Here at Whitlam Group, we often provide knowledge on the growing trends within the packaging and labeling industry. In the past, we have mentioned how much people have turned their focus to “green-minded” solutions. But exactly how important are these “green” factors to labeling and packaging professionals? It’s obvious people are trying to become more eco-friendly, but what factors are causing problems in the development of these materials?
Recently, DuPont put together a survey consisting of more than 500 of the packaging world’s experts.  According to 40 percent of the people surveyed, the biggest problem in developing eco-friendly products is the development of sustainable packaging. Another 33 percent stated that the cost is the primary issue when developing these materials.
According to DuPont president of Packaging & Industrial Polymers, William Harvey “sustainable cost-effective solutions that reduce packaging’s environmental footprint are a top goal across geographies.”
The problem with the sustainability issue is that they require multiple strategies. According to the people who were respondents on the DuPont survey, which also work on the sustainability side of packaging, 65 percent state that their main efforts are focused on creating a recyclable design, 57 percent are focused on reducing weight and 41 percent rely on renewable and bio-based materials.
According to Harvey “these survey results confirm that there are many pathways to improving packaging sustainability.”
Sustainability with its relationship to eco-friendly packaging assembly is obviously a huge issue. What types of things are hindering you or your organization from improving the sustainability of your packaging efforts?