The tide has turned

Packaging Solutions

Parkside explains how PPWR will accelerate the paperisation trend.

One of the longest running stories in the packaging industry finally moved on to its next chapter in April, when the EU Parliament and European Council agreed on a preliminary deal for its Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations (PPWR).

It is a complex piece of legislation that aims to guide the packaging industry for decades into the future, revealing what legislators see as the future of packaging. Its impact is already being felt as proactive brands make big choices about their packaging portfolios, but while pivoting to a future of PPWR compliance naturally poses some challenges, it also presents many opportunities for businesses that are flexible enough to seize them.

A new dawn for packaging

PPWR’s goal is, ultimately, to solve the packaging waste problem in Europe by setting phased waste reduction targets that increase every five years, while also harmonising packaging and recycling standards across member states to make these targets more feasible.

In order to achieve these targets, a raft of new restrictions and bans are being put in place on plastic packaging in particular. These bans will be complemented by measures aimed at incentivising high quality recycling.

However, paper packaging has been exempted from all these measures, meaning that companies switching to paper based solutions can simply sidestep all of this legislation entirely. This is a key driver of the paperisation trend currently sweeping packaging.

Paper – the material of the future?

Paper has many benefits as a packaging material. It has much higher recovery rates than plastic. And, provided it is made with fibres from a sustainably managed forest, it is a renewable resource. Perhaps most importantly, consumers know this, and increasingly prefer it to other materials as a result.

This places paper as the front runner in the race to be the packaging material of the future – at least, in the European market. It also sets up an exciting few years of investment and innovation as the industry strives to scale up its paper packaging use.

For example, at Parkside we have invested heavily in sourcing and developing new barrier coatings that improve the functional qualities of paper packaging without affecting its recyclability. One solution uses thin layers of water based coatings to create a flexible paper laminate that is CEPI approved. These coatings could even have applications outside of packaging.

Other breakthroughs can help fulfil the many aesthetic requirements that today’s consumers demand. Paperisation does not have to mean downgrading the look of packaging – far from it. Advanced techniques like using vapour deposition of aluminium or metallic pigments in ink to create recyclable metallic effects are increasingly common, while new water based varnishes that add intriguing finishes and tactile effects to labels and packaging are emerging constantly.

Paperisation is already happening, driven by the purchasing preferences of today’s consumers. The tide has already turned, and legislators are just now catching up. Brands now have a choice – they can either embrace the opportunities that come with PPWR or continue to swim against the tide.