Sustainability has become a buzzword that occurs everywhere in this global economy. Governments continue to lay emphasis on its importance by steering policies favourably in that direction. Organisations, both public and private, are becoming more aware of the economic, social and environmental advantages it brings them in the global landscape in which they operate. Academic institutions have not been left behind, on the evidence of the volume of research in this area.\ud
The aim of this research has been to investigate the barriers and enablers to sustainable packaging within an international, closed loop supply chain of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the food Industry. It is important to mention that two-thirds of all packaging is used in the food industry, and the close relationship between the food sector and packaging explains the focus of this research on the food sector.\ud
Whilst there has been research into sustainability or sustainable development, emphasis has always been on Multinational Enterprises (MNE). The role of Small- to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the global economy is significant, according to the statistics available. SMEs represent more than 99% and 80% of enterprises in the United Kingdom and the United States of America, respectively, and provide over 75 million jobs in the European Union. Furthermore, 90% of global businesses are SMEs. The research is therefore focused on Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs).\ud
The use of a qualitative approach for the study was justified by the focus on gaining a profound understanding of the barriers and enablers for sustainable packaging, for SMEs, in the real world. A case study strategy was also deemed to be appropriate because of the importance of contemporary events, over which the researcher has no control. In addition, the use of interviews, direct observation and the examination of documents as methods of data gathering was also justified in as much as the use of a number of approaches supported data triangulation, which thus strengthened the research.\ud
The intention of this research was to highlight the issues SMEs face when embarking on a sustainable packaging journey. This research has therefore contributed to the existing body of knowledge by investigating the various barriers that this type of organisation faces, and why. Existing barriers identified within the literature, as detailed in Chapter 2, and new findings detailed in Chapter 5, concerning the system, corruption and culture, make a contribution to the existing body of knowledge