The Client produces and supplies a branded foodstuff, grown across global markets to maintain year-round production. Each item carries a small brand label. Products are shipped to pack houses, re-packers and third-party co-packers around the world. Products are graded by size, quality and flavors. They are then packed into a wide range of different retail and secondary pack formats. This includes trays, for B2B customers and retailer, fixed count retail ready packs and other assorted snack packs, food-on-the-go packs etc.
Whilst our client doesn’t control, source or specify all of the downstream packaging, their name is on every single product. As a consequence, they need to know what is being used, where, why and how, so that they are able to compile meaningful reports on end-to-end sustainability, across a complex legislative landscape. Key markets include N. America, Europe, China, Japan, S. Korea and ANZ.
The client asked James Ross Consulting initially to help them collate data on packaging use within N. America and Europe. In year one this involved us in engagement with their partners and associated vendors within these markets. We helped build a reporting infrastructure that provided consistency of data, naming conventions, material descriptions, structural packaging, secondary and tertiary packaging etc. It also included methods to track recycled content and sources, recyclability (rates in destination sales markets) etc. With resource in both regions, we were able to build connections directly with packaging specifiers, purchasers, users and manufacturers, to ensure that data did what it needed to do and that data logic and integrity was correct. This included some pack sampling and tear-down in different markets, just to check that what we had in the database matched the reality on the ground.
During our second year of data gathering and clean-up we also included data from a number of other markets in Asia. This helped provide a more consistent platform for analysis and reporting.
We were able to build coherent and consistent data for the global group, across disparate markets. Interrogation of the data showed us significant differences in packaging approach in different markets. Packaging was heavily plastics focused in N. America and almost plastic free for Europe and other regions. For Asian markets, price point was a key driver of packaging choice, in other markets the range was more segmented, with premium, standard and price fighter offerings across different channels.
The building and sense-checking of data also allowed us to begin to help model ‘what if’ opportunities. The data established the current position; we were then able to model where to go. Analysing pack materials, cube, weight as a proportion of product fill weight enabled us
to create pathways for material and cost reduction, driving sustainability improvements and achieving cost savings.
For this client, the complexity of their supply chain required them to negotiate values across a wide range of disparate third parties. Using data to point to measurable sustainability wins, tied with obvious financial benefits was a key unlock for the program. The client now has clear ‘best practice’ models and the data to help guide or nudge packaging choice across different markets with different economic and sustainability backgrounds.
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