5 KPIs for measuring your sustainable packaging success

As customers demand more eco-friendly products — and even factor a company’s environmental impact into their buying decisions — measuring that impact has become increasingly important. But where do you start?

Corporate responsibility reporting — whether that’s in a formal ESG report or when you’re discussing sustainability with your internal team and stakeholders — can be complex. After you’ve identified the metrics that matter, it can be challenging to collect and report that data — both internally and from your supply chain.

The right partners in your supply chain can support you in quantifying the impact that your labels and packaging have on the environment. You need key performance indicators (KPIs) — some internal and some from your supplier — to help you measure your baseline and the progress that your eco-friendly adjustments or redesigns have on your environmental impact.

How do you benchmark your progress toward a more sustainable package?

Here are KPIs that can be directly affected by your packaging and label choices:

• Sustainable Material Usage: Measure the percentage of materials used in your end-product package and label that are sustainably sourced, such as made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified papers and card stock, post-consumer recycled (PCR), post-waste recycled (PWR) or post-industrial recycled (PIR).
• End-of-Life Product Management: Understand how your products are disposed of or recycled by consumers at the time of use and consumption. Measure the percentage of your packaging that is biodegradable or can be recycled or composted.
• Energy Consumption: Measure the total amount of energy consumed by your packaging operations. Sometimes a change in your packaging design or materials can streamline your processes and lead to efficiency improvements and energy savings.
• Manufacturing Waste Diversion Rate: What waste is generated by your labeling or packaging operations at your facility — from the boxes your shipment arrives in, to the matrix or release liner? Track the percentage of that waste diverted from landfills through reuse, recycling, composting or other means of disposing of these byproducts.
• Sustainable Sourcing: Measure the percentage of suppliers that meet your sustainability criteria. You can measure label and packaging suppliers’ carbon footprint in a number of ways, including:
  • Total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions and Scope 1, 2 and 3 Emissions
  • Total energy consumption and renewable energy usage
  • Total water consumption, usage and discharge quality
  • Land use and biodiversity impact on local ecosystems

Support for your enterprise sustainability efforts

Regularly tracking and reporting these KPIs and others will help your company identify areas for improvement so you can set goals and communicate your environmental impact to stakeholders.

RLGreen™ supports our customers in their efforts to move the needle on these KPIs and many others. Resource Label Group applies internal manufacturing modernization to make measurable improvements in the carbon footprint — as measured by EcoVadis, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and other documented standards — so we can be your sustainable supplier of choice.

“I’m never satisfied with sustainability progress reports to customers,” says Tim Bohlke, Director of Sustainability for Resource Label Group. “I’m always prioritizing making every operation within the Resource Label Group more environmentally sound, so we deliver the most eco-friendly labels and packaging.”

Simultaneously, the team works to bring our customers eco-friendly solutions to enhance your sustainable material choices, divert more of your manufacturing waste and reduce your product’s end-of-life impact on the environment.

To ensure your sustainable efforts pay off, you need to be able to communicate to your customers about the choices you’ve made to be a more environmentally responsible organization. You can avoid falling into greenwashing or overstating your efforts by putting a solid plan into place and backing it up with credible measurement and documented improvements. The RLGreen team supports customers with the insights and information you need to turn your sustainability commitments into action.

Ready to revolutionize your labels?

Reach out to our skilled team at Resource Label Group to find out how we can help your branding reach the next level. Together, we can create a beautiful label that helps tell your company’s story to the world.