Sustainable Packaging Gets Real

With sustainability top of mind across the industry, packaging printers have a range of new approaches and technologies to consider — and a lot more pressure to make the right choices. Shoppers, regulators, and investors are all asking tougher questions from packaged goods manufacturing stakeholders.

“There have been shifts and movements toward more sustainable packaging materials, with some driven by customer demand,” Gary Jones, vice president, environmental, health, and safety affairs (EHS), PRINTING United Alliance, says. “Regulation in the U.S. and EU is driving this focus.”

The primary objective, Jones notes, is to reduce the amount of packaging ending up in landfills as well as to recover more materials for recycling.