Packaging Europe Issue 19.2

UNBOXING THE FUTURE OF PRINT AT DRUPA

Welcome to the latest edition of Packaging Europe magazine. At the time of writing, the Packaging Europe team is getting ready for drupa – we’ll be at the event reporting and filming videos and bringing you the latest information on all the most recent innovations in the packaging printing and converting space. Packaging Europe is also happy to support drupa’s touchpoint packaging event series as a content and media partner. This will offer drupa visitors a dynamic platform which will zoom in

EDITORIAL

on a range of topics around packaging printing and will focus on environmental, technological, economic, social and legal aspects, pinpoint challenges, present innovative solutions and showcase added value, impulses and growth potential for packaging solutions in a constantly changing world.

In this edition, Libby Munford takes a look at what drives progress in the printing and converting industry and highlights just some of the innovations we can expect to see at drupa. Elsewhere, Victoria Hattersley explores the premium cosmetics market and asks the question whether luxury in cosmetics packaging can be sustainable, or whether the two are mutually exclusive. Delving into the ever-evolving world of bioplastics, Frances Butler traces recent developments, including solutions for end of life. Zooming in on packaging regulation, I look at recent developments in Europe and the US and steps towards a Global Plastics Treaty.

In our big interview series, we explore how major packaging companies deal with the world’s biggest sustainability challenges. In this edition, Marco Marchetti looks at developments, trends and turning points in the beverage packaging industry. Finally, I unpick consumer attitudes, challenges and solutions around recycled content in packaging and boosting packaging recycling rates in an interview with Amcor’s David Clark and McKinsey and Company’s Jeremy Wallach.

In other news from Packaging Europe, our brand-new paid membership tier, which provides access to a new and exclusive range of frequently updated, high-value, in-depth information for packaging industry professionals, consisting of briefings, comprehensive reports, access to recordings from the Sustainable Packaging Summit, and a bespoke weekly newsletter is already proving popular. If you’re curious, head over to our website packagingeurope.com to find out more.

If you enjoy hearing about the biggest topics in the packaging industry while doing mundane tasks such as commuting or washing the dishes, we have good news for you – our podcast series now comes out weekly and is available for free on all major podcasting platforms.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Packaging Europe magazine!

A WORLD OF PROGRESS IN PRINTING AND CONVERTING

INa sector of digital advancements, Packaging Europe predicts that the transformation of workflows, AI and sustainability are the main factors pushing innovation forwards and we expect to see announcements in these key areas at drupa.

Evolving ecosystems

A snapshot of drupa showcases the new integrated technology ecosystems evolving in the market today– Esko, X-Rite, Pantone and Enfocus will be co-exhibiting to showcase a new integrated technology ecosystem designed to benefit today’s packaging supply chain.

Visitors to drupa 2024 will be the first to discover the benefits of combining the expertise and technology of Esko, X-Rite, Pantone, and Enfocus to deliver value and operational efficiency to accelerate the go-to-market

process for brands and their packaging supply chains. With live demonstrations on booth #A12 in hall 8B, attendees will experience the full suite of the companies’ latest hardware and software innovations.

Together these four operating companies are part of Veralto’s Product Quality and Innovation segment, which helps customers safeguard everyday essentials, including protecting the food supply chain, enabling the delivery of pharmaceuticals, and ensuring product quality, freshness, and consistency.

“Our ecosystem of automation and colour management solutions not only expedites the go-to-market process but also aligns with the sustainability objectives crucial for businesses today,” said X-Rite President Jeff McKee.

In a major evolution in software architecture, Esko will unveil sCloud, a multi-tenant cloud-native platform that delivers on a new technological reality based on cloud computing, data sharing, and artificial intelligence. All existing The printing and converting industries are gearing up for drupa, the world’s largest print event, to share its latest innovations and growth. Libby Munford reports.

Esko applications – from ArtPro+, ArtiosCAD, and the award-winning Phoenix through to Cape Pack and Automation Engine – will connect to the new platform, reportedly giving all stakeholders in the value chain 24/7 real-time access to live data and identical resources anywhere in the world. Moreover, Esko sCloud is an open platform supporting connectivity with partners.

Esko President, Joël Depernet, said, “We are taking our customers on a journey to the future of connected cloud-based operations. We are announcing readiness of this platform at drupa with new tools already available for our customers. We are delivering a next-generation solution that will see brands and their packaging supply chains achieve new levels of go-to-market speed and efficiency.

“Current customers can seamlessly integrate their Esko on-premise applications with the sCloud platform. This is truly a new way of working and one which represents a quantum leap in connected integrated workflows.”

Joël added, “Importantly, Esko is accelerating the entire go-to-market process from significantly further upstream with its new Job Onboarding innovation. With Job Onboarding, converter sales and customer service employees gain access to the same professional packaging tools as the prepress department. This creates a more streamlined and automated process speeding up the very start of the supply chain.”

X-Rite will unveil Autura Ink at drupa, a cloud-based ink formulation software that is reportedly simple and easy to use for seasoned and new

ink technicians alike. Leveraging the proven technology of X-Rite’s Ink Formulation software, this platform streamlines all aspects of formulation, storage, approval, retrieval, and quality control for offset, flexo, gravure, and screen-printing inks. With integrated BestMatch technology and the ability to better manage assortments, Autura Ink helps drive efficiency and reduce waste.

Alongside this launch, X-Rite will also announce expanded capabilities for PantoneLIVE. This latest addition to the PantoneLIVE digital colour library suite, Private Library Manager, targets packaging brands striving for

“Packaging Europe predicts that the transformation of workflows, AI and sustainability are the main factors pushing innovation forwards and we expect to see announcements in these key areas at drupa.”

meticulous colour uniformity across their products and communications. With this new ability to add custom brand colours to the PantoneLIVE ecosystem, brands can leverage pure spectral values throughout the production process to reproduce brand colours on a variety of substrates using various printing technologies and ink types. Together with existing X-Rite solutions, packaging brands and their suppliers can easily and securely share colour data between formulation and quality control software, PantoneLIVE, and colour measurement devices for a truly connected workflow.

Jeff emphasized the significance of Autura Ink and PantoneLIVE Private Library Manager as pivotal cloud-based enhancements for customers. “Autura Ink streamlines the entire ink management process, ensuring efficiency and precision across various printing technologies. Meanwhile, PantoneLIVE Private Library Manager offers packaging brands “unparalleled” colour consistency, regardless of substrate or printing method. By leveraging these cutting-edge cloud-based solutions alongside our existing offerings, we’re empowering our customers to foster greater collaboration and efficiency throughout their workflows, ultimately delivering superior results and driving success in the marketplace.”

Bursting with potential

Visitors, in particular brand owners, will be able to attend presentations that feature best practice examples and innovative packaging design, and that give an overview of the latest developments in design and production and gain useful insights.

Packaging experts from across the value chain, from material sourcing to production and workflow to converting and retail will take part as partners or active participants. Participants include major drupa exhibitors such as Esko, Koenig & Bauer, Heidelberg, hp, Zecher, hubergroup, KURZ, manroland Goss and Saueressig.

drupa continues its successful partnership with the European brand and packaging design agency epda, which will be responsible for the concept and the running of the event. Marketing intelligence agency Mintel will support the event with specialist knowledge.

The printing and converting industries are pivoting towards a digital future by leveraging new advancements in key technologies, and 2024 is an exciting year for realizing how these developments can be put into practice.

Packaging Europe is pleased to support touchpoint packaging as a content and media partner. In its third iteration, the event series, taking place from May 28th to June 7th, 2024, will offer drupa visitors a dynamic platform which will zoom in on a range of topics around packaging printing and will focus on environmental, technological, economic, social and legal aspects. The event will pinpoint challenges, present innovative solutions and showcase added value, impulses and growth potential for packaging solutions in a constantly changing world.

PREMIUM COSMETICS PACKAGING: CAN LUXURY BE SUSTAINABLE?

When it comes to cosmetics packaging, is luxury sustainable, or are the two things mutually exclusive? Victoria Hattersley reports.

When it comes to premium cosmetics packaging, sustainability and luxury have not always been what you would call easy bedfellows. To make a product ‘feel’ luxurious, it has often been deemed necessary to incorporate heavy, decorative elements or complex closures, none of which are compatible with the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ mantra we associate with packaging design today, luxury or no.

This being the case, it’s generally acknowledged that we need to redefine what we mean by ‘luxury’ when it comes to packaging. Not least because of the regulatory context: for example, the revised PPWR will, among other

things, ensure standardized sustainability requirements for beauty packaging, harmonize extended producer responsibility (EPR) obligations, set guidelines for material usage and ensure labelling enables either recycling or reuse.

One of the first things to note here is that – to give them (us) their due – most consumers also understand the need for more environmentally efficient packaging solutions, or even in some cases demand them. You might say, says Jo Chidley, Co-Chair of the Sustainable Beauty Coalition of the British Beauty Council, that far from creating constraints, when it comes to the premium segment this can actually present an opportunity.

Glass perfume bottle with cap made from Sulapac Luxe

Jo Chidley

“The psychology of ‘cheap = guilt’ gives brands the opportunity to create more loyalty with their product if it is in quality returnable packaging.”

