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Aligning Sustainability Goals
With sustainability now mandated by various regulations, organizations need to prioritize eco-friendly practices—starting with packaging. Does your packaging supplier share a commitment to complying with growing sustainability requirements? From compliance risks to environmental harm, misaligned sustainability goals can lead to serious consequences for you and your company.
1. What are your key focus areas when it comes to packaging?
Suppose a packaging supplier is unable to convincingly answer questions about topics such as sustainable packaging materials, right-sizing, shipping efficiency and environmental regulations. In that case, the supplier is unlikely to deliver on your sustainability goals. Ask specific questions about the supplier’s packaging optimizations to ensure their sustainability objectives are aligned with yours.
2. Can you provide examples of past sustainable packaging wins?
The best predictor of future success is past success. Can the packaging supplier provide sustainability case studies or testimonials from past clients? Can they show you how they helped clients achieve sustainability wins in an economically viable way? If not, you may need to continue your search.
3. Does your organization have defined sustainability goals?
Packaging suppliers committed to sustainability align with defined annual goals. In addition to gathering anecdotal information about client wins, ask the supplier to provide sustainability reports. Typically, sustainability reports outline a company’s environmental goals and insights into whether they are trending toward these objectives.
Sustainable Practices in Action
Beyond sustainability objectives, even more important is follow through. Below are questions to make sure prospective packaging suppliers aren’t merely paying lip service to sustainability.
1. How does your organization source raw materials?
A key aspect of sustainable packaging is the type of materials used and how they are sourced. Ask prospective packaging suppliers where the origin of their materials and what steps they take to ensure their materials are responsibly sourced. For example, if a supplier carries FSC-certified packaging, you can rest assured they are obtaining paper materials from responsibly managed forests.
2. What are your strategies for reducing material usage?
Efficient material usage is essential for reducing packaging waste. The right packaging supplier is able to speak to material reduction in packaging design. Not only is efficient material use better for the planet, but it will also help with the performance of your packaging. Packaging that contains excessive materials or is incorrectly sized easily leads to increased product damage.
3. How does your organization conserve energy?
Sustainable packaging suppliers often hire third-party organizations to perform life cycle assessments of their packaging. This process is intended to measure the environmental impact of different packaging products, including how much energy is required to produce them. When vetting potential packaging suppliers, ask them what steps they take to reduce energy consumption.
4. Can you prove your compliance with environmental regulations?
Depending on where your packaging is produced, there will be certain environmental regulations that packaging suppliers need to follow. For example, China has developed restrictions that limit the volume of packaging allowed in proportion to the product. In Vietnam, packaging producers are required to recycle certain materials. In the EU, new regulations require certain materials to be prioritized and sustainability data to be collected.
A trusted packaging partner will be upfront about their compliance process and will provide any requested documentation to show they are aligned with government standards. If your packaging supplier is hesitant to answer questions about compliance, you may want to reevaluate.
5. Do you have any sustainable packaging certifications?
Sustainable packaging certifications can be used to measure the sustainability performance of a packaging supplier. A variety of sustainable packaging certifications exist—some focus on how paper is sourced while others focus on aspects such as carbon emissions.
The organizations that administer certifications typically require suppliers to undergo a thorough application process. With that in mind, these types of certifications can be reliable indicators that the supplier is following through on its environmental commitments.
Additional Questions to Ask
In addition to assessing the sustainability of a packaging supplier, you should ask some basic questions to help you gain an understanding of the supplier’s capabilities and specialties.
1. Can you describe the extent of your manufacturing capabilities?
Can the organization handle the volume of packaging your organization needs? Do they have the equipment needed to produce branded graphics? Can they use sustainable packaging materials to help you reach your sustainability goals?
It is important to gain a thorough understanding of what the packaging supplier can and cannot do for your organization. On a large scale, the supplier’s limitations can amount to significant challenges.
2. Do you have a team of packaging designers and engineers?
Packaging designers and engineers focus on the form and function of your organization’s packaging. Their responsibilities might include identifying opportunities to minimize material use, eliminate unused space or improve graphics.
Packaging designers and engineers also ensure that packaging is durable enough to transport products without damage. Reverse logistics and returns are incredibly expensive, and packaging designers and engineers are uniquely qualified to minimize these losses.
3. Does your organization possess regional expertise and contacts?
If you need to produce packaging in multiple countries, your packaging supplier needs to have regional expertise. No two countries have the same labor costs, environmental regulations, or customs requirements. Knowledgeable staff on the ground is crucial to keeping production numbers up, keeping labor costs down, and avoiding costly regulatory penalties.
4. What are your typical lead times?
The past years have seen a surge in supply chain disruptions. Inquire as to whether these disruptions have affected the typical lead times for the packaging supplier you're considering. You want to work with a supplier you can rely on even (especially) during challenging times.
You should also ask if the packaging supplier maintains any contingency plans to keep lead times low despite disruptions. For example, packaging suppliers that work with a comprehensive network of regional manufacturers and partners can shift sourcing as needed in response to factory shutdowns or delays.
5. What steps do you take to ensure quality and performance?
The supplier’s packaging may be within your budget and aligned with your environmental goals, but all is fruitless if your packaging reaches the customer damaged. For this reason, it is important to work with a sustainable packaging supplier that performs sophisticated packaging testing in the development phase to ensure quality and performance. Make sure to ask what kind of testing they typically carry out and what type of equipment they have in-house to do so.
6. What sets your organization apart from other packaging suppliers?
When looking for the right packaging supplier, you will need to know what sets them apart from the competition. Ask about their packaging specializations, past successes, and unique capabilities to ensure they are suited to reach your organization’s sustainability goals.
Key Takeaways
Selecting the right packaging supplier is not just about meeting operational needs—it’s about forming a strategic partnership that aligns with your business goals and values, particularly in the area of sustainability. By asking the right questions, you can gain deeper insights into a supplier's capabilities, commitment to eco-friendly practices, and ability to meet your quality and logistical requirements. Whether it's their approach to sourcing materials, compliance with environmental regulations, or track record of success, these factors are essential to ensuring your packaging aligns with your sustainability initiatives.
As businesses face increasing pressure to adopt sustainable practices, the importance of choosing a supplier that prioritizes environmental stewardship cannot be overstated. A trusted partner will help you stay ahead of regulatory demands, reduce environmental impact, avoid costly penalties and fines, and improve operational efficiency—all while safeguarding your brand reputation. By taking the time to vet potential suppliers thoroughly, you can ensure that your packaging not only protects your products but also supports a greener, more sustainable future.
