As a packaging designer and nature lover, I dream of the day when material science and manufacturing can deliver on not only the promise of zero environmental impact, but also high performance, premium finish, and low costs. Many breakthroughs have begun to deliver on this promise: PaperFoam, RPET, and PLA to name a few. However, many of these materials still cannot compete on performanceâand especially not on price. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the commodity materials market has been flooded with new eastern manufacturers, thus increasing the global supply and significantly lowering costs. In addition, the light-weighting movement in the plastics bottling industry and single stream recycling both test the long-term financial viability of the material recycling industry, as they collect on volume and are compensated by weight.
The viability of true sustainability is a rather complex economic challenge, and the ugly truth is that few consumers, brand owners, or municipalities are willing to pay the premium price for cutting edge sustainable packaging solutions. True solutions will come through systematic thinking that requires the material supplier, manufacturer, retailer, consumer, and the municipality to share in the premium costs and labor required to design, collect, and recycle packaged materials. Over time, sustainable materials will become more available and thus less costlyâbut what to do now? If you feel stuck and have given up on sustainable solutions, there is hope and you donât have to look too far.