“Every innovation starts out exclusive mainly due to the lack of scale available to the innovation and this compliments ‘luxury’ products and their marketing, however consumers are becoming more and more in tune with sustainable swaps and are demanding their everyday products to be more sustainable. This latent demand is unsatisfied at the moment as there is no value in cheap materials like plastic and the consumer wants everyday luxury which is a big opportunity for any brand. The psychology of ‘cheap = guilt’ gives brands the opportunity to create more loyalty with their product if it is in quality returnable packaging.”

From plastics to paper?

When it comes to any packaging design, one of the first – if not the first –choice a brand will need to make is which material to use. While plastic still largely dominates when it comes to beauty products in general, there are more options available than ever before and, for the premium end where price considerations are different, there can arguably be more opportunity to experiment.

One trend our readers will no doubt be aware of, in this field as in others, is a move from plastics to paper solutions in some instances. In part this may be because the consumer perception is that paper is a more sustainable – and by implication, perhaps – premium material. But there is obviously more to it.

“Paper-based packaging offers a lot of benefits for premium cosmetics brands,” says Suzy Gedney, UK Marketing Manager of global paper packaging provider Smurfit Kappa. “You can still create an image of luxury using paper-based packaging by using different printing techniques and print finishes. This versatility allows for intricate designs and customizations, which can help to enhance the product’s perceived value. And being renewable and recyclable, paper-based packaging aligns with consumers’ increasing eco-consciousness, adding a layer of sustainability to the brand’s identity.”

She cites Smurfit’s recent collaboration with e-commerce premium, vegan bodycare brand MESSIAH and EVE as an example of where paper-based solutions can provide sustainability in today’s FMCG value chain while still conveying a ‘luxury’ experience. The packages are made from a 100% recyclable premium board grade which, according to the company, is “still sustainable while also offering a super high-print finish. The end packaging solution looked the part while also being FSC Mix and 100% recyclable.”

But while acknowledging its strengths, it’s also important to remember that paper is no more of a ‘perfect’ material than any other. We asked Suzy Gedney how brands can address some of the common environmental questions surrounding paper production.

“There can be concerns around deforestation, as the production of paper relies on wood pulp sourced from forests. Also, carbon emissions associated with the manufacturing process and transportation of paper-based materials can have an impact on the environment. To address these concerns, brands can prioritize responsible sourcing practices, opting for paper derived from certified sustainably managed forests or recycled content. Investing in energyefficient manufacturing processes and using renewable energy sources can help reduce carbon emissions.”

Prospects for biobased and biodegradable

We have also noticed a growing interest in more ‘novel’ feedstocks for premium cosmetics packaging. The reason behind this – as with the shift to paper – can come down in part to our growing understanding of consumer priorities and how they view packaging.

Suzy Gedney

“You can create an image of luxury using paper-based packaging by using different printing techniques and print finishes. This versatility allows for intricate designs and customizations, which can help to enhance the product’s perceived value.”

“Consumers do not want to feel anxious about their purchase,” explains Eva Lagarde, Founder & CEO of re/sources – a platform that helps beauty brands develop their sustainability strategies. “That’s why a lot of brands have stopped talking about sustainability altogether. They are designing sustainability into their product, but not communicating for fear of backlash. Consumers do not really understand recycling or other sustainable attributes. They just want packaging to disappear at the end of use. They don’t want to worry about it. That’s why paper has become a ‘golden’ material because it is inherently biodegradable by nature – if not heavily decorated. And I think that’s when biodegradable materials like PHA – from bacteria, or mushroom, or else – are really interesting.”

Skincare brand Wildsmith Skin, for example, uses mycelium for its product packaging – a farm-grown material using the roots of a mushroom that is claimed to compost fully in around 90 days. And in a bid to tackle the problem of unrecyclable single-use plastic sachets – used for cosmetic samples – another skincare brand, Elemis, is working to transform plant waste from its product ingredients into bio-based films, which could be used to replace the flexible plastics currently used to package samples. Elsewhere, Chanel is using moulded pulp made from bamboo and bagasse (sugarcane waste) fibres by Knoll Packaging, and caps made with the bio-compound from Sulapac, for the new Chanel n°1 range.

But as Eva Lagarde points out, the market conditions do not always facilitate the shift to biobased or biodegradable materials. Quite apart from the challenge with scaling novel feedstocks to compete with plastics or paper, there are regulatory bottlenecks that – if not addressed – could slow development and discourage investment.

“Biodegradable (coming from biotechnology) materials are really interesting but they are currently under a regulatory loophole. Only recyclable materials will be deemed sellable in the European market, and these materials are under definition at the European Commission with the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. Europe tends to only focus on ‘recyclable’ materials which reduce considerably the materials with which we can play. It’s difficult to remain material agnostic when regulation tends to put product design into a box.”

And furthermore, while it’s positive to see the broader range of materials on the market today there is, of course, a caveat to this move away from plastics – when is there not? As we have reiterated so many times, plastics are not automatically the ‘bad’ choice: the main problems are not so much the material itself but the current recycling and sorting infrastructure and the continued predominance of single-use – the latter of which, as we have seen, is in the process of being addressed by industry and legislation. This being the case, it is also important that cosmetic packaging makes better use of the plastics already in the value chain. Examples of this include Lush in the UK, which has worked with its suppliers Spectra Packaging to introduce certified recycled Prevented Ocean Plastic for its 100ml, 250m and 500ml bottles. Meanwhile, Dow is working alongside LVMH Beauty to implement plastics made from recycled and bio-based feedstocks into several of the latter’s perfume and cosmetic product packs.

The place for reuse and refill

Recyclability and compostability are of course not the only part of the sustainability solution; we should also consider how reuse / refill are likely to impact this segment. Refillables in particular are increasingly prevalent in premium cosmetic packaging and their importance is likely to grow – or indeed, as Eva Lagarde points out, “become a regulatory requirement in most markets.” But

suade consumers – who even when buying luxury goods prioritize simplicity and convenience overall – that refills can be the ‘new normal’?

“Refillable allows the reduction of waste and carbon footprint,” says Eva, “but it is only effective if consumers can easily refill. For refill-native brands the refillable rate is stagnant at about 30% and for non-native brands, it is really hard to convince consumers to come back and refill. It’s a work in progress that will take time.”

But it may not be all uphill work: “On the other hand, I feel luxury is particularly adapted to refillable beauty. Imagine that the host / parent packaging is a keepsake object, and can be developed like an art object, with elaborate design where smart tech can be added to make it evolutive overtime.”

This last point taps into another trend – the growing use of smart packaging technologies to enhance the consumer experience.

“With the evolution of regulations, and increased requirements for product information, smart packaging might become a necessity. Packaging items become hyper luxurious with the likes of the recent DIOR refill made in Limoges porcelain from Bernardaud. This is when packaging will become smart to add digital connection to a long-lasting object.”

Using smart technologies is also a way for cosmetics brands to communicate their ‘luxury’ credentials without using unnecessary materials, says Suzy Gedney: “We know there is an increase of consumers who want to engage with brands and for packaging to ultimately act as an extension of that brand. A way for brands to deliver on this and ultimately their relationship building with customers can be through storytelling with their packaging and including interactive elements that transform packaging from a passive container into an active participant in the consumer’s journey.”

Premium = Sustainable?

To conclude – as we like to do – on a practical note: what can brand owners do, or what should they prioritize, to ensure their packaging is both sustainable while meeting that ‘premium’ expectation from their customers and aligning with their brand ethos?

Eva Lagarde

“Consumers still expect a luxurious experience at unpacking, so we can’t remove everything, but we can make every piece of packaging matter.”

When it comes to packaging design, using recycled or recyclable materials – monomaterial, if possible – is key. “When it comes to ‘reduce’,” says Eva Lagarde, “I think the first action brands should take is ensuring that packaging is minimal. Luxury can equal simple: look at Chanel in all black-and-white and minimalist design since its inception. A lot of action that perfume brands have taken for instance is the removal of cellophane, and the reduction of empty spaces in gift boxes for instance. Consumers still expect a luxurious experience at unpacking, so we can’t remove everything, but we can make every piece of packaging matter.”

Another consideration: “The use of sustainable ink options and finishes that are free from harmful chemicals also ensures the packaging remains recyclable,” says Suzy Gedney. “It is also important to control the weight and size of the packaging which helps reduce transportation emissions and material usage.”

It’s not just about individual company decisions, either – nobody works in a vacuum. Cross-industry collaboration is a necessity now whichever sector we are looking at. As an example of what this can encompass, the Sustainable Beauty Coalition, says Jo Chidley, has been ‘galvanizing the industry’ through collective action.

“Our current strategy is targeting waste in industry and more specifically packaging: this will be a three-year long initiative encompassing tangible industry-wide and measurable actions focused on four key pillars: Reduce, Recycle, Reuse/Refill and Replace. We are bringing together all parts of the industry from brands, retailers, professional services and consumers to collaborate on these issues; taking the lead on driving circularity throughout our supply chain and overcoming the ‘bottlenecks’ as they happen.”

And through all of this, we should add: transparency is key. If luxury brands want to take their customers along with them on their sustainability ‘journey’ then they must continue to communicate their sustainability decisions – including both successes and setbacks – as they go. This can ultimately build trust and ongoing consumer buy-in.

FOCUS ON DECARBONIZATION: A CONVERSATION WITH TETRA PAK’S MARCO MARCHETTI

How do major packaging companies deal with the sustainability challenges the world faces?

