Key Points
- What Does Sustainable Pet Food Packaging Mean
- Why Sustainable Pet Food Packaging Matters
- The Barriers to Sustainable Pet Food Packaging
- A Step by Step Guide to Creating More Sustainable Pet Food Packaging
Article Summary
Sustainable pet food packaging is a challenge—it has to maintain freshness and function while also reducing a brand’s impact on the environment. It isn’t always easy to walk this balance—but with the right holistic approach, brands can learn how to shift to sustainable pet food packaging design.
What Does Sustainable Pet Food Packaging Mean?
Image courtesy of Pezzy.
In the packaging world, sustainability is a hot topic. But what exactly does “sustainable packaging” mean?
Fundamentally, sustainability is about preserving the planet’s resources for future generations—and being aware of how our actions impact the environment. For pet food packaging to be truly sustainable, it would need to have a net neutral or net positive for the environment.
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition’s list of criteria includes packaging that:
- Is beneficial, safe, and healthy for people and communities
- Is sourced, produced, and transported using renewable energy
- Is designed to optimize materials and energy use
- Maximizes the use of renewable or recycled materials
- Is manufactured using clean, environmentally-conscious technologies
According to Saloni Doshi, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer of EcoEnclose, a leading innovator in sustainable packaging supplies, true sustainable packaging doesn’t exist yet—all packaging still has a net negative impact on the environment. But that doesn’t mean we can’t take steps toward more eco-friendly choices.
On an episode of our podcast, Entrepreneur Minds Speak, Saloni emphasized the importance of looking at the big picture when it comes to sustainable packaging. It’s not just about replacing plastic with another material; it’s about assessing the full lifecycle of the packaging, from sourcing to disposal.
For the pet food industry in particular, truly sustainable packaging is going to be a challenge that requires creative solutions, maintaining freshness, shelf life, and customer convenience. But with the right strategies in place, you can embrace more sustainable options, discover innovative solutions, and position yourself as a sustainability leader in the industry.
Why Is Sustainable Pet Food Packaging Important?
- 300 million pounds of plastic waste are produced by the pet food industry every year
- 99% of all pet food bags in the U.S. are disposed of in landfills rather than recycled.
- 116 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions result from the pet food industry each year
The pet food industry has a large environmental impact, responsible for an estimated 300 million pounds of plastic waste each year—most of which comes from single-use packaging that ends up in landfills.
Most pet food packaging is made from multi-layered plastic that preserves freshness—but it’s also notoriously difficult to recycle. This means that even well-intentioned consumers often have no choice but to throw the packaging away.
Brands and consumers in the pet food industry are taking notice and wanting to create change. Adopting sustainable pet food packaging isn’t just about responsibility—it’s also a smart business practice.
According to a survey from Mondi, a global leader in sustainable packaging:
- 74% of pet food buyers would prefer a brand if it changed to sustainable packaging
- 62% of pet owners have greater trust in brands with sustainable pet food packaging
- 1 in 3 premium pet food buyers value sustainability enough to switch brands
In fact, pet owners tend to have an even stronger belief in sustainability than non-pet owners. Research shows that pet owners are more likely to have concerns about climate change, pursue “green” activities, reduce plastics, recycle, and care about recycled materials in what they purchase.
What does this mean? Despite the challenges standing in the way of sustainable pet food packaging, consumer demand is high. Brands need to meet consumers where they are by finding functional and practical ways to switch to more sustainable pet food packaging.
Barriers to Sustainable Pet Food Packaging
While the push for sustainable pet food packaging is gaining momentum, there are significant barriers that make the transition challenging, including cost, durability, and convenience.
Consumers report caring about the ease of use when it comes to packaging, including opening and reclosing packages, transporting the food, storing it, and pouring it out. Brands can’t overlook these needs in favor of sustainability. This is one of the reasons why virgin plastic (made from raw materials) stays so popular in the industry. Recycled materials are often less durable, leading to easier ripping and tearing.
