Unilever, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, and Mars are founding members of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s new PaperFlex Consortium, which aims to drive innovation in recyclable and biodegradable paper-based flexible packaging.
Convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and powered by (RE)SET, the consortium will focus on markets where flexible packaging is widely used, but a lack of collection and recycling systems may condemn the material to the natural environment.
It plans to design alternative formats that can be recycled as collection systems improve, and would biodegrade if they unintentionally end up as litter.
Consortium members will plan, fund and carry out collaborative trials to develop innovations such as biodegradable coatings and other technologies focused on product protection, shelf life, and consumer usability. They also seek to improve how paper-based materials perform on manufacturing lines.
Joint R&D efforts are set to develop and scale ‘promising’ innovations at a higher speed and a lower cost – bringing new options to consumers sooner.
Each participating member plans to pursue its own strategy and make packaging-related decisions independently, individually, and in line with their own interests.
“Responsible paper-based flexible packaging solutions don’t yet exist at the performance, scale and cost required,” says Sander Defruyt, strategy lead for Plastics at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. “This consortium signals strong demand for them – and real ambition from six consumer goods companies to help scale them.
“We’re inviting other FMCG companies, innovators, suppliers and investors to get involved now – the faster we develop such solutions, the sooner they reach the markets that need them most.”
“Our track record in running R&D consortia shows how they can speed up the path to solutions,” continues (RE)SET co-founder and CEO Frank Gana. “While participation in this consortium is voluntary and each member makes its own packaging decisions, this approach lets us develop and scale solutions faster and at lower cost – benefiting consumers, the environment, and the entire industry.”
Gilles Demaurex, head of Global Packaging Development at Nestlé, comments: “Nestlé believes that paper-based flexible packaging can play a valuable role in addressing virgin plastic reduction and minimising flexible packaging waste and pollution. By joining our efforts under the PaperFlex Consortium, promising paper innovations will be developed and deployed responsibly at scale faster and at lower cost.”
Allison Lin, global VP of Healthy Planet and Chief Circularity Officer at Mars, says: “The consortium challenges the traditional mindset of innovating on our own, demonstrating that partnership – structured with legal oversight, clear guardrails on permissible topics, and an independent third-party convenor – can accelerate the development of more sustainable packaging in ways that no single company could achieve alone.”
Pablo Costa, head of Packaging, Digital and Transformation, R&D at Unilever, adds: “At Unilever, we have made significant investments in packaging innovation. Our dedicated teams are accelerating the development of next-generation paper-based packaging that can be scaled while delivering the experience consumers expect.
“Through the consortium, we are helping bring together the expertise, investment and shared learning needed to accelerate innovation and support a responsible transition at scale.”
In its recent report, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation states that sachets, wrappers, pouches, and other plastic flexibles are the fastest-growing type of plastic worldwide – but also a major source of pollution, especially in countries with less developed formal collection and recycling systems.
Small-format flexible packaging, currently used for products ranging from snacks to shampoo, is named as a systemic barrier in the Foundation’s 2030 Plastics Agenda for Business.
The Foundation indicates that paper-based alternatives can ‘more easily’ be designed for recyclability and biodegradability, which could benefit markets where flexible packaging is likely to end up in the environment.
In other news, BIOWRAP – an international consortium and EU flagship project – was recently founded to scale up the ‘first’ fully paper-based bubble wrap. The consortium has set out targets to replace over 100 million square metres of plastic bubble wrap within five years of the project’s completion and demonstrate a material recovery rate of at least 90% in paper recycling.
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