In the latest of our interview series, Elisabeth Skoda speaks to Marco Marchetti, Vice President Packaging Materials, Sales and Distribution Solutions at Tetra Pak.

Elisabeth Skoda: I’d like to start by looking at the big picture in the beverage carton industry. Where do you see the challenges for carton packaging on a strategic level?

Marco Marchetti: Climate change is the beverage carton industry’s –and humanity’s – most urgent concern, yet its connection to food security,

world’s global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are caused by inefficient food systems, according to a UN-backed study. At the same time, about a third of the world’s food production is either lost or wasted, as reported by the World Food Programme, which also carries its own climate impact. The global population is growing, and to sustain it we need more food.

What we therefore need is an integrated view to redesigning our food systems, optimizing the way in which we produce, process, package and distribute food.

As an industry, we must drive down carbon at every step of the value chain. We can then preserve resources, reducing the climate impact still further by lowering food loss and waste, and driving recycling to keep materials in use.

We know from Tetra Pak’s business to business research that food and beverage manufacturers are looking to packaging and processing suppliers to assist them as they move to decarbonize, with 65% citing new product developments as the key to adopting more sustainable practices and paper-based packaging in particular catching high industry interest.

This is all happening in an extremely dynamic legislative environment. For example, the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is likely to be adopted this year, as is the UN’s Plastic Treaty. These regulatory approaches are welcomed, but it is important that any measures aimed at reducing packaging waste should be based on a thorough impact assessment considering food availability, food waste and consumer safety.

What have been some of the most important trends and developments and maybe turning points in the past decade(s)?

Over 70 years ago, we revolutionized the food and beverage industry by introducing the first machine for aseptic filling. This process helps keep food safe, nutritious and available – with no preservatives and no refrigeration needed – over months.

In the past, Tetra Pak (and indeed the carton packaging industry) has been focusing on several important developments.

The first is creating a more widespread production network, to reduce costs and environmental impact e.g. ensuring that our factories are located close to customers’ production sites. Secondly, we have committed to enhancing food access while reducing total cost of ownership, optimising productivity by

Marco Marchetti

To accelerate recycling and make it more effective, we need collective action and a multi-pronged approach – from the value chain, governments and consumers, as well as civil society.

maximising the capacity per hour without increasing the size or complexity of the filling line. We have also developed solutions to help brands differentiate and stand out on shelf, both in terms of formats and packaging materials.

Finally, we have been re-examining the provenance of our packaging materials, to shift away from fossil-based, high carbon resources, and towards new materials such as plant-based plastic. In the future, we expect to accelerate work on reinventing the packaging material structure itself – as seen with the launch of our recent aseptic carton with a paper-based barrier – while expanding our focus on the recycled content in beverage cartons.

More broadly, it has been five years since the BBC’s Blue Planet, which brought plastic pollution to the top of the news agenda. This, alongside movements such as Break Free From Plastics, has rallied consumers around the issue of plastic reduction, which in turn has prompted manufacturers and retailers to reduce the amount of plastic they use.

This has been a welcome development but has risked overly simplifying packaging as “bad”, ignoring its role in protecting food and reducing food waste. The COVID-19 crisis and long-term impacts of the Ukraine/Russia war has reinserted this protective benefit into public conversation, resulting in an increased appreciation of how packaging plays a vital role for food system resilience.

ES: What innovative strategies has Tetra Pak implemented to address sustainability concerns?

MM: Looking at at driving the transition to more secure, sustainable and resilient food systems, we have identified four key pathways to accelerate this transformation, each one with roadmaps and measurable targets. These include enabling the transition towards more sustainable dairy; innovating for new food sources; and reducing food loss and waste and scaling access to safe nutrition through sustainable food packaging.

We are looking both upstream and downstream on our journey to net-

zero carbon emissions, aiming for net-zero for Scopes 1, 2 and business travel by 2030, and across the value chain by 2050 (compared to our 2019 baseline). To do this, we are working together with our suppliers, customers and other stakeholders, mindful that decarbonization is a collective effort.

The aforementioned beverage carton with paper-based barrier is an important step forward in our plans to achieve greater material circularity. It is a marker on our journey to develop a beverage carton that is fully renewable, fully recyclable and carbon neutral. To achieve this, we have committed an investment of up to €100 million per year over the next five to ten years to further enhance the environmental profile of food cartons.

We also need investments to strengthen the recycling value chain of beverage cartons, as well as the market demand for recycled products to ensure circular material flows. In 2023, we put nearly €40 million in collection and recycling across the globe, and we plan to continue this level of investment over the coming years.

We cannot underestimate the climate impact of packaging and the role it plays in human survival. Both areas are so closely connected that we simply cannot drive one at the expense of the other.

ES: According to ACE, 51% of beverage cartons in the EU were recycled in 2019. What steps does Tetra Pak take to boost these rates?

MM: Beverage cartons are recyclable. They are recycled wherever the necessary collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure is in place, at scale. Expanding this infrastructure is a priority for us.

Increasing recycling rates begins with considering our cartons’ entire product lifecycle from the outset, including the way it’s designed. For example, we have worked with the 4evergreen alliance – a cross-industry platform that aims to boost the contribution of fibre-based packaging in a circular and sustainable economy – adding beverage packaging design guidance to its fibre-based circularity toolset.

Downstream, cross-border collaboration and co-investment with recyclers and industry players are key for expansion at scale. In 2021, around 490,000 tonnes of beverage cartons (52%) were collected for recycling in EU30, according to data from the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment. The beverage carton industry in Europe has already invested approximately €200 million into beverage carton recycling to date, with plans to invest a further €120 million by 2027.

We cannot underestimate the climate impact of packaging and the role it plays in human survival. Both areas are so closely connected that we simply cannot drive one at the expense of the other.

As a recent example, as part of the initiatives that Tetra Pak has been driving for decades to support collection and recycling infrastructure, we have finalized several strategic investments in the latter part of 2023, designed to boost the annual capacity for polyAl (the non-fibre component of carton packages) recycling by over 40,000 tonnes, the equivalent of more than 4 billion pack units. This adds to the existing and well-established recycling infrastructure in the EU, where beverage cartons are recycled in 20 specialized paper mills, with polyAl currently processed by seven facilities (and a further six under development).

At the other end of the recycling spectrum, the fibre extracted from the paperboard is already commonly reused into new products such as cardboard boxes, tissues and office paper. Our developing markets for recycled polyAl has already resulted in the manufacturing of products such as transport packaging like pallets and crates, design items including furniture, as well as in building materials such as panel board or furniture.

But we cannot do this alone: to accelerate recycling and make it more effective, we need collective action and a multi-pronged approach – from the value chain, governments and consumers, as well as civil society. It is through this effort that we will achieve the beverage carton industry’s ambitious targets of increasing the collection for recycling rate to 90% and recycling rate to 70% in the EU by 2030.

ES: What role does Tetra Pak envision for renewable materials in the future of packaging, and how is the company actively pursuing this vision?

MM: For us, the future of sustainable packaging lies in paperization, with its renewability and low carbon benefits, but this cannot come at the expense of food safety and availability. That is why we are so excited about the launch of the first aseptic beverage carton featuring a paper-based barrier. This package increases the renewable content to 90% and reduces its carbon footprint by one-third (33%), yet offers comparable shelf life and food protection properties as traditional aseptic cartons for liquid dairy products, such as milk.

Besides customer adoption steadily increasing, with our CAGR 2018–2023 of plant-based packaging material exceeding 70%, our research is very clear that we are on the right path. When it comes to F&B manufacturers deciding what packaging to use, they consider renewable resources that reduce CO2 emissions among the most important features for a sustainable package, according to Tetra Pak’s B2B research.

ES: Looking ahead, what are the key opportunities and challenges that Tetra Pak anticipates in the evolving landscape of the packaging industry, and how does the company plan to address them?

MM: Without a doubt, decarbonization is the largest challenge the packaging industry has ever faced. As a food integrated supplier providing customers with both processing and packaging solutions, we need to keep the innovation engine running to drive down carbon across the value chain,

as well as to keep materials in use and out of landfill. We must do this in an ever-evolving regulatory landscape.

But there are additional challenges. For instance, the consumer profile is changing, with “digital natives” coming of age. Driven by social media, visual culture and digital tribes, these consumer groups will expect immersive experiences from their food and its packaging. Besides addressing these needs, the packaging industry will also need to cater to consumers’ increasing need for personalized nutrition, helping them to proactively take care of their health.

We are also reaching an inflection point for digitalization and Industry 4.0 solutions, which have the potential to revolutionize the way companies manufacture, improve and distribute their products. In order to exploit the full potential of new technologies such as The Internet of Things, AI and machine learning, they must allow for integrated systems across traditional siloes.

According to a report commissioned by European Bioplastics, global bioplastics production capacity is set to increase significantly from around 2.18 million tonnes in 2023 to approximately 7.43 million tonnes in 2028. With this in mind, we take a closer look at some recent developments in bioplastics, including its end-oflife processes and advancements in compostable applications.

A CLOSER LOOK AT DEVELOPMENTS IN BIOPLASTICS

The EU policy framework for biobased, biodegradable and compostable plastics defines biobased plastics as “fully or partially made from biological resources” instead of fossil raw materials, but states they are not necessarily biodegradable or compostable. It also highlights the importance of examining the full life cycle of biobased plastics to ensure they benefit the environment beyond the reduction of fossil resources, particularly when it comes to changes in land use.

