THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY STRATEGY FOR PLASTICS IN 2030

If we keep on consuming the same amount of plastics, in 10 years we will have gathered a ton of plastics for every 3 tons of fish. And by 2050 there will be more plastics in the sea than fishes. These are the data presented last may at the World Economic Forum in Sweden through the New Plastics Economy.

Moreover in Spain, according to Greenpeace the majority of plastics we consume end up excluded from the recycling processes and become waste. The main type of plastics that harm the planet are PVC. As a consequence of this situation, the European government has developed the new strategy for circular Economy in Plastics.

The challenge is in 2030 all types of plastic packaging must be reusable or recyclable. This new European Strategy for Circular Economy is the driving force of progress and innovation in the packaging sector, distribution and the consuming goods sector.

The defense of a circular economy based on reducing, reusing and recycling is a challenge for sustainability and waste management. The solutions of the industry are the search of new packaging materials that are more long-lasting, reusable and that enable a high quality recycling process. But, we must not forget that packages still have to be safe and easy-to-use by the consumer.

The main alternatives to conventional packages are those that are made of recycled materials originated from renewable sources or compostable materials. In these cases, the challenge is to be able to guarantee the products’ properties and other elements such as the products’ conservation, quality, safety and logistics requirements, a part from providing a comfortable and easy-to-use package to satisfy the consumers needs and expectations.

Safety and sustainability are the DNA of the future packages and that is why when brands are choosing a package it is super important that they take into account these two aspects.

5 CHALLENGES FOR THE PACKAGING VALUE CHAIN

Ground-breaking innovations in new sustainable materials with high service.

The new multilayer films that are able to guarantee quality, safety and conservation of the product. Some examples would be the biopolymers, biobased, compostables and recycled materials.

The importance of eco-design: how can design help to reduce the use of materials and promote recyclability and reusability.

How can we evaluate the sustainability of a package? There are new ecolabels that have been developed to help brands and consumers distinguish between sustainable and unsustainable packages.

The logistics’ challenge: how can we adapt our supply chain to our new sustainable packages.

HOW CAN I KNOW IF A PACKAGE IS SUSTAINABLE?

The amount of ecolabels and sustainable certificates make it difficult to know if the package that we are choosing is recyclable, made from recyclable materials or if it can be reused.

Here you can see a brief guide of the labels and certificates that can help brands and consumers identify the sustainability of a package and, most importantly, how they need to recycle it or reuse it.

SUSTAINABLE COSMETIC PACKAGING

From Molpack our aim is to design and manufacture the best solutions that also reduce the environmental impact. That is why we believe in investing in innovation so we can keep on developing sustainable solutions that are: