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As consumers’ focus turns more toward e-commerce and online purchasing, they are experiencing an influx of paper packaging in their lives and may turn their attention to sustainability of today’s paper-based packaging like never before.
Giancarlo Maroto, managing director, paper, forestry and recycling for DS Smith North America pointed out that the world is changing around us, and we’re impacted by trends such as changing shopping habits, the shift to online from brick and mortar, tremendous e-commerce growth during COVID and more packaging in homes.
“All have contributed to a heightened awareness of packaging and need for sustainable options,” Maroto said. “As such, environmental issues are at the forefront of consumers’ mind, and our surveys show consumers are aware of the increased impact of packaging – in particular unrecyclable problem plastics – and 73 percent say they care if the box is made from sustainable materials.” As a result, DS Smith helps companies explore innovative ways to provide that “wow” factor in the unboxing experience, while balancing that with sustainable attributes like being 100 percent recyclable or able to reseal and return in the same box.
The paper recycling segment of the recycling industry is continuing to adapt to the changes brought on by the pandemic. Maroto said the current elevated demand for recovered fiber will only continue, in large part due to the increase in e-commerce packaging. Consumers are increasingly aware of the circular economy model and are demanding solutions to replace problem plastics. That’s where the growth in paper packaging and subsequent recycling comes in.
“One hundred percent recyclable, fiber-based packaging is the only sustainable way to meet that demand,” Maroto said.
Lauren Olson, zero waste manager at World Centric, a manufacturer of only compostable foodservice and packaging products, said the current backlash on plastic products, brought on in part by the extreme and growing volume of plastic in the ocean and its toxic effect on marine life, is causing a shift to paper products. Paper straws are a great example of a direct replacement for plastic.
“We see a bright future for responsibly sourced paper products, particularly those made with bamboo and other rapid renewable fibers instead of wood fibers,” Olson said. “Consumers want to ensure that they are not using a regrettable substitute for plastic by using paper that inflicts unnecessary ecological harm.”
According to Jordan Fengel, sustainability manager for Tetra Pak U.S. and Canada, a few products have been developed that attempt to use paper only, shifting away from the combined use of plastic and paper.
“However, if you look at the function of plastic in combination with paper, it provides multiple roles, including acting as a barrier from light and oxygen and adding strength to the package,” Fengel said. “What we’re seeing more than a complete move away from plastic is a shift towards bio-based barriers which are sourced from materials like sugar cane or corn.”
For instance, the Pabco bottle uses mainly fibers for their container, but they also integrate a bio-based layer for oxygen and light protection. “So, you can see that there is still the need for plastic substance, whether it is bio-based or fossil-based, to be used to protect the product inside the package,” Fengel said. “Other companies have tried to create and sell a ‘paper bottle’ only to be called out for greenwashing as consumers found the package encasing a plastic bottle.”
Fengel also pointed out that the driving force behind the shift comes from consumers using their buying power to purchase sustainable products but also from impending legislation like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) that can create higher fees for packages deemed “hard-to-recycle.” “The combination of paper and plastic in packaging is misunderstood by policymakers and others like NGOs as it is thought to create a non-recyclable or hard to recycle packaging, however, the packages are widely recycled in the U.S. where the technology and infrastructure exists,” Fengel said.
There are multiple efforts being used to correctly communicate that a package is recyclable, like on-pack messaging, social media, and through brand and municipality websites. For instance, the unqualified recycling logo, which is substantiated through the FTC Green Guides, legitimately ties marketing claims to collection, sortation, and end markets.
“Broken down, this means that recycling facilities must be available for at least 60 percent of consumers where an item is sold; the entire item, excluding negligible components, must be technically recyclable and be large enough to make it through a materials recovery facility’s (MRF) sorting system; and the material must have enough value to justify recycling,” Fengel said.
Organizations like The Recycling Partnership and others are working throughout the recycling value chain to connect consumers with proper messaging techniques to reduce contamination and recover more materials which contribute to a circular economy.