The framework adds that in certain conditions biodegradable plastics biodegrade at their end of life. Compostable plastics require collection and typically decompose in industrial composting facilities. It says these plastics should be used when it is not possible to reduce, reuse or recycle in line with circular economy and waste hierarchy principles.

A plan for growth

Earlier this year, European Bioplastics, the association representing the interests of the bioplastics industry in Europe, released a manifesto envisioning a Biopolymers Industrial Action Plan by the EU for biopolymer industry growth. It suggested the EU establishes harmonized regulatory frameworks, introduces market incentives and drives consumer awareness of its environmental benefits.

The manifesto also highlighted the role of robust mechanical, chemical, and organic recycling infrastructure and the importance of access to all three, saying investments should be made to improve the collection, sorting, and recycling of food waste.

More recently, we asked European Bioplastics’ managing director, Hasso von Pogrell, what legislative framework needs to be implemented for the use of bioplastics to be scalable. “The upcoming EU initiative on biotechnology and biomanufacturing should lead towards an industrial strategy to support biopolymers and a revision of the Waste Framework Directive,” he replied, “as well as a review of subsidies for biomass use for energy purposes based on clear sustainability criteria, and a specific carbon removal certification system to apply to biopolymers and bioplastic production.”

Tackling end of life challenges

When it comes to issues with bioplastics’ end-of-life, von Pogrell highlighted that biobased PE or PET can be mechanically recycled in established recycling streams. He believes there is “a widespread misconception about compostable plastics and their allegedly negative impact on mechanical recycling streams,” and that achieving a circular economy for bioplastics requires access to robust mechanical, chemical, and organic recycling infrastructure.

the example of developing updated LCA methodologies for biomass use and mandating incentives for biobased and compostable plastics through sustainable finance policies.

On the recent provisional Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation agreement, von Pogrell said for more than 55% of all plastic packaging in the EU to be recycled by 2025, systematic design issues – including potentially substituting recycled content targets with biobased content –need to be addressed. He stated:

“If a 55% share of recycled and biobased plastics is achieved in Europe by 2030, 80 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year will be avoided and the use of fossil plastics will decrease by 28 million tonnes.”

While the development of sustainability criteria for bioplastics will be welcomed, he says the proposed three year time frame for the Commission’s review of biobased plastic’s technological development is too long and risks diverting pre-planned investments outside of the EU.

One concern with bioplastics is its potential competition with food-based agricultural land use. “Current estimations show no more than 0.07% of the global agricultural area will be used to produce biobased plastics in the coming years,” von Pogrell explained. He added that if current global plastics production was based on biomass feedstock, “the demand for biomass would only be around 5% of the total amount of biomass produced and harvested around globally each year.”

The importance of certification for sustainable biomass sourcing was also underlined by von Pogrell, who stated independent verification of sustainability criteria will help to follow the guidelines set by the European Renewable Energy Directive (RED).

If a 55% share of recycled and biobased plastics is achieved in Europe by 2030, 80 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year will be avoided and the use of fossil plastics will decrease by 28 million tonnes.

Hasso von Pogrell European Bioplastics

To raise consumer awareness of bioplastics, he emphasized using “independent and internationally recognized labels” and the need for consumers to receive transparent and correct information, such as labels for biobased content or biodegradation in different environments. “With the adoption of the Green Claims Directive, it will be easier to focus on scientific definitions and a legal framework that ensures the validity of legitimate claims, with appropriate resources at the consumer’s disposal and widespread information from EU stakeholders,” he continued.

Looking to the future, European Bioplastics’ latest market data report predicts the global bioplastics capacity will increase from around 2.18 million tonnes in 2023 to approximately 7.43 million tonnes in 2028. “With an adequate legislative framework in place, a gradual switch from fossil-based to biobased and/or compostable packaging applications will be possible,” von Pogrell concluded.

R&D in bioplastics

Elsewhere, researchers have been looking to boost bioplastics compostability. The ‘home-compostable’ bioplastics developed by researchers at the University of Washington reportedly “breaks down at the same rate as a banana peel in a home compost bin”, and aims to prevent plastics from creating microplastic pollution if they escape recycling streams.

While most bio-based plastics currently available on the market are industrially recyclable, the materials need to be sent to commercial composting facilities, not yet accessible in the United States, and most bioplastics are not thought to be degradable in the home composting processes.

Eleftheria Roumeli, assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Washington, said “many bioplastics are made from molecules

materials to be in solution form prior to casting, it is not scalable.

The new bioplastics are apparently made from blue-green cyanobacteria cells, or spirulina. It is believed that spirulina can be cultivated at a large scale due to its existing uses in various foods as cosmetics, meaning its use in bioplastic production would not have negative effects on other supply chains. However, the team warns that the bioplastics are not yet industry ready, as they remain brittle and sensitive to water.

Meanwhile, researchers at Texas A&M University extracted chitin from the carcasses of black soldier flies, in an effort to produce degradable bioplastics while avoiding competition with other uses. Shrimp and crab shells are already utilized in the packaging industry as sources of chitin, but as the isolation, purification, and conversion of insect-derived chemicals into functional bioplastics has competing applications, using adult flies instead of larvae prevents crossover with other applications such as animal feed.

Graduate student Hongming Guo worked to purify the fly chitin into the polymer chitosan – a process that involves stripping chitin’s acetyl groups to expose, functionalize, and crosslink the chemically reactive

More recently, another team of researchers at King’s College London utilized an enzyme found in biological laundry detergents to degrade and recycle single-use bioplastics used in coffee cups and food containers, in pursuit of a circular system. The chemical recycling method is said to break bioplastics down into soluble fragments within the space of 24 hours – a process 84 times faster than the 12 weeks it takes to degrade bioplastic materials in industrial composting conditions.

With the adoption of the Green Claims Directive, it will be easier to focus on scientific definitions and a legal framework that ensures the validity of legitimate claims, with appropriate resources at the consumer’s disposal and widespread information from EU stakeholders.

In conclusion, the bioplastics landscape is rapidly evolving, with innovations in materials and end-of-life solutions moving the industry forwards. Increased demand for alternatives to fossil-fuel based materials is set to fuel continued growth in the industry. Efforts to establish clear regulatory frameworks, improve recycling infrastructure, and enhance consumer awareness are set to create more clarity in the marketplace, which could lead to an uptake of bioplastics used in various packaging applications. Ongoing research and development focusing on compostability, scalability and circularity is yielding interesting results that we will certainly keep an eye on.

IMPROVING PACKAGING SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH THE VALORIZATION OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD INDUSTRY BY-PRODUCTS: NEW COMPOSTABLE PACKAGES

In our latest Wider View article, Miriam Gallur, PhD and Pilar Albaladejo of the ITENE Research Centre discuss the benefits of utilizing agricultural and food industry by-products for compostable packaging.

The generation of agro-food residues and by-products constitutes a significant global problem, as its management has a huge impact on the environment, economy, and society.

According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), food and crop waste contribute to economic losses of around $936 billion and account for 8% of all global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (FAO, 2020) on a global scale. In Europe, approximately 90 million tonnes of food and 700 million tonnes of crops are wasted each year.

The management and treatment of organic waste or bio-waste is a major challenge worldwide both for the companies that generate it - mainly the agrifood sector - as well as for managers and other actors in the value chain. This is because, according to data published by Eurostat, 226 million tonnes of waste were produced in Europe in 2020 alone, which were landfilled (23%), incinerated (27%) or subjected to recycling (30%) and composting (18%) processes. In this sense, Europe has set common objectives in waste management policy due to the environmental and economic problems that can be generated by poor waste management, as well as the loss of raw materials for the industries.

Packaging key directives

The current EU Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste was first adopted in 1994 and has been revised several times since then. It estab-

lishes rules for EU Member States to ensure that packaging placed on the EU market meets certain requirements and to take measures to prevent and manage packaging waste. The specific objectives according to Directive (EU) 2018/852/CE on packaging and packaging waste establish that all plastic packaging must be recyclable by 2030 and it calls for a reduction of packaging waste of 15% in 2030 compared to 2010.

The European Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on the revision of the proposal for the Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste this March 2024. The objective is to address the increase in packaging waste generated in the EU and, at the same time, harmonize the internal packaging market and promote the circular economy. The co-legislators agreed to exclude compostable plastic packaging and packaging whose plastic content is less than 5% of its total weight from these objectives. In addition, the new framework directive on waste, Directive 2018/851, establishes among its priorities the selective collection of organic waste before the end of 2023 in all member states and the implementation of new recycling targets, reaching 65% in 2035. Additionally, in relation to waste disposal, Directive 2018/850 establishes a limit to landfilling of 10% of the total waste by 2035. Furthermore, European Directive 2018/852 aims to make waste management more efficient throughout the European Union, treating waste as a resource and moving towards a European recycling society.

linear economic model of resource production and management poses a risk to the environment. There is a need to develop resource management and valorization measures, shifting from the concept of a linear economy (extract, produce, waste) to the more sustainable concept of circular economy (reduce, reuse, recycle).

The Circular Economy aims to concurrently minimize the generation of waste and to enhance its economic utilization and valorization, transforming discarded materials into high-value products.

For these reasons, an increasing number of companies are looking to find a new purpose for their by-products to transform these waste materials into high-value-added products through environmentally friendly, sustainable, and efficient processes.

Unintended consequences

On the other hand, polymeric materials are increasingly taking on a greater role in our daily lives, since they are used in a wide variety of applications, from packaging to automobiles, construction, etc. This is because they have attractive properties, among which lightness, ease of transformation, low cost, and versatility stand out, as they have a wide range of physical and chemical properties depending on their composition. As a consequence, global plastic production has increased considerably, reaching 400.3 million tonnes in 2022, six million tonnes more than the previous year. Packaging remains the largest market segment for plastics, accounting for 40% of the total plastics market in 2023, ahead of the automotive and construction sectors. This situation has sparked great interest in the packaging industry in the development of materials obtained

European Bioplastics in cooperation with the Nova-Institute, the global produc tion capacity of bioplastics is expected to increase from 2.21 million tonnes in 2023 to approximately 7.43 million tonnes in 2028. However, the capacity is still far from that of petroleum-derived polymers, which reaches 370 million tonnes, so it is necessary to optimize the production capacities and applications of the use of this type of material.

What are the options for valorizing these residues?

ITENE Research Centre is committed to technologies capable of transforming these wastes into intermediate, final materials and high value-added products for a wide range of industrial sectors. Along these lines, ITENE is working on the development of second-generation biorefineries, which are industrial facilities or structures that integrate processes for the complete conversion of waste into multiple bioproducts.

ITENE has obtained building blocks, inorganic additives, cellulose nano and micro additives, natural pigments to develop 100% biobased inks, as well as natural biopolymers, 100% biobased bioplastic materials and bio-composites.

In this context, ITENE participates in several projects to develop new technologies for the valorization of organic waste, transforming it into highvalue products for different sectors, such as the AGROMMATTER project.

AGROMATTER project: how to demonstrate to industry that recovery processes for the production of new packaging materials are not so far away?

The AGROMATTER project is focused on the extraction of compounds of interest from agri-food ‘waste using sustainable technologies for the packaging, biotechnology, textile, cosmetics, automotive and food industries, among others; AGROMATTER allows companies to align themselves with the Directive (EU) 2018/852/CE on packaging and packaging waste on the Waste and Contaminated Soils laws, which aims to promote a circular economy and low carbon generation in Spain, to meet the new objectives established in the community directives in line with the Spanish Circular Economy Strategy (Circular Spain 2030).

Science and Innovation, within the framework of aid intended for Technologi cal Centres of Excellence ‘Cervera’, CER-20211013, comprised of five highly complementary Technological Centres in the agricultural, biotechnological, and materials science fields. AGROMATTER has the objective of establishing a network of Technological Centres of scientific-technical Excellence in the field of the Circular Economy applied to the valorization of waste and the development of biobased materials for technical applications. Within the framework of this project, ITENE will focus its current and future technological capabilities on the study of waste and by-product recovery for the development of new materials with low environmental impact, with a perfectly defined life cycle for the target applications in the packaging sector.

To obtain and develop biopolymers of renewable origin from waste, AGROMATTER will focus on carrying out the poly (lactic acid) polymerization process from lactic acid coming from agro-industrial wastes such as broccoli or lemon peel. In this regard, efforts have been made to adjust process conditions with the aim of obtaining polymers with properties comparable to those obtained from conventional raw materials, making it possible to produce final packaging from renewable sources and waste.

Lactic acid will be developed through advanced fermentation processes. Fermentation processes are those that enable the controlled conversion of simple molecules into chemical compounds through microbial populations. Most fermentation processes have been oriented towards the generation of high-added-value chemical products, such as alcohols and organic acids, highly demanded by the industry due to the potential they present, particularly in the materials development industry, as raw materials for the production of polymers. In this line, biopolymers are being synthesized from building blocks such as lactic acid or succinic acid, as well as directly by microorganisms, such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). Therefore, ITENE, through the AGROMATTER project, is optimizing and increasing yields and scaling processes so that waste recovery at an industrial level is a near reality. The results confirmed the potential of selected agri-food by-products to replace the use of commercial sugar sources for obtaining high-value-added organic acids. These pilot studies enable technical-economic studies to evaluate the industrial viability of these valorization processes.

Miriam Gallur, PhD (Left) and Pilar Albaladejo (Right)

PLA is one of the most widely used biopolymers and one of the most promising in terms of properties for the packaging materials sector. It is a thermoplastic material that can be processed using the same technologies as conventional polymers. Additionally, its transparency makes it a highly interesting material for the packaging sector, as one of the requirements for consumers in most food products is to be able to see the appearance of the product inside the packaging. For this reason, within the AGROMATTER project, ITENE has committed to the development of ad hoc formulations for the improvement of the final material properties (mechanical, barrier, processability, etc.).

The packaging industry is demanding formulations appropriate to the application and the properties required in their use, such as resistance and stability, incorporating into the formulations, for example, compounds such as stabilizers, process assistants, or reinforcements, among others, since plastics have a series of deficiencies that limit their use in certain applications, becoming more accentuated in plastics of renewable origin, which must overcome the barrier of using conventional materials. On the other hand, compostable solutions are needed, and the use of organic additives to improve the compostability time of the materials is another alternative tested in the AGROMATTER project.

AGROMATTER proposes obtaining cellulosic nanoadditives from the extraction and purification of cellulose from different waste or by-products, using environmentally friendly, scalable, industrializable, and competitive processes. The improvement of the properties of grades of plastic materials of renewable origin is a need demanded by the raw material sector, converters, and end users, and the use of these nanoadditives will allow the development of new polymeric grades with the required properties. ITENE, in the AGROMATTER project, has covered these developments by identifying the target properties to improve and optimizing the processes for obtaining biopolymers reinforced with lignocellulosic nanoadditives, through the design of spindles, with the aim

new grades with improvements in thermal, mechanical, and barrier properties. Finally, work has been done on the technologies for manufacturing final containers, taking into account that biobased and biodegradable polymers are more sensitive to high processing temperatures than conventional polymers, making it a reality to obtain final containers of renewable origin through different technologies such as injection, extrusion-blowing, etc.

What is the next step?

The development of these technologies promotes collaboration and involvement from all stakeholders within the value chain, who must drive research and innovation while facilitating the knowledge transfer to businesses and the subsequent implementation of new technologies. Moreover, the implementation of these processes in the industry would imply a reduction in costs associated with the management and disposal of biowaste, as well as a decrease in the production costs of biopolymers. Furthermore, the development of scalable and sustainable industrial processes for compounds and biopolymers of interest, as an alternative to petroleum-derived materials, will foster the creation of new value chains, enabling connections with various industrial sectors. In this way, the AGROMATTER project will continue contributing to the transition to a circular economy and the reduction of the environmental impact of industrial activities and putting into the market new sustainable packaging materials with improved properties and improved biodegradability and compostability rates

RECYCLING, RECYCLATE AND THE CONSUMER

Elisabeth Skoda explores consumer attitudes, challenges and solutions around recycled content in packaging and boosting recycling rates and ways to be both sustainable and profitable with Amcor’s David Clark and McKinsey and Company’s Jeremy Wallach, who will also share insights from the company’s Global Sustainable Packaging Survey.

What are some of the key consumer demands for packaging that you have observed in McKinsey’s latest Global Sustainable Packaging survey?

Jeremy Wallach: Our survey, conducted both in 2020 and in 2022, underscores the evolving landscape of consumer preferences. While price, quality, and convenience remain paramount, there’s been a notable uptick in environmental consciousness, with ocean litter being a particular concern. Consumers express confusion around what they consider to be a sustainable pack, often perceiving compostable and plant-based materials as the most sustainable. Recyclable plastic packaging is somewhere in the middle of the scale, with metal foil and multi-material packaging seen as

the least sustainable. We have seen some willingness to pay a premium for sustainable packaging. Around 4% to 7% of consumers said they would be willing to pay a premium of over 10% for sustainable packaging.

Do these findings resonate with Amcor’s own experiences and research?

David Clark: They do. At Amcor, we’ve observed a growing concern among consumers regarding climate impact and plastic waste. Consumers want to feel good about the packaging they’re buying. Our approach prioritizes sustainability across the packaging lifecycle, focusing on material selection, design optimization, and end-of-life scenarios. While there’s

Offtake commitments are very important, particularly when building capital-intensive assets. Companies need the confidence that these assets are going to generate cash flow for decades.

some willingness to pay premiums for sustainable packaging, consumers seek simplicity and rely on packaging producers and consumer brands, retailers and local governments to provide viable solutions.

The report states that organizations have commitments, but many are falling behind on these – why do you think that is and how can this be addressed?

JW: The hurdles hindering companies from meeting their sustainability targets are multifaceted and nuanced. Quantitative commitments to sustainability goals, such as moving to 100% recyclable packaging by 2025, are widespread, and they are playing a big role in driving the industry forward in terms of packaging redesign and the adoption of recycled content. But progress can be slow. Translating these aspirations into tangible progress often meets stumbling

blocks arising from both external market constraints and internal organizational complexities. External challenges include limited availability and elevated costs of recycled materials, regulatory ambiguities, and consumer misconceptions. Internal barriers revolve around organizational coordination, resource allocation, and alignment towards sustainability objectives. Addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort across the value chain, necessitating policy support, technological innovation, and organizational alignment.

Companies are moving towards more sustainable packaging and boosting recyclable and recycled content. It is acknowledged that these commitments may not be reached on time, but the direction of travel is right.

