TACTIC

Why this project?

Food companies, as well as suppliers of packaging (materials), are now facing the major challenge of finding sustainable solutions for food packaging. Packaging is extremely important due to its wide variety of functions: extending shelf life, protection during transport, communication with consumers, ease of use etc.

However, choosing the right packaging is not always straightforward. After all, what is the most sustainable packaging for a specific food product? To support companies in this, several tools are available for surveying the sustainability of packaging materials. However, the scientific basis and integrity with which these tools have been built are often unknown. Moreover, it is often unclear exactly what these tools can be used for and how the final outcome should be interpreted. 

Besides choosing sustainable food packaging, it is essential to engage consumers in the sustainability story. Consumer perceptions of sustainable food packaging often do not match the actual sustainability of a specific packaging material.

Methodology and expected results

TACTIC is a collective research, development and dissemination project (COOCK type - Collective R&D and Collective Dissemination of Knowledge). The aim of the project is to pool knowledge on the sustainability of food packaging and to translate it in a way that is tailored to companies in the food and packaging industries and their retail customers. The companies will be supported in (i) selecting tools that assess the sustainability of food packaging and in (ii) communicating their sustainable food packaging choices to consumers.

We intend to obtain this objective by:

• Critically analysing the extensive range of available tools that assess the sustainability of food packaging whereby the scientific basis, integrity and the applicability of the tools will be mapped out.
  • Assessing the extensive range of available tools against the needs and expectations of the users of these tools by organising interactive co-creation sessions.
  • Developing and comprehensively evaluating communication tools/strategies in order to raise the awareness of and inform consumers about the sustainability of food packaging. This will be accomplished by:
    • Analysing the perceptions of Flemish consumers regarding sustainable packaging claims and eco-labels related to packaging sustainability.
    • Developing communication tools/strategies for informing consumers about the sustainability of food packaging. 
    • Performing qualitative evaluation and further refinement of the communication tools/strategies developed by way of a co-creation session with Flemish consumers.
    • Performing quantitative evaluation of the communication tools/strategy by way of wide-ranging consumer surveys.
• Establishing a knowledge hub on sustainable food packaging that brings together all relevant stakeholders. 

Target group

TACTIC's target group includes the food industry and their retail customers (for private labels) as well as the packaging manufacturers and distributors. 

These tools should enable companies to implement design improvements in their packaging and to more effectively explain their efforts in this area to consumers. The project consortium aims to set up a knowledge platform where companies can interact with their suppliers and customers on this topic.

Project partners

Flanders’ FOOD manages the project. Pack4Food coordinates the project.

Keen to join?

To participate in this project, Flanders' FOOD or Pack4Food membership is required.