Members of the PaperFlex Consortium \u2013 convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and powered by (RE)SET \u2013 join forces to develop alternative solutions for flexible plastic packaging. Pablo Costa, Unilever\u2019s Global Head of Packaging, explains more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Firstly, Pablo, can you tell us the idea behind the PaperFlex Consortium?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The objective is to accelerate the development and roll-out of responsibly designed paper-based flexible packaging solutions through R&D partnership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The focus is on markets where flexible plastic packaging is widely used but there are limited formal collection and recycling systems. The aim is to design alternatives that are recyclable as collection systems improve, and biodegradable in the event that they unintentionally end up in the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unilever is a founding member alongside five other global consumer goods manufacturers. Rather than trying to tackle the same technical challenges separately, we saw an opportunity to move further and faster by working together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Closing that gap is not straightforward. Flexible packaging must protect products, preserve shelf life, withstand complex supply chains and run efficiently on high-speed manufacturing lines, making paper-based alternatives one of the most technically demanding areas of packaging innovation today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Consortium builds on the findings of the Foundation\u2019s Paper-Based Flexible Packaging report, published earlier this year. This highlights the gap between current technologies and the ambition for recyclable and compostable flexible materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How exactly will members work together?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Through this open and voluntary consortium, we\u2019re all working to create flexible paper-based packaging at the performance, scale and cost required. Together, we\u2019ll shape, fund and conduct collaborative trials in technologies that deliver product protection, shelf life and consumer usability, and test how materials perform on manufacturing lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Avoiding fragmentation and duplication of R&D efforts will help us to develop and scale promising innovations faster and at a lower cost, getting new options to consumers sooner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The consortium also aims to help businesses comply with quickly emerging packaging regulations around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What are the pros and cons of using paper in packaging?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Right now, paper is the only widely recyclable and compostable packaging material on the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, on its own, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is why many paper-based packaging solutions today often require a thin layer of plastic film to provide barrier protection, and seal and protect what\u2019s inside. A pack\u2019s sealing properties are particularly important for liquid products like laundry detergent and shampoo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Engineering paper to perform like plastic is one of the most technically complex material science challenges\u202four\u202fR&D\u202fteams face today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What has Unilever already been doing about this issue?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To accelerate\u202four paper-based flexibles innovation, we have more than doubled our investment in packaging R&D in recent years. We have a team of more than 60 material scientists working on next-generation paper-based materials and advanced barrier coatings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To date, we\u2019ve assessed over 3,000 emerging materials and technologies, including those from other industry sectors \u2013 like pharmaceuticals and electronics \u2013 that aren\u2019t currently used in packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They include bio-sourced and mineral-based materials such as plant-based proteins and ultra-thin\u202fplastic-free\u202fcoatings derived from naturally abundant compounds like silica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no one-size-fits-all solution. Innovations\u202fmust be\u202ftailored by product and geography, and even by where it lives in a household. For example,\u202fsoap packaging that\u2019s kept in a bathroom has to withstand extremely humid conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s equally important to ensure the paper fibres used are sustainably sourced, to avoid unintended consequences that might run counter to our goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Does Unilever have any solutions already on the shelves?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We have a range of paper-based flexible technologies moving to deployment in-market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, in the UK we\u2019ve launched recyclable paper-based Knorr stock cube wrappers. Because stock cubes\u202fcontain\u202ffat\u202fcontent, the packaging\u202fneeds to stop\u202fgrease from soaking through or staining the paper, which\u202fcan\u202fweaken the pack\u202fand\u202faffect shelf life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This isn\u2019t a simple material swap: it requires a full supply chain transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve had\u202fto\u202fadjust\u202four factory equipment\u202fto ensure the folded paper wrappers can run smoothly\u202fand\u202freliably on our production lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Crucially, these early-stage launches are helping us\u202fshift our\u202fsupply chain, adapt our\u202ffactory lines and\u202funderstand how consumers react to the new packs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why is the PaperFlex Consortium so important?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For recyclable and compostable paper-based flexibles to be viable requires a step-change in the packaging industry, shared learning and economies of scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No single company can address the\u202fcost, infrastructure and scaling barriers alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Collaborations and partnerships are absolutely crucial\u202fto\u202fhelping solutions reach the market more quickly, increase collective impact and\u202freduce costs over time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Members of the PaperFlex Consortium \u2013 convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and powered by (RE)SET \u2013 join forces to develop alternative solutions for flexible plastic packaging. Pablo Costa, Unilever\u2019s Global Head of Packaging, explains more. Firstly, Pablo, can you tell us the idea behind the PaperFlex Consortium? The objective is to accelerate the development<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[51,191],"class_list":["post-23513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-flexible-packaging","tag-top-news","tag-unilever"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23513","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=23513"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23515,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23513\/revisions\/23515"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}