Certification: Verifying Key Traits of Sustainable Packaging
Brand owners increasingly embrace sustainable products and packaging to meet consumer demand, regulatory mandates, and corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments. But how can companies know if their products are truly sustainable?
One reliable option is certification by an independent third party, such as the Association of Plastic Recyclers, Forest Stewardship Council, and Biodegradable Products Institute. These certifying organizations and others verify the key attributes of sustainable packaging: product design, material sourcing, chain of custody, carbon footprint, recyclability, recycled content, compostability, end-of-life, and other features.
It's important to note that certification alone is not a guarantee of sustainability. Companies should take a holistic approach to more responsible packaging, focusing on material circularity, component optimization, refill and reuse models, policies, and stakeholders. Companies can continuously improve the sustainability attributes of their packaging without pursuing certification.
However, certification schemes can help support a company's sustainable packaging journey through third-party auditing, branding, and marketing opportunities. Other methods and tools like life-cycle assessments (LCAs) can provide accurate and trusted data on a product's carbon footprint, including greenhouse gas emissions, water use, mineral resource use, and fossil fuel use.
Why Certification Matters
Certification can help brand owners validate environmental claims, enhance transparency, avoid greenwashing, and build consumer trust.
According to a global consumer survey by GlobalData, 27% of shoppers consider on-pack certification logos "completely trustworthy" when making product choices, while 42% consider them "somewhat trustworthy." Another GlobalData survey found that professional certifications on packaging will "always or often influence" the product choices of over 50% of global consumers.
Certification can ensure that products meet established sustainability standards for sourcing, production, usage, and disposal. Independent third-party validation adds credibility to sustainability claims. Certification schemes enhance supply chains by encouraging companies to scrutinize and improve their sourcing, manufacturing, and waste management practices.
In a crowded category, certified sustainable packaging differentiates a brand's products from its competitors, attracting eco-conscious consumers. Certified products may offer more retailer opportunities and better shelf placement.
Certification helps ensure compliance with regulatory designations and statutory definitions for compostable and biodegradable packaging.
Communicating Sustainability
On-pack certification labels and logos communicate to consumers, businesses, investors, and other stakeholders that the packaging meets specific environmental or ethical standards. These displays enhance brand reputations and readily signal a company's commitment to sustainability.
Many consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands leverage sustainable packaging certifications to highlight their environmental efforts, build consumer loyalty, and meet sustainability goals.
For example, Melitta recently obtained two certifications for its coffee filter products to showcase its focus on environmental stewardship. The Biodegradable Products Institute® (BPI) certification confirms that the cone coffee filters are made from materials compostable in commercial facilities that accept compostable products. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification ensures that the filter paper is sourced from responsibly managed forests. In addition, the cone filter cartons are made from 100% recycled paperboard.
Last year, GoodPop, a maker of better-for-you frozen treats, received the Plastic Neutral Product Certification from 4ocean, an ocean cleanup organization that annually recovers millions of pounds of plastic and other debris from the world's waterways. The two companies also established a two-year sustainability partnership.
As part of the partnership, GoodPop will offset its plastic consumption (biaxially oriented polypropylene film wrappers) by purchasing one 4ocean Plastic Offset Credit for every pound of plastic used in its packaging. 4ocean will then remove one pound of plastic waste from the ocean, rivers, and coastlines for each credit purchased by GoodPop. 4ocean estimates the partnership will recover about 500,000 pounds of plastic based on GoodPop's offset.
Argotier, a French brand of ready-to-drink cocktails, selected Berlin Packaging's Helium Mixology glass bottle to align with its sustainability values. Certified by German-based ClimatePartners, the bottle features lightweight, half-flint glass with up to 75% recycled content. The recycled content contributes a light green hue to the bottle's aesthetic.
We developed the bottle to reduce its carbon footprint over traditional glass bottles. The certification process revealed the Helium bottle trimmed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 31.4%, fossil fuel use by 26.3%, and water usage by 26.3% compared to a conventional glass bottle. Berlin compensated for the remaining GHG emissions through ClimatePartner's certified carbon offset programs.
To realize its full sustainability potential, the Argotier bottle features a plant-based label made from 30% sun-dried grass (hay) and 70% FSC-certified paper.
As a certified member of the Amazon Packaging Support and Supplier (APASS) network, Berlin Packaging can work with our customers to ensure their e-commerce packaging meets Amazon's sustainable packaging requirements. Our trained consultants can help you optimize your e-commerce packaging, delight consumers, reduce costs, eliminate repack and overpack, and ensure your products arrive intact and undamaged.
Certifying Organizations
Here's a list of some key certifying organizations for sustainable packaging, along with a brief description of their activities:
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Amazon APASS is a network of Amazon-certified businesses that helps companies certify their products for Amazon's packaging programs: Frustration-Free Packaging, Ships in Own Container, and Prep-Free Packaging.
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American Soybean Association. Soy ink certification indicates recyclability of the printed material and responsible sourcing of the inks.
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Association of Plastic Recyclers. APR certifies that a package or its components are compatible with North American recycling systems and that recycled plastic content comes from post-consumer sources.
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Biodegradable Products Institute. BPI's certification program is a third-party verification of ASTM standards for compostable products and packaging in North America.
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Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. C2C Certified Circularity focuses on product circularity and offers measurable goals to guide all aspects of circular product development from product design and material sourcing to circular systems, packaging, and material health.
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Forest Stewardship Council. FSC certification ensures that paper-based packaging is sourced from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits.
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GreenBlue. The Recycled Material Standard provides a certified chain of custody to help brands track, validate, and communicate recycled material claims.
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Green Seal. For cleaning, laundry, and personal care products, the Green Seal certification signifies products made with safer chemicals, sustainable packaging, and responsible sourcing practices.
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SCS Global Services. The Recycled Content Certification ensures that recycled material is derived from verifiable sources, that thorough material tracking procedures are in place, and that production data produces accurate claims about the recycled content of final products.
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Sustainable Forestry Initiative. SFI's Chain-of-Custody Standard certifies that packaging products are made with raw materials from certified forests, certified sourcing, or recycled content.
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TUV Austria. OK packaging certifications include recycled content, industrial composting, home composting, biodegradable, and bio-based from renewable resources.
The brands mentioned in this report are trademarks of their respective owners. Inclusion of these brands in this report is not meant to imply an association with or endorsement from the respective trademark owners.