Packaging is used in many sectors, although food and beverage packaging is by far the largest segment and accounts for 51% of the global market. Growing sustainability concerns regarding the energy required to produce and transport packaging, as well as the waste created both during production and disposal, have cemented the market’s large environmental footprint in the public eye. In the UK, it is estimated that 5.9 million tonnes of packaging waste are generated each year, representing approximately 20% of all waste. The demand and need for packaging will continue to increase with demographic and economic growth, associated with the proliferation of conveniencedriven lifestyles and smaller households.
With a growing need for packaging, but also an increasing emphasis placed on climate change and resource depletion, the packaging industry sometimes faces conflicting sustainability demands from legislators, consumers and other stakeholders. For example, though a consumer push for more sustainable packaging is rising, so is the potential conflicting need for convenience. The industry response to this issue is widespread, with most companies investing resources into the development of sustainable packaging – achieving both environmental and financial benefits. This paper will seek to identify which trends have been driving and will continue to shape the sustainable packaging market; in addition to assessing the factors considered to determine what sustainable packaging exactly is; before concluding that companies which do not follow the sustainable packaging trend are likely to fall behind those that do.
Table of content
I Introduction - Basic definition of packaging
II From traditional to sustainable packaging
- So what is sustainable packaging?
- Key market drivers
- Potential conflicts to growth of sustainable packaging
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