SP Publishes Design for Recycling Guidance for Automotive Expendable Packaging

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) – an association of global automakers and their suppliers working together to advance environmental sustainability through the automotive supply chain – today announced the publication of a new guidance document, Sustainable Packaging Specification Recommendations for Automotive Expendable Packaging.

The guidance document is designed to provide straightforward industry-supported guidance to help automakers and their suppliers identify opportunities to design and source sustainable packaging designs for use in expendable packaging applications.

Expendable packaging is most commonly used in service parts operations in the automotive industry. Service parts are defined as replacement parts manufactured to original equipment manufacturer (OEM) specifications which are procured or released by the OEM for service part applications.  Expendable packaging may also be used for international shipping and as backup for returnable packaging in automotive operations, when needed.

In addition to design recommendations intended to support viable recycling processes for a range of expendable packaging materials, the document includes a series of recommendations to minimize waste in the design of corrugated boxes which are frequently used in expendable applications. The document builds on and is designed to align with established SP sustainable packaging guidelines for automotive manufacturing operations, where returnable packaging is more widely used.

The guidance document was produced through a collaborative process by the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) Sustainable Packaging Work Group which is co-chaired by Bridget Grewal of Magna International and Matt Marshall of Toyota Motor North America.

SP sustainable packaging work group members contributing to the development and review of this guidance document included companies such as, Absortech, Action Wood 360, Aicello, Armor Protective Packaging, Arplank Direct, Cellulose Material Solutions, Cortec Corporation, Covanta, Cummins, Decade Products, Doug Brown Packaging Products, ERA Environmental, ExpandOS, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Goodpack, Green Current Solutions, Green Processing Company, Honda Development & Mfg. America, Indigo Packaging, IPAK, Labelmaster, JSP, Magna International, MPS Group, Mustang Innovation, ORBIS Corporation, P2 Packaging, Pratt Industries, Primex, Real Quality Services, RecycleMax, Robert Bosch, Schaefer Plastics North America, Stellantis, The Royal Group, TriEnda, Toyota Motor North America, Toyota Tsusho America, VMX International, and Worldwide Foam.

The SP Sustainable Packaging Work Group recommends that the sustainable packaging strategies outlined in the guidance document be reviewed within automotive companies' packaging design and sourcing considerations, where appropriate, and distributed widely across the automotive supply chain as best practice guidance.

"The SP Sustainable Packaging Work Group's mission is to provide a platform for companies from across the automotive packaging value chain to collaborate to minimize automotive packaging waste and seek to address barriers to packaging recyclability and/or reuse, and this new guidance is a solid example of the outputs of those collaborative discussions. We look forward to continuing to build on the learnings from this process to further improve the sustainability impacts of a wide range of automotive packaging materials," said Kellen Mahoney, Director, Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP).

The guidance document is available to download at no cost at www.supplierspartnership.org/sustainablepackaging

About SP
The Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) provides a forum for global automotive manufacturers and their large and small suppliers to work together toward a shared vision of an automotive industry with positive environmental impact. Learn more at: www.supplierspartnership.org/

Contact: Kellen Mahoney, [email protected]

SOURCE Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP)