Business & Industry
Sustainable Packaging 2021
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Effective EPR System removes the need for DRS
The current policy climate offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to supercharge packaging recycling. The next few years are a once in a lifetime opportunity to supercharge packaging recycling, though at a huge cost to business. Legislation seeking to increase recycling and the recycled content of packaging will, estimates reveal, cost businesses more than five...
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Plastic waste is hugely mismanaged, but it’s not the only enemy
What does ‘sustainable packaging’ really mean? While plastic pollution is one of the most visible examples of the environmental crisis, ditching plastic for other materials is not the quick fix our planet needs. Nature is in freefall and our changing climate is putting our home – our planet – under threat. This is a global...
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s Sponsored
Why we must move to circularity in food packaging
In a circular economy, food packaging is made from recycled content and it is recycled back into new food packaging after use. While being circular, food packaging must not compromise on food safety or any other functional requirement. The great potential for a European circular plastics economy is widely recognised. Substituting virgin raw material with...
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s Sponsored
Turning the tide on ocean plastic pollution
Plastic in the ocean is a menace to marine life and to the rest of it. But there is an achievable solution and it starts on land. It is now very widely accepted that single use plastic is enormously harmful to the environment. Whenever possible, the consumer should be encouraged to use packaging that is...
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s Sponsored
How to turn waste to good
Plastic has had bad press of late. But now there are exciting initiatives to recycle and reuse almost all. There are few areas in the world that carry more misconceptions than plastic, but if the population was educated more about eco-friendly packaging and sustainable packaging, they would come to realise that it can be easily...
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How certification can create new market value for recycled materials
Packaging circularity depends on both materials being recyclable and market demand to use the recycled materials. Recycled materials are commodities and their market value can vary widely. In the US the cost to collect and process materials at a municipal recycling facility is more than the combined value of the materials recovered for sale. Market...
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Stop plastic pollution at the source
Recycling alone is not enough to solve the plastic pollution crisis. Investing in reusable solutions will be just as important. Can the zero-waste movement survive a pandemic? Despite a statement from 125+ scientists last June attesting to the safely of reusable products, things looked shaky. As cases soared, many states and countries suspended bans on...
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Flexible packaging and the vision of a resource efficient Europe
Evidence exists that flexible packaging can help the circular economy challenge and contribute to a more resource efficient Europe. Often seen as the villain of circularity, flexible packaging is demonstrating its efficacy in achieving a more circular and resource efficient economy. The sustainability vision Flexible Packaging Europe (FPE) has gone beyond scientific research by uniting...
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Sustainability claims and consumer power
People are increasingly aware of the imperative to live more sustainably and to have a lighter footprint on the planet. But how do you tell genuine sustainability claims from greenwashing? By its nature, sustainability is complex; combining health, social, environmental, resource and economic issues. There are trade-offs and synergies, so making the right decision requires...
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s Sponsored
Packaging the pandemic: could cartonboard hold the answer to our growing climate concerns?
Sponsored by: Fuelled by the pandemic, consumers are keener than ever to make a difference to the environment and make more sustainable choices, starting with packaging. Research by Pro Carton found that 54% of UK consumers have become more concerned about the environment since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Climate change was their second highest concern...