Packaging firm accelerates sustainable model

Southgate, one of Europe’s leading packaging suppliers, has revealed its focus for 2021 and beyond will be to develop and promote the idea of a circular economy – inspiring businesses on an international scale to embrace the global solution to eliminating waste.

In a circular economy, manufacturers design products to be reusable. It is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of a product is extended, creating a more sustainable world.

To accelerate the transition, Southgate has been sharing advice on what businesses can do to drive forward the sustainability movement. From encouraging companies to review their paper vs plastic usage, ensuring a healthy mix is used in the most environmentally and responsible way, to advising e-commerce businesses and consumers on what packaging is recyclable, and raising awareness of the upcoming Plastic Packaging Tax for all sectors whether that be construction, retail or manufacturing.

Craig Turner, Managing Director at Southgate Packaging, said: “The circular economy focus will become part of our Mission and Values as a business. Everything we do will feed into driving this message – new product innovations which focus on sustainability, working closer with our distributors to offer advice on the best sustainable solutions, and much more.

“We believe the future of packaging needs to focus on reducing the amount of harmful waste being put into the environment, and as a leader in our field, it is our responsibility to drive this message forward.”

The global movement of creating a more circular economy has been embraced by consumers, following the growth in e-commerce focus, which increased by 46% in 2020. In a recent survey almost 44% of consumers said that recyclable or reusable packaging are one of the most important features in their product choice. However, a study from 2018 showed that only 53.9% of packaging was recyclable.

In the past year, Southgate has launched a number of sustainable packaging products from carton sealing, paper mailers and void fill, with plans to have a suite of sustainable options for every product. To showcase its latest sustainable product line, Southgate recently launched its Sustainability E-edition brochure.

Southgate is continuing to develop its line of sustainable products, with several new products (for its distributors) currently in development.