When setting green/sustainability goals, consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are moving beyond a narrow focus to look holistically and collaboratively at products, packaging, and operations. “Collaboration among CPG companies, materials providers and original equipment manufacturers is the key and should extend to other stakeholders,” says Jorge Izquierdo, vice president of market development for PMMI, Herndon, VA.
Two trends in sustainable packaging are the use of post-consumer recycled materials and materials that encourage recycling. Well-designed packaging considers the overall lifecycle impact, including avoiding waste of the product itself. Design for recyclability includes flexible packaging made from single-source materials that enable recycling. For example, most stand-up pouches are made from different laminated materials rendering them unrecyclable. However, if the pouch is converted from a single-source material, it will be recyclable in today’s processes.