Is the Customer Really King? Stakeholder Analysis for Sustainable Consumption and Production Using the Example of the Packaging Value Chain

With a view to designing effective SCP policies, this chapter looks at the roles and influences of various stakeholders in the value chain, using packaging as an example. Some key messages are:
• An effective policy mix towards multiple stakeholders should take into account the power variations among actors and allocate responsibility accordingly.
• In the packaging value chain, the consumer, though influential, is not the most significant stakeholder; also, the municipality, which usually carries the costs of waste treatment, has limited influence over business packaging decisions. The brand owner and the retailer form the nexus of influence; the brand owner is the lead actor—the most influential.
• Policies based on a combination of choice editing and extended producer responsibility would edit out the most unsustainable packaging options and allocate responsibility towards packaging waste management.
• Packaging review panels are proposed to review the national packaging situation, adapt or develop policy options, assist governments in implementation, and advise stakeholders towards sustainable patterns.
• Harmonisation of a) product packaging specifications across brands and b) packaging policies across the region is recommended to further reduce unnecessary packaging and waste.
• To integrate sustainable consumption at a systems level, policy design needs to address three pre-conditions: the right attitude among actors, a facilitating system, and appropriate infrastructure.