie Ireland, packaging engineer for Kansas City, Mo.-based CRB. “Is the product recyclable or compostable? Is every piece of the packaging properly labeled as recyclable or compostable? Are the ‘How to’ labels scanning properly so the consumer can get their packaging components to the right destination for end-of-life cycle as designed?
“The package should be marked appropriately for the consumer to know what recycle stream each piece of the packaging must go in to either get recycled or composted,” she added. “Correctly identifying each material for the end user to get the packaging materials into their respective channels to be taken care of properly is important for a circular system to work.
Read more about packaging solutions and trends for pet food and treats.
