We told a client to do nothing

A drinks client came to us wanting to move off their current secondary packaging. Six months of supplier conversations had convinced them it was the worst thing in their footprint.

It was the best thing in their footprint.

Corrugate, high recycled content, collected in every UK kerbside stream, made by four suppliers within 200 miles. The alternatives on their shortlist were all worse — one substantially so, because it moved a recyclable material into a stream with no collection infrastructure.

Why nobody had said so

Every party in the conversation had something to sell. The suppliers were selling materials. The agency was selling a redesign. The certification body was selling a certification. Nobody in the room was paid to say "this is fine".

That is the entire argument for hiring someone independent, and it is why we take no commission from material suppliers. It cost us that project. We would make the same call again this afternoon.

What they did instead

They spent the budget on pallet configuration and cut transport emissions by more than any packaging change on the table would have achieved.