Marketing is becoming inextricable from sustainability. Marketers must collaborate with other departments closely, gather accurate knowledge and work out how to share brand attributes in a humble and credible way. Our Emma Samson explains how today’s sustainable marketer must don many hats to satisfy internal and external stakeholders — turning their storytelling superpowers to influence behaviour and drive positive change.

How do you make people act more sustainably? Whether it is learning to reuse materials, returning items for refill or refurbishment, separating your waste for recycling or just not littering, is intrinsic motivation enough?

Last month, the European Commission (EC) announced its proposed revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD) and was met with immediate outrage from the beverage industry. European beverage associations, united in their indignation over new ambitious reuse targets outlined by the EC, believe that it undermines their progress in recycling development which they optimistically estimate to reach 90% by 2030.

Every year in the UK, an estimated 22 million pieces of furniture are sent to landfill by people eager to keep their interiors on point, says Emma Samson, marketing communications manager at circular plastics agency Searious Business. However, worsening climate change and socio-economic inequalities show that this takemake-waste consumption culture isn’t working for people, planet or profit – so, how can we create a circular system where resources are retained and not lost to landfill or leaked into our environment?

Remember the photo of a seahorse clutching a floating cotton swab? Or the viral video of a turtle in Costa Rica having a straw painfully removed from his nose?

We all remember these images. The world saw them and stopped in its tracks. That turtle inspired millions into action. He started a revolution.

The pandemic, unfortunately, reversed a lot of previous efforts to reduce plastic in hospitality. With health and hygiene concerns obviously taking priority, the emotional response was to turn back to single-use, plastic-wrapped items. How can the tourist industry begin to build back better?

Searious Business, a circular plastics agency in the Netherlands, is already using blockchain technology to track PET bottles through the recycling process in Moroccan supermarkets.

Now, it wants to use the same technology to incentivize reusable containers in event locations. "Imagine a system where the reward for returning a cup could fluctuate according to crowd participation. That's the real-time data cryptocurrency can offer. You won’t get a better incentive than peer pressure," says founder Willemijn Peeters.

"Tramontina's commitment to sustainability is long-established, and the Voice of the Oceans aligns with our values with its clear messaging and commitment to practical solutions. Another new Tramontina USA initiative is working with the environmental consulting firm Searious Business and Voice of the Oceans to ramp up our efforts to reduce one-time plastic packaging," said Mars Mashburn, Vice President of Product Development and Marketing of Tramontina USA.

In this Spotlight, BOPET Films Europe and Searious Business introduce the Vita Nova project, which explores how changing the material composition of flexibles can improve their recyclability without losing pack performance, compromising on printing, or costing more.

Undoubtedly, one of the best ways to reduce plastic pollution is to eliminate single-use plastic and introduce long-lasting reusable packaging instead. But brands are still reluctant to abandon the low-cost convenience of grab-and-go. They find it hard to believe enough customers are willing to put in the extra time and effort to return packaging to stores to refill. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, reusable packaging could be a $10 billion opportunity.

In de serie Opinion Leaders gaan de brancheteams van Aeternus het gesprek aan met ondernemers over relevante ontwikkelingen in de branche. Dit keer over de ontwikkelingen in de verpakkingsbranche. Een gesprek met 2 experts Willemijn Peeters, CEO en founder van Searious Business en Remy Notten, commercieel directeur van Dijkstra Plastics B.V. Hun boodschap: Wie nu niet voor de lange termijn in duurzaamheid investeert, riskeert het om straks met lege handen te staan.

Maybe before companies spend millions on futuristic high-tech, they should go back to the drawing board and start sketching from a different perspective. Because there is no technology more powerful than the creative mind. Emma Samson, marketing manager of Searious Business discusses how simple design could trump high-tech recycling solutions.

Searious Business is a social enterprise that partners with major brands and organizations to reduce their plastic waste. Plastic pollution is a global crisis that must be solved at source. The company recently moved to a larger location at Strijp-S. “Our office is surrounded by other young dynamic start-up companies and that energy is contagious,” says Willemijn Peeters of Searious Business.

EPR, or Extended Producer Responsibility, is the idea that manufacturers should be responsible for the environmental impact of their products and packaging throughout their life cycle, even after they leave the factory gates. It shifts responsibility away from individual users, who, after all, are limited by their region’s recycling capabilities, placing it back with the people who have the power to change the system from within the producers.