PACKAGING IN THE FOOD SECTOR: PLASTIC YES, BUT SUSTAINABLE
In 2022, around 1.6 million units of Plastic-Based packaging were sold globally in the food sector in the retail channel, equal to 66% of total packaging.
The average annual growth expected up to 2027 of packaging units sold in food retail is +2.1%, in line with the expectations for plastic packaging. If, on the one hand, the continued growth of this material appears to contradict the declarations of intent of institutions and the global community, something (perhaps even more than something) is indeed changing.
Although plastic is still seen as a material to be avoided, the first parameter that consumers associate with sustainable packaging is represented by recyclability which, according to research conducted by Euromonitor in 2022, is relevant for one in every two consumers, followed immediately by biodegradability.
In line with this trend, in the last year the number of food products in the retail channel with a “Recyclable” claim increased by 5.5% and those with the wording “Biodegradable” by 33%, nonetheless they still remain niche.
Not being able to count on economically sustainable alternatives and, in some cases, driven by the need to use plastic in their packaging (think of the case of the dairy sector or fresh products in general), companies have introduced a series of actions aimed at reducing plastic consumption and making it easier to dispose it.
From a reduction in weight and quantity of packaging, to the use of mono-material plastic, to the use of R.PET or other recycled materials, up to the search for new materials, almost all companies around the world (97%) have included packaging within their investment priorities, with the aim of identifying intermediate solutions, which represent a transition towards alternative packaging.
Sustainability, which also passes through packaging, is still a choice for companies, but at the same time it is an essential pathway, that must be designed and followed with bigger or smaller steps, in order to avoid undermining the company’s solidity, which would make it impossible to continue growing.
