Sustainability, Circularity Are Critical Factors To The Success Of Packaging Manufacturers BY SUSAN RILEY Sustainability will continue to be the buzz word in manufacturing for the foreseeable future, with many packaging manufacturers touting their aims to support a circular industrial economy in this age of the internet and renewable energy. The results of the National Association of Manu- facturers’ (NAM) Sustainability and the Circular Econ- omy research survey indicates that manufacturers increasingly view sustainability as a critical factor in their future success. Sixty-eight percent of exec- utives polled say they are implementing extensive, corporate-wide sustainability strategies, which is nearly double the 39 percent who indicated so in 2019, according to NAM. Why is this? According to the survey, company execs believe sustain- able practices align with their corporate values, contribute to a healthier environment, and quite simply, improves their reputation with customers and investors. Priorities towards this goal include energy efficiency and net-zero emission targets, and 4.0 technologies including analytics, PLM software, and IoT sensor data. In 2022, companies expressing their vision for a circular economy was a common theme in Board Converting News : • In November, Cascades announced that all its consumer product packaging would be evaluated by How2Recycle for their recycling potential. How2Recycle is a standardized package labeling system launched by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition that communicates recycling instructions to the public. Cascades aims to make all its packaging recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2030. • In March, Green Bay Packaging announced that its mill achieved net-zero water in its production of 100 percent recycled container- board paper, the first-ever UL with validation of this environmental claim. This was accomplished using reclaimed water and alternative water sources instead of freshwater. • Graphic Packaging International introduced its “KeelClip” this year, which eliminates plastic rings and shrink wrap on Coca-Cola multi- packs. • Greif secured a $2.4 million financing package tied to its sustainability performance and commitment to reduce the environmental impact of its products and operations. • Packaging experts at sustainability leader DS Smith envision a “self-healing” box that could be reused again and again in their blue- print for the future. Paperboard packaging, a renewable resource contributing to a circu- lar economy, is also reflected in recycling rates that are increasing steadi- ly year by year in the U.S. and Canada. In the U.S., the Old Corrugated Containers (OCC) recycling rate has increased from 54 percent in 1993 to the current rate of 91.4 percent, according to the American Forest & Pa- per Association (AF&PA). And recycling content of Canadian shipments of containerboard, boxboard and kraft paper was 81.7 percent in 2020, up from 73.5 percent in 2018, according to a survey released this year by the Paper and Paperboard Packaging Environmental Council (PPEC). Sustainability and circularity are buzz words that are here to stay. Susan Riley is the Associate Editor at Board Converting News. Reach her at sriley@nvpublications.com. Susan Riley
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December 26, 2022
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