In June 2023, Freedonia Group released a new study, “Sustainability in Packaging”, examining various types of sustainable packaging, industry trends, and consumer preferences. “Sustainability” is a word often thrown around, especially regarding packaging. However, the word is often used in a vague sense. Sustainability is something consumers want, and some companies claim to prioritize, but consumers don’t always have a clear understanding of what that means to the companies they patronize, nor do these companies define what they consider to be sustainable practices.

What is Sustainability?

                The sustainability of an item, such as a product’s packaging, generally refers to the renewability of its raw materials and the final products’ ability to be recycled or composted. However, there are additional factors that contribute to the sustainability of certain types of packaging:

• Amount of energy or water used
• The packaging’s impact on the cost of product transportation
• Cost of disposal
• Impact of packaging litter on wildlife and ecosystems

Categories of Sustainability Packaging

                Food packaging will make up an estimated 35% of demand this year, with beverage packaging at 19.3%, pharmaceutical at 11%, food service at 10.7%, which leaves other markets to make up the remaining 23.7%. Many companies are developing initiatives to make their packaging more sustainable both to be greener and appeal to consumers. For example, Coca Cola’s World Without Waste program was launched in 2018; its 3 main goals are to make 100 percent of global packaging recyclable by 2025, collect and recycle one bottle for each one sold by 2030, and bring consumers together to strive for debris-free environments. Another great example is Gordon Food Service’s Clear Choice Program; its main goal is to be transparent with their consumers regarding ingredients, practices, etc. The environmental section of the program outlines their desire to use sustainable, environmentally friendly materials in packaging.

Trends in Sustainable Food Packaging

• Making plastic packaging lighter.
• Improving recyclability and reducing waste.
• Improving recycling labelling

Trends in Sustainable Beverage Packaging

• Switching from plastic bottles to more sustainable materials such as aluminum, paperboard, or glass.
• Making beverage packaging lighter.
• Increasing refillable and reusable bottles.
• Implementing new innovative package designs, such as color-coded cap recycling.

Trends in Sustainable Pharmaceutical Packaging

• Increasing use of recycled paperboard.
• Implementing environmentally friendly inks on pharmaceutical labels.
• Developing built in tamper evident devices into packaging, eliminating separate plastic or metal tamper evident devices.

News in Sustainable Packaging

Chick-fil-a - the restaurant began switching from foam to paper cups in their restaurants in 2022 on a trial basis; thus far, they have not made the official switch to paper.
McDonald’s - McDonald’s began testing a new type of clear drinking cup in 2022. It is comprised of 50% post-consumer recycle (PCR) content and 50% biopolymer resins.
Tim Hortons - Tim Hortons offers new cups with 30% recycled content and 100% recycled napkins.

Sustainability will continue to be a major component of the packaging market, and consumers will continue to hold companies accountable for their environmental impact. New sustainability discoveries and practices will be a result of the expected demand. To find out more, check out Freedonia Group’s new report, “Sustainability in Packaging”.