Packaging versus climate change: Industry rethinks material and energy sources as crisis grows

02 Mar 2022 --- The packaging industry has a major role in fighting climate change and the environmental, social and financial disasters already being felt throughout the world, with global warming, rising sea levels and ocean acidification threatening human life in various ways. Packaging used for everyday items like F&B products requires substantial natural resources and is often disposed of in ways that poison the environment.

PackagingInsights speaks with major industry players Mondi and DS Smith about how industry can play a significant role in ameliorating its environmental footprint. While material design and end-of-life disposal remain key factors, they explain that sourcing renewable energy is one of industry’s most pressing and challenging concerns. 

This problem was recently exacerbated by a failure to reach an international consensus on production techniques and market practices for some of the world’s most important commodities (like metals and polymers) at the COP26 summit. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has now also added further turmoil to the energy sector.

We discuss how packaging companies are persevering with their efforts to reduce materials usage and carbon footprint and overcoming the challenges of switching to more renewable energy sources. 

No perfect solution 
A Mondi spokesperson explains that while industry is making strides to “fight” climate change, ultimately, reduction toward carbon neutrality is the highest hope for which any producer can aim. 

Fiber-based solutions are a key element of industry efforts to combat climate change.“The challenge of providing packaging that balances resource efficiency with the lowest possible environmental impact is one that every member of the packaging industry is familiar with. There is no ‘perfect’ solution, and it is not only about material choices for packaging,” they say. 

“A wide range of aspects along the value chain need to be taken into consideration: from the impacts at the beginning, for example, the sourcing or harvesting, all the way down to the end-of-life of a product. Developing packaging that is [environmentally] sustainable by design means focusing on the purpose while optimizing the material, and even changing it completely if necessary.” 

“The starting point is function, followed by [environmental] sustainability goals, geographical regions, supply chains and legislation, then the available recycling infrastructure. Material choices shouldn’t be taken in isolation, but always in the context of the product, supply chain demands, consumer requirements and the local infrastructure,” the spokesperson continues.

A host of products exemplifying these principles have been hitting the market in recent years, with Mondi highlighting its Advantage StretchWrap, a paper developed to stretch and resist punctures that can replace multi-layer plastic.

First created to wrap around mattresses, the company realized the paper could be even thinner and were then able to envisage wrapping heavy pallets for transportation. 

“Further R&D and the backwards integration in paper production meant that vision became a reality, and within two years of development, the paper could replace the current plastic industry standard for pallet wrapping and has the potential to replace a significant amount of plastic for specific applications,” says the spokesperson. Coveris Duralite-R films are made from 50% post-consumer and 50% post-industrial recycled content. 

“This demonstrates that by applying expertise and investing in development, in many cases, paper can do the job just as well as plastic.” 

Coveris’ climate climb 
Flexible packaging specialist Coveris has been at the forefront of R&D in the UK recently, attempting to reduce its environmental footprint. The company recently launched a lightweight stretch films range containing a minimum 30% recycled plastic, meeting the forthcoming UK Plastic Packaging Tax requirements. 

The tax will enter into force in April 2022, requiring all plastic packaging, including tertiary packaging like stretch wrap, to contain a minimum 30% recycled content, which will otherwise be subject to a £200 (US$266) per metric ton penalty.

Last year, the company’s director of sustainability and corporate development, Philipp Pap, told PackagingInsights how plastics are an essential part of fighting climate change, saying: “We believe the current discussions around plastics should be more data-based and built on scientific evidence. If that were done, we would realize plastic packaging has a pivotal role in reducing CO2 emissions via a significant reduction of food waste.”

The paper paradigm 
UK paper-based packaging specialist DS Smith is taking full advantage of the trend toward fiber-based solutions as anti-plastic sentiment and legislation grows. Wouter van Tol, head of sustainability, community and government affairs at DS Smith, tells PackagingInsights: “All packaging materials have their pros and cons, also in environmental terms. What we need to work toward is a circular economy, where we eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials, and regenerate the natural environment we depend on.”

Solar power is a popular option for companies seeking greener energy alternatives.“If we genuinely care about reducing the environmental footprint of packaging materials, we should follow the evidence and ensure that [environmental] sustainability is built in the products at the design stage and the materials stay in circulation as much as possible at the end of the product’s life. At DS Smith, we focus on fiber-based packaging, as fiber is a renewable, recyclable and widely recycled raw material.”

Van Tol says DS Smith operates a circular business model, creating fiber-based packaging that can be recycled in its paper mills into paper for making new packaging. It only takes two weeks for paper fiber to move around its operations from box-to-box. 

“We are constantly innovating new [environmentally] sustainable packaging solutions and have pledged to replace one billion pieces of problem plastics off supermarket shelves. In December 2021, we announced that 170 million pieces have already been replaced with our fiber-based solutions.”

The energy problem 
Regardless of how packaging is designed, with what materials it is made and what waste management infrastructure is available, one of industry’s biggest problems in tackling climate change is sourcing renewable energy. Indeed, Van Tol describes “green energy” as the industry's “biggest challenge.” 

“We are investing strategically in renewable energy sources, green electricity and energy efficiency to achieve our Science Based Target of 46% absolute reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and Net Zero by 2050,” he says. The Ukraine crisis is threatening green energy supplies for the packaging industry.

“We also need to make sure that all recyclable fiber ends up back in the recycling system, providing raw material for new packaging and facilitating the circular economy. We advocate for source-segregated recycling of paper and cardboard to enhance the quality of fiber and keep it in use for as long as possible.”

Last year, Huhtamaki signed what it believes is the biggest solar power purchase agreement in the European packaging industry. Inked with energy company BayWa r.e., the deal aims to achieve the company’s goal of using 100% renewable energy by 2030 and will cover roughly 80% of the Finnish packager’s electricity usage in Europe. 

Plastics under threat 
Despite the move toward fiber-based solutions, plastics remain key for the packaging industry, with debates over the environmental sustainability of the material still raging. Notably, France recently banning plastic packaging on 30 types of fruits and vegetables.

With the outbreak of war in Ukraine, heavy sanctions are being placed on vital Russian gas and oil supplies, which the EU relies on. This crisis could also bring volatility to the market, with sharp price rises adding to inflation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and extreme weather disruptions. 

Price surges could, in turn, threaten the efforts of the plastics industry to source green energy, forcing many converters and suppliers to move into cheaper markets where energy production is far more environmentally damaging. 

Recycling expert Professor Edward Kosior, founder of Nextek and Nextloopp, recently explained how recycled plastics can be a weapon against climate change, and how not all recycled plastics offer the same levels of carbon efficiency.

By Louis Gore-Langton