Research from ReLondon, Valpak and WRAP shows that the packaging being used in London has a carbon footprint equivalent to half of the capital’s transport emissions.

The report, London’s packaging footprint, 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 with almost 2 million tonnes of those emissions generated by the city’s consumption of plastic packaging alone.

Around 2.2 million tonnes of packaging are consumed and disposed of every year in London but only a small proportion of this gets recycled, 44 per cent for household waste and 33 per cent for commercial waste.

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.

Big cities are net importers of products and services, underlined by the fact that the vast majority (76 per cent) 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 which contributes to 20 per cent of London’s packaging emissions.

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