24 Mar. 2024: Andy Barnetson, Executive Director – Competitiveness of the Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI), delivers the key trends in the packaging industry and how it can improve further.
How big is the trend for companies to move from single-use plastic packaging to more sustainable materials such as paper?
It is a trend, but it’s difficult to put any numbers on it because it can be aspirational. Big brands and retailers wants to move away from single-use plastic but we’re yet to see any large-scale changes.
One of the changes that’s been significant is washing liquid tablets. Many major brands have moved away from plastic, using innovations such as the clip lock from Fairy, for example. The cardboard boxes are designed to be moisture-resistant, and it’s now relatively difficult to find plastic tubs of washing liquid tablets for clothes.
Is there one area of packaging that you’re yet to see a big move towards sustainable packaging?
A lot of products in the FMCG area still use a lot of plastic. Its convenience and apparent attractiveness has put a lot of plastic on our shelves in the last few decades. There’s lots of scope across FMCG generally for the use of more sustainable packaging.
During lockdown, ecommerce went up sharply but is now falling away. So the corrugated industry is looking for opportunities and there is much opportunity for growth to come from the movement from plastic to paper. But which categories? It could be any. We’re waiting to see what the packaging technologists can design in cardboard.
What can the packaging industry do to improve its sustainability?
There’s not a lot you can do to cardboard packaging to make it even better for the environment, but there’s always small scope for improvement, but not much – our recycling rate is up above 80%. An increase in recycling rates will come from process change and changes in government policy for curbside collection.
One area the industry can improve is in decarbonisation. The corrugated cardboard industry has already reduced its carbon emissions by around 75% over the past 30 years. Decarbonisation in paper mills has been very successful, but it can still go further, so that’s where we would turn our attention.
How do you see the future panning out for the packaging industry?
We’ve seen volumes down from where they have been, but they will return. Does that mean more packaging? Not necessarily. It means better packaging. It means industry working with associations such as ours and Two Sides in consultation with the Government to identify the right way to go. It means better communication and understanding of each other’s positions, whether that’s between materials or sectors in the supply chain.
So volumes will increase, but more importantly, we’ll have better packaging all round. There are good times ahead but some challenges with UK and EU legislation. But if we communicate effectively, there’s every opportunity for more growth with people moving from single-use plastic to paper.
For more information on the Confederation of Paper Industries, go to www.paper.org.ukwww.paper.org.uk
from Two Sides, Sam Upton, https://twosides.info/UK