Innovating for Sustainability: Attributes, Motivations, and Responsibilities in the Finnish Food Packaging Ecosystem

Lotta Ruippo (), Hanna Koivula, Jaana Korhonen, Anne Toppinen and Eliisa Kylkilahti
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Lotta Ruippo: University of Helsinki
Hanna Koivula: University of Helsinki
Jaana Korhonen: Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)
Anne Toppinen: University of Helsinki
Eliisa Kylkilahti: University of Helsinki

Circular Economy and Sustainability, 2023, vol. 3, issue 2, 919-937

Abstract: Abstract Without food packaging, the global food supply chain could not function. Packaged food products are protected in transportation and retail, reducing food waste. Packaging is also a visible feature of environmental debates, as concerns over solid waste have become a part of public discussion. Responding to both challenges requires the packaging sector to develop and adopt sustainable innovations. This study seeks to understand the role of sustainability in food packaging innovation through expert interviews. The results of this study aid in clarifying actor roles for innovation processes in the packaging sector through encouraging collaboration and integrating socioeconomic dimensions of sustainability into innovation. The findings suggest that actors are primarily concerned with the ecological sustainability of packaging while economic or social factors in sustainable innovation play a more minor role. Finally, the study finds that much responsibility over developing innovations is placed on governmental organizations and brand owners in the food and beverage industry.

Keywords: Packaging; Sustainability; Innovation ecosystem; Food (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/s43615-022-00217-2

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