But the biggest barrier to sustainable pet food packaging is freshness. 73% of pet owners specifically shop for packaging that preserves freshness. Pet food must stay fresh and safe for consumption, often over extended periods. Unfortunately, plastic is still the best way to do that.
While other industries often focus on replacing plastic as the first major step toward sustainability, for the pet industry, this isn’t necessarily the case.
Flexible plastic packaging is resistant to temperature changes and protects food from moisture and contamination. Not only is freshness an obvious pet safety concern, but it’s also a sustainability factor itself—pet food packaging isn’t sustainable if it leads to wasted food and unnecessary purchases.
Plastic remains the most practical pet food packaging material, even according to sustainability leaders. That means that the focus on sustainability looks different in the pet food industry than it might in other areas.
Instead of trying to replace plastic altogether, brands might have to get creative when it comes to sustainability, finding ways to reduce their environmental impact without compromising the safety, freshness, or convenience that pet owners expect.
Shifting to Sustainable Pet Food Packaging: A Step-by-Step Guide
So, how can brands strike the balance and shift toward sustainability while still providing freshness and functionality? We’ve laid out the answer step by step:
Pooch & Mutt’s wet food comes in 100% recyclable TetraPaks with an easy tear open top. Image courtesy of Pooch & Mutt.
Step 1: Take a Holistic View of Sustainability
Viewing sustainability holistically is important. Environmental impact isn’t just about waste or ocean pollution. Energy, sourcing, and transportation all play a role.
For example, while it might seem more sustainable to switch from plastic to paper, this might not be true—depending on where paper is sourced from, it could lead to deforestation of endangered areas. Metal or glass materials that might be fully recyclable often come with a higher carbon footprint in shipping and transportation.
If we want to work toward sustainable packaging, we need to remember the big picture—especially when it comes to pet food packaging, which isn’t moving away from plastic any time soon.
Since plastic is likely unavoidable, that might mean turning toward innovative options. Hill’s Pet Nutrition recently unveiled new flexible packaging, produced from recycled plastic. Traditional recycled plastic materials are often not food-grade or temperature-resistant—making them unusable in the industry. But this packaging uses advanced recycling technology to create certified-circular polymers—resulting in flexible packaging made largely from recycled materials.
Hill’s packaging, developed by Berry Global and Peel Plastics Products, won the 2024 Gold Award for Sustainability from the Flexible Packaging Association. Image courtesy of Hill’s.
Small startups might not have the budget for cutting-edge solutions or new tech. Instead, they can focus on other areas of sustainability—including switching from synthetic dyes (which result in water waste and can harm marine life) to vegetable-based dyes such as EcoEnclose’s “Algae Black,” which has a net-negative carbon technology (in other words, it actually removes more carbon dioxide in the air than it adds, helping the environment instead of harming it).
Other budget-friendly ways to improve sustainability in pet food packaging might include sourcing locally or working to reduce the carbon footprint from shipping your product.
Remember, your packaging is not sustainable if it’s unaffordable for your business or inaccessible to your customers. Taking a holistic approach to sustainability will help you make decisions that are both environmentally responsible and financially feasible.
Step 2: Keep the Focus on Freshness and Function
Pet safety and product quality must always come first. Regardless of how eco-friendly your packaging may be, if pet owners don’t feel confident in the safety and freshness of the food, they won’t buy it.
Effective sustainable pet food packaging should prioritize freshness and convenience—it must protect food from moisture, air, and light. For example, Earthwise Packaging creates plant-based jars for fish food and freeze-dried pet food. The jars are produced using sugarcane—and they seal nicely to maintain freshness.
For dry pet food, features like reclosable seals are essential, allowing pet owners to store food after opening, maintaining freshness and quality over time.
Wet pet food is traditionally sold in cans that cannot be resealed—leading to potential waste not just from the package itself but also the product. But some companies are leading the charge to change this. Wet pet food can be packaged in resealable flexible pouches instead of cans.
