Top 10 Sustainable Packaging Trends in 2020

Industries are going to tremendous change in the use of packaging material. The most influential trends in the packaging industry in 2020 all rotate around the sustainable theory.

Besides Asian and Africa still searching for the need for sustainable resources, it’s driven primarily by political pressure and consumer perception. Its easy-to-love and straightforward code rely on the same three R words that defined the environmental progress in the 90s: reduce, reuse, recycle. However, now the EU and USA pass regulations faster than usual, including rules to improve recycling rates and recycled content and laws to overcome single-use plastics.

Top 10 Sustainable Packaging Trends in 2020

1. Use of Monomaterial or Single layer plastic

2. Reduce Plastic components

3. Replacement of plastic with Bio-plastic

4. Replacement of plastic with paper

5. Reuse of plastic 

6. Increase the use of recycling material

7. Use the material having less carbon footprint

8. Sourcing material from the certified 

9. Response to the circular economy

10. Wood-based plastic 

1. Use of Monomaterial or Single layer plastic

We generally use composite and laminate, because a single plastic can not all type of barrier as required. So, it is mandatory to give the proper shelf-life with the different layers of plastic. Now every converter companies understand the issues of recyclability and innovate the film in that way; it can accommodate all type of barrier in a single layer. So, the user companies had already decided to shift to single-layer material.

Why are we using laminates?

Let me take an example PET | mPET | LDPE. The PET film is the outermost layer used for printing. The mPET film used as a sandwich film for the complete light and aroma barrier. And then LDPE film used as a sealable layer

2. Reduce Plastic components

Reducing and removing the excess plastic from the product packaging can be helpful in recyclability. And finally, the environment has less impact on packaging. Overpackaging needs to wholly removed to make the packaging beautiful and can be in a circular economy.

3. Replacement of plastic with Bio-plastic 

New trend added in the packaging field with the rise of voice to remove the plastic and replace it with bio-plastic. The popularity of bio-plastic is because of their property, i.e., biodegradable in soil. Numerous variety is available in the market, such as PLA, Sugarcane, and water-soluble film. Undoubtedly it is a substitute for conventional plastic with bio-plastic (same in various of their physical and technical properties to their fossil-based counterparts). 

Cons:- The marine life remains the same as bio-plastic because our collection and recycling system is inadequate.  

4. Replacement of plastic with Paper

Now, the paper demand increases with the increase in sustainable packaging. Paper as a substitute for plastic packaging than bioplastics (for example, paper cups and bags) but need the correct type of paper. As a result, the overall environmental impact leads to be higher for paper, except in its carbon footprint. Again, this is a case of burden-shifting: reducing carbon footprint, but increasing effects such as acidification and eutrophication. 

5. Reuse of plastic 

Reuse is more challenging to envision than recycling, given our existing mindset. It stimulates us to move away from the way we currently handle packaging—tearing open and throwing away or recycling. It may also require more robust and sustainable packaging materials that need to endure washing and sterilization. It also needs to have a well-built infrastructure to collect, wash, sterilize, refill, and replace the packaging to consumers. It is the milkman method made a new.

The LOOPstore has taken an initiative that has made headings with all major brands such as HUL, Nestle, and many more in the cosmetics and personal care and the food and retail industries. LOOP is engaging for these industries because it projects developments, not only in the solitary world of circularity but also in the more extensive spectrum of Life Cycle Assessment.

6. Increase the use of recycling material

If we do more recycling, of course, significant development will occur. Many companies have introduced their band packaging with innovative design in recycled material content. The companies didn’t compromise with their quality, shelf-life, appearance, and texture. 

7. Increase the use of a material having less carbon footprint

This line has many meanings, such as take the material from the nearby supplier. Secondly, if plastic material has less footprint comparative paper – go with plastic packaging.

8. Sourcing material from the certified

We know it, how the packaging material made, where the packaging material comes from, and the impact on the environment. Worldwide few countries have given assign the agency to monitor the responsibly sourcing the packaging material to provide eco-credentials.
FSC is one of the names in the paper category concerned about the origin of your products. And the influence of the environment, as much as they do. It gives your business credibility.

9. Response to the circular economy 

A circular economy is healthful and regenerative by design. It means that materials continuously circulate a ‘closed-loop’ system, rather than being used once and then dumped. As a result, the importance of materials, including plastics, is not lost by being thrown away.

10. Wood-based Plastic

It is a renewable raw material that transforms into a variety of recyclable products that retain carbon throughout their lifecycle. Products such as pulp, paper, labels, timber, plywood, biocomposites, biochemicals, and biofuels. From wood to products with respect for nature. It is a new trend to use in labels as polypropylene material.