The global environmental crisis, including climate change, waste pollution, and environmental degradation need dramatic and fast reaction and a major paradigm shift in consumption. Fibre-based substitution of plastic packaging is one of the solutions the bioproducts industry can offer.
The pandemic revealed how damaging it can be if global supply chains focus solely on efficiency. Changing an existing supply chain is not simple, as it has to be sustainable and secure, and it still needs to balance the demands for cost efficiency.
For forest industry companies, packaging of different wood, paper, board, tissue and pulp products have been flying outside the sustainability radar. Fossil-based materials, especially plastics, are widely used in the forest products supply chain, thus a lot of room for improvement exists sustainability-wise.
The development of a recycling infrastructure for packaging waste is a longer-term goal, which will be needed in order to more efficiently utilize raw materials and support circularity and by that a more sustainable future for our globe. What is surprising, is the currently lacking sorting of used food packaging in fast food restaurants, as typically all trash is placed into the same bin.
Investing with consideration to issues beyond financial returns, or active ownership, has become widespread during the past decade. ESG investing implies investments that simultaneously seek both positive returns and positive impact on society and the environment considering ethical, governance and sustainability issues. Change has been driven simultaneously by regulators, clients, companies as well as asset managers.
The growing e-commerce will not only increase the demand for packaging, but it is changing the packaging solutions for good. What will be the most important characteristics of packaging when the competition is not on the shelf in a retail store?