ANDREW MANLY
Communications Director, AIPIA

While sustainability and recycling seem set to dominate the packaging agenda for the foreseeable future, there is a great risk that the sector will lose sight of other imperatives which could have major impacts on the environment as well as the way packaging is used. Thankfully some technologies are being developed, such as Smart Packaging, to show that value can be created through packaging in many other ways.

Despite many claims from pressure groups, environmental NGOs and even some Governments, that nearly all plastics packaging is bad – particularly single use plastics – there is plenty of evidence that plastics has far less environmental impact than many alternatives (such as rigid containers, glass, metal or paperboard) as well as delivering superior protection and preservation for the product inside.

Reducing food waste is high on the agenda and several Life Cycle Analyses (LCAs) show that most flexible plastics is more efficient than many other materials in extending the life of perishable foods or inhibiting microbial growth. It seems that consumers are subjected to an exercise in ‘green washing’, being told about th ...