ReLondon’s new report, ‘London’s packaging footprint’, details the damaging greenhouse gas emissions created by London’s packaging consumption, and traces the flows and volumes of a wide variety of packaging – including plastic, paper, card, glass, metals and wood – across Greater London’s entire supply chain.

The findings will be shared at the report’s launch during Circular Economy Week, running in London for the seventh time with a focus this year on circular economy as an engine of good growth. The report shows that innovation around recycled content, refill and reuse systems is vital to tackle the worst climate impacts of packaging in the capital, as it is responsible for a startling 4.1 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions – equivalent to around half the emissions generated by London’s transport network – with almost 2 million tonnes of those emissions generated by the city’s consumption of plastic packaging alone.

In terms of waste volumes, the figures are also staggering:

Around 2.2 million tonnes of packaging are consumed and disposed of every year in London – by residents, visitors and businesses – equivalent to almost 250kg per person.
Only a small proportion of this gets recycled – 44% for household waste and 33% for commercial waste.
While visitors account for 30% of consumer packaging use in London, they account for 55% of packaging thrown away in street bins as well as in hotels, restaurants and offices.

The research, conducted by Valpak and commissioned by ReLondon, is the first study to use a material flow analysis methodology to measure the climate impacts of packaging use at a city level. The methodology shows those impacts through a consumption lens, exposing the whole lifecycle impacts of packaging, rather than just its production-related emissions.

This is vital for big cities as they are net importers of products and services, underlined by the fact that the vast majority (76%) of greenhouse gas emissions associated with London’s packaging supply chain have already been produced by the time the packaging leaves the factory gate, before it is even filled with product.

The next largest source of emissions is the incineration of packaging waste – mainly plastic – which contributes to 20% of London’s packaging emissions. These two hotspots present the greatest opportunities for reducing London’s packaging footprint, and the report also shows how the city, its businesses and residents can act to make a difference, identifying three possible levers for change:

Increasing recycled content in plastic packaging by up to 60%, which could result in a 7.8% reduction in emissions
Reducing or eliminating excess packaging through (for instance) reuse and refill schemes, or removing fruit and vegetable packaging – resulting potentially in a 5.8% reduction in emissions for the packaging categories considered in the report
Increasing collection and recycling rates to 70% for packaging overall, and 55% for plastic packaging specifically, leading to a 9.1% reduction in emissions

ReLondon and its partners are now calling for organisations involved in the design, production, distribution, sales and processing of packaging to help inform next steps for London – and a round table during Circular Economy Week will provide a first opportunity for innovators and circular packaging experts to guide what comes next.

Wayne Hubbard, CEO of ReLondon:
“Our new report, ‘London’s packaging footprint’, identifies the significant contribution that packaging, and in particular plastic packaging, makes to London’s carbon emissions – equivalent to half of London’s transport emissions. A startling three quarters of these emissions occur before packaging even reaches the consumer, as they are caused mainly by its production and distribution.

“The transition to a low carbon circular economy provides a real opportunity to reduce our emissions, make our economy more resilient and promote growth in more sustainable and circular business models – and Circular Economy Week this year has a strong focus on the growth potential for the UK in moving to a zero waste economy.”

Mete Coban, Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, said:
“The use of some types of packaging poses significant environmental challenges, and London is already working hard to tackle this issue.

“This report provides valuable new insights into how packaging contributes to our city’s waste and climate footprint, and will help us develop new approaches and expand existing ones. It is crucial to reduce single-use packaging by eliminating packaging we don’t need and scaling up reuse models, as well as increasing the recycled content in packaging. These priorities, alongside a focus on improving packaging collection and recycling rates, will support London to become a low carbon, zero-waste city as we work to build a greener, fairer city for everyone.”