All Comment articles
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ArticleHow can the packaging industry prepare for geopolitical uncertainties?
The packaging industry faces a number of serious geopolitical-related challenges that are set to have a major impact on operations and sustainability. In this article, Laura Rainier, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, explains how these immediate and long-term problems can be tackled.
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ArticleThe problem with gasification
In this analysis, Joshua Dill, Plastics Recycling Analyst at ICIS, examines the critical challenges of strict regulations, technical issues, and high financial risks that are stalling gasification projects.
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ArticleIf take-up of mechanically recycled polymers is limited, could chemical recycling bridge the gap?
In this ICIS insight, Tom Brown, Chief News Correspondent at ICIS, explores how chemical recycling could bridge an important gap. Despite current delays and policy hurdles, he argues that it could potentially add 3 million tonnes of capacity by 2029.
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ArticleDemand for folding cartons and corrugated faces an ‘unclear future’
Folding cartons and corrugated have had something of a bumpy ride over the last two or three years, with production down last year and bottoming out during 2024. Neil Osment, MD of packaging market research company NOA, looks at what the next few years might have in store for these major paper packaging formats.
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ArticleCould this technology make closed-loop recycling a reality?
One of the biggest barriers standing in the way of truly closing the circular recycling loop is ineffective sortation technology. In this article, Ravi Sharma, Vice President of Research and Development at Digimarc, tells us more about a potential solution to this conundrum.
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ArticleMillennials claim to champion sustainability, but do the statistics tell a different story?
Millennials are widely regarded as champions of eco-consciousness, often demanding that brands align with their values on sustainability. However, in a world where 30% of items purchased online are returned, with millennials at the forefront of this trend, is this perception truly accurate? Jenna Pollard, a Data Analyst at Visualsoft, takes a look at the numbers.
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ArticleWarnings of ‘chaos’ in Europe over rPET legislation confusion
With fewer than three months to go until the EU’s 2025 target for 25% recycled content in PET bottles comes into effect, the market faces ‘chaos’ amid uncertainty. Caroline Murray, Senior Editor at ICIS, takes a closer look at the key issues.
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ArticleTaking a closer look at DS Smith’s recyclability evaluation service
DS Smith’s Recyclability Evaluation Service (RES) aims to offer a detailed assessment of the recyclability of fibre-based packaging, particularly in regard to primary or consumer-based packaging.
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ArticleAI in recycling: How artificial intelligence is transforming waste management
TOMRA and NEXTLOOPP are currently working on a project that uses cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology to make critical recycling processes more efficient. In this article, Professor Edward Kosior founder of Nextek and NEXTLOOPP, tells us more about this groundbreaking collaboration.
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ArticleA deep dive into reusable packaging solutions
In this comment piece, Marija Jovic, technical director for PreScouter’s chemicals, materials and packaging vertical, takes a detailed look at the reuse market as it stands today.
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ArticleThe key to understanding recycling market volatility
In this insight piece, Mark Victory, Senior Editor, Recycling at ICIS, explores the intricate dynamics of how waste quality affects pricing and demand, along with the complexities of contamination and degradation, which are key to understanding market volatility in recycled polymer markets.
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ArticleHow Unilever thinks about packaging sustainability
When we last spoke to Unilever about its controversial decision to extend the timeframe on its sustainable packaging targets, head of Packaging Pablo Costa said the company was “doubling down rather than watering down” its efforts. What does this mean in practice? Emma Liggins attended the company’s media roundtable to dive into Unilever’s revised sustainability strategy and its views on the upcoming Global Plastics Treaty.
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ArticleCould one of the oldest packaging materials solve modern sustainability challenges?
In its never-ending search for alternative packaging materials, our industry is looking far and wide. But in our quest to develop novel packaging materials, are we wrongly overlooking some of the oldest ones?
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ArticleFrom pilot to practice: Why reuse needs global coordination
At SPC Engage and the Sustainable Packaging Summit this November, speakers will explore how to advance reusable packaging with a harmonized approach to categories, standards, and industry consortiums.
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ArticleThe key to scaling chemical recycling
While chemical recycling capacities are showing signs of growth globally, legislation surrounding chemical recycling is still lacking. Without established guidelines for allocating recycled materials to products, the industry faces uncertainties that could impede investment and growth. Joshua Dill, Analyst, Plastics Recycling at ICIS, tells us more.
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ArticleHow will the UN’s legally binding rules on plastic pollution be implemented?
The UN’s global plastic treaty negotiations are set to end in November, at which point new international legally binding rules on plastic pollution will be revealed. To learn more about how this might be implemented in practice, we caught up with Justin Wood, Vice President and Head of Europe, Middle East & Africa at the Alliance to End Plastic Waste.
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ArticleReusable packaging: 10 reasons to ‘bring it back’
Pressure from governments and the public for companies to adopt reusable packaging is increasing. In this article, Emma Samson from environmental consultancy Searious Business outlines her top 10 commercial reasons why companies should make this switch as soon as possible.
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ArticleHow did Suntory slash costs and boost efficiency across its facilities?
Suntory uses Markforged 3D printers to create high-strength parts at their Haruna plant, reducing production time and cost.
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ArticleCounting the human cost of the packaging waste crisis
For all our talk about the “mountains of packaging waste” created in the European Union every year, we rarely see actual physical evidence of this on our continent. Some other parts of the world aren’t so lucky.
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ArticleFermentation chemicals: A green revolution in bioplastics?
Recent technological advancements in fermentation processes are bringing bioplastics back into the spotlight. According to a new report by PreScouter, fermentation chemicals are showing increased potential to become the next disruptor in the green chemistry revolution.