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Packaging Sustainability Lead

Twinings • United Kingdom • Added on Jul 8, 2026
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As the Packaging Sustainability Lead at Twinings, you will take full ownership of the technical roadmap for more sustainable beverage packaging. This two-year fixed-term role involves transforming high-level environmental strategies into tangible, compliant material solutions that can be implemented across global supply chains. You will evaluate new materials, oversee rigorous testing protocols, and bridge the gap between innovation and commercial reality.

This role is critical to achieving Twinings’ net-zero commitments and circularity goals. For a brand with over 300 years of heritage, your work ensures the historical legacy of the business is protected through modern, low-impact design. You will directly influence the carbon footprint and end-of-life disposal of millions of consumer products, steering the beverage industry toward a more responsible future.

This suits someone who possesses deep technical knowledge of packaging substrates and a relentless drive for implementation. You should be comfortable navigating complex regulations and leading cross-functional teams toward impactful decisions within a high-speed FMCG environment.

FAQ de l’offre

What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?

The core mission revolves around translating a broad sustainability vision into a technical roadmap for materials and packaging formats. You will be responsible for leading the exploration of alternative structures, ensuring they meet rigorous safety and quality standards while significantly reducing environmental impact. This involves creating a prioritised pipeline of changes and managing them from laboratory testing to full-scale manufacturing. Beyond technical development, you will lead compliance strategy by interpreting evolving global legislation like the PPWR and EUDR. You are expected to define success criteria for new materials and act as the primary technical authority for sustainability queries across the organization. This ensures that every pack launched is both environmentally sound and legally robust across diverse international markets.

Key learning opportunities for this job

In this position, you will gain an unrivalled depth of knowledge regarding the intersection of material science and global environmental policy. You will witness firsthand how complex consumer goods companies navigate the transition from traditional plastics and laminates to circular alternatives. This includes exposure to cutting-edge compostability requirements and carbon-impact modeling tools. As a lead within an Associated British Foods (ABF) group company, you will benefit from cross-industry knowledge sharing and networking with sustainability experts from across the wider group. The role offers a masterclass in change management, teaching you how to align procurement, marketing, and engineering priorities toward a shared ecological objective.

How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?

The ideal candidate is a packaging specialist with a strong FMCG background and a proven track record of launching sustainable packaging solutions. You need exceptional technical fluency in materials science combined with the ability to communicate these complexities to non-technical stakeholders. Experience with compostables, recyclable barrier films, and circular design principles is highly valued. Soft skills are equally important; you should be an influential leader capable of driving decisions in ambiguous environments. Since this is an implementation-focused role, a bias for action and a systematic approach to project management are essential for success during the two-year fixed-term period.

Advice to stand out and make a successful application

To stand out, move beyond general sustainability passion and demonstrate concrete technical wins. Tailor your application to show exactly how you have managed the qualification of new materials or navigated specific packaging legislation in previous roles. Providing examples of how you gained cross-functional buy-in for a difficult sustainability transition will be highly advantageous. Show an understanding of Twinings’ specific challenges—such as maintaining tea freshness and aroma while switching to plastic-free alternatives. A successful candidate will demonstrate they can balance environmental idealism with operational reality, proving they can deliver solutions that work at scale without compromising product integrity.

What aspects of the company's sustainability is this role likely to focus on?

The primary focus is on circularity and decarbonization through material innovation. This role is at the heart of the company’s efforts to eliminate unnecessary waste and transition toward 100% recyclable or compostable formats. You will work specifically on reducing the Scope 3 emissions associated with packaging materials, which is a significant portion of a beverage company’s footprint. You will also play a key role in responsible consumer communication. By partnering with regulatory and marketing teams, you ensure that consumers receive accurate instructions on how to dispose of or recycle new packaging formats, closing the loop on the product's environmental lifecycle.

What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?

One of the steepest challenges will be managing technical trade-offs between shelf-life requirements and sustainable material properties. Finding solutions that protect premium tea while being fully recyclable or biodegradable often involves overcoming significant manufacturing hurdles. You may also face resistance from internal departments focused strictly on cost optimization in a high-inflation environment. Furthermore, the regulatory landscape is moving rapidly. Keeping the business ahead of shifting EU and UK packaging laws requires constant vigilance and the ability to pivot technical roadmaps quickly. Balancing these immediate compliance pressures with long-term innovation projects will require sophisticated time and stakeholder management.

How could a typical day look like for someone in this position?

A typical day might begin with a technical project review with the New Product Development team to analyze the results of a recent trial on a new bio-based film. You could then transition to a scoping session with Procurement to identify suppliers capable of meeting net-zero carbon specifications for upcoming product launches. Afternoons are often spent in strategic alignment meetings, where you might present recommendations to senior stakeholders regarding legislative updates like the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). You might conclude the day by collaborating with external industry experts or partners to scout for emerging technologies that could solve long-term barrier-packaging challenges.

What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?

While this is a fixed-term position, the high visibility of the role provides a significant platform for career advancement within the sustainability and packaging sectors. Leading a high-profile implementation for a globally recognized brand like Twinings is a major career milestone that can lead to senior leadership roles in technical sustainability. You will also have the chance to lead strategic change management initiatives, which builds a skill set highly transferable to any senior corporate sustainability role. Success in this role demonstrates your ability to deliver high-impact results under a fixed timeline, making you a highly desirable candidate for executive-level sustainability positions in the FMCG industry.

The main stakeholders you might be interacting with

You will sit at the crossroads of several vital departments, most notably Procurement, Pack Engineering, and Regulatory Affairs. You will rely on these teams to source materials, test them on the lines, and ensure they meet legal standards. Building strong relationships here is critical for moving projects from the idea stage to the factory floor. External stakeholders are equally important, including packaging suppliers, industry bodies, and academic experts. You will also interact with senior leadership teams across the ABF group to provide updates on sustainability progress and ensure the packaging roadmap aligns with the parent company's overarching environmental commitments.

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