Why is the cap attached to the bottle? Why do water bottles have indentations? Why is shampoo or shower gel sold in “sachets”? And why has yogurt lost its corners? All these questions have only one answer and that is ecodesign. In recent years, containers and containers that protect food and beverages have changed their size, shape and even their color. L’Oréal shampoo is now also sold in refillable format and Ferrero chocolates are no longer arranged orthogonally in their box, but respecting their roundness to take up less space.
These types of modifications that we may not give importance to have a great impact. Between 2021 and 2023, they saved more than 78,600 tons of raw materials and have avoided the emission of more than 1 million tons of CO2through the environmental improvement of more than 5.8 billion containers.
“In recent years we have made progress that has made packaging increasingly easier to recycle,” says Begoña de Benito, director of External Relations at Ecoembes, the non-profit organization that coordinates recycling in our country and advises to companies so that the packaging they market in Spain is more circular.
According to the latest report of the Ecoembes Prevention and Ecodesign Business Plan (2021-2023), during the last three years, the 2,048 collaborating companies have implemented 10,400 ecodesign measures aimed at reducing the environmental impact of packaging in the Spanish market. Of them, almost 70% (7,071) of the measures were focused on reduction. For example, inks and varnishes were replaced with materials from renewable sources or the material needed to manufacture the packaging was reduced.
Franco Martino, communications director at Ferrero Ibérica (which brings together brands such as Nutella, Kinder and Ferrero Rocher), explains how they have implemented eco-design measures through the subtle transformation of the mythical packaging that we all keep in our memory. “We follow three rules: minimize the amount of material that makes up packaging, replace multi-material films with mono-materials (which allows them to be recycled more easily) and raise consumer awareness about the need for correct management of household waste. Thanks to these measures of eco-design, 90.7% of our packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable,” he celebrates.
A law that requires changes
In addition to companies’ intention to achieve more sustainable packaging, legal obligations are added. Royal Decree 1055/2022 establishes ambitious objectives in Spain reduction, reuse and recyclability of packaging for companies. Among the most notable is the reduction in weight by 13% by 2025, one of the reasons why the corners of yogurt have been rounded or plastic water bottles have indentations.
In addition, Spanish law also requires incorporating recycled plastic into the composition of packaging by 2025, and establishes the obligation for all to be 100% recyclable by 2030. There is also a European Regulation in development that will reinforce reuse requirements, driving evolution of packaging towards increasingly reusable options, as in the case of cosmetic products sold in refill format.
The regulations may have driven the growth of ecodesign measures, although there are groups that are far ahead of the competition. “Since 2013, L’Oreal uses its own eco-design methodology called SPOT (acronym in English of Sustainable Product Optimization Tool), which takes into account 14 environmental and social impact factors from the conception of all our products,” reports Delia García, director of sustainability and positive impact at L’Oréal Groupe in Spain and Portugal.
The result is that more than 3 out of every 4 of its PET plastic containers come from recycled sources and 97% have been conceived from eco-design. “In line with our commitment to decarbonization, the group is strongly committed to the format refill and we have the goal that in 2025 the 100% of our plastic packaging is refillablereusable, recyclable or compostable,” he reveals. For this reason, many of the new shampoos and gels are sold in “bag” form.
Nor can we forget the example set by small and medium-sized companies. In fact, 62% of those that applied ecodesign measures were SMEs. By sectors, food is the one with the most measures has activated: a total of 5,133 between 2021 and 2023. This is followed by the personal and home care sector, with a total of 1,988 measures.
Since its creation in the late 90s, Ecoembes has promoted innovation in recycling, helping companies create more sustainable packaging and 100% eco-designed. This support manifests itself in several key areas. On the one hand, it has worked closely with public administrations to modernize the waste classification process, which now allows for precise separation of various types of plastics.
As for private organizations, TheCircularCampus has trained more than 2,100 professionals from packaging and distribution companies in ecodesign. In addition, its Future Packaging Observatory analyzes global trends on ecodesign in legislation and new technologies. On the other hand, with the Pack CD tool for companies, Ecoembes analyzes the sustainability of each packaging, allowing the environmental impact of its products to be diagnosed.
“Although the path towards reduction and reuse is a challenge, the efforts of companies are making a difference,” says de Benito. “With this impulse, we are not only complying with current regulations, but we are moving towards a more circular future,” he concludes.