Sustainable packaging is on the rise, reports the Green Economy Post. "Companies continue to face growing pressure from consumers, government and the media to make their operations and products more sustainable. One area that companies are increasingly focusing on is sustainable packaging. (...) A report from independent market analyst Datamonitor also identifies sustainable packaging as a growing consumer issue, revealing that while sustainable packaging is not yet a primary motivator of purchases, it is increasingly expected by consumers".

However, although there is no consensus on what actually constitutes sustainable packaging, the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) defines it as packaging that is “sourced responsibly, designed to be effective and safe throughout its life cycle, meets market criteria for performance and cost, made entirely using renewable energy and once used, is recycled efficiently to provide a valuable resource for subsequent generations.”

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Opinion:

It's good to hear that more and more consumers and producers are aware of packaging issues. Still, a walk to your supermarket will show that we are still far away from using the potential of eco-friendly packaging in everyday life. Also, I wonder how many small and medium-sized enterprises have the knowledge, manpower and time to analyse how sustainable their packaging is. And sme make up for 99 % of all companies in the EU. Having said that, I do hope that unsustainable plastic packaging will soon become an issue of the past. There is simply no way we can afford the pollution going with it.

Picture credit: kevindooley