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I was recently invited to join a panel discussion at London Packaging Week with WRAP, the Waste and Resources Action Programme, as it seeks to accelerate the shift to a more circular packaging value chain through the UK Packaging Pact. We explored how understanding the full lifecycle of material by joining the different elements of this value chain can help create a more sustainable, circular way of producing consumer goods.
This means unpicking decades, and, in some cases, centuries of established habits and rituals around consumer products such as cosmetics and personal care items, to create a fundamental shift in how products are designed and made, and how they are sold, used and recovered.
Collaboration Makes System-Wide Change Possible
By understanding this, the confusion of the present becomes clearer. Many of the solutions are already known and greater collaboration builds the shared learning, confidence and momentum needed to implement them.
Breaking down traditional industry silos unlocks knowledge from organisations that might otherwise appear unrelated. By pooling expertise and resources, initiatives such as the UK Packaging Pact can co-create circular solutions that move us beyond isolated, incremental improvements towards aligned supply chains and broader transformation.
Why Circularity Matters for Business
A circular economy requires us to break the repeated linear pattern of make, use and throw; ironically, breaking the cycle to create a more circular economy. Small improvements to packaging are valuable, but they will not be enough if products continue to rely on the same retail models and systems. We need to step back, challenge familiar assumptions and consider products, retail models and product use with fresh eyes.
Government policies such as Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility aim to incentivise reduced packaging, improved design, refillable formats and greater recyclability. They will strengthen the shift towards a more circular economy, in which products and materials retain their value by staying in use for longer, using fewer resources and generating less waste.
The cosmetics industry is impacted more than most, with its packaging presenting some distinctive circularity challenges, from stringent safety requirements to small, complex packaging formats that cannot yet be recycled through conventional infrastructure. This additional cost and uncertainty for producers strengthens the case for redesigning products and systems.
By recognising that waste has a financial cost, companies that use materials more efficiently can reduce exposure to rising fees, protect reputation and build resilience. Anticipating future consumer needs can also create commercial advantage, strengthen brand loyalty and support long-term profitability.
Designing Our Way Out of Waste
Practical options should be straightforward for consumers to understand and use, and realistic for manufacturers of packaging and products to deliver. Before committing to new products, there is an opportunity to reconsider the innovation, its purpose and the retail model. Looking ahead can build resilience, it can lower packaging-related costs, reduce carbon and water impacts, optimise the use of retail space and strengthen brand loyalty. Examples of designing our way out of waste include:
- Packaging-free or “naked” formats: remove unnecessary material altogether.
- Waterless products: reduce packaging, transport impacts and localise resource use.
- Refill and reuse: keep packs and materials in circulation for longer.
- Design for recyclability: make disposal choices clearer and easier for consumers.
- Better collection systems: recover valuable materials that existing infrastructure misses.
Start with the Future
The time to think about future consumers, products and motivations is now, not when change becomes unavoidable.
Some brands and retailers are already taking a consumer perspective, considering how our lives are being impacted by a changing world and shaping the products of the future. By thinking more circularly, using less, wasting less and recognising the value of resources, we can design a better system together.
CTPA is here to help members explore practical next steps. CTPA’s Sustainability Handbook, ‘Navigating a Volatile World’, has been created to help companies understand key challenges, shape effective strategies and design products fit for a changing world.
CTPA members can also get in touch to schedule confidential Sustainability one-to-one meetings. Visit CTPA’s member Extranet to schedule your meeting here: Confidential Member One-to-One Meetings on Sustainability.
