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In the January edition of Set in Stone®, we cover new EU packaging regulations, “right-sizing” your packaging and educating consumers on the impact of their purchases.
OKEANOS ® BUSINESS NEWSLETTER – January 2025
A new regulation out of the EU is coming which will soon require products sold in Europe to boast digital passports tracking their lifecycle and environmental impacts. Traceability of environmental impacts throughout the supply chain has always been a priority for Okeanos. Did you know products that feature Made From Stone™ technology already come with a built-in lifecycle analysis?
We sat down with Government Affairs Associate Mafalda Esteve to discuss the new EU regulations, the importance of traceability, and how businesses can be ready to comply.
Tell us about the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation.
This legislation is aimed at improving the sustainability of products in the EU by setting eco-design requirements for products’ entire lifecycles, covering most physical goods except food, feed, and medical products. The regulation seeks to make sustainability the norm, reduce carbon footprints, and foster a circular economy by setting performance requirements and promoting transparency, particularly through the digital product passport.
Which products are governed under the regulation?
It applies to all physical goods placed on the EU market, including components and intermediate products, with exceptions like food, feed, and medical products. Food packaging is included.
We’ve been hearing a lot about the Digital Product Passport. What Is it and when will it start?
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is an electronic record that provides key data about a product’s sustainability, material composition, carbon footprint, and lifecycle. It also includes repair, reuse, and recycling instructions, promoting transparency and enabling consumers to compare sustainability metrics. Implementation will start between 2026 and 2030, with specific requirements for each product category.
The regulation includes requirements like unique product identifiers, material composition, repair instructions, and environmental performance metrics. Data must be machine-readable, open, and transferable through interoperable networks.
Will products made outside the EU be affected and how can businesses prepare?
Yes, products exported to the EU must comply, and similar regulations may eventually be adopted globally.
To put themselves in the best position to comply, businesses should track product lifecycle data, meet eco-design requirements, and engage in EU consultations to stay informed on delegated acts. Compliance boosts brand reputation, market access, and competitiveness by showcasing sustainability and transparency. The EU will also launch a public portal for consumers to compare sustainability data from digital product passports, aiding informed purchasing decisions.
Get in touch to learn how the passport not only validates Okeanos’ commitment to sustainability but also positions its products as standout solutions in a competitive market.
Have you ever ordered something online and received a large cardboard box, only to open it and find another box inside—maybe even opening that second box to find a plastic bag containing your item tucked away? We’re taking a look at a new trend that eliminates so much of that unnecessary packaging.
“Right-sizing” packaging refers to adjusting the size and materials of packaging to match the specific dimensions and requirements of the product being shipped. The goal is to use just enough packaging to protect the product while minimizing excess space, waste, and environmental impact. This approach helps reduce costs, improve efficiency, and promote sustainability by avoiding over-packaging.
In addition to over-packaging, many products we encounter in our daily lives are overdesigned, adding extra elements or features that don’t add value, can increase costs, and sometimes feature capabilities that are more sophisticated than the package itself requires. In fact, a key component of the forthcoming Global Plastics Treaty is the establishment of design requirements that would make packaging more efficient while reducing material waste and unnecessary components.
Warehouses are also turning to new technologies to help “right-size” operations, relying on automated tools to select appropriate-sized boxes for specific packaging allowing them to save on raw materials and shipping costs, as smaller, more efficient packaging takes up less space in transport and requires fewer resources to produce.
Did you know that packaging Made From Stone can contain as much as 70% less virgin plastic? We’re helping you “right-size” your virgin plastic use, reducing unnecessary materials in your packaging through the substitution of renewable calcium carbonate.
Curious?
Climate change terminology can be confusing to the average consumer without a cheat-sheet. How many emissions are too many? Am I even making a dent in the plastics problem by buying this bottle?
We’re here to help!
Introducing our new Environmental Impact Report!
Available to clients currently using Made From Stone compound, these reports are designed to communicate sustainability savings across categories including plastic prevented, water use, and CO₂ emissions using real-life elements for a sense of scale (think football pitches, soccer balls, swimming pools, and elephants)!
“Environmental Impact Reports are valuable tools for businesses to understand the potential environmental effects of their products,” explains Madeline Armstrong, Sustainability Partnerships Manager. “At Okeanos, we use these reports to demonstrate how a product Made From Stone can be designed to positively influence specific environmental factors. Putting these impacts in relative terms only enhances the reader’s ability to connect with the environment impact urgency.”
Curious about how best to communicate your sustainability efforts to your consumers?
Milk this opportunity to be a leader in the dairy aisle!
Okeanos is collaborating with dairy brands in multiple countries to adopt Made From Stone across a myriad of product categories. Do you want to be the first in your country to bring sustainable technology to the dairy aisle?
Made From Stone compounds offer solutions for the entire dairy ecosystem from yogurt bottles and seals to margarine tubs and lids to bags for shelf-stable and powdered milk, and more.
By introducing a variety of dairy packaging Made From Stone to your local market, you will:
Reduce CO₂ emissions and overall plastic use
Reduce costs, energy, and water usage
Maintain your existing supply chain
Produce with your existing suppliers
Communicate your environmental efforts to your consumers
Overseen by leading food engineer Sabrina Carnevale, who brings with her 10+ years of experience working alongside the globe’s leading dairy brands, Made From Stone’s dairy solutions are suitable for primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging under FDA and EMEA guidelines.
Connect with us about your dairy projects today!
In 2025, we’re flipping the script on the way we spotlight our teammates so you can get to know them better. Our first Rockstar of the year, HR Manager Nicole Kaplan tells us more about her career trajectory, what she’s got their eye on, and where she gets her news.
I work in the HR Department, and my job is fantastic!
Before landing at Okeanos, I worked with Virtustant and attended Universidad de San Andrés in Buenos Aires, Argentina
The Made From Stone application I’m currently most excited about is bags because I use them every day when I go shopping-
While I’m working, my go-to Spotify playlist is “Ciro y los Persas.”
For news, I’m always tuned into updates about football (¡Vamos Boca Juniors!)
Outside work, I’m currently reading “We Were Liars” by E. Lockhart
Number of countries lived in: 2
Next place I want to travel: Italy
Learn more about career opportunities at Okeanos
Connect with our HR Team today!
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