Trends in sustainable Flexible packaging

Trends in sustainable Flexible packaging

Customers not only want to eat sustainable food and to understand the origin of the food, but they also demand sustainable packaging. It is important to look for food packaging materials that do not harm the environment, as consumers are becoming increasingly aware.

For individuals who support the environment, plastics and anything which can not be recycled is no longer a choice. There is an increasing demand for minimalist packaging with a simpler and more elegant design that is free from unnecessary materials.

So, What is sustainable packaging?

While sustainable packaging can be defined in a variety of ways, the Sustainable Packaging Coalition has a sustainable packaging vision that meets the following criteria:[1]

  • Is beneficial, safe, and healthy for individuals and communities throughout the packaging’s life cycle
  • Meets market criteria for performance and cost
  • Is sourced, manufactured, transported, and recycled using renewable energy
  • Optimizes the use of renewable or recycled source materials
  • Is manufactured using clean production technologies and best practices
  • Is made from materials healthy throughout the life cycle
  • Is physically designed to optimize materials and energy
  • Is effectively recovered and used in biological and/or industrial closed loop cycles

Manufacturers aim to create a circular economy by means of sustainable packaging. The circular economy’s objective is to turn the linear model of ‘take, make, waste’ into a continuous loop in which packaging materials can be reused or regenerated into new products.

This will extend each package’s usefulness, extract maximum value while it is in use, and recover or recycle the package after its service life has been exhausted. Government consumer behavior and legislative moves are also driving changes in flexible plastic packaging, including increased recycled content in food packaging and the increasing trend of flexible plastic collection points by major supermarket chains.

High-barrier mono-polyethylene solutions for recyclable flexible packaging with new high-barrier PE films aimed at performance and recyclability is a trend in sustainable materials. The better food is protected, the more effective resources can be maintained, and these new single polymer materials based on polyethylene are designed to replace existing multi-polymer recovery structures.

Where are companies going with package sustainability?

“Statistics on sustainable packaging from leading industry sources paint a picture of an industry striving for change” states the 2020 Sustainable Packaging Report.

For food companies that also need to keep their products fresh and safe while making a profit, developing sustainable packaging is a challenge. However, in this evolving world, it’s a challenge that more businesses will have to meet.

In a recent Packaging Digest article, Tristanne Davis, senior manager with the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, laid out five trends she sees for 2020 : [2]

  • More companies announce sustainable packaging goals and create action plans.
  • Companies find ways to increase end markets for recycled plastics.
  • Brands replace substrates to meet recovery goals – for example, paper-based solutions.
  • Companies look at reusable packaging more seriously.
  • Material health becomes more important – in particular, more efforts to reduce per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS<https://www.epa.gov/pfas>).

References:

1. Sustainable Packaging Coalition (2011) ‘Definition of Sustainable Packaging’, Renewable Energy, (August), pp. 1–10.

2. Tristanne Davis 1 (2020) 5 Sustainable Packaging Trends to Look Out for in 2020. Available at: https://www.packagingdigest.com/sustainability/5-sustainable-packaging-trends-look-out-2020.