July/August 2020 - 24

PMMI THE ASSOCIATION FOR PACKAGING AND PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES
Meeting demand for sustainable
packaging a continuous balancing act
E v e ry s t o ry
By Sean Riley
Senior Director,
Media and Industry
Communications,
PMMI
t hat t ouche s on
sustainabil ity and
packaging immediately
points to consumer
behavior and reiterates
that the next generation
of consumers wil l
demand less packaging.
Millennials have
taken the lead as
the generation that
cares more about
general sustainability and packaging
sustainability than any other age
demographic, according to Packaging
Sustainability: A Changing Landscape
from PMMI Business Intelligence, a
division of PMMI, The Association for
Packaging and Processing Technologies.
With Generation Z continuing to
come of age and consuming goods for
themselves, they have shown similar
buying habits, voicing concern for
recyclability, reduced product waste
and reduced packaging waste. Together,
they drive consumer packaged goods
(CPG) companies to offer sustainable
opt ions, primari ly by checking
packaging labels for information
about recycling and/or sustainability
and putting the product back on the
shelf if it doesn't meet their standards.
Displaying a willingness to put their
money where their mouth is, coupled
with the awareness it has raised among
older generations, resulted in almost
60% of consumers saying they would
pay more for eco-friendly packaging,
according to PMMI's report.
Some participants in the supply
chain question whether consumers
genuinely understand how much
needs to change to produce a more
sustainable product, package or
equipment that runs friendlier to
the environment . One cont ract
manufacturer said, " Sustainability is
consumer driven, but consumers don't
fully understand what sustainability
24 JULY/AUGUST 2 0 2 0
means or the costs associated with
delivering it. "
For example, bags and clear
packaging for produce manufactured
from recycled products will not be as
durable and lessen after each round
of recycling. The increased cost and
decreased overall durability reveal
that all recycled material is not right
for every product. A new packaging
material needs to be compatible
with existing processes as a drop-in
replacement to existing equipment.
For products like produce, where
margins can already be slim, the
willingness to spread this cost must
come throughout the supply chain
in order to be effective. Nearly twothirds
of the brand owners cited in the
report indicated added costs as the No.
1 reason slowing down the process of
applying more sustainable packaging
solutions to their products.
A close par tnership between
produce supplier, brand producer and
packaging machinery manufacturer is
necessary for a successful sustainable
package implementation. CPGs seek
guidance from all ends of the supply
chain - farmers, packaging materials
manufacturers and OEMs - on
processability, machine design and
compliance with regulations. As they
investigate packaging materials and
initiate format changes, they turn to
the fruit and vegetable suppliers for
guidance on barrier properties and
material quality. At its core, this comes
down to a redesign of current packages
using sustainable materials to replace
non-recyclable materials or choosing
packaging materials from renewable
resources for a circular economy.
On the other end, they want
OEMs to implement processes by
which machine modifications are
measurable against performance.
CPGs need machine builders to design
machines that can run a greater range
of substrates as more recycled content
is introduced on both primary and
secondary packaging machinery.
Thinner materials require gentler
conveying along the entire line, and
rejection parameters need adjustment
for thinner materials. New machines
need the flexibility to handle monomaterials
as they gain popularity
and sealing integrity cannot be
compromised in a switch to more
sustainable materials.
As the industry continues to navigate
through the challenges posed by
COVID-19, manufacturers and suppliers
can visit PMMI's COVID-19 resource
page for helpful insights on ways to
adapt and evolve. For more operational
solutions, PACK EXPO International
and Healthcare Packaging EXPO (Nov.
8-11) will serve as North America's
resource for the most advanced
packaging technologies across a
wide range of industries. Additional
information and updates on the show,
produced by PMMI, are available at
packexpointernational.com.
McCain Foods to reduce CO2
per year.
emissions
McCain Foods Australia has commenced construction on a renewable energy
system that will reduce emissions from its Ballarat food processing facility by
more than 27,000 tonnes of CO2
The 8.2 megawatt (MW) system plans to utilize a combination of solar and
co-generation technology, with the solar system funded through a partnership
with Smart Commercial Solar Pty LTD under a Power Purchase Agreement
(PPA), funded by renewable investment fund, Solar Bay.
http://www.packexpointernational.com
July/August 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July/August 2020
