Packaging: Fashion’s dirty little secret

Packaging has become a part of a brand’s identity and can make the difference between making or losing a sale. Indeed, studies have shown that the design and materials used to package a product influence the purchase decisions of consumers.[1]

However, most of that packaging is made of plastic and we all know that ‘life in plastic’ is not fantastic. Packaging waste is a massive worldwide problem and has been in the cross hairs of the fashion industry for many years now.

Bag, box, paper, polybag… all this waste (often non-recyclable) to get to that one pair of jeans you bought online. Some say that it is a necessary evil because the product needs to be “protected”. We know that damaged products that cannot be sold are worst for the environment than adding an extra layer of plastic, but still… it seems a bit excessive, don’t you think?

Why is excessive packaging so terrifying?

It is terrifying the amount of packaging the apparel industry generates, especially if we consider that most of it is typically designed for single-use and is not recycled.

Around 150 billion new garments are produced each year, which means that at least the same number of polybags are produced in that time.[2] Put in numbers, the equivalent of 80,000 elephants is thrown away by the fashion industry in the form of polybags alone in just one year.[3] And to this, we must add the boxes, stickers, and papers that usually accompany our garments.

Packaging generally impacts the environment and contributes to climate change in two ways:

1. Birth

As we said before, most of the packaging produced worldwide is made of plastic, which in turn is obtained through oil extraction. After been extracted, this raw material has to be refined, cracked, and polymerized, which requires the use of an endless amount of chemicals and energy.[4]

But this doesn’t end here. Once the packaging is ready, brands generally add printing, which means another layer of chemicals, often containing heavy metals like lead, mercury, or cadmium.[5]

2. Afterlife

While plastic is generally recyclable, whether a specific piece is, depends on what extra components have been added. Currently, roughly 14% of plastic packaging in the world is recycled[6] and in 2016, the EU total packaging waste amounted to nearly 87 million tons (much of which was plastic). Approximately 374 pounds (170 kg) per person![7]

And this gets scarier: plastic takes decades, if not centuries, to decompose and releases harmful chemicals into the environment endangering not only wildlife, but human lives too. By way of example, when disposed of in landfills, polybags take between 500 and 1000 years to degrade, leaching toxins and microplastics into the soil.[8]

Is online shopping to blame?

The increase in the amount of plastic packaging production in the fashion industry has been partly attributed to the rise of e-commerce and the need for more shipping packaging. But not so fast! Its amount mostly depends on the number of garments produced (one t-shirt, one polybag), so online shopping is only to blame if it indeed has helped increase the number of garments and, thus, packaging.

On another note, the protection that packaging gives to products is needed in both the pre-consumer and the consumer stage. There is a lot of waste that we don’t get to see further up the supply chain. So even if we buy the old-fashioned way and not online, garments still have to arrive to the stores individually, be unpacked, and re-bagged for customers. Pretty much the same as getting our clothes through online orders.[9]

Therefore, we shouldn’t come to quick and simple conclusions because it would seem that buying in stores does not reduce the amount of waste in comparison to e-commerce. Nothing in the apparel industry is simple, and even more so when it comes to sustainability. The packaging problem is a systemic one, and we cannot simplify it into one cause.

Sustainable packaging- expense or investment?

When it comes to analyzing how sustainable a brand is, consumers are not forgetting about the “packaging” part of the equation. In fact, even influencers are paying more attention and are increasingly calling out brands that send them irrelevant packaged products. Studies have shown that from 2018 to 2019, there was a “100% increase in hashtag mentions, such as “#wastefulpackaging” and keyword phrases like ‘too much packaging’.”[10]

Less and more sustainable packaging isn’t just a better option for our planet but, marketing-wise, it’s also a great investment. Brands know this and due to increasingly aware consumer demands, some of them are making commitments to eliminate, or at least reduce, single-use plastics in packaging. ASOS, for example, joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Global Plastics Initiative in 2019 and is aiming to reduce its own-brand packaging by 2025.[11]

It is simple: the more sustainable a brand is (without greenwashing, of course), the more consumers are willing to pay. So brands… please invest!

Are paper and cardboard the solution?

Studies have shown that paper and cardboard packaging are more attractive to customers and that this type of packaging makes products seem premium or high quality.[12] Thus, it doesn’t come as a surprise that these materials are seen as the quick-win solution that can help brands achieve their plastic reduction targets. Take H&M as an example, who in the hope of reaching its targets of reducing packaging by 25% and designing reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging by 2025, has switched its in-store plastic bags for paper ones while also trying to replace e-commerce plastic bags with paper.[13]

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a quick-win solution in the sustainable fashion business. Paper and cardboard are not always better than plastic. Paper requires three times more energy to produce than plastic.[14] Plastic is more durable and, due to it being lighter in weight, it produces fewer emissions in transportation.[15] Moreover, Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) for cardboard and paper have rated paper as having an overall higher environmental impact than plastic.[16] This resulted in some brands trying to find their way around while sticking with plastic. ASOS for example is trying a reusable mailing bag scheme.[17]

However, LCA focuses mostly on the impact of paper made from virgin materials. The story turns around when it comes to recycled cardboard or paper, which is way more energy efficient than plastic, using 70% less than when made from new raw materials.[18]

Possible solutions

Here are some conscious and sustainable packaging alternatives which some companies are embracing:

1. Compostable Packaging: As its name suggests, this material can break down at the end of its life (if all non-compostable stickers are removed), providing the earth with useful nutrients. For this technology to truly work, it is important that brands educate their consumers, and that the latter are willing to learn. This, because for it to successfully biodegrade, compost conditions are required. Simply placing this material in the regular trash is not the way since it will behave just like regular plastic.[19] Please note that biodegradable doesn’t equal compostable. LANIUS, Reformation, Finisterre are some examples of brands opting for this technology.
2. Recyclable Packaging: Many brands are starting to use recyclable packaging when shipping online orders. While recycled plastic bags aren’t here yet, when it comes to recycled cardboard or paper, certifications are everything. One that you should be looking out for is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which ensures that the cardboard used comes from responsibly managed forests. Reformation and Whimsy + Row, are working with this kind of packaging.
3. Reusable Packaging: Some other brands are also encouraging customers to reuse packaging and are offering easily reusable alternatives. RePack for example designed packaging to last at least 20 cycles and customers can return them for free by post. Other brands such as HARA are sending their products in packaging that can be reused for storing things.

Being the pressing issue that it is, the alternatives to reduce packaging contamination we just saw are certainly promising. However, one question remains to be answered… can they be produced at a 150-billion-per-year scale?

It’s no news that the apparel industry has a problem with plastic waste and that tackling unsustainable fashion is not an easy job. It requires that all links in the chain work together and in the same direction. And within that direction, moving away from wasteful packaging is key!

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What are your thoughts on this issue? Have you ever shopped and received an obscene amount of packaging with your garment? Let us know in the comments below!