Educate people (and businesses!) with the latest knowledge and data
You have to dispel the myths and remove greenwashing to enable good choices among consumers. And at the same time, if businesses know their sustainability goals & objectives and regulatory compliance requirements, they can measure their progress and improve their footprint.
In addition, businesses have to manage sustainability every day at a granular level, identifying problem areas and developing them out.
As we face an unprecedented environmental crisis, the need for sustainable solutions has never been more urgent. This series seeks to spotlight the innovative minds and passionate advocates who are leading the charge in environmental conservation and sustainable practices. We aim to explore the most effective strategies, breakthrough technologies, and transformative policies that are shaping a more sustainable future for our planet. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Greg Lawson.
With over 35 years of experience and an insatiable appetite to make a difference, Greg has provided consultancy services to shape the global packaging strategies of brands and retailers including Amazon, Walmart, Mondelez, M&S, ALDI, Tesco, Next, Kingfisher, Sainsbury’s, Carrefour and Target. Greg is a visionary within the packaging arena best known for his work across omni-channel organizations and the development of strategies and technology to drive the sustainability agenda.
Thank you so much for joining us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?
I started working in a packaging factory part-time at the age of 13 and realized very quickly that this was the industry for me. Having moved up the chain to run a packaging company of my own, putting more boxes into the world, I then turned the idea on its head and created a consultancy called The Less Packaging Company, which did exactly what its name suggests.
This was my entryway into providing specialist design and consultancy services on sustainable packaging and supply chain operations to leading brands, retailers and e-tailers, which I’ve now been doing for more than 15 years.
I joined Sun Branding Solutions and led the launch of Aura, which advises organizations around the globe on sustainability and the circular economy when it comes to packaging — and, just as importantly, has the technology to give them the real-time data they need to succeed.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
I originally launched The Less Packaging Company after I saw how much Christmas toys were over-packaged. We helped retailers create ‘frustration free’ packaging that could be opened in less than 30 seconds by an eager child — and was also all one material that meant it was easily recyclable. You’d think brands would be jumping over each other to employ this, but it was actually pretty tough to get buy-in at first.
The lesson was that companies understood that there was too much packaging, even back then, but there wasn’t really the motivation to do anything about it — trading on-shelf sales impact against the eco-impact on the planet.
But now their hand is being forced by new regulations like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) — and the fact they will face fines and charges if their packaging isn’t sustainable.
When it’s a ‘planet’ problem, it can be a hard sell, even now, but when it’s a ‘pocket’ problem that hits their bottom line, businesses pay attention.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Give people a clear direction — a ‘North Star’ to follow
When we created Aura, we all contributed to a company charter. It highlighted our mission as a business but also how we wanted it to feel being part of the Aura family.
This was a great way of aligning internally, giving our people a chance to build their own culture and also helping new employees understand what the business is all about.
Give people the freedom to succeed or fail
From day one, I have one simple instruction for people that work for me — I explain they will have space to think and innovate so they can evolve and grow. If they make an error, learn from it so they don’t make the same mistake twice.
Be supportive
It’s never a blame culture — every business succeeds and fails as a team. Mentorship is undervalued by many organizations, and I remember always asking members of the team to find someone to model themselves on: interview them and ask questions: why are they such a good communicator? What do they do to be successful? And so on.
Mentorship and this type of approach create meaningful connections within an organization, with people wanting their colleagues to succeed rather than fail.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that might help people?
There are two projects in the pipeline that we’re very excited about. The first is a partnership with How2Recycle in the U.S. that will enable brands to automate the creation of back-of-pack recycling labels. This will be a world-first and will hopefully see recycling rates go up as people clearly see what is and isn’t recyclable.
The other is a major report that we’re creating called Future Packaging Scenarios, where we look decades ahead to the world in 2050 to see what different versions of the world might look like then and what that means for packaging — for example, what happens if technology increases as its current pace, or if there’s a backlash against tech, or if climate change and resource scarcity becomes an ever greater issue.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of our interview. What pivotal moment led you to dedicate your career to sustainability, and how has that shaped your approach to environmental challenges?
I was running a business called Connect Packaging and we rebranded it as The Less Packaging Company to attract more interest — but it turned out that some businesses were actually intrigued by the idea of using less packaging.
So, I separated it out as an independent consultancy and became aware of just how much the industry at the time was focused on the idea of ‘more’: more packaging, more layers, more labels.
That, however, was also a real challenge. We uncovered just how much empty space was being shipped around the world because of over-packaging. So, if you make boxes smaller, it doesn’t just increase sustainability but also reduces logistics costs.
From that, I learned that sustainable packaging has to be financially as well as environmentally sustainable if we’re going to get to a circular economy. That’s what gets the CEO’s and CFO’s attention.
