At our Global Packaging R&D Centre, we\u2019re putting significant investment into developing new sustainable packaging materials and technologies. Read how this is accelerating the delivery of our plastic goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our ambition is an end to plastic pollution through reduction, circulation and collaboration, and our Global Packaging R&D Centre is home to a specialist team of experts dedicated to making this vision a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve more than doubled our investment in materials science and technology in recent years and we\u2019re further boosting our in-house expertise as we accelerate delivery against our ambitious plastic goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur plastic progress is industry-leading, but we cannot be complacent,\u201d explains Pablo Costa, our Global Head of Packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re now taking materials science into our own hands. Our aim is to optimise what we can do in-house, while working end-to-end with our partners and peers to bring these solutions to market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Incorporating more post-consumer recycled (PCR) content into our packaging is key to reducing our virgin plastic use. But it\u2019s not simply a case of swapping one for the other: it\u2019s a complex technical challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recycled plastic we use undergoes rigorous testing and quality checks to ensure our packaging looks and performs like virgin plastic, for example, smelling fresh and with colours that are still bright and appealing to consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year, our Packaging R&D team characterised 160 grades of recycled plastic content to create a digital tool that can predict packaging colour, eliminating the need to create a physical prototype with recycled materials just to see what it will look like. This is saving a huge amount of time and resource, cutting development time by around 25%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also use our Advanced Manufacturing Centre \u2013 our pilot-scale plant for in-house testing \u2013 to optimise our materials and designs virtually before we bring them to market. This further reduces the need for physical tests and factory trials and helps us ensure our packaging is then fit for wide-scale factory roll-out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As part of our goal to make 100% of our flexible plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2035, we\u2019re working on a range of solutions. Our approach is to first eliminate non-essential packaging by scaling alternative product formats and business models. We\u2019re realistic that these will take more time and systemic change, which is why we\u2019re also developing material alternatives to flexible plastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through our \u2018Future Flexibles\u2019 programme, we\u2019re developing materials \u2013 for things like pouches and sachets \u2013 that are both recyclable and compostable. This means designing materials that are compatible with recycling systems and naturally biodegradable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Right now, paper is the only widely recyclable and compostable packaging material on the market. However, on its own, paper is insufficient as a packaging material. It has low barrier properties, it rips easily in industrial production settings and it doesn\u2019t melt, which makes sealing the pack extra challenging. This is why many paper packaging solutions today often require a thin layer of plastic film \u2013 to provide barrier protection, and seal and protect the product inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPackaging liquid products like laundry detergent and shampoo in paper is one of the most technically complex challenges we\u2019re tackling in R&D,\u201d explains Pablo. \u201cThey have higher barrier requirements compared to dry products. The solution lies in removing the plastic film layer by developing material alternatives that can still seal the packaging and provide barrier protection, without impacting its recyclability and natural biodegradability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our Packaging R&D team constantly evaluates emerging materials and technologies. To date, we\u2019ve assessed over 3,000 technologies, including those from other industry sectors \u2013 like pharmaceuticals and electronics \u2013 that are not currently used in packaging. As we continue to scout new innovations, we\u2019re now working with partners to adapt and test the most promising on our broad portfolio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSwitching to recyclable and compostable paper flexibles will require major industry transformation,\u201d Pablo says. \u201cThere are no quick fixes. But we\u2019re already starting work to prepare our supply chain \u2013 and our consumers \u2013 for the transition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Creating new sustainable materials and technologies goes hand in hand with our work to develop and deploy entirely new packaging formats and scalable reuse\u2013refill models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also continue to call for systems change, because voluntary action by businesses is insufficient to turn the tide on plastic pollution. We need ambitious, coordinated policy measures across the full plastic life-cycle that help scale solutions and ensure all businesses play by the same rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnly by working together will we scale alternative materials, formats and models and get closer to delivering our goals,\u201d says Pablo. \u201cWe\u2019re all in when it comes to leading this change.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At our Global Packaging R&D Centre, we\u2019re putting significant investment into developing new sustainable packaging materials and technologies. Read how this is accelerating the delivery of our plastic goals. Our ambition is an end to plastic pollution through reduction, circulation and collaboration, and our Global Packaging R&D Centre is home to a specialist team of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14907,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[191],"class_list":{"0":"post-14906","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tech-innovation","8":"tag-unilever"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14906"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14906\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14908,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14906\/revisions\/14908"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}