Alternatively, cans can be sold with reusable lids to keep food fresh after opening. Some brands, such as SmartSolve, are even working to create dissolvable labels for pet food cans, reducing waste even more. (SmartSolve recently joined us on our podcast to discuss the future of dissolvable and disappearing packaging—listen to hear more about this emerging option!)
Remember that progress is what truly counts. Moving toward more sustainable options that still focus on function—even if they aren’t perfect—can reduce your brand’s environmental impact and resonate with eco-conscious consumers.
Step 3: Know Your Audience and What They Want
Switching to sustainable pet food packaging is likely going to require a financial investment. You’re going to need to consider how to maintain your profit margin.
That’s why it’s vital to understand your audience and their priorities. According to surveys, 79% of pet owners in the United States aged 18-34 are willing to pay more for eco-friendly packaging—in fact, most of that group would pay up to 25% more. But only 56% of consumers aged 35-55 are willing to pay more for sustainable pet food packaging—and only 41% of pet owners 55 and up agree.
The location of your consumers also matters. For example, pet owners in the United Kingdom are more likely to prioritize sustainable pet food packaging than in other countries.
A global survey showed that 14% of consumers think companies use sustainability claims as an excuse to charge more—and only 12-16% of this worldwide audience said they would pay more for sustainable pet food packaging.
Understanding your target audience can make a big difference in how you recuperate the costs of sustainability efforts. If your audience is young, you might be able to raise rates higher as you shift to sustainable pet food packaging. But if your audience is older, you might have to tread more lightly and consider other ways to reduce costs.
Step 4: Reduce Unnecessary Packaging
One of the first places any brand can start transitioning to more sustainable pet food packaging is by reducing unnecessary materials.
Right-size packaging, or ensuring that your packaging only uses the amount of material needed for your product, can minimize waste and lower your brand’s transportation carbon footprint—and it can also help you lower costs.
Remember that “right-size” doesn’t necessarily mean bigger or smaller. It’s about finding the most efficient way to package your product. It might be tempting to try to fit more food into each bag—but durability matters (especially if you’re using recycled materials that tear easier).
Streamlining your pet food packaging design, eliminating excess layers, and focusing on minimalistic approaches can contribute to a more sustainable packaging solution.
Step 5: Embrace Reusability
Image courtesy of Canidae.
Reusable packaging might one day be the gold standard for sustainability—allowing packaging to extend its life cycle and reduce waste. However, any reusable solution for pet food has to be carefully considered to prioritize safety.
Image courtesy of Canidae.
Canidae partnered with Petco to implement refillable food stations. Customers filled reusable bags with kibble as an alternative to single-use disposable plastic bags. In the first year alone, this eliminated 5,000 bags that would normally end up in landfills.
While this solution might pose an inconvenience to consumers, Canidae was able to offset this with savings. Pet owners saved 45% per pound of food, or $9 per bag, when they chose the refillable option.
This is another way to appeal to your audience—especially if your demographic leans older and is less inclined to pay a premium price for sustainable pet food packaging.
Step 6: Introduce Recyclability Initiatives
Image courtesy of Flex Forward.
Recyclability is the biggest focus for sustainable pet food packaging. This solution is a win/win for consumers and brands. It reduces landfill waste, preserves freshness, maintains convenience, and could come with a lower cost investment for brands.
Traditional plastic recycling has posed a problem—consumers might not know that plastic can even be recycled, and they have to go out of their way to find a location to take it to. Since flexible plastic typically can’t be recycled curbside, the onus has fallen on consumers to research options and seek out solutions.
Return-for-recycling initiatives aim to address these problems. Brands such as Nature Fresh have partnered with TerraCycle to offer an eco-friendly option for consumers. Pet owners can request prepaid shipping envelopes and mail their packaging in for recycling.
Other initiatives, such as the Flex Forward program through the Pet Sustainability Coalition, encourage customers to bring their used packaging back to the store to be recycled. In the initial three-month rollout trial of Flex Forward, 8,356 pounds of pet food packaging were collected and recycled.
