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While packaging plays a critical role in protecting and preserving goods, consumers often see them as an environmentally-unfriendly leftover of the purchased product. Thus, brand owners are coming under

increasing pressure to use smarter packaging materials that promote sustainability.

With exploding population growth, increasing consumption by middle classes and the rise of mobile commerce among other megatrends, demand for packaging is expected to soar. According to a report by Smithers Pira, global packaging market is estimated to reach US$997bn by 2020. Meanwhile, sustainability will become an increasingly important factor for decision makers at all stages of packaging value chains, the report reveals.

Going Sustainable While not a new stimulus, sustainability has certainly

evolved as a key driver in Asia. A recent survey by HAVI revealed that 41 percent of professionals see sustainability as a key area of opportunity for the future. The survey, entitled ‘Future of Packaging: 2023’ questioned over 100 professionals, ranging from academics to brand owners, on the factors which are expected to affect the industry in the decade to come. The survey revealed that 78 percent of respondents believe sustainability will become more important in the next ten years.

There is also a clear opportunity for brand owners to derive value from sustainable packaging. According to Nielsen’s Global Sustainability Report 2015, sales of consumer goods from brands with a demonstrated commitment to sustainability have grown more than 4 percent globally, while those without grew less than 1 percent. In fact, 66 percent of global respondents say they are willing to pay more for sustainable goods, up from 55 percent in 2014 and 50 percent in 2013. Brand trust tops the list of sustainability factors that influence purchasing for nearly 62 percent of consumers globally.

In addition, commitment to the environment has the power to sway product purchase for 45 percent of consumers surveyed. Commitment to either social value or the consumer’s community are also important each influencing 43 percent and 41 percent of respondents respectively.

Emerging Packaging Trends Advances in science and technology are fuelling the trends

towards sustainable packaging. These developments are not only focused on using sustainable materials and processes to create the packaging, but also ensuring it is easy to recycle. New aqueous-based barrier materials that coat disposable cups and plates, for instance, are now as effective and affordable as traditional plastic coatings but significantly more sustainable and easier to recycle.

A great example is Coca-Cola’s sustainable packaging. To increase the amount of renewable material in its packaging, it created PlantBottle™ packaging, the first-ever fully recyclable PET bottle made partially from plants. Since introducing PlantBottle™ packaging in 2009, Coca-Cola has distributed more than 10 billion PlantBottle™ packages to markets in 24 countries.

Coca-Cola’s use of PlantBottle™ packaging is already paying environmental dividends, eliminating the need for the equivalent of more than 200,000 barrels of oil and helping to save the equivalent emissions of approximately 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) – the amount of CO2 emitted from burning more than 10 million gallons of gasoline.

Another notable example is Dell’s use of renewable and biodegradable bamboo cushions to replace foam in its packaging. The computer manufacturer is also investigating the viability of mushrooms as a packaging alternative. By injecting mushroom spores into a mold with agricultural wastes like cottonseed and rice hulls, Dell can grow cushions that serve as an organic, compostable alternative to Styrofoam. Wheat straw is Dell’s newest sustainable packaging initiative, mixing straw with recycled paper fibres to create boxes

Innovative Packagingin Asia through

By Phil Davidson, Senior Manager, Sustainability, Europe & Asia, HAVI

Driving Sustainability

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for notebook and desktop products. This process reduces pollution while using less water and energy than traditional manufacturing.

In the following paragraphs, we explore more cutting-edge innovations that we believe will become important across the packaging industry.

Speciality Fibres Redefining Material SustainabilitySpeciality fibres, including micro- and nano-fibres, are

revolutionising a wide range of materials by enhancing strength, thermal stability, flexibility and crack resistance, and providing efficient thickening. One particularly promising speciality fibre is micro-fibrillated cellulose, a unique fibre extracted from plant waste such as carrots or sugar beets; it is a very efficient, highly sustainable, renewable material, used to strengthen and lighten fibre products sustainably.

In pilot tests for packaging applications, it reduced materials used while maintaining performance, enabled by a material stronger and stiffer than glass or carbon fibre (but lighter weight), and improved crack resistance. Adding micro-fibrillated cellulose to paper can lighten the weight of a corrugated box by 15 to 30 percent and still maintain the material’s strength. It significantly improves the sustainability of the packaging product, and potentially saves money at the same time. As this is derived from crops, not from trees, it provides a much more competitive price point than other micro-fibrillated cellulose products.

that prevent microbes from growing on its surface, making it essentially anti-parasitic. These growths also cause drag, thus eliminating them allows the shark to swim faster.