We are also increasingly seeing sustainability not just at the corporate level but also creeping into brand promises on individual products, for example with bottles displaying the fact that they contain 50%, 75% or 100% recycled content.

There’s no one size fits all solution. Companies need to have different solutions for different aspects of the packaging market, reflecting a very granular understanding of customer needs.

Amcor has set itself the target of 30% recycled content by 2030 – what are the biggest roadblocks on the way to getting there, and how can they be overcome?

From a company perspective, it’s good to pinpoint what it has under its control, what it can influence, and where it relies on external factors. We can certainly develop markets for materials and put recycled plastics in the products we make. Still, we have to rely on collection infrastructure to reach the volume Amcor and others have committed to.

For example, there is a well-developed infrastructure for PET bottles to ensure the resin goes back into beverage containers. That part of our portfolio is the fastest-growing in the recycled content area. We’re seeing new technologies come online that will allow us to put more polyethylene and polypro-

Jeremy Wallach

pylene into different packages, including flexible packaging. In order to hit our targets, firstly, we have to collect more packaging and put recycling infrastructure in place, and more packaging has to be designed to be recyclable.

JW: Integrating recycled content poses various challenges, spanning from collection limitations to processing intricacies. The scarcity of high-quality recycled materials, particularly for certain resin types, emerges as a bottleneck inhibiting progress.

As David mentioned, offtake commitments are very important, particularly when building capital-intensive assets. Companies need the confidence that these assets are going to generate cash flow for decades. Uncertainty has been a barrier to scaling up more quickly.

DC: Our R&D team spends a lot of time looking at how we can maximize the amount of recycled content in our packaging while ensuring the right shelf presence and mechanical properties. Furthermore, technology teams within the Films and Flexibles group have made great advances in putting mechanically recycled polyethylene and polypropylene into the appropriate packaging – especially for items such as home and personal care, outer wraps and secondary packaging.

We recently announced a partnership with ExxonMobil, where we have committed to the offtake of chemically recycled certified-circular polyeth-

ylene materials. Innovation, within Amcor or partnering across the value chain is critically important to moving forward to getting the volumes that everyone is committed to.

How can we unlock investment in more and better recycling systems?

JW: There is a lot involved: consumer participation on the front end, collection, sortation and recycling capabilities. We need investment across all of those. The bottleneck is increasingly getting enough recyclate, which is down to consumers actually recycling.

There’s strong evidence that incentives and education both help. Initiatives such as the US deposit refund themes are highly correlated with consumer participation. Access tends to be economically relatively expensive as you move away from dense urban and suburban areas, and so the question is how to support that. Sortation goes along with the values of materials, leading back to brand commitments and whether and to what extent the brands are willing to pay a premium for recycled content.

DC: As Jeremy described, first, we have to get consumers to put their products into the recycling system, whether that’s a bin at their home or a drop-off system for rural areas.

David Clark

We are seeing regulations in the US and Europe to mandate recycled content into packaging, and that provides a tailwind because it levels the playing field.

Typically, sorting happens within the recycling system and then you end up with commodities at the end of that process. In most cases, the value of those commodities is less than the cost of collecting and sorting them. There has to be input from somewhere to make the whole system economically viable. That’s why you see consumer brands and companies like Amcor and supporting Extended Producer Responsibility, where companies contribute fees that fund the infrastructure and the systems to make that raw material available.

That’s been one of the real game-changers. It’s been in place in Europe, and we see it expanding and in the United States, and gaining more traction in other parts of the world.

Can sustainability objectives be aligned with profitability for companies?

JW: We all like to talk about sustainability, but to scale up and deploy capital against it to deploy resources over a sustained period, it needs to be economical. Looking at it from the point of view of consumer goods companies, we are seeing evidence that products that make environmental and social claims are growing faster. In one of our analyses, we see a 28% growth over a five-year period for products that make environmental claims, and 20% for those that don’t.

For the brand owners, it’s all about driving product sales around capturing the premium among the segment of consumers that will pay, and also sending the right signals back up the value chain so that the availability of these materials continues to increase.

Packaging producers can create novel recyclable designs, and resin producers have opportunities to invest in new capacities for recycling and to develop partnerships to gather feedstock.

The suppliers of this feedstock are the waste companies, who can expand sortation to expand access and collection and develop partnerships for more and different kinds of materials.

DC: Historically packaging has been designed to get a product from wherever it’s manufactured through a distribution chain and retail so that a consumer can enjoy it safely and conveniently wherever they are. Over many years, this system was designed to be linear, but we’re now making it circular. We are seeing regulations in the US and Europe to mandate recycled content into packaging, and that provides a tailwind because it levels the playing field, and it means a company is not at a disadvantage in comparison to competitors who lag behind with including recycled content.

In conclusion, in a perfect world, what would have to happen to reach the most ambitious sustainability goals around recycled content?

DC: My vision or ambition for the future is firstly that all packaging is either recyclable or reusable or compostable, and consumers can engage with recycling systems with confidence, and it’s easy and convenient. The infrastructure exists so that they can deal with the end of life of those packages responsibly. We can find examples of those in different parts of the world now, but we need to make it widespread and universal.

JW: In terms of driving recycled content, we need continued progress on supply and demand and the regulatory and policy framework around it. And in terms of supply, it’s all about getting materials into the system through consumer incentives and education, access, sortation, and the capacity to convert what has been collected into high-quality recycled materials. Eventually, we can build on brand commitments to boost demand.

LOOKING AHEAD TO ACHEMA 2024 WITH IMA

ACHEMA stands as a landmark event for the international process industries and their suppliers, and as one of the leading companies in that sector, IMA is set to have a major presence there. To learn more about what to expect from the show, which takes place from 10th-14th of June this year, we spoke with Thomas Fricke, IMA Pharma Commercial Director & IMA Safe Pharma & Cosmetic Sales and Marketing Director.

Speaking from your company’s perspective, what are you most looking forward to about ACHEMA 2024?

As a driving force and trendsetter for the international process industries and their supply chains, ACHEMA is a not-to-be missed event for us. We are focusing on just one part of IMA Group, which is Pharma, one of the

biggest suppliers specialized in the design and manufacture of innovative machines and complete lines for the packaging and processing of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products.

At ACHEMA we will show a selection of our wide machinery portfolio as well as our projects developed in-house concerning digitalization, sustainability, and customer service solutions. We expect high attendance on our booth, and we can’t wait to welcome our customers, suppliers, and also our competitors.

What are some of the key themes and trends that you think will be discussed and highlighted at ACHEMA 2024?

The pharma sector is looking for new technologies with respect to sustainability and digital solutions. When it comes to sustainability, our attention to the environment also involves the optimization of manufacturing processes.

In fact, there have been significant developments in our containment technology for capsule filling, reducing the use of disposables – often in plastic – and of water, thus generating significant energy savings and economic benefits. Regarding secondary packaging, another development is the completely paper-based solution for parenteral and very fragile products on paper trays inside a carton, an eco-friendly alternative to plastic trays, always guaranteeing excellent product protection.

With regards to digital solutions, IMA offers a wide range of digital tools and virtual applications, starting with connected machines powered by artificial intelligence as well as devices for advanced maintenance and training. ACHEMA will be an opportunity to show all these services live.

And how does IMA’s ‘All-In-One Pharma’ campaign fit into these themes and trends, and could you also introduce this campaign to our readers?

The pharmaceutical world has never been as demanding as it is today. Pharma customers are looking not only for new technologies with respect to sustainability and digitalization as mentioned above, but also for a constant need of innovation as well as reliable and tailor-made, completely integrated processing and packaging lines.

In many ways, the All-In-One approach starts by closing the gaps. IMA has gone from being a machine supplier to a unique solution provider, offering a huge portfolio of products, technologies and services that cover the most diverse requirements and needs in the market.

All-In-One Pharma, the claim of our communication campaign, is a promise of efficiency: one investment, one contract, one project management, one relationship based on trust that ensures the customer benefits from the real value IMA offers as a long-term partner to the world’s pharmaceutical industry.

Could you talk us through some of the key innovations that IMA will be showcasing at the event?

With its almost 1,400m2 booth, the IMA Pharma Divisions will welcome visitors with its widest and innovative production range for the pharmaceuticals, highlighting its consolidated presence on the market. Just to give a preview, IMA Active – a specialist in solid dose solutions – will showcase AQUARIA, the new all-in-one parts washer of different sizes and volume in completely automatic mode, ensuring greater efficiency and respect for the environment.

IMA Life, which is specialized in aseptic processing and freeze-drying solutions, will be presenting INJECTA36, which raises the bar for the highspeed processing of Ready-To-Use components exploiting the enhanced

performance of advanced robotics; you will be able to discover also Tile-X, ground-breaking innovation in the field of fill-finish processing for small batch production.

IMA Safe, an expert in the primary and secondary packaging, will show an integrated blister and cartoner line, redefining the parameters in terms of flexibility, speed and compactness: the GIANT5-A96, a turning point for the industry. The GIANT5-A96 demonstrates a strong commitment to sustainability by being capable of processing recyclable plastics, highlighting IMA Safe’s dedication to environmental responsibility.

We look forward to seeing you at Hall 3.0, Booth F49. For more information, please visit our website www.ima.it/pharma.

