In 2012, Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson, a long-standing campaigner against wasteful packaging, published the Easter Egg Packaging report, which accused the industry of complacency when it came to chocolate egg packaging. Cutting card and plastic usage and improving recyclability were top of her agenda.

Nestlé was first to make significant improvements by moving to a fully recyclable, single substrate solution for all its Easter egg packaging. This timely decision set an industry standard.

Fast-forward to 2014, and what additional initiatives have been made? The fact is we haven’t really moved beyond those initial baby steps - and for very practical reasons. Easter eggs are fragile and require the support of complex packaging. We can demand that the confectionery giants and supermarkets reduce Easter egg packaging further by removing plastic fitments. But unless chocolate eggs are properly packaged, they risk being damaged and contributing to the problem of food and packaging waste rather than solving it.

Although packaging accounts for only 1.3% of litter items [Incpen], it bears the brunt of the blame. The industry needs to develop responsible, easily recyclable packaging and communicate this clearly and effectively to consumers.

Instead of reducing packaging, why not challenge the throwaway culture of seasonal packaging with sustainable solutions?

M&S provided an excellent example last summer with a product from its picnic-inspired range. The Ruby & Lime Quencher salad - an innovative fresh fruit salad with lime jelly seashells that came in a moulded pack designed in the shape of a castle. This clever evolution of a basic piece of plastic packaging meant the product had life after use - for kids on the beach.

The additional gift purpose of Easter eggs provides an ideal vehicle for brands to move beyond the tired offering of a mug. Fundamentally, Easter egg packaging is a necessary evil. But it’s also time to quash accusations of complacency - by getting creative with pack multifunctionality.

Gillian Garside-Wight is packaging technology director at Sun Branding Solutions

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