Facilitating the Use of Recycled Content in Packaging

September 30, 2010

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition released a report on the opportunities and challenges for using recycled content in plastic packaging

“Guidelines for Increasing Post Consumer Recycled Content in Plastic Packaging” addresses common issues and strategies for increasing recycled content in common beverage, dairy, electronic, household care and laundry, pharmaceutical, personal care product, and snack plastic packaging.

Katherine O'Dea

The report is intended to facilitate better communication between retailers and manufacturers –– who have seen an increase in consumer demand for packaging using recycled content –– and converters who must grapple with technical, regulatory, and aesthetic challenges in making packaging with recycled content.

"Using recycled content is an environmental strategy that is understood and embraced by consumers, so there’s significant market demand to change the way we make plastic packaging," said Katherine O'Dea, senior fellow with GreenBlue who led research project and authored the report. "This is the first practical resource to offer guidance and solutions for using recycled materials in specific high-volume plastic packaging applications, and it sets aggressive yet realistic expectations for increasing recycled content use."

The report provides reference charts that offer a snapshot of the performance requirements, regulatory, technical, and aesthetic considerations, and market availability challenges in using recycled content. It also includes technical information and solutions for overcoming many of the challenges detailed in the report.

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition, a project of the nonprofit sustainability institute GreenBlue, is an industry working group of more than 200 companies from across the packaging supply chain.

The report is available free to Sustainable Packaging Coalition members and $75 for non-members.

Read These Related Articles:

Keywords: recycling, rsearch, sustainable packaging, sustainable packaging coalition greenblue

« View All Articles

Guest Columns

Key Themes Emerge at FMI Sustainability Summit

Areas of focus included making the business case for sustainability, leadership development and radical collaboration.

Source: Food Marketing Institute

What's Your Sustainability Elevator Speech?

A new FMI toolkit offers concise, customizable strategic language to help executives effectively articulate the business case for sustainability in less than 60 seconds.

Source: Food Marketing Institute

On a Mission to Reduce Food Waste

FMI, GMA and the National Restaurant Association are developing an aggressive strategy that will direct more edible food to the hungry and waste away from landfills.

Source: Food Marketing Institute

See All Guest Columns »