How to Calculate the ROI of Sustainable Packaging
Making procurement decisions often feels like a balancing act. A new, sustainable packaging material might be better for the environment, but will it hurt your bottom line? Without a clear way to forecast the financial impact, many businesses stick with what they know—often leaving significant savings on the table.
The problem is that the purchase price is only half the story. The real cost includes the Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) fees, which can vary dramatically between materials. A cheaper material can end up being far more expensive once regulatory costs are factored in.
Sustinu's Strategic Scenario Planner is a "what-if" tool designed to eliminate this guesswork. It lets you model the financial outcome of material changes before you commit, turning a risky decision into a data-driven strategy.
The Challenge: Forecasting Net Impact
Estimating the true financial impact of switching materials requires answering three questions:
- How much will our PRO fees decrease?
- How much more will the new material cost to purchase?
- Do the fee savings outweigh the purchase cost increase?
Answering this without a dedicated tool is a complex, spreadsheet-intensive task.
The Solution: The Strategic Scenario Planner
Our planner streamlines this entire process into a simple, interactive interface. It uses your own data and fee schedule to provide an instant analysis.
Key Insight: The Net ROI Calculation
The core of the planner is its ability to calculate the Net Return on Investment (ROI). It doesn't just show you the fee savings; it helps you find the financial sweet spot.
What it is: A simple calculation: (Fee Savings) - (Increased Purchase Cost) = Net Impact. The tool identifies your most expensive "Red" materials and lets you model a switch to lower-fee "Green" or "Yellow" alternatives.
Why it matters: It provides a complete financial picture. You can instantly see if a 10% surcharge on a recycled material is easily offset by a 50% reduction in PRO fees, proving the business case for sustainability.
Application: From Theory to Action
Imagine your most expensive material is PVC. With the planner, you can model a scenario:
"If we switch 50% of our PVC to Recycled PET, and the PET costs an extra 0.20 DKK/kg to purchase, what is our net annual savings?"
The tool instantly calculates the fee reduction, subtracts the new material surcharge, and gives you a clear, defensible number to guide your procurement strategy.
Make Your Next Move with Confidence
Stop making procurement decisions in the dark. Use the Strategic Scenario Planner to forecast the impact of your choices and find the most profitable path to sustainability. Explore this feature on your Dashboard today.