Business Management - Sustainability

In an effort to curb food waste, U.K.-based grocery store Morrisons has launched a line of "Wonky" fruits and vegetables that are a bit misshapen, but otherwise perfectly good to eat. The plastic used to package these items has led to some social media backlash, raising the issue of reducing food waste with non-recyclable packaging.

The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) has published a new report on sustainable packaging, A Holistic View of the Role of Flexible Packaging in a Sustainable World. The report highlights sustainability advantages of flexible packaging and features case studies comparing flexible packaging to other formats.

The Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) held its annual Spring Outlook and Strategies Conference last week in Baltimore. The conference spanned a variety of topics including sales strategies, packaging trends, economic forecasts and building corporate culture.

Sappi has introduced a new flexible packaging solution that provides improved sealing properties and sustainability attributes. Sappi Seal is designed to replace hot seal laminates made from plastic with materials containing a high proportion of renewable raw materials.

The flexible packaging industry's strength and abundant growth opportunities were key themes of the Flexible Packaging Association's 2018 Annual Meeting, held March 13-15 at the Ritz Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Fla.

Despite all of the emphasis brands and consumers are placing on recycling, plastic packaging finding its way into the world’s oceans continues to be a major problem. Mintel, a market intelligence agency, has highlighted this issue in its annual Global Packaging Trends, and describes how packaging design can help increase recycling rates.

Consumers are pushing brands to embrace sustainable packaging and last week, McDonald's and Coca-Cola both revealed major sustainability initiatives. While the companies' goals are lofty, with these two iconic corporations at the forefront, it's clear that major brands are getting in touch with these consumer demands.

To help reduce excess packaging, Valencia, Spain-based Laserfood has developed a food identification technology that utilizes laser marking directly on a food product. In some cases however, what some consumers may see as wasteful, can be a sustainable packaging effort for food waste reduction.

Packaging sustainability is one of the top concerns of today’s consumers, and the environmental impact of packaging — both positive and negative — can play a role in a consumer’s decision on whether to purchase a product.

With 2018 right around the corner, Mintel, a market intelligence agency, has revealed its five global packaging trends for the new year. David Luttenberger, Mintel's global packaging director, shares why these trends will play a major role in 2018.