--- title: Does Reducing Packaging Weight Equal Zero Waste? RDM Calls for Recycling to Be Brought Back to Procurement and Design lang: en source: https://mindsprt.dev/en/knowledge/rdm-group-recycling-across-supply-chain/ --- # Does Reducing Packaging Weight Equal Zero Waste? RDM Calls for Recycling to Be Brought Back to Procurement and Design *Industry Insights · 4 min read · 2026-09-16* > Brands promoting sustainable packaging often get stuck in the myth that they only need to "reduce weight" or "label it recyclable." RDM Group points out that true zero waste starts when materials are selected in the design process, with a second life factored in from the start. This article breaks down practical ways to share responsibility across the supply chain **Quick answer:** The key to true zero waste is whether the packaging design and procurement stages prioritize recycled materials already in the circular system. Making recyclable packaging solely from virgin pulp still adds to the burden on the planet ## Why Doesn't Reducing Packaging Weight Equal Zero Waste? When packaging weight reduction depends on a higher proportion of virgin materials, all you are really doing is making lighter trash. This is a point I have been making to clients a lot lately. Many brands think that thinning a paper box or printing a recycling symbol on it is enough to get their ESG report over the line. The chief innovation and sustainability officer of European paperboard giant RDM Group, Krzysztof Krajewski, put it bluntly during Zero Waste Week: recyclable packaging made entirely from virgin fiber is still forcing new material into an existing circular system. True zero waste means designing waste out of the system at the moment the material is chosen. Paper fibers can actually be recycled more than 25 times. Instead of continually cutting down trees to make new paper, let the material already on the market live a little longer ## Procurement Signals Brands and Printers Need to Understand Pressure to adopt circular packaging has already moved upstream, from end consumers to procurement teams. From what I have seen over the years on production lines and with clients, Nestlé Malaysia's effort to scale circular packaging means carbon-reduction and recycling requirements will be written directly into print purchasing orders. Raw-material suppliers upstream are betting on the same direction. Not long ago, MM Board & Paper signed an agreement to acquire RDM's recycled-fiber paperboard plant in Arnsberg, Germany, underscoring the strategic importance of recycled-fiber paperboard in the European market. Brands no longer evaluate packaging on unit price alone. They look at carbon emissions across the full life cycle and the material's ability to be recovered and put to use. The paper you choose may decide whether the order clears the bar ## Three Things Taiwan's Small and Midsize Businesses and Brands Can Do Right Away Back in Taiwan's day-to-day reality, most businesses cannot spend like global giants to rebuild their systems. If you handle brand procurement or run a small or midsize printing company, the fastest move is to bring the recycling mindset into design. Before making a proof, check these three things first: ・Prioritize recycled materials: Raise the share of recycled pulp in paper boxes and shipping cartons wherever possible, replacing 100% virgin fiber ・Review consumables and simplify the structure: Don't just chase a lower weight. Evaluate the shipping carton, flexible packaging, and labels as one package. If the design is too complicated, bring in a printer such as MINDS, with experience in mid- to high-end custom work, to assess it and simplify it at the structural level ・Adjust production-line consumables: The printing side can switch to water-based inks and replace in-house shipping pallets with recycled paper trays Here is a "Supply Chain Recycling Maturity Self-Assessment" that I often use, so brands and printers can run through it quickly: ・Dimension 1 (Materials): Do we prioritize purchasing paper stock with recycled content? ・Dimension 2 (Design): Is the packaging structure easy for a recycling facility to dismantle and sort? ・Dimension 3 (Production): Do printing and finishing avoid composite materials that interfere with paper repulping, such as full-coverage foil stamping or glossy film lamination on both sides? ・Dimension 4 (Communication): Does the packaging clearly tell consumers how to recycle it correctly? ## Did You Get the Shipping Carton and Cushioning Materials Right? Many brands' packaging drawings focus only on the appearance of the retail box, while overlooking attached cushioning materials and shipping cartons. Amazon's 2025 sustainability report makes the packaging-reduction point clear: the share of North American shipments using single-use plastic delivery packaging has fallen from 65% in 2023 to a projected 27% in 2025. Sustainable packaging is a whole system. You can't use 100% recycled paper for the retail box and then stuff it full of plastic bubble wrap. When you hit a systemic planning bottleneck like this, the [Mai Strategy Knowledge Academy consulting team](https://mindsprt.dev) can help map out the shipping logic and move the zero-waste safeguards upstream to the design and procurement stages. That is responsible supply-chain practice ## Key Takeaways ・Recyclable packaging made from 100% virgin fiber still feeds new resources into a system that runs on depletion ・Paper fibers have the potential to be recycled more than 25 times, so procurement teams should prioritize recycled paperboard ・Zero waste does not come from the recycling plant at the end of the line. It comes from the material and structural choices made when the designer makes the cut ・Brand carbon-reduction requirements have become hard metrics. Printers must start changing early, beginning with water-based inks and recycled consumables ## Further Thought As major players race to consolidate recycled-fiber resources, the next step for Taiwan's small and midsize brands and printers is not to buy more expensive eco-certified paper. It is to redraw the packaging designs already on the desk. Starting today, look at your shipping carton, cushioning materials, and product box as one "shipping module." Remove the composite finishing that gets in the way of recycling and let the paper move more smoothly through its 25-plus recycling cycles ## Further Reading ・[RDM Group calls for recycling to be considered across the whole supply chain](https://www.thepackagingportal.com/industry-news/rdm-group-calls-for-recycling-to-be-considered-across-the-whole-supply-chain/) ## FAQ ### Why isn't lighter packaging necessarily more environmentally friendly? If weight reduction comes from switching to a higher proportion of virgin material, it simply pulls new resources into the system to be consumed. It does not actually close the material loop ### What should brands focus on when sourcing recycled paperboard for packaging? The key is ensuring that the paper fibers are reused. Paper fibers can be recycled more than 25 times, and choosing recycled paperboard helps design waste out at the source ### How can printers support clients' zero-waste requirements? Start with the production line and consumables: switch to water-based inks, use recycled paper trays for internal logistics, and help clients eliminate unnecessary composite-material finishing during prepress ### Why should shipping cartons and interior cushioning be evaluated together? Because shipping is one complete system. If the outer box uses recycled paper but is packed with single-use plastic cushioning, total carbon emissions and waste still will not come down --- > HTML version: https://mindsprt.dev/en/knowledge/rdm-group-recycling-across-supply-chain/ > MINDS — 麥思印刷整合有限公司 · https://mindsprt.dev