As with many influential trends in food manufacturing, the sustainability movement didn’t exactly originate with the biggest brands. It was a movement that grew up and out of smaller companies that prioritized environmental responsibility in catering to niche consumer preferences. Now, sustainability features prominently in the brand promises and cost saving strategies made by food manufacturers of all sizes.
Even amid the evolution of greener packaging technologies, sustainability is a complicated matter to navigate—especially for smaller food manufacturers that lack the resources and experts employed by much larger competitors. So, how does a budding food manufacturer looking to scale up from a retail or small production operation begin to tackle sustainability amid other growing pains and priorities? Three packaging professionals provide their advice for an environmentally responsible scale-up strategy.