WEAVING SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS INTO CONTRACTS: AN INTRODUCTION

In recent years, alongside traditional performance metrics, businesses have started to insist on the incorporation of sustainability targets into commercial contracts. In the latest edition of our ‘In Conversation With…’ feature, Patrick Sweeney, Smurfit Kappa’s VP of Pan-European Sales & Multi-National Accounts, explores the current landscape of this concept – plus some best practice methods and strategies for getting it right.

To start with, please could you introduce the concept of building sustainability targets into commercial contracts?

Traditionally, commercial contracts have been built on pricing structure, payment terms and factors such as increased efficiencies. And while sustainability performance has always been part of what we deliver for customers, we are now seeing an increased appetite for sustainability targets to be built into the actual contract itself.

Why are companies asking for sustainability targets to be incorporated into contracts?

The challenge of achieving the Paris Agreement and the UN 2030 SDGs requires genuine and measurable action now. In recent years, we have seen many of our multinational customers creating more ambitious targets than what has been set out by law.

Almost all of them have put a ‘net zero by X’ flag in the ground and want tangible milestones along the journey to achieving their goals and, in many cases, acceleration of what they have committed to by 2030. With vastly differing baselines and data capture at play, however, it can take time to navigate and align priorities.

In your view, how is Smurfit Kappa advancing companies’ net zero journeys?

We support companies in two ways:

1. The first happens organically by way of our own stringent SBTi assured targets and the ongoing investments we are making into our operations which indirectly feed into, and have a positive impact on, their emissions.

2. We also take a forensic look across their supply chain to identify where we can reduce their emissions like, for example changing board grade or replacing plastic with paper.

as their packaging provider, we will help them to hit certain sustainability targets, for example a year-on year reduction in emissions.

We also respond to changes they make, like for example reducing the size of their product in projects such as launching a more concentrated detergent which needs a smaller bottle and, in turn, less packaging. This, however, isn’t a change that can be made as easily by food brands.

There have been consumer backlashes against smaller packs in the past due to the perception that consumers are getting less for their money (even if the amount of food inside the smaller pack remains the same). No one wants to lose business for doing the right thing.

What are some best practices that organizations should be aware of when coming up with targets like this?

Collaboration is key here. We often see companies pledging to be net zero without looking at how they’re going to get there or understanding the impact of their activities. This is why there needs to be engagement as early as possible with all the relevant stakeholders (c-suite, sustainability, innovation) to avoid committing to something which their suppliers cannot deliver on.

As their packaging provider, we obviously play an important role in our customers’ Scope 3 emissions. We are already a considerable distance down this road and are on the cusp of releasing our 17th annual Sustainable Development Report which gives a detailed and transparent update on how we are investing in our plants through renewable energy initiatives, such as biomass boilers and solar panels, and what we are doing to advance our customers’ sustainability targets.

down their emissions. This increases the accountability of all suppliers. We are also expecting to see more long-term contracts to align with the milestones that are built into our customers’ sustainability roadmaps.

There is also likely to be more Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) coming into play between renewable energy providers and corporate brands. As these are usually long term, it makes sense to sign longer commercial contracts so they can run in tandem.

For our own climate change strategy, we are committed to at least net zero by 2050 and have set interim targets on reducing our Scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions per produced tonne of paper by 55% by 2030 from our paper mills. While there is a lot that is new and emerging for us all (at Smurfit Kappa we’re currently testing both hydrogen and geothermal energy) it helps if people talk to

Patrick Sweeney

HOW CAN BANDING DRIVE PACKAGING SUSTAINABILITY?

Can banding serve as a viable alternative to traditionally resource-intensive labelling and bundling techniques, and in what ways is it more efficient than traditional options?

Thomas

Weber

,

content manager at ATS Tanner, gives us his thoughts.

For readers who may be unaware of banding and its key attributes – please could you give us an overview?

Banding is an automated packaging process in which one or more products are wrapped in a thin, printed, or plain band of paper or film. Banding can serve several functions: bundling, securing for transportation, sealing, labeling with pre-printed or just-in-time information, or point-of-sale advertising.

Adhesive-free banding is the standard for environmentally friendly and efficient packaging and the resource-saving alternative to shrink film, bag packaging, strapping or cardboard sleeves. And thanks to just-in-time printing, it eliminates the need for additional labeling.

Banding machines are available from handy, transportable table models to complex systems that are fully integrated into production lines. They are therefore suitable for a wide range of applications, production volumes and company sizes.

Sustainability is, of course, the driver of much of the innovation we see in the packaging industry nowadays. In your view, what are some of the key advantages of banding in this context?

Banding reduces packaging to a minimum. Banding also simplifies waste separation and recycling because no glue or additional labels are used and the bands can be easily separated from the product by hand. Paper bands can be recycled in established cycles and contain recycled paper.

Film bands are made from high quality, easily recyclable mono-material and can also be made from PCR. What’s more, banding machines with ultrasonic sealing technology are the most energy-efficient, low-maintenance, and durable packaging machines available.

ATS-Tanner recently launched a new innovation: a banding paper named TruePaper. Please could you let us know more? What motivated this creation, and what kinds of products is it most suited to?

TruePaper is an environmentally friendly paper band that contains a water-based bonding agent that can be sealed with ultrasonic and heatseal technology. TruePaper consists of optionally virgin or more than 50% recycled fibers. It can be marked with recycling code 22 (PAP) and be recycled in the normal paper cycle.

The main drivers behind the development of TruePaper are the sustainability strategies and goals of our customers, the legal bans on single-use plastic in a growing number of countries, the increasingly important implementation of the circular economy – and last but not least, our own motivation and promise to always offer our customers the best packaging solution.

TruePaper is very versatile. We have extremely strong paper qualities with which even heavy products such as stacks of corrugated cardboard can be securely bundled. It is also ideal for the environmentally friendly packaging of all types of printed products made from paper and paperboard. However, many customers also use it for food packaging – from bundling and labeling fresh, unpackaged fruit and vegetables to sealing and labeling ready meals in trays.

Let’s get back to the overall concept of banding now. In terms of the printing industry, what are your thoughts on the potential benefits that banding can bring?

Banding protects surfaces and edges, minimizes packaging, and can replace plastic with paper. Banding machines often perform additional steps such as automatic stacking, aligning and pressing, or just-in-time printing of variable data directly onto the band, eliminating the need for additional labeling. Banding can play a critical role in production automation. This means less manual labor, higher productivity, and error-free production.

Likewise, for the corrugated cardboard industry, could you give us your thoughts on how banding compared to traditional alternatives?

Corrugated cardboard is usually packaged with narrow strapping bands – an inexpensive packaging solution only at first glance. However, products with damaged surfaces or edges and manual work steps (e.g. pressing, placing, stacking, turning or attaching edge protectors) make production more expensive and have a negative impact on customer satisfaction.

Gentle strapping protects the surfaces and edges of the top and bottom products without the need for additional edge protectors. This prevents rejects and overproduction. On the other hand, banding machines can take over the above-mentioned manual work steps if required, thus helping to automate and increase production.

A CLOSER LOOK AT ROBATECH’S MISSION TO ‘MAKE GLUING SIMPLE’

In early January, Robatech launched EasyLine – a new system that aims to help members of the packaging value chain apply glue in an energy-efficient way. In this ‘In Conversation With…, we caught up with André Laubacher, Product Manager Small Units & Hot Melt Jetting Heads at Robatech, to learn more about this solution.

First things first – could you give us a brief overview of EasyLine?

EasyLine is a new adhesive application system for simple hot melt applications such as trays, folding boxes, cardboard cups, ice cream paper cones or similar products. The system offers bead application with one or two application heads which is totally convenient for gluing those products.

EasyLine is made up of the small Easy melter that delivers up to 2.5 kg/h of thermoplastic adhesive, the Rio heated hose and Twist jetting head.

I wonder if you could go into some more detail on this new system’s key features and functionalities?

Yes, of course. Simple hot melt applications don’t need much functional options. That’s why we scaled down the melter to its basic functions: manual pump pressure control, temperature lowering and heating zone management for the melter, heated hose and application head.

Furthermore, we completely redesigned our filter concept. Users can now change the adhesive filter quickly on the heated hose as we have

moved the filter from the application head into the hose. The advantage is maintenance convenience and speed-up: No removal, reinstallation or readjustment of the application head for filter maintenance. This is an extremely simplifying feature.

What I personally like most, is the unique installation flexibility of the Twist jetting head. It can be rotated around its own axis and adjusted in various positions in the holder. The application nozzle allows positioning in different angles too. Machine designers will like these features as they greatly easen the integration.

And what are the key advantages associated with EasyLine? In your view, what makes it superior to existing models?

I wouldn’t state EasyLine is superior to other application systems we offer. It is just made for low adhesive consumption and simple bead application in Robatech quality. A small, handy equipment for ease in operation, maintenance, and quick installation via plug-and-play connections.

And it saves energy: compared to the Concept 5 melter and AX Diamond application head, which was the former choice, Easyline needs 40% less energy.

How was this new system created – could you take us through the R&D process and tell us a bit more about how Robatech came up with the idea?

The Concept 5 melter was the smallest equipment we could offer. But the tank resulted oversized for low-consumption applications. We wanted to save energy and make it even easier to handle simple gluing processes in all related aspects.

