Sustainability remains a buzzword in the packaging industry and most packaging suppliers tout the countless “sustainable” innovations they have introduced. Yet the concept begs the question: at what cost?

At a time of historic price highs, are there any revenues available to meet the wishes or demands of customers or consumers for sustainable solutions?

Rachel Kenyon, senior vice president of the Itasca, Illinois-based Fibre Box Association, said there is no way to measure the cost of sustainability initiatives for brands, packaging suppliers and supply chain partners.

“We need to think more deeply about the costs of not addressing key issues that matter to consumers, trading partners, regulators and investors,” she said. “Environmental, social and governance reporting has become an essential part of corporate due diligence.”

The corrugated board industry may be the only one based on a circular economy, Kenyon added.

“We grow and harvest trees in sustainably managed forests to make corrugated cardboard and other paper products,” she said. “These are used to package products and transport them through the supply chain to the point of purchase or use. After that, they are recycled to make new boxes.”

Drew Merrill, senior vice president of sales and customer experience at CHEP US, based in Alpharetta, Georgia, said he finds the easiest way to think about sustainability from a business perspective is to examine how a company can positively impact the planet through better business practices.

“Our customers tell us they want to be more sustainable, but at the same time they need to increase their revenue and reduce their costs,” he said. “And they want to do business with partners who share the same sustainability values.”

Merrill said CHEP’s business model, with more than 353 million shared, repaired and reused assets, is “inherently circular and therefore inherently better for the planet than single-use alternatives.”

Yakima, Washington-based Kwik Lok Corp. knows its customers need sustainable solutions that fit their budget, says Karen Reed, global director of marketing and communications.

“That’s why we’re developing sustainable closure solutions like Enviro-Lok that run on the Kwik-Lok machines our customers already have, with no modifications required,” she said. “We want to make the transition as easy as possible for their operations.”

Kwik Lok strives for balance when its engineers and chemists develop new products, Reed said. “We want new solutions to be affordable and reliable.”

A closure must be designed in such a way that the consumer can close the packaging again and again throughout the life of the product without it breaking, she said.

“If you can’t do that, it’s not good enough to be a Kwik-Lok product,” Reed said.

Fresno, California-based Giró Pack Inc. has long been a champion of sustainability, says Asya Asenova, retail and key account manager.

“As a leader in the net packaging market and with our presence throughout the packaging sector, we recognized many years ago the need to promote a corporate strategy based on sustainability,” she said.

The company has made efforts to transform itself at all levels, including digital, logistics, production and financial, Asenova said.

“We continue to create value for all our stakeholders as we remain committed to sustainability,” she said.

In 2009, Giró Pack launched the Ecogiró product line, which focuses on solutions that offer the same functions as standard products, “but with optimized material use and therefore a clear sustainability objective,” she said.

Ecogiró’s products became one of the company’s main drivers of sales growth in 2022, and Asenova said Giró Pack expects Ecogiró’s products to play an even more important role in the future.

The Fibre Box Association helps its members quantify the sustainability of corrugated cardboard by regularly conducting cradle-to-grave life cycle analyses that measure the environmental impact of the average U.S.-made corrugated cardboard box, Kenyon said.

Since the first accounting in 2006, the industry has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions per unit by more than 50 percent, she said.

While some consumers may not be willing to spend more money on sustainable products, CHEP’s Merrill says companies should use a different formula to assess the overall value of a sustainable solution, “particularly given increasing pressure from key stakeholders and regulators to prioritize environmental, social and governance factors.”

The overall value of a sustainable solution takes into account factors such as safety, quality, efficiency and reporting integrity, he said.

Kwik Lok’s produce customers are listening to consumers who want more transparency in the packaging of their products, Reed said.

“They want to know what materials the package is made of and where the package goes when they no longer need it,” she said.

At the same time, states and countries around the world are developing a variety of different regulations.

“Our customers need solutions from a trusted partner who can help them meet both consumer expectations and regulatory requirements,” she said.

Giró Pack is optimistic about the future, said Asenova.

“We need to join the new era of global change, explore and develop new opportunities, with more efficient and inclusive growth models, by relying on alternative technologies,” she said. “(It is) ultimately a new way of thinking and doing things that brings more value to society.”

“This is the path we will take,” she added.