Business Management - Sustainability

TC Transcontinental Packaging has announced the launch of one of the first 100% recyclable multi-layer, stand up pouches in North America. The recyclable pouch was produced for American tea company Harney & Sons, providing added sustainability elements to the product while maintaining its flavor and freshness.

The rising backlash against plastic packaging among consumers continues to gain steam, with concerns over recyclability at the forefront. However, consumers need to understand the sustainability advantages of all packaging formats before demanding a material be eliminated.

UPM Raflatac has announced the expansion of its RafCycle label liner recycling solution to the United States and Canada. Through the RafCycle program, UPM Raflatac collects the paper and PET liner waste from its RafCycle partners and recycles it into new materials.

Constantia Flexibles' new line of sustainable packaging provides a decreased carbon footprint, focuses on recyclable solutions and decreases the impact on the environment all while protecting the packaged products.

While each packaging format has sustainability attributes, paperboard-based folding cartons earn strong marks in recyclability and material renewability.

TLMI's L.I.F.E. certification will merge with the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership Certification. The merger is the result of side-by-side comparisons of the certifications that indicated a merger would be mutually beneficial.

Consumers' growing sustainability concerns are having a significant impact on how brands are packaging their products. At Luxe Pack New York, a panel discussion focused on these concerns and discussed sustainable packaging strategies for brands and package printers and converters.

Colbert Packaging hosted a “Trees Into Cartons, Cartons Into Trees” event for elementary students in Wisconsin’s Salem School District.

In an effort to curb food waste, U.K.-based grocery store Morrisons has launched a line of "Wonky" fruits and vegetables that are a bit misshapen, but otherwise perfectly good to eat. The plastic used to package these items has led to some social media backlash, raising the issue of reducing food waste with non-recyclable packaging.

The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) has published a new report on sustainable packaging, A Holistic View of the Role of Flexible Packaging in a Sustainable World. The report highlights sustainability advantages of flexible packaging and features case studies comparing flexible packaging to other formats.