The future of packaging – is green!
Across the entire packaging value chain, businesses are striving for a more sustainable future by developing products and production processes that has less impact on the environment.
This is a wonderful time to be involved with the production and use of paper based and more sustainable packaging options. All of a sudden, it is ‘the’ thing that is being demanded by consumers, by brands, by retailers and by the media.
Packaging may seem pretty fundamental – something that people take for granted, and sometimes don’t even notice. It is there to provide strength, protection and ease of transport. And, if the packaging happens to look pretty on the shelf, that is a bonus.
Yet this is an area – particularly as it is so consumer facing – where innovation for the environment is strong. Exciting and dynamic things are happening that allow ever more sustainable packaging options – not just in paperboard, but across every material.
Eco heritage
Brands are being driven by retailers. Retailers in turn are being driven by consumer demand. Products must simply be sustainable – and that includes the packaging. And, it is often the case that paper based packaging is the most environmentally friendly part of the whole product!
In the world of paperboard and fibre based materials production, the sustainable angle was realised many decades ago and has long been the case that the products produced are sustainable. Raw materials come from sustainable sources – either recycled fibres, or from third part accredited and well managed forests set to credible standards such as FSC or PEFC, or increasingly from alternative fibres. More than that, the companies that produce paper and paperboards place care for the environment in their management and manufacturing practices too – everything from raw materials to energy used, from clean water and lessening emissions to air, from carbon balancing to logistics. Many now also use environmentally friendly power sources – everything from wind power, to solar, to CHP.
Thankfully now, that ethic is filtering down to the man in the street who is demanding that what he buys is sustainably packaged.
Why now!
There is now, more than ever before, an increasing call for sustainability to be taken seriously in all facets of life, leisure and the working environment.
Once the domain of the environmental charities and organisations, and a few scattered publications such as Green Solutions magazine, the cry has become almost deafening driven by renowned world figures, TV programmes, youth groups, governments, international organisations, and the general media. This has had a real impact on Joe Public, which now calls for greener products from greener manufacturers.
The outcry following the excellent Blue Planet programmes was driven by many of the sickening images and horror statistics that were released. Following its airing, online search behavioural specialist Hitwise recorded a huge surge of interest in plastic recycling following the finale, with online searches for the term increasing by 55%. The company also saw the doubling of people searching for ‘plastic pollution’ and ‘plastic packaging’.
Keeping it green
The word ‘packaging’ covers a wide spectrum of products – from bottles to pouches, from tins and cans to rigid and soft plastics, from paperboard to innovative new substrates, and more in between.
Many materials used for packaging are already sustainable, or have a minimum impact on the planet. Glass, aluminium and fibre based packaging all fall into this category.
A study by ProCarton showed that consumer preferences are driving the use of more sustainable packaging, with 52% of European consumers having switched a brand or product because of environmental concerns about how it is packed, whilst a survey by MasterClass showed that 16% of shoppers say they always consider how a product is packaged before buying, while 29% often consider it and 35% sometimes do.
When you think of the tonnes of packaging that each one of us use individually each year, not to make an ethical choice is not good for the planet, nor for the reputation and perception of the brand which is using that substrate. Every one of us generates nearly 160 kg of packaging waste per year – that’s a huge amount should it all go to landfill.
The UK’s paper/paperboard recycling rate is around 80%, whilst plastics recycling is way less (although, the figure is improving, as more people recycle).
Recyling and recovery is brightest and biggest for paper, aluminium and glass, withc most countries far exceeding their targets. However, plastics are more difficult and costly to recycle and there aren’t so many easy to use schemes in place – especially if different kinds of plastics have been used in one type of packaging.
Paper biodegrades at different rates depending on its constituents, but a paper towel for instance will decompose in little more than a month, whilst a paper bag takes about the same time. Newspaper takes about six weeks and cardboard around two months and only a very small percentage can’t be recovered – usually because the paper has been used for things like hygiene products or is being used for archival storage.
Different kinds of plastic also degrade at different rates, but the average time for a plastic bottle for instance is at least 450 years, whilst aplastic bag takes at least 200 years – some take even longer – even up to 100 years, whilst a high percentage of plastics can’t be recycled at all.
We will leave the choice to you!
Go check them out at : https://www.greensolutionsmag.com/