Now, mimicked shark-skin micro-patterning is being explored to create more sustainable food packaging with better “release” characteristics. For example, honey and other sticky foods can slide off new packaging materials like water rolls off a freshly-waxed car. The more cleanly that food contaminants release from food packaging, the more easily and cost-effectively the packaging can be recycled.

This emerging technology is also transforming the surfaces of cups. Without having any impact on graphic presentation, this new technology not only provides improved grip, comfort and handling of hot beverages, but also slows the formation of condensation and improves material performance characteristics without changing or introducing new chemistry.

Making Molded Fibre Attractive and Functional

We a r e s e e i n g r a p i d advancements in molded fibre. It is made sustainably from recycled paper and can be found in egg cartons, beverage carriers at fast food restaurants, and package inserts that protect electronics and furniture during shipping.

Unfortunately, it is rough and unattractive with limited spot color printing capabilities and very little aesthetic value. With brands competing for attention, first impressions are important and packaging needs to stand out from the competition and appeal to consumers.

New processes have been successful in making molded fibre a highly desirable and appealing product, by giving it a very smooth surface texture that is consistent in colour, and allowing full-process colour printing on shaped packaging with new strength and rigidity.

They also accept more varied input, enabling flexibility for regionally available materials, including palm, cocoa, and kiwi fibres, wheat straw, conventional tree fibres, recycled fibres, and many others. These options offer brand owners great flexibility for design, differentiation and shelf appeal, especially for brands focused on sustainability.

Improving the Sustainability of Coatings Coatings are also evolving. For example, food service

cups are often made from paper that is coated with a thin barrier film of water-resistant polymer. These polymer coatings cannot be recycled, they have to be separated and removed

Speciality fibres, such as micro-fibrillated cellulose, are revolutionising packaging applications.

Micro-patterning is an emerging technology that is being explored to create more sustainable food packaging with better “release” characteristics.

Mimicking Nature with Micro-PatterningAnother emerging technology is micro-patterning which

began with bio-mimicry: trying to duplicate how nature works. For example, scientists discovered micro-patterns on shark skin

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from paper prior to re-pulping. This is a difficult and costly process, and not a very sustainable one, which often results in a waste stream of polymer.

The industry is moving towards enhancing the sustainability of coatings by changing the polymer base to an aqueous base, making them more compatible with recycling and composting systems. By applying sustainable, aqueous-based barrier coatings to paper, water-resistant materials can be created that are suitable for numerous applications, such as cups, frozen food containers or sugar packets, that do not require separation when they enter the recycling stream. They can be re-pulped along with other paper products.

Sustainable, aqueous-based coatings are already starting to be used for produce, poultry, and meat packaging, and as grease barriers on wraps and bakery goods.

Smart Use of Innovative Packaging MaterialsTogether with rising consumer demand, we are starting

to see more regulatory requirements forcing companies to rethink their packaging and consider new planet-friendly alternatives. It could be argued that companies that fail to address sustainable packaging as part of their commercial strategy will be left behind and run the risk of losing business to their forward-thinking competitors.

Those that embrace sustainable packaging innovations stand to gain many benefits, including reduced fuel and water consumption, lower costs, and increased consumer awareness, which could also boost sales.

These market shifts also require more significant advances in packaging technology, leading to greater innovation on many levels. For example, the advances we have outlined will offer even more advantages when used together.

Multiple layers of thin coatings with unique properties can provide huge benefits. Specialty fibres blended into molded fibre packaging could provide oxygen barriers. A polymer bottle with micro-patterning and an aqueous-based coating could allow food contaminants and the coating itself to be easily removed during the recycling process, leaving a clean, pure polymer that has greater value and can be reused at a higher level.

To stay relevant and drive environmental sustainability, implementing innovative technologies into packaging needs to become a constant and evolutionary process. As sustainable packaging increasingly influences consumers’ buying decisions, both brand owners and packaging manufacturers must make this a core priority in addition to performance, reliability, and cost factors. FBA