Side view of shelves with products (all white no labels)

Packaging and materials consultancy 

Our end-to-end packaging and materials consultancy helps eliminate waste in your supply chain while ensuring compliance with waste and packaging regulations, including pEPR. We assist businesses in embracing sustainable packaging materials, enhancing recycling rates, and reducing carbon emissions.

Get in touch

Take advantage of our complimentary, no-obligation consultation to develop your packaging and waste strategy

Our team provides expert advice on sustainable packaging best practices. We offer guidance on alternative materials, innovative packaging designs, and waste reduction strategies, tailored to your business needs.

Partner with us to simplify the legislative landscape, safeguard your brand, reduce costs, and support your journey towards net zero. Whether you need a comprehensive sustainable waste strategy or specific advice through our Packaging Surgeries, Biffa is here to help you manage your packaging waste mire sustainably, right across the supply chain.

Why is sustainable packaging important?

Sustainable packaging is essential for reducing environmental impact and catering to the increasing demand for sustainable products. By embracing sustainable practices, companies can significantly cut down on waste and associated costs whilst boosting their sustainability and brand image.

How big is the packaging industry UK?
sterling icon
47.4 billion
was the estimated market size in 2024.
How much waste is produced by the industry in the UK?
trash icon
12.7 million tonnes
of packaging waste arisings in 2023.
What is the current recycling rate for packaging materials in the UK?
trending up icon
64.8%
of UK packaging waste was recycled.
Various plastic bottles
How does it work?
At Biffa, we revolutionise your packaging strategy through our innovative packaging consultancy and partnerships with industry leaders.

Our goal? To help you minimise packaging waste and create sustainable, circular solutions.

How to make packaging more sustainable?

Our process:

Consult
Kickstart your journey with a complimentary, online Packaging Surgery. During this no-obligation session, we collaborate with your team to pinpoint the most pressing packaging and material waste challenges, setting the stage for impactful solutions.
Audit & Report
Post-surgery, we offer a bespoke audit and reporting service tailored to your business's needs. We examine your material streams, uncovering opportunities to increase and eliminate waste. Our detailed report provides actionable insights to guide your next steps.
Execute
Should our audit reveal new strategic opportunities, we can support you further. We take a flexible approach with our fee models to ensure you get the best value, including deducting the cost of the audit from the execution phase, making it a win-win!

How we work with you

We pride ourselves on providing an honest, unbiased, and independent perspective on sustainable packaging solutions.
Our approach is designed to quickly identify what is feasible and practical for your business. We collaborate with you across three key areas:

Piled up plastic bottles

Mitigation

As legislation evolves, we proactively work to protect your business from the rising packaging compliance costs. Our expertise ensures that you stay ahead of regulatory changes, minimising financial impact.
Man holding recycled glass

Innovation

We delve into every possible format, material, and system, assessing them fairly within the context of your current infrastructure and future changes. Our goal is to find the most innovative solutions that align with your business needs.
People in discussion

Education

We believe that any new solution must come with a commitment to ongoing education. We ensure that your colleagues and end customers are continuously updated on new developments, especially if any changes in behaviour are required.

Key features of our services 

Comprehensive packaging support
Our journey towards sustainability begins with a complimentary Packaging Surgery to identify key areas for waste reduction and recycling enhancement. This is followed by a thorough packaging audit to provide actionable insights and tailored recommendations, optimising your packaging processes for significant waste reduction. 
Access to innovative recycling partners
Collaborate with our best-in-class innovative recycling partners to develop circular solutions that minimise waste and cut costs. Together, we'll create a more sustainable and cost-effective packaging system.
Strategic waste solutions and legislation expertise
Our expert team will assist you in designing out waste across the entire packaging journey, ensuring your strategy is both sustainable and efficient. We provide in-depth knowledge of waste legislation, including pEPR, Plastic Tax, Simpler Recycling, and DRS. We'll ensure you're always 100% compliant, giving you peace of mind.
Educational and Ongoing Support
Engage your customers and colleagues with our educational resources. From training sessions and webinars to gamification, we'll help you promote best practices across your organisation and supply chain. As your needs evolve, our team will continue to provide strategic and implementation support to help you achieve long-term sustainability goals.
Access to our BiffPack team
Our BiffPack team of experts offers compliance advice and manages all your data submissions. This support ensures your compliance needs are met effortlessly, providing you with peace of mind.

