Economic and environmental packaging sustainability: A case study

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to analyze the suitability of the packaging strategy of an important Spanish agro-food company, regarding to economic and environmental sustainability.Design/methodology/approach: Three different types of packaging are analyzed to obtain a diagnostic of the initial situation. In this process, cost and carbon footprint are calculated in order to measure the economic and environmental impacts, respectively. Then, a new packaging allocation logic is proposed with the aim of improving both aspects.Findings: The results show that the carbon footprint is strongly and positively affected by the cost reduction, showing the viability of a win-win relationship between both aspects.Research limitations/implications: The strength of this win-win relationship may be conditioned by the input values considered in this case study. Conversion factors used to calculate carbon footprint vary a lot among researchers, showing the need of standardization in this topic.Practical implications: Since the existence of a positive relationship between economic and environmental sustainability has been demonstrated, organizations should find this kind of situations in themselves to satisfy their own stakeholders.Originality/value: This article shows the potential of unite waste elimination with eco-friendly activities with the aim of increasing the competitiveness of companies. This paper also contributes to the knowledge of economic and environmental sustainability and reinforces theoretical aspects, paving the way for further research on these topics.

Racionalización de envases y embalajes en cadenas de suministro sostenibles. Un estudio de caso en el sector de la alimentación

“…De hecho, la parte económica es la que suele terminar condicionando la puesta en marcha de determinadas iniciativas sostenibles (Carter y Rogers, 2008). Afortunadamente, es posible encontrar fórmulas y alternativas de diseño con beneficios en más de una dimensión, tal y como han demostrados estudios recientes como los de Rezaei et al (2019) o González-Boubeta et al (2018). Además, al evaluar cualquier tipo de impacto, este debería considerarse no sólo desde el punto de vista del propio envase y embalaje y del proceso de envasado, sino también desde la óptica de otras actividades afectadas (transporte, almacenaje, manipulación, logística inversa, etc.).…”

Innovation of Customer Chemicals Packaging in Concern of Sustainability

“…Today's world is characterized by a turbulent market environment and the search for ways to increase competitiveness. This aspect, together with society's growing interest in environmental protection, is making the concept of sustainability increasingly popular (González-Boubeta et al 2018). Business entities tend to improve the activities carried out on the basis of this concept.…”

“…Improvement can concern any of the three pillars of sustainability. The most studied in sustainable supply chain management are the economic and environmental dimensions (Bendul et al 2017), while the social aspect is usually left aside (González-Boubeta et al 2018). According to Abdullah et al (Abdullah et al 2018) green supply chain management is essential for the enterprise's sustainability.…”

“…Packaging is not just a carton or a box, but a system that enables safe, cost-effective storage, handling, transportation and marketing support (Dixon-Hardy and Curran 2009), while respecting environmental requirements. Some authors describe the development of the right packaging as an indispensable activity in building sustainable supply chain management (Mejías et al 2016), as a strategic element in achieving the economic and environmental performance of the enterprise (González-Boubeta et al 2018).…”

Ambalaj Atığı Toplama Sistemlerinin Karşılaştırmalı Sürdürülebilirlik Analizi

“…Bu çalışmalardan bazıları ambalaj atığı toplama sistemlerinin sosyal analizini maliyet bazlı incelerken [21,24], bazıları da ambalaj atığı toplama ve ayırma sistemlerinin sosyal analizini boyutsuz incelemişlerdir [25][26][27][28]. Ambalaj atıklarının farklı toplanma sistemlerinin ekonomik analizine ait literatürde birçok çalışma olmakla birlikte [29][30][31][32]; Ekonomik Yaşam Döngüsü Değerlendirmesi (E-YDD) üzerine sınırlı sayıda çalışma olduğu görülmektedir [11,21,[33][34][35] .…”