All Comment articles
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ArticleDriving packaging sustainability forward in 2025
Unfortunately, my wrap-up of 2024 is not an especially cheerful one. Just as we close out the year with little to no significant progress made at COP25 or INC-5, we enter a new one under various governmental powers for whom sustainability is not a priority.
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ArticleHow can the industry adapt to the PPWR?
Our industry faces a dilemma: while packaging is still seen as a “silent seller”, new EU rules promote minimal, necessary packaging. How can businesses embrace this change and adapt to new conditions? Anna Perlina, sustainable packaging consultant at Integrity Solutions, offers a potential solution.
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ArticleWhy did Coca-Cola change its packaging sustainability goals?
Earlier this month, Coca-Cola announced a significant shift in its sustainability strategy, scaling back on its widely publicized goal of using 50% recycled plastic in its packaging by 2030. While some have criticized this move as a step backward, others argue that it underscores a critical issue in sustainability efforts: the dangers of setting unrealistic goals that are disconnected from operational realities. Calvin Lakhan, Director of Circular Innovation Hub at York University’s Faculty of Environment and Urban Change, takes a closer look.
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ArticleAn introduction to chaos packaging
Chaos packaging is the art of putting everyday, familiar products in surprise formats. For example, gin packaged in an engine oil bottle, or water in a beer can. What’s behind this growing trend? Tey Bannerman of McKinsey Design and Lisa Cain of Smurfit Westrock take a closer look.
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ArticleWhat can we expect from the final round of plastic treaty negotiations?
Earlier today, at the start of the INC-5 plastic pollution treaty negotiations in Busan, Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, outlined her expectations and hopes for this week’s events. We’ve published the speech in its entirety below.
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ArticleINC-5: A ‘historic chance to address plastic pollution’
A crucial moment for the global packaging industry begins today. From the 25th of November to the 1st of December, the final round of negotiations towards the UN’s legally-binding plastic treaty will take place in Busan, South Korea. Marta Longhurst, Global Plastics Treaty Manager at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, argues that governments should unite and seize a historic opportunity to tackle plastic pollution.
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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.