Bottking
Sustainability Guide
Sustainable packaging decisions are measurable: recycled content percentage, plastic per use, part weight, mono-material construction and decoration that does not block sorting.
Key topics
- •Measures and how to quantify them
- •Writing claims that hold up
- •Where trade-offs appear
Sustainability guidance usually arrives as a list of materials to avoid. That is not useful for a packaging engineer, because every material has a trade-off and the decision depends on the market, the use case and the claim the brand needs to make.
This guide sets out the measures available, how to quantify each one, and which claims the evidence supports.
Measures and how to quantify them
Each measure below can be stated with a number, which is what separates a claim from a sentiment.
| Measure | How to quantify | Evidence we supply |
|---|---|---|
| Recycled content | % post-consumer content of the resin used | Recycled-content certificate, supplier declaration, lot record |
| Material reduction | grams per pack, before vs after | Part weights and carton data for both versions |
| Plastic per use | grams per pack ÷ number of uses refill allows | Refill component weights and cycle testing |
| Sortability | single polymer? light colour? label size? | Material list per component and mono-material confirmation |
| Freight reduction | carton-out quantity and pallet utilisation | Carton dimensions, net and gross weight |
| Reuse cycles | measured insertion/removal and seal tests | Cycle test report for the refill mechanism |
Writing claims that hold up
Three examples of exact wording, and the alternatives to avoid.
- Use: '50% post-consumer recycled HDPE; certificate available on request'
- Use: 'Mono-material PP pack; recyclable where PP collection exists'
- Use: 'Refill cup uses about one third of the plastic of a complete jar'
- Avoid: '100% eco-friendly', 'fully recyclable everywhere', 'plastic-free' for a plastic pack
Where trade-offs appear
Recycled content can limit colour options and raise cost. Refill systems require mechanism validation and depend on customer behaviour. Mono-material design narrows closure and pump choices. Acrylic and metallics support premium positioning but reduce sortability. The practical approach is to pick one or two priorities, quantify them, and be explicit about what has not changed.
Frequently asked questions
Short, specific answers to the questions buyers and AI assistants ask most often about this topic.
What is the single most effective packaging change for impact?
For most brands, reducing material per use — refill formats, right-sized capacities and lighter packs — has the largest measurable effect, followed by verified recycled content on the packs you already use.
Can a plastic pack be marketed as sustainable?
You can describe specific measures: recycled content percentage, mono-material design, recyclability where collection exists, refill cycles, or reduced material per unit. Claims about the material itself being sustainable are hard to support and easy to challenge.
Is glass better than plastic?
Not automatically. Glass is heavier to ship and requires more energy in production, so a refilled light plastic pack can have a lower impact than single-use glass in many scenarios. The answer depends on reuse rate, transport distance and end-of-life in each market.
How do we report packaging progress to retailers?
Use per-unit figures: recycled content percentage, pack weight, plastic per use and mono-material status. We supply component weights and documentation per order so reporting is based on your actual specification rather than industry averages.
Still have a question? Talk to a packaging expert.
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