6 Packaging Reductions That Don’t Increase Food Waste

Website Link (Article by Claire Sand) Packaging reductions that do not create additional food waste equals more environmentally friendly food packaging. The desire to reduce packaging remains strong, and three motivating factors can prompt the packaging industry to take additional action for sustainability. Laws Legislation such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, which goes

Turning Plastic Grocery Bags into Sustainable Fuel

Website Link (Article by Larry Frum) More than 300 million tons of plastic waste are produced annually, which causes serious environmental issues because of plastic’s life cycle and the difficulty of eliminating it. Consequently, most plastic waste ends up in either a landfill or the ocean. A significant number of plastics break down into microplastics,

What Is SPRING and Why Is It Needed in Packaging Now?

Website Link (Article by Robert Lilienfeld) SPRING is an acronym for the new Sustainable Packaging Research, Information, and Networking Group. Here’s what you should know about SPRING, a new virtual think tank to help all stakeholders make effective decisions about sustainable packaging. Let me introduce you to SPRING, which  stands for the Sustainable Packaging Research,

Benefits of aluminum vs steel: from environmental impacts to meeting consumer needs

Website Link (Article by Brandon Bach) Transparency in products remains important to consumers. They want to know where the everyday products they purchase are coming from, what they are made of and if they fit their shopping preferences. According to a study from Nielsen and Label Insight, 39% of shoppers would be willing to switch

Transparent Packaging Achieves First 100% rPET Carton

Website Link (Article by Rick Lingle) The 100% barrier for post-consumer recycle (PCR) content for transparent recycled PET (rPET) plastic folding cartons has been attained. The new sustainably-enhanced product was introduced by custom plastic box manufacturer Printex Transparent Packaging (PTP), which is the largest such company in North America. The Eco-PET 100 folding carton is made from

Commercialization of next-generation biomaterials

Website Link (Article by Rachel Arthur) The Coca-Cola Company, Changchun Meihe Science & Technology and UPM have announced the first planned commercialization of new tech to create plant-based monoethylene glycol (bMEG): which can replace traditional oil-based MEG in PET bottles. The tech will allow the companies to efficiently convert second-generation biomass to the plant-based bMEG:

ADM eyes eight emerging trends

Website Link (Article by Eric Schroeder) Plant-based lifestyles, clean and transparent sourcing, and sustainable goodness are among the eight trends ADM sees fueling current and future global growth. Drawing on research from its Outside Voice consumer insights platform, the company’s top trends for 2022 point the way for ADM’s innovation, renovation and development platforms, the

What does the future hold for advanced recycling?

Website Link (Article by Hannah Cole) A recent report from RaboResearch suggests that the advanced recycling industry continues to expand, with a high volume of collaborations and projects being announced in 2021, and new players emerging in regions including East Asia. However, criticisms of advanced recycling are also mounting, impacting the outlook of some of the

How packaging influences shopper’s perception of health

Website Link (Article by Nikki Hancocks) New research provides insights into which elements of packaging have the biggest impact on the consumer’s perception of product healthiness, and how the demographics of the consumer will impact these perceptions. Packaging plays a key role in impulse purchases and a key issue for companies developing functional foods is to

How to avoid the greenwashing trap

Website Link (Article by Oliver Morrison) New reviews on misleading claims in early 2022 will pressure companies to provide concrete evidence of their sustainability credentials in an increasingly green-focused and consumer-led market. What does this new regulation mean for brands? Caroline Greenwell, Partner at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm, weighs in. With more shoppers