The topic of sustainability dominates the industry like no other. Accordingly, a lot has been set in motion. This is also true in the area of sustainability initiatives for the packaging industry. Diversity and intransparency increasingly go hand in hand. Irrespective of this, the industry must face up to the issue – both sector- and customer-specific. There is no way around the revision and adaptation of product and service offerings.
The growing number of sustainability initiatives are strong evidence of the overriding importance of the topic itself. Accordingly, a lot is on the move. The term revolution is more than just a buzzword.
This is true across all industries, but especially with regard to the packaging industry. This creates pressure for the industry – both industry-specific and customer-specific.
The majority of all initiatives focus on the circular economy and materials. Particular attention is paid to plastics.
The five outstanding goals of the initiatives are:
- Accelerating the circular economy
- Finding solutions for minimising plastic waste
- The management of plastic waste
- The resource efficiency
- The improvement of packaging systems
Within the initiatives, various segment- and material-specific platforms can be identified. However, the diversity also leads to a growing lack of transparency.
Notable representatives of sustainability initiatives related to the packaging industry include “New Plastics Economy”, “Sustainable Packaging Coalition” and “Plastic Pact”. They all have their origins in multi-stakeholder initiatives.
Around half of the renowned initiatives operate globally and were founded in the last 5 years. This is further evidence of the overriding importance of the topic.
For the packaging industry, there is no way around revising and adapting its products and service offerings. Addressing the issue must have two focal points and deal specifically with both industry and customer aspects.
