The Importance of Green Packaging

Green Packaging – An Introduction

Green Packaging now plays a vital role in business strategy across Europe. The prominence of this topic has been growing for years, but it has received additional impetus due to the European Union’s proposition to make all packaging in the EU market recyclable by 2030, under the commissioned policy “European Green Deal¹”.

In addition to increased interest from legislators, the retail consumer is increasingly well-informed as to how their consumer habits lead to negative effects on the natural world.

Thus, manufacturers are facing a ‘pincer movement’ from two very powerful forces.

In this article, we will concentrate on the area that’s most conspicuous to retail consumer: flexible packaging. This form of product protection is a popular choice, due to its versatility and performance.

A recent study by McKinsey & Company² demonstrated the link between claims of ESG* Compliance, and sales performance. The report first examined Established Goods and found that “68 percent of the product categories that are established and made ESG-related claims, outperformed established products without the statement”.

McKinsey then extended their analysis to Brand New Products, across multiple sectors and brand sizes (including private label, large brands, medium brands, small brands and smallest brands), and found that “new-to-market products with ESG-related claims surpassed sales of non-claiming counterparts”.

In addition to the differences between Established and New products McKinsey also found that products that are associated with ESG claims exhibit a more stable sales trajectory, experiencing only a gradual decline, in contrast to products lacking such claims, which tend to experience a more pronounced and accelerated decrease in sales².

(*Environmental, Social and Governance)

Role of Green Packaging in flexible materials

Green Packaging refers to the use of environmentally friendly materials and practices that are used throughout the packaging lifecycle—everything from design and production, to disposal and recycling.

In terms of flexible materials, Green Packaging can take various forms, for example:

1. Recyclable Mono-Materials are one of the most promising developments in green packaging. These materials are made from a single type of plastic polymer, such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) which can be recycled far more easily compared to traditional multi-layered materials (that contain a mixture of different polymers, which are difficult to separate in the end-of-life recycling process). By simplifying the recycling process, mono-materials help to increase recycling rates and reduce the volume of waste that ends-up in landfill. For more insights on this topic, check-out our recent article on “A Quick Guide to Eco-Friendly Packaging.“
2. Biodegradable/Compostable Materials are another approach to Green Packaging. Materials such as Polylactic Acid (PLA) are derived from the fermentation of organic materials such as; Sugar Beet, Cellulose, Maize, Cassava and Sugar Cane. As a consequence of their natural origin, these plastic-like materials break-down naturally and far more quickly in the natural environment, reducing the long-term impact of packaging waste.

   It is worth nothing that, Compostable Packaging offers significant advantages relative to Recyclable Packaging in food packaging sector. This is because used packaging from these products often retaining edible residues (or odours) from the food matter that this were in contact with. This complicates the recycling process, and requires additional cleaning measures prior to recycling. Therefore, for the Food Sector Compostable Packaging hold significant benefits.

3. Reduced Material Usage: Green Packaging can also involve optimising the amount of material used. By reducing the thickness of materials to the minimum viable level or by designing packages to reduce the amount of material used, manufacturers can lower their environmental impact. This approach not only conserves resources but also reduces costs due to less packaging being required and also due to decreased transportation bill, as the packaging is frequently lighter and also more compact.

   In addition to lower costs, one should also note that due to this lighter and more compact packaging, one’s carbon footprint is also reduced because fewer truck journeys are require and/or lighter truck journeys are possible.

4. Blended Packaging Materials: Green Packaging can also incorporate the blending of virgin packaging materials with a proportion of recycled polymers. This reduces the demand for virgin resources, and lowers the impact on our environment.
5. Green Power Packaging: Additionally, implementing energy-efficient manufacturing processes, or drawing your packaging lines’ powder from green sources, can also boost your products and/or your packaging’s green credentials

Green Packaging and the Pharmaceutical Industry

As the technical challenges of Green Packaging become apparent to legislators, it is likely that certain sectors, such as the Pharmaceutical and Medical Diagnostic industries, will be excluded from certain elements of Green Packaging Legislation. This is because they are driven by the need to ensure patient safety, as well as product stability and efficacy, which often precludes the use of certain eco-friendly or biodegradable materials (e.g. Many bio-based polymers present unresolved risks related to leachable and chemical migration, moisture permeability, and shelf-life degradation—factors that are unacceptable for products requiring validated barrier performance and long-term stability4)

Despite these restrictions, these industries are increasingly adopting innovative strategies to reduce their overall carbon footprint. Such as optimising supply chain logistics, employing energy-efficient manufacturing processes, and redesigning packaging to minimise material use—all while maintaining compliance with strict safety standards.

In the broader context, these industries exemplify the delicate balancing act between patient safety and environmental responsibility—a challenge akin to walking a tightrope.

If you work in the Pharma or Medical sector, and would like to identify the most suitable packaging solutions for your products, customers and industry regulations, please click here for a callback, and we will be happy to help you further

The Future of Green Packaging

Green Packaging is here to stay and will further increase in importance as a point of differentiation for manufacturers as the consumer becomes more educated and discerning.

Consulting with Baltimore Innovations, to gain a competitive advantage against you rivals via to green packaging not only gives makes you more attractive to consumers, it also ensures compliance, and positions your company as industry leaders within you market segment. The future of Green Packaging heavily favours “First Mover Advantage”

Our team has over 70 years’ worth of experience, helping customers solve their packaging problems, and we’d be very happy to help you too click here for a call-back !

Samples SUPERGREENPAK Green Packaging

Need some samples ? …No problem ! 😉

click here for a sample of our Recyclable Pouches

click here for a sample of our Compostable Pouches

click here for a sample of our shelf-life extending Humidity Regulators

click here for a sample of our shelf-life extending Desiccants

click here for a sample of our shelf-life extending Oxygen-Level Controllers

Let us help you

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Our team has over 70 years’ worth of experience helping customers solve their packaging problems, and we’d be very happy to help you too.

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What to Read Next:

– What is Sustainable Packaging?

– Eco-Friendly Packaging

– What is Compostable Packaging?

– Ways to Compost your Sustainable Packaging?