That’s how the EasyLine was born. The idea of simplicity took the lead and resulted in plug-and-play connections, the new filter location, flexible installation options, and a new sealing. Thus we tripled the service life of the Twist application head compared to its predecessor AX Diamond.

For interested parties who would like to take a closer look and learn more, will Robatech and EasyLine be appearing at any shows or events in 2024?

Interested parties can discover EasyLine at different packaging and converting shows around the world. For example at drupa Düsseldorf, PACK EXPO Chicago, PPMA Birmingham, FACHPACK Nürnberg, or ProPack Asia.

More details can be found here:

www.robatech.com/en/about-robatech/trade-fairs-events

A SNAPSHOT OF THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN PACKAGING REGULATION

Packaging regulation has wide-reaching effects on the entire packaging value chain, and plays an important role in shaping the packaging landscape. Elisabeth Skoda tackles this expansive topic and explores just some of the recent, most relevant developments around the globe.

PPWR highlights

In Europe, of course, the big topic of the hour is the provisional agreement on the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation between the European Parliament and Council presidency in March. What are the key points?

Most of the sustainability requirements for all packaging placed on the EU market have been maintained from previous drafts, as have the headline targets for minimum recycled content in plastic packaging by 2030 and

2040. However, compostable plastic packaging and packaging with plastic components that constitute less than 5% of the pack’s total weight are now exempt from these targets. The implementation of the 2030 targets and the feasibility assessment of the 2040 targets are set to be reviewed three years after the Regulation is entered into force. Equally, there will be a review of the technological development of biobased plastic packaging. This will then inform sustainability requirements for biobased content in plastic packaging.

There will be restrictions on placing on the market food contact packaging that contains per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) above certain thresholds.

A maximum empty space ratio of 50% will be introduced for grouped, transport, and e-commerce packaging in a bid to reduce unnecessary packaging. As a result, manufacturers and importers will be expected to minimize the weight and volume of their packaging, unless the design is already protected by the date the Regulation enters into force.

Furthermore, new binding reuse targets have been set for 2030 and indicative targets for 2040. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage targets exclude wine and aromatized wines, milk and other highly perishable beverages. Transport and sales packaging targets exclude packaging used for dangerous goods or large-scale equipment, and flexible packaging in direct contact with food. Cardboard packaging has also been exempted from these requirements.

Takeaway businesses must allow consumers to bring their containers to be filled with ready-prepared food or hot or cold beverages at no additional charge. Up to 10% of takeaway products must be provided in reusable packaging formats by 2030.

To reach the goal of collecting at least 90% of single-use plastic bottles and metal beverage containers by 2029, deposit return systems must be established. Member States will be exempt if they reach a separate collection rate of above 80% in 2026 and introduce an implementation plan featuring a strategy to achieve the 90% separate collection goal.

Single-use plastic packaging will also be restricted when applied to fruit and vegetables, food and beverages, condiments, sauces served in the HORECA sector, small cosmetic and toiletry products like shampoo bottles, and very lightweight plastic bags, such as those provided for bulk groceries at markets.

Reactions

In an informal poll on Packaging Europe’s LinkedIn page, 45% of our readers stated that they felt positive about the recent agreements, 24% had negative feelings and 32% were neutral.

Francesca Stevens, EUROPEN’s Secretary General, welcomed the efforts by EU co-legislators to strike a balance between ambitious environmental goals and the practical realities of implementation within the packaging sector but strikes a cautionary note.

“While we wait to see the details of the agreement and see if it can concretely lay a solid foundation for advancing towards a circular economy that invests in green innovations, we remain concerned about the potential for further market fragmentation, which could jeopardise the seamless operation of the Single Market and impeding our collective progress towards circularity”.

A diverse picture in the US

Moving away from Europe, we shine a spotlight on packaging regulation in the US, where the regulation picture is quite fragmented along individual state lines.

Dan Felton, Executive Director at AMERIPEN, the American Institute for Packaging and the Environment, observes that since 2020, there has been a significant increase in proposed legislation in the US targeting the packaging industry, primarily at the state level.

“While we wait to see the details of the agreement and see if it can concretely lay a solid foundation for advancing towards a circular economy that invests in green innovations, we remain concerned about the potential for further market fragmentation.”

“This has resulted in a significant number of new state laws being enacted over 2021–2023 related to packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR), post-consumer recycled (PCR) content mandates, labelling for compostability and recyclability, and chemicals or toxics in packaging.

New EPR laws are now in effect or being implemented in six states, PCR laws in five states, PFAS in packaging in more than ten states, composta-

bility labelling laws in five states, and a landmark recyclability claims and labelling law in the State of California.”

These recent regulatory changes have been driven by three key factors, as he points out: Firstly, an increased perception by powerful forces such as consumers, environmental organizations and policymakers that packaging is waste and that some packaging materials (i.e., plastics) shouldn’t exist at all.

“AMERIPEN believes strongly that packaging is not waste and none of it belongs in landfills, roadsides, or waterways. It is an important valuable product throughout its entire lifecycle and before it gets another life in another product. However, perception is often reality when it comes to public policy, and this has been no different for the packaging industry here in the US”

Secondly, Mr Felton points towards China’s National Sword policy (a policy that has banned the import of certain types of solid waste and sets strict contamination limits on recyclable materials).

“This had a chilling economic and operational effect on recycling markets in the US While we have generally recovered from that, it became a strong driver for consideration of new packaging and recycling policies in the US, including packaging EPR, as a potential means to improve and expand recovery and recycling while shifting some of the financial responsibility from government to industry to help fund the change.”

Thirdly, he outlines the global COVID-19 pandemic as an exacerbating factor for the two first points.

“It shone a more focused and stronger light on packaging that many, including consumers and policymakers, hadn’t noticed, or perhaps ever even seen before. This included significantly more packaging in people’s homes due to far more e-commerce, grocery shopping and restaurant takeout.”

Impact assessment

Recent years have seen the further emergence of packaging EPR in the US, with legislation under consideration and being enacted. Another big topic is the issue of packaging claims and labelling as California’s new law is scheduled to go into effect in 2025 and other states are considering their own related laws.

“This is a critical issue for AMERIPEN, its members and the US packaging industry writ large, as the California law conflicts with laws in more than 30 other states in the US To that end, we are actively seeking a federal solution to avoid a likely onerous patchwork of state laws that could potentially harm interstate commerce in the U.S,” explains Mr Felton.

This variation in packaging regulation across different US states is due to federal laws ceding a significant amount of solid waste management over to the states and their local governments.

“This has become challenging for the US packaging industry as each of the state packaging EPR laws enacted to date vary from each other in very significant and impactful ways.”

Asked about how AMERIPEN assesses the potential implications of new packaging regulations on its members and the broader packaging ecosystem, Mr Felton highlights the fact that the association has leaned in very hard over the past year to be engaged in the implementation of the new laws in the US as their enabling regulations are proposed and adopted.

“A lot of work goes into the legislative side of things before a proposal even becomes law, but there is arguably even more work that must be done on the backside to ensure the new laws are implemented in reasonable and responsible ways. We work closely with our members and other stakeholders to carefully assess and comment on proposed regulations to ensure they are aligned with the negotiated laws in terms of what is allowed and what the desired and mandated outcomes are.”

Mr Felton believes that the most significant challenge and opportunity for AMERIPEN in navigating the evolving landscape of packaging regulation in the US is two-fold.

“First is to seek national harmonization or standardization on related definitions and requirements as much as possible to ease unnecessary

“Variation in packaging regulation across different U.S. states is due to federal laws ceding a significant amount of solid waste management over to the states and their local governments. This has become challenging for the U.S. packaging industry.”

burdens on everyone, including consumers and the packaging industry. Second is to continue to communicate and extol to everyone the value of packaging at every stage of its life – from development to use to recovery.”

Progress towards a Global Treaty

To wrap up this regulation update, we zoom out to a worldwide perspective and focus on plastic packaging. According to the OECD’s 2022 Global Plastics Outlook report, the world is now producing twice as much plastic waste as two decades ago. In hopes of addressing this massive challenge, in March 2022, a UN resolution was adopted to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including the marine environment and that International Negotiating Committees (INCs) towards a Global Treaty for plastics would be held every six months. During these, a range of stakeholders in business, science, academia, and civil society express their views on the treaty’s contents and how far its legal powers should extend.

The third session (INC-3) took place in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2023 and saw steps towards achieving the goal set out. Reactions were mixed. The Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty praised the majority of Member States for their positive contribution – but the Ellen MacArthur Foundation stated that ‘limited formal progress’ was made to boost intersessional work or expand on the zero-draft text.

Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, executive secretary of the Secretariat, expects that the narrowing down and finalizing of different text options will take place at the next sessions – INC-4 in April 2024 in Ottawa, Canada, and INC-5 in the Republic of Korea in November 2024. This will be followed by a diplomatic conference in 2025, when members are expected to adopt the instrument and open it for signature.

“Plastic pollution affects us all. We need a strong, ambitious and just plastic treaty, but that is only the first step. Once the instrument is adopted, the next crucial step will be ensuring its timely and effective implementation. I would like all Members and stakeholders to start looking at how implementation can start happening,” she said.

This article provided a snapshot of just some of the notable regulation updates that affect the packaging industry. If you’d like to delve deeper into the topic, make sure you don’t miss Victoria Hattersley’s in-depth report on global plastic sustainability regulation, which is available to members on our website packagingeurope.com.

Dan Felton