How to transform supply chains to save environmental and financial resources?

And by 2300, between 4.0 and 13.0°C according to MIT. This change, in turn, will have a devastating effect on the environment, causing food and water shortages, destructive weather anomalies (storms, hurricanes, tsunamis, and so on), and extinction of many animal and plant species.

What should be done to prevent the worst scenario from happening? To start with, we need to lower our emissions by 50% in the next 8 years according to World Economic Forum.  However, some studies show that even if all people do their part, we would still “only” reach a 25% reduction, while the most realistic predictions talk about 5-10%. That is why the biggest responsibility falls on businesses and governments that have already started successfully implementing effective policies like the Paris Agreement and solutions that may result in a 40-70% reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2030.

Every responsible business must do its part to join the fight against climate change. One way to do this is by applying the three main principles of a circular economy – reduce, reuse, and recycle – to the design process of each packaging and logistic solution. Another is to implement tools and systems to evaluate environmental footprint and maximize resource efficiency. The good news is that saving costs and optimizing transportation can go hand-in-hand with reducing CO2 emissions and waste. Here is how.

Becoming green costs less

Reducing the number of materials and resources needed to design and ship the packaging is one of many ways where a company can generate savings while minimizing its green footprint. An efficient way to reduce the use of resources is to implement returnable systems that can be utilized for several cycles. A thorough Life Cycle Analysis helps to compare the cost of one-way and returnable solutions and provides a full picture of the environmental impact of making a switch to returnable ones. A good example is GreenCALC, a tool that identifies areas of improvement in currently used solutions by quantifying a large range of climate-affecting metrics. As a result, it provides detailed and data-driven recommendations in terms of total cost and environmental impact.

More and more companies also introduce various environmental management systems and standards (like ISO 14001:215 or similar) to monitor and improve resource efficiency and waste management across all their facilities. As a result, they can react faster to potential issues and concerns, which supports the idea of saving valuable resources.
Last, but not least, maximizing responsible material sourcing is a necessary step in ensuring sustainable resource management. For example, it is becoming an industry standard to use FSC-certified wood materials, but some brands go even further and restrict the use of specific materials that may pose any danger to the environment.

Coming together for the purpose

Considering the urgency of climate challenges, it is key to start acting now. However, it is not an easy task to evaluate one’s environmental impact correctly, and is even more difficult to introduce effective counteractions. That is why it is essential to work with trusted suppliers, who follow the same code of conduct and industry standards in terms of optimizing resources and generating waste.

At Nefab, we are finding new ways to achieve greater sustainability in our solutions and smarter ways to reduce the environmental impact. Together, we can pave the way for a future with less packaging waste for our customers, for society, and the environment. The time to act is now.

Here you can find our latest UN Global Compact Communication on Progress.

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GreenCALC
Nefab’s own certified calculator measures and quantifies financial and environmental savings in our solutions

Sustainable Solutions
Engineered packaging for sustainable supply chains

Sustainable Materials
Fiber-based packaging and raw materials