Could you describe a groundbreaking project or initiative you’ve been involved in that significantly contributed to sustainability?
Knowing the packaging industry so well, I knew that data was going to be the key to sustainability. That’s why Aura created e-halo, the world’s leading packaging sustainability software platform for capturing, interpreting and transmitting live, accurate packaging data.
It futureproofs packaging by identifying undesirable or banned attributes, evaluating recyclability in specific regions and ensuring ‘right first-time’ packaging. It identifies areas of risk, ensures compliance, and drives continuous improvement by offering visibility of best-in-class packaging specifications to guide future decision-making. It also integrates with product lifecycle and artwork management systems.
This is important because brands and retailers know they need 100% accurate, compliant data on their packaging to meet regulations like EPR, or WWPR in the European Union, or Scope 3 carbon reporting, but many still collect it manually or use systems that aren’t really designed for the task.
Too many businesses still see packaging as an afterthought to product design and that means consumers end up not knowing what they can and cannot recycle. We built e-halo to ensure businesses have the right information at their fingertips, so they don’t incur massive compliance charges, and they’re encouraged to create more sustainable boxes, bottles and containers.
How do you navigate the balance between economic growth and environmental preservation in your sustainability strategies?
The balance between economic and environmental is at the core of what we do. If packaging is going to be sustainable then it has to be fit for today and also for the future. That can only be delivered by technology and has to balance both considerations.
A lot of it comes down to timing: many existing compliance regimes around the globe for sustainable packaging are based on retrospective and speculative/averaged data, so they’re always looking back. We want to see brands and retailers looking ahead instead and working ahead of the game. Packaging needs to be considered at the product specification stage of development.
What emerging technologies or innovations do you believe hold the most promise for advancing sustainability and why?
Currently, plastic recycling rates worldwide are very low — for example, around only 9% of it is being recycled in the U.S.
That’s why I think Polytag is an incredible business: plastic bottles are imprinted with hidden UV barcodes that mean they are easily sorted into recyclable and non-recyclable containers at the recycling center. The sensors read the bottles and ‘puff’ air into the recyclable ones as they move along the line to jump them into the right bin.
It’s remarkable and the sort of technology I’d like to see in place worldwide.
Based on your research or experience, can you please share your “5 Top Strategies for a Cleaner Planet”?
These five are specifically for packaging, given that it is my area of expertise!
1. Educate people (and businesses!) with the latest knowledge and data
You have to dispel the myths and remove greenwashing to enable good choices among consumers. And at the same time, if businesses know their sustainability goals & objectives and regulatory compliance requirements, they can measure their progress and improve their footprint.
In addition, businesses have to manage sustainability every day at a granular level, identifying problem areas and developing them out.
2. Prioritize recyclable and reusable materials
Retailers and brands should be using mono-material packaging for easier recycling, implementing refill and return systems for reusable packaging, and designing for disassembly to separate materials effectively.
3. Incorporate Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) content
PCR (recycled material used for packaging) is the future. It reduces plastic waste in the environment, lowers energy consumption in production, and supports the demand for a circular economy.
4. Reduce packaging waste through minimalist design
Look at all those boxes and containers. Do they really need to be that big? Making them smaller means you ship less air, reducing resource consumption and production emissions, and lower transportation costs by reducing weight and volume. Plus, of course, you improve recyclability by eliminating complex material combinations.
5. Implement smart packaging to boost knowledge, efficiency and sustainability
We need to see more QR codes and NFC tags to increase available content to consumers without additional packaging, as well as digital watermarks / intelligent tracking to optimize logistics and reduce waste.
If you combine that with sensors that monitor freshness, reducing food waste, you can help educate people and create more efficient, sustainable behaviors.
In your view, what are the key steps individuals, communities, and governments need to take to achieve a more sustainable future?
It seems that many governments and authorities are quick to legislate when it comes to packaging, but slow to measure, enforce and penalize. There’s also a lack of global measurement criteria and vernacular. At the same time, businesses’ own sustainability targets are going backwards or falling away entirely.
We need to see more meaningful, validated baselines for companies so they have targets to reach, deadlines to hit, and charges/fines if they miss. There’s no point creating hard-edged environmental legislation and then failing to enforce it effectively.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Put simply, free food and clean water for everyone. If you meet people’s basic needs for survival, you’re already helping them build a better existence. In relation to packaging, we need to stop creating more and reuse what we already have.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
You can visit the Aura website at https://aura-consultants.com/ or catch up on our podcasts, now streaming across major platforms including Spotify and Amazon Music. It’s about pioneering global change.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
The Future Is Green: Greg Lawson Of Aura On Their Top Strategies for a Cleaner Planet was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.