Benefits of a packaging and waste strategy

Helping you to meet sustainability targets and celebrate success
Increased packaging efficiencies, reducing waste
Greater social outcomes that resonate with consumers
Best-in-market solutions, based on industry knowledge
Commercial return through cost-saving methods, such as packaging reduction
Increased recycling rates, reducing emissions

Also, here's some additional help with compliance

Boxes on conveyor belt in warehouse

Packaging Compliance

Our packaging compliance service helps businesses meet regulatory requirements and improve sustainability practices. It offers expert advice, data management, and ongoing support.
Find out more
Person in Biffa high vis looking at mountain of waste

Legislation: EPR

Due in October 2025, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy which holds producers responsible for the total cost of managing their products’ household packaging from production to disposal. This includes the cost of collecting, sorting, recycling, or disposing of their products’ packaging.
Find out more
Greggs logo
Packaging is a key part of our sustainability ambition, so it is extremely useful to work alongside Biffa on their ‘packaging surgery’ concept. We’ve already identified opportunities and options for further development by combining our internal knowledge and the recycling infrastructure experience of the Biffa team, and we see this developing into a key part of our innovation approach in the future
Paul Rhodes
Greggs

Sustainable packaging case study

We want to help your business become part of a successful circular economy by prioritising reduction, reuse, and recycling in your packaging activity over recovery or disposal. We've already helped several major retailers and manufacturers streamline their processes:
Ribena bottles before and after

Increasing the recyclability of Ribena bottles

Biffa has partnered with Suntory Beverage and Food GB and Ireland (SBF GB&I) to help increase the recyclability of its Ribena bottles.
Recycling
Industry News
Corporate
Cardboard box with product inside

Implementing a new packaging solution at Dunelm

With the growth of web retail shopping over the past 15 years and more recently its explosion during the pandemic, people are now much more used to buying almost anything they need online.
Innovation
Recycling
Housebuilding construction site

Biffa partners up with housebuilders and suppliers to provide practical solutions for reducing packaging waste.

2 Oct 2023
3 mins
The report outlines practical solutions for reducing the impact of cost and carbon used in waste packaging.
Circular Economy
Polytag equipment at Biffa facility

Polytag and Biffa help retailers gain unprecedented packaging data

27 Jun 2023
3 mins
Discover Biffa's partnership with Polytag to gain valuable packaging lifecycle data. Join us in advancing sustainable practices for a greener future.
Innovation
Industry News

Book your complimentary, no obligation packaging surgery

Or enquire about our subscription service.
Get in touch

Meet our experts

Headshot of Roger

Roger

Roger is bringing 30 years of knowledge and experience gained in Packaging Manufacturing and Retail. His team have developed a unique perspective in support of any businesses efforts to become more sustainable and circular, by thinking differently about the materials they consume. A creative and collaborative approach helps Biffa and its customers redesign or design-out packaging they don't need, and implement the innovative, scalable alternative they do.

Naomi

Naomi brings nearly 20 years of experience in packaging, covering design, artwork, and print through to packaging development, technology, and consultancy. As a qualified Graphic Designer and Packaging Technologist, she understands the challenges from a front-line perspective, bridging the gap between creativity, functionality, and sustainability. With a naturally curious mind, Naomi is always looking for more efficient ways of working. She holds a Continuous Improvement Specialist Level 5 qualification, further strengthening her ability to drive innovation. Having worked across both manufacturing and retail, she is passionate about delivering real, sustainable solutions while ensuring transparency and avoiding greenwashing in the industry.

FAQs

  • What does a packaging consultant do?
    A packaging consultant provides expert advice on packaging design, materials, sustainability, and procurement. They help businesses optimise packaging for cost-efficiency. Packaging consultants also offer strategic consultancy, helping to reduce waste and ensuring compliance with industry standards.
  • How can we make packaging sustainable?
    Sustainable packaging can involve reducing size or weight, switching materials, changing suppliers, improving recyclability, and ensuring packaging can be collected. Consultants help businesses adopt innovative designs, track performance, and support a circular economy, including introducing closed loop solutions.
  • How to switch to sustainable packaging?
    Switching to sustainable packaging requires assessing current practices, identifying improvements, and implementing changes. Packaging consultants provide tailored circular opportunities, ensuring sustainability claims are accurate rather than greenwashing. They assist with material selection, design, and compliance, offering advanced technology solutions for sustainability in packaging.
  • What are the challenges of sustainable packaging?
    Challenges include higher initial costs, legislation impacts, and consumer education and awareness. Packaging experts help navigate these challenges by working with suppliers and advising on best practices. They provide strategic consultancy, advanced solutions, and detailed reporting to support sustainable packaging efforts.
  • What makes packaging sustainable?

    Sustainable packaging uses renewable or recycled materials, designed for reuse or recycling, and minimises environmental impact. Packaging consultants recommend sustainable alternatives and innovative designs. They offer consultancy services to ensure packaging helps meet sustainability goals.

  • How does sustainable packaging help the environment?

    Sustainable packaging reduces waste, conserves resources, lowers carbon emissions, and minimises pollution. It promotes a circular economy by encouraging recycling and reuse. Packaging consultants provide strategic consultancy, advanced ideas, and industry expertise to support environmental sustainability.