Better packaging data can support much more than compliance. Phantm chief operating officer Ed Whitehead tells PKN how it can guide commercial decisions, reduce risk and give packaging a more visible role in business strategy.
Packaging data is often approached as a reporting obligation, but Ed Whitehead argues that compliance alone is not a strong enough reason for businesses to invest in the systems required to manage it.
Speaking to PKN managing editor Lindy Hughson for PKN Industry Update, Whitehead said the value lies in using the same information to guide procurement, packaging redesign, material reduction and supplier engagement, while preparing businesses for changing regulatory requirements.
“We have to extract value from that process if we’re going to make businesses want to do it,” he said.
The first requirement is visibility. Whitehead said businesses often do not fully understand the types and physical mass of packaging materials used across their portfolios. Once that information is available at component and SKU level, they can benchmark performance, assess alternatives and identify where change will generate the strongest commercial or environmental result.
“Knowing what you have, understanding what it means and being able to prioritise what to change first – whether to drive commercial or environmental impact – is absolutely key,” he said.
Whitehead wants packaging metrics to become a routine business reporting line, visible to chief executives and financial officers as well as packaging, procurement and sustainability teams.
“In the same way that I look at my P&L, we need to be able to see what those packaging metrics are,” he said.
Supplier engagement is central to building that visibility. Whitehead challenged the view that suppliers are necessarily the weakest link, noting that they often hold detailed information about the packaging attached to the products they provide.
Phantm’s approach is to present suppliers with available information and ask them to validate or correct it, rather than requiring them to complete a blank form. Whitehead said this reduces the burden on suppliers and improves the quality of information returned.
Implementation begins with people rather than technology. Phantm first assesses what information a business holds, who understands it and where it originated. This is particularly important because responsibility for packaging data may sit with sustainability, procurement or sales teams rather than packaging specialists.
Risk is also becoming a stronger driver, particularly among large organisations. Whitehead said companies need reliable information about the packaging they place on the market to manage exposure to regulatory change and the potential financial and reputational consequences of non-compliance.
Social licence forms part of that equation. For some prospective customers, he said, the starting point is less about packaging itself than demonstrating control over business risk and environmental impact.
As packaging costs and requirements develop internationally, Whitehead believes the return on investment will include savings, reduced reporting time and stronger preparedness. The broader objective is to move packaging data out of isolated compliance exercises and into the information businesses routinely use to make decisions.