In the Flex Forward program, cashiers were trained to educate consumers on how to clean and return their packaging. Stores that were involved overwhelmingly reported positive feelings about the program and a desire to continue with it. Image courtesy of Flex Program.
These programs do require educating customers. But as they gain traction, they could be a big win for sustainable pet food packaging.
Step 7: Consider Compostable Pet Food Packaging Carefully
Compostable or biodegradable materials could be another option for sustainable pet food packaging. However, this is a complex issue that raises its own set of problems.
While compostable material (made from organic material and typically able to degrade completely in less than 180 days) is a viable sustainable packaging solution, “biodegradable” might not be. Many materials have been advertised as biodegradable, but later turned out to not degrade the way they claimed. The term biodegradable has even been banned in some regions due to the controversy.
But consumers find compostability and biodegradability confusing—about 50% don’t know the difference and don’t understand how to properly dispose of the packaging. Additionally, these materials can require more resources and energy during production, resulting in a more negative overall impact than typical plastic packaging.
Despite the challenges, some companies are actively working on innovative compostable packaging solutions. Grounded and No Issue both produce compostable flexible packaging for pet food and treats.
Pezzy’s pet treats are sold in 100% compostable packaging. Image courtesy of Pezzy.
Many sustainable pet food packaging experts recommend focusing on recyclability over compostability—turning to compostable packaging for products that can’t be recycled due to contamination or material type.
Step 8: Offset Your Impact
Pet food packaging might not reach a zero-waste possibility any time soon. But one way brands can still achieve sustainability goals is by focusing on offsetting their environmental impact.
For example, Nature’s Fresh partnered with rePurpose Global for a sustainability initiative. For every pet food package sold, the company collects and removes an equivalent amount of ocean-bound plastic from countries with inadequate waste management infrastructure.
Initiatives like this reduce plastic pollution and appeal to environmentally-conscious consumers who value corporate responsibility and commitments to sustainability.
Step 9: Label Products with Clear Claims
Consumers want to know about sustainable pet food packaging options—and if you don’t label your packaging, they have no way of knowing about your brand’s efforts.
But consumers are also smart, savvy, and skeptical. 51% of pet owners consider it important that their pet food comes from an environmentally-friendly company, but 65% of them are skeptical about sustainability claims made by pet food brands.
It’s vital to avoid “greenwashing,” or claiming your brand is sustainable without actually making an impact. Consumers value transparency—and they have the technology to check on your claims. Apps like Giki Zero allow consumers to scan retail products and see the impact they have on the environment.
One way to avoid greenwashing and still communicate with your customers about your impact is to label your product with specific and clear claims.
According to research from sustainable packaging leader Mondi, pet food buyers’ purchasing decisions are impacted by specific claims:
- “100% recyclable” (77% of pet owners)
- “Made from 100% recycled materials (75% of pet owners)
- “Made from post-consumer waste” (71% of pet owners)
Avoid vague claims such as “sustainable packaging,” and be authentic and genuine about your product and packaging.
Step 10: Work With an Agency Experienced in Sustainable Packaging
Great sustainable pet food packaging design goes beyond thinking about materials—it also requires understanding branding, how to resonate with customers, and how different material use can impact your designs.
That’s why it’s also important to work with an experienced agency that specializes in sustainable packaging design.
Agencies understand how eco-friendly materials will work together, what kinds of designs will work for different products and brands, and how to communicate your message to consumers.
Custom Sustainable Packaging Design
If you want to truly establish yourself as an eco-conscious brand, consider custom sustainable packaging design.
As an experienced packaging design agency, Crème de Mint can work with manufacturers to create customized sustainable product packaging that resonates with pet owners, establishes a sense of trust, protects your pet food, and helps you reach sustainability goals.
Contact us today to get started on your sustainable pet food packaging design!
About the Author
Lauren Casgren-Tindall is the founder of Crème de Mint and has been creating powerful, innovative designs over the past 15 years for pet brands such as Lucky Tail and Dr. Carol DVM. She is experienced in sustainable product packaging design and understands how to resonate with consumers through branding.