Packaging Compliance and Sustainable Packaging Strategy

We support our clients in their journey towards sustainable packaging. Starting with a compliance check in the abundantly complex and fast-moving legislative landscape we aim to understand the requirements for compliance and identify key priority actions to redefine their packaging strategy based on circular economy principles.

What EY can do for you

In the current fast moving legislative landscape, it is more important than ever to pay attention to your packaging strategy. In the last years, there have been many changes in EU legislation regarding packaging obligations and therefore a thorough compliance check is required.

With a variety of legal requirements and the complexity due to national differences rethinking your packaging strategy is becoming increasingly important. These legal requirements may include the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), marking requirements, Single-Use Plastics (SUP), plastic taxes or food contact materials. Additionally, these packaging legislations differ greatly per country within the EU in terms of rules (e.g. marking requirements) or the allocation of responsibilities and costs.

Understanding compliance restrictions and associated risks can be a first step to rethink your packaging strategy. With an improved packaging strategy and the integration of eco-design criteria, you can significantly reduce carbon emissions along your value chain for both your own organization and for your customers (scope 1,2 and 3) as well as limit your financial contributions related to packaging waste.

Our expertise is particularly – but not exclusively - appreciated for the fast-moving consumer goods sector where legislation and market demand are important for packaging. 

Our team helps businesses to overcome their packaging challenges using a three-pillar methodology:

  • 1. Packaging compliance check

    We help our clients understand the packaging compliance landscape and identify the compliance needs and risks in each targeted country or market covered by EPR systems, SUP rules, plastic taxes, food contact materials, etc.

  • 2. Monitoring regulatory updates

    We provide a biannual assessment on the legislative updates regarding packaging and packaging waste and how it will affect your company.

  • 3. Sustainable packaging strategy

    We guide you in your transformation pathways to develop your sustainable packaging strategy. Our approach is based on circular economy innovative solutions - elimination, reuse, and material circulation - and could include a feasibility analysis to develop your new packaging strategy, playing with different scenarios (technical, cost-effective, eco-design, ESG impact/LCA/recyclability).

Sustainable innovation - Key steps to transform your packaging strategy

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