Based on the new study, The Future Lifecycles of Packaging Recycling to 2023 , Smithers Pira pin- points five areas that are boosting demand and the accessibility to recycling packaging materials. The Circular Economy and Climate Change Although it feels ubiquitous to much of today’s gen- erations, widespread recycling is a relatively new phenomenon. Before recycling became popular, packaging waste was traditionally buried in landfill sites or incinerated.Although both are still prevalent, landfill is now considered a last resort; it sits at the bottom of the European Waste hierarchy with incin- eration just above. A shift is beginning from a linear ‘take, make, waste’ economy — where materials are used just once be- fore disposal — to a circular one, which minimizes the use of raw materials, energy and water and re- processes materials into new products rather than simply throwing them away. In order to accelerate change, the European Union has set out a strategy for moving to a circular econo- my. The New Plastics Economy laid out by the Ellen McArthur Foundation (EMF) is based on the circular economy model, cascading to the UK (for plastics only) as the UK Plastics Pact. Signatories include
Flexible Packaging ( Cont’d from Page 1)
and print industry supply chains, has pinpointed five trends that are helping to boost the market. The global packaging market stood at $827.7 bil- lion in 2016 and is expected to grow to $980.4 bil- lion by 2022. Metal (steel) is currently the most recycled material, however plastic is forecast to show the highest levels of growth to 2023, with 19-24 per- cent of plastic being collected and reused. Other ma- terials such as paper and glass have relativity high collection rates but show signs of little growth. Manufacturers, brand owners and retailers are now looking to shift toward a circular economy, as is the goal stated by AESOP, in which no material is wasted but is used multiple times. Brands and retailers are setting themselves targets to ensure that their packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable, alongside their existing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitments, and are creating ambitious targets for incorporating recycled plastics content, according to Smithers Pira. Through campaigning and the use of social media, there is heightened interest in packaging and the en- vironment, especially plastics, and an increasing pres- sure on companies from both the general public and shareholders.
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6 April 1, 2019 Flexo Market News
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