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Sustainable Packaging
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At Michelman, we are working to find solutions that enable packaging to play an important role, while minimizing impact. It’s important to…
News (Tuesday, 7 May 2024)
Michelman showcases new DigiPrime® Vision inline primer and award-winning barrier coatings, enabling more sustainable labels and packaging.
IACMI is helping businesses accelerate the pace of product commercialization with Michelman’s state-of-the-art fiber sizing line.
News (Thursday, 29 February 2024)
Unleashing the full potential of digital, sustainable print practices, and regulatory considerations for flexible packaging.
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This projection is a stark reminder that packaging plays a role in the climate crisis, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, the depletion of natural resources, and a significant amount of waste generation.
At Michelman, we are working to find solutions that enable packaging to play an important role, while minimizing impact. It’s important to understand all the ways to achieve this. First we examine the negative impact of landfill.
Waste has significant implications on both Public Health and Environmental Pollution. Landfills emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas, as organic matter decomposes. What’s more, the decomposition of certain packaging materials, such as plastics, can release harmful chemicals into the environment. Currently, packaging is often designed for single use, resulting in a high volume of waste that ends up in landfill.
Using a lifecycle approach, it has been estimated that a 10 to 15% reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions could be achieved through landfill mitigation and diversion. Energy from waste, recycling, and other types of improved solid waste management, including waste prevention, could potentially increase this contribution to 15 to 20%.
The figures show the median values for each variable across the 50 dumpsites. This means that, for example, the nearest settlement is less than 0.5km away for half of the sites, and farther than 0.5km away for the other half.Source
To minimize packaging's environmental impact, we need to adopt sustainable packaging practices:
Packaging needs to be designed to be as lightweight and compact as possible, minimizing the amount of material used. Many options are available to reduce packaging and these can be carried out by individuals, businesses and governments.
Consumers can reduce waste by avoiding single-use items like plastic bags, straws, and utensils. Instead, opt for reusable alternatives such as bags and water bottles. Choose products with minimal or recyclable packaging when shopping and buy in bulk to reduce packaging waste. The re-use of containers for food, drinks, and other items can further minimize packaging disposal.
When designing products, businesses need to incorporate sustainability into product design by considering the environmental impact of packaging throughout its lifecycle. Choosing renewable materials like natural or recycled options and educating consumers through clear labeling helps them understand product contents and promotes responsible practices, closing the loop on material reuse by providing incentives for recycling. Businesses can support Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs to hold producers accountable for managing packaging at the end of its life.
By implementing policy measures, like offering subsidies to businesses using renewable materials and imposing taxes on single-use items, governments can support innovation by investing in research and development of compostable materials and reusable containers. There is also an opportunity to educate consumers about the environmental impact of packaging and ways to minimize usage through outreach programs.
Cost: Packaging and transportation costs can be reduced by supplying refills for reusable containers in compact form.
Brand loyalty and customer retention: This can be achieved through deposit and reward schemes for reusable packaging.
Personalization: Individual needs can be accommodated by reuse models that let users mix and match flavors, personalize packaging, or choose desired amounts.
Smarter packaging: User experience is enhanced by improving the look, feel, or functionality of reusable packaging.
Economies of scale: Distribution and logistics, achieved by sharing reusable packaging across brands, sectors, or wider networks.
User Information: Preferences and system performance can be gathered by incorporating digital technologies such as RFID tags, sensors, and GPS tracking into the reusable packaging system.
Reuse is a viable alternative where recycling isn’t possible. It’s also very lucrative compared with a single use model.
The recycling infrastructure for plastic is currently restrictive, reflected in figures worldwide, with the global recycling rate for plastic packaging at just 14%.
The recycling level of paper and board, however, is much further ahead. Worldwide the recycling rate for fiber packaging is 70%.
“Of the 412 million tonnes-plus produced globally in 2019, almost 211 million tonnes–or 51.15%–were produced using recovered fibres and 201.5 million tonnes were made exclusively from virgin fibres.”Source: The Future of Recycled Packaging Markets to 2023, David Platt, Smithers
Michelman already has significant knowledge and solutions for designing both plastic and fiber-based packaging for recycling. Discover more here:
Research from Smithers Pira in ‘The Future Lifecycles of Packaging Recycling to 2023’ reveals that ultimately recycling saves money. For example, recycling aluminum uses 95% less energy than extracting it from ore.
Consumers understand there is an issue with waste, and the management of it. As the first step in packaging end-of-life management, a lot of onus is put onto the consumer to decide what to do with the packaging once used. For instance, which waste stream to use, which can be very difficult to decipher. It is imperative that clear labelling instructs consumers on how to dispose of the packaging responsibly. Raising awareness among consumers about the environmental impact of packaging promotes sustainable consumption habits and ultimately encourages recycling and composting practices.
There is still a lot of education required for consumers, as copious packaging combinations and end-of-life management options create confusion. This is why at Michelman we believe coming to an industry consensus with consistent solutions for certain applications would increase efficiencies in all areas, ultimately by limiting confusion.
The responsibility is on the producer to make things clear. Implementing EPR policies holds producers accountable for the end-of-life management of their packaging, encouraging them to design for recyclability and reduce waste. Here we examine Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). The modulation of financial contributions is based on recyclability and recycled plastic content to align with new packaging design requirements.
The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) model is based on the polluter-pays principle, which aims to include producers of material goods in the management and treatment of waste and keep raw materials and goods in the economic cycle. The integration of EPR schemes in national legislation then sets clear objectives for circular economy: consumer waste prevention, eco-design of materials, optimization of waste collection with local authorities, and development of new circular economic systems.Source
EPR is an environmental policy approach in which a producer’s responsibility for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage or a product’s life cycle. In other words, it is a policy to dispose of products responsibly and feed back into the recycling chain. EPR transfers the financial responsibility of waste management from local government authorities and the general taxpayer to the producer. Environmental costs of the treatment and disposal could be incorporated into the cost of the product. This creates a market that truly reflects the environmental impact of the product so consumers can make an ethical choice.
The imperative to address the waste crisis is evident, with projections indicating a significant increase in materials use and waste generation by 2050. Packaging, a significant contributor to this issue, demands urgent attention to mitigate its adverse effects on the environment, public health, and resources. Through a multifaceted approach, including material reduction, reusable and recyclable packaging solutions, consumer education, and EPR policies, we not only reduce waste but also unlock significant environmental and financial benefits.
This concerted effort will not only minimize the negative impacts of packaging but also paves the way for a more sustainable and resilient future.
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