The EU's sustainability goals have put retailers on a ticking clock, with less than 10 years to make all plastic packaging recyclable. But retailers are keen on bringing the changes to seafood packaging much sooner.

In a sign of the times, UK retailer Iceland held a forum in Grimsby earlier this month, gathering top seafood suppliers for a frank talk about packaging and waste.

An unnamed source in the processing sector told IntraFish that the forum was the first time a major retailer had gotten big suppliers in one room to discuss the issue.

"The seafood industry being conscious of plastic and how it’s affecting the environment, that shift has been in the last 12 months -- a significant shift -- where they are actually making sure if it’s plastic, it has to be 100-percent recyclable," the source said.

UK processing giant Young's hosted the event at its facility. Young's Head of Packaging Development Helen Nickells told IntraFish processors can expect more events like this.

"We have worked with another retailer collaboratively with our competitors to talk about challenges and solutions, but more and more we’re being asked to join retailer sessions," Nickells said.

In the past few months, retailers have also started publicly accelerating their plastic packaging commitments thanks to pressures stemming from consumer perception and demand.

Many others have outlined their commitment to remove kinds of plastic packaging as soon as 2020.

The coming cost impact

Behind the growing pressure to act on plastics in packaging is the "elephant in the room," an inevitable increase in cost, Andrew Streeter, a Germany-based seafood packaging consultant, told IntraFish.

Biodegradable plastics will inevitably cost more to roll-out than existing ones, Streeter said, pulling the unit price per piece of packaging up.

"This means that companies will tend to look at alternative pack concepts," he said.

"I can’t really know what that will be yet, but if I knew, I’d put my pension in it."

Streeter expects the new packaging concept will likely still be film-based -- meaning skinpacks could theoretically stay -- but the materials would definitely have to change.

"Cost is a significant driver of packaging innovation," Streeter said.

"Immediately the industry needs to start putting pressure on their packaging suppliers and to an extent their equipment suppliers as well to provide innovative solutions."

The pressure to innovate

Cost remains a big concern from processors, but Sealedair Packaging Seafood Sector Leader Europe Gonzalo Campos told IntraFish cost might be saved in operational efficiency.

"There is a cost for innovation that can be offset from the benefits you are receiving from all supply chain key points," he said.

Innovative packaging systems, which might be more costly, can save on costs by optimizing space or output, Campos said.

"If you invest in innovation, it has to be rewarded," he said.

The company has an average of 50-percent recyclable material in its plastic films, above the requirements of most retailers at present. Campos claims they can go as high as films with 95 percent recyclable material.

"The question is always how is a plastic packaging company going to deliver such a dramatic pledge?" Campos said, referring to the EU 2030 plastic recycling target.

"Obviously, we need to continue investing in innovation and designing advanced packaging solutions," he said.

"Some companies already have their capital investments in equipment in place, so the best thing for them to do is figure out their gauge and find the most optimized structure that can be offered."

Rather than just "reducing," Campos says the industry has to prioritize learning how to "optimize," which might mean using thinner materials while keeping important aspects like food safety in mind.

Finding the 'right' solutions

Rather than fight against the cost, though, Streeter said that the industry needs to "embrace it."

"If the industry is faced with packaging change and associated packaging cost increase, they should realize that now is the time for the industry to look further forward, understand the environmental benefits that industry, politicians and consumers demand, and create a positive-engaging consumer packs to maximize the packaging opportunity," he said.

Young's, which recently won an award for its packaging initiatives, considers several factors before choosing to go with a packaging system, with the most important one being that it doesn't increase food waste.

"We’ll consider whether it fits a purpose in terms of its shelf life," Nickells said. "Is it fit for the purpose of the supply chain?"

The required investment and possibility of cost increase is also a significant factor for the company, although the variation in price differentials between traditional and innovative packaging solutions can be high.

"We consider everything and we choose the 'right' solution. So don’t always choose the cheapest solution, as it might not be the right one," Nickells said.

"I think main thing is to have this discussion internally and collaboratively within the organization.

"One team on their own can’t find solutions. It’s all about talking about the challenges and understanding what they are. And making sure that we choose the right solution."

Processor

As retail pressure mounts, seafood industry faces moment of truth on plastic packaging