“We need more messaging to consumers about the economic value of recycling; there are not enough front-facing messages on TV or highway billboards about the true value of recycling, which would complement the ongoing efforts and reinforce the current messaging,” Fengel said. E-commerce and Paper Package Recycling
The e-commerce sector has grown substantially during the pandemic as consumers were at home and still needed every day goods. As the pandemic continues to unfold with new variants, online shopping continues to be the method of choice for many consumers.
“Packaging design has transitioned to multiple formats to accommodate varying order sizes and consumer demands as family sizes are shrinking and more people are buying what they need versus bulk purchases,” Fengel said. “There has also been a move to easier-to-recycle secondary packaging so that there are sustainability gains not only from primary packaging but also what the package is shipped in. Consumers expect to be able to recycle the majority of the packaging and shipping materials that they receive from online orders.”
What’s more, the MRFs within the recycling industry are well poised to manage paper in general as they were built at the high-use point of paper products like newspaper, office paper and boxes.
“They can handle paper packaging well with the continued advancement of robotics and optical sorters combined with AI,” Fengel said. “We’ve seen this in action via our work with Carton Council, who have been instrumental in helping to introduce AI technology in MRFs across the country.” Fengel suggested that recycling facilities will be able to collect all commodities, including paper packaging, more efficiently and effectively as the use of automation grows.
“As paper packaging use expands, the recycling industry is well-positioned to sort, bale and market these valuable commodities,” Fengel said. “End-markets for paper materials and packaging need a steady supply of quality materials for product manufacturing, so it is important that MRFs continue to invest in infrastructure and technological upgrades that enable the proper sortation of packaging which includes poly-coated paper and other commodities which have value and end-market demand.”
Of course consumer perception plays a vital role within the paper recycling industry. DS Smith’s latest consumer survey shows that Boomers take recycling more seriously than younger generations, but all groups support increased use of sustainable packing materials.
The survey indicated that all groups surveyed were united when asked about the surplus of boxes from e-commerce spending and the message was clear – they’re not bothered by the extra packages but do want them made of sustainable materials.
“As consumers increasingly turn to e-commerce, they don’t want to feel guilty about the packaging that comes along with it,” said Mark Ushpol, managing director of the North America Packaging Division for DS Smith. “They want packaging that is sustainable, and corrugated boxes made from renewable fiber are reusable and recyclable, helping businesses and consumers tackle those challenges and feel good about their choices.” Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) put the responsibility to recycle their boxes on themselves, with the rest saying sustainability falls on the companies that make the products packaged in the boxes (34 percent) or recycling services in their local communities (33 percent).
Broken out by generation, Baby Boomers (71 percent) hold themselves more accountable for responsibly recycling their boxes than others – Millennials (60 percent), Gen Z (59 percent) and Gen X (58 percent).
Fengel said that consumers will continue to see a shift from all-plastic commodities to more paper-based packaging as the public and corporate interests and investments in sustainability continues to grow. Sources for paper packaging contribute to positive carbon reduction as the materials come from forests and other natural sources, which are renewable.
“Paper-based packaging also provides necessary elements like product protection, and it is widely recycled in the current system we have in the U.S., Fengel said.
Additionally, as the supply of office and school paper is still diminished and may not return to pre-pandemic levels, paper mills and other fiber consuming end-markets are utilizing paper-based packaging as it provides a quality input to make new paper products.
“The biggest challenge faced by the packaging industry is the incoming patchwork of policies aimed at improving recycling and reducing contamination. The policies look good on paper but are poorly designed as they focus heavily on end-of-life management instead of the entire lifecycle and may overlook the true benefits that packaging plays in delivering quality goods to consumers in a safe manner,” Fengel said. “This is especially true of food and beverage packaging that not only keeps the product safe, but also allows for wider distribution and reduced food waste by extending the shelf life of the product inside. As for the paper packaging industry, it must ensure that sourcing for fiber and other bio-based materials do not negatively impact biodiversity and are sustainable for the long-term future.”
Published in the September 2021 Edition
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