Sustainable Packaging: The Way to Create Competitive Advantage and Protect the Future
30 June 2025
Packaging is no longer just a means of protection and transportation; it has become a strategic element through which brands reflect their vision of sustainability and establish a connection with the consumer. Sustainable packaging practices mean both environmental responsibility and competitive advantage, especially for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), textile, chemical, pharmaceutical and all manufacturing companies.
The long-term effects of traditional packaging materials on the environment, low recycling rates and tightening legal regulations are leading companies to more environmentally friendly materials and designs. However, sustainability is not limited to material selection; a holistic approach is needed that covers the entire life cycle, such as the production process, logistics efficiency, carbon footprint and post-use disposal. It is useful to keep this in mind: the sustainability of a product begins at the design stage and approximately 80% of sustainable products are launched with the right decisions made at the design stage. Making a product “sustainable later” can be quite difficult and costly.
Inspiring Practices from Global Brands
• Nestle has reduced waste and strengthened the perception of sustainability by switching to 100% recyclable paper-based packaging for some of its coffee products.
• Unilever has reduced plastic use by 60% by switching to refillable systems in industrial cleaning products, while also optimizing the waste costs of its B2B customers.
• Patagonia has transformed sustainability from a marketing message to a culture by taking a stance against excessive consumption with its “Don’t buy this jacket!” campaign. It manufactures with recycled materials, designs its products to be repairable, and allocates a significant portion of its income to nature conservation projects.
Successful Sustainability Practices from Turkey
• Ülker is moving forward with the goal of “Zero Waste” in its production processes. More than 90% of its packaging materials have been made recyclable, while significant improvements have been made in energy and water efficiency.
• Eti has managed to significantly reduce its annual plastic consumption with the design changes it made to its packaging. At the same time, it also follows active policies regarding the reduction of carbon emissions and the use of recycled materials.
A homecare products brand based in Turkey increased its recyclability rate to over 90% by switching its PE/PET multilayer packaging to monomaterial PE structure with our consultancy process. In this way, compliance with European regulations was achieved and the brand was given a green product label.
We Create Added Value with Packaging Consultancy
With our experience in packaging consultancy, we offer tangible contributions to companies in the following areas:
• Appropriate material selection, cost reduction and supplier optimization
• Support for regulatory compliance and export processes
• Life cycle analysis (LCA) and carbon footprint calculation
• Logistics efficiency through packaging volume and weight reduction
• Sustainable packaging strategies that will strengthen brand perception in the eyes of the consumer
Our aim is to ensure that our business partners are ready for tomorrow's expectations today with environmentally friendly, long-lasting, economically and technically sustainable packaging solutions. Sustainability is no longer an "good to have" type of option; it is the basic condition for competitive power, corporate reputation and existence in global markets.