A stronger route towards a circular economy could be key to winning back vital sales, claims UK-based flexible packaging converter Eco Flexibles, which is strategising for the post-Covid packaging market.
Company director Matt Francklow commented: “As we return to some sort of normality, how effectively brands can market to environmentally enlightened consumers will be key. Today’s shopper is once again focusing on the ‘green’ credentials of the products they buy, but the umbrella term of ‘sustainability’ is losing its meaning. What consumers want to see is something tangible that they can understand and relate to. This is where demonstrating circular economy principles in packaging design come to the fore.
“Traditionally, brands have kept the technical details of packaging substrates very separate from the consumer, believing shoppers are less interested in terms such as PE, PP or PET, preferring either simple recyclable or non-recyclable messaging. However, we are seeing a much more ‘enlightened’ and engaged consumer, who wants to know more about what the packaging is made from, why, and what its end-of-life disposal options are.
“The idea of their packaging ending up in landfill and incinerators is abhorrent to many shoppers, so it’s natural that robust circular economy principles will prove key to sales. Linear packaging journeys are a big part of why plastics packaging has been so vilified so it’s an ideal time for businesses to boost their sustainable packaging credentials.”
Eco Flexibles has been making its flexible packaging more sustainable by light weighting, making it refillable or recyclable. In particular, the company is working with a number of brands and packers to transition their flexible packaging designs from mixed plastics to new fully recyclable mono-polymer designs with equivalent pack performance.
“Our message to the wider FMCG sector is that today’s consumer is highly engaged with the packaging lifecycle, and that interest isn’t going away any time soon,” added Francklow. “Mono-polymers, which have a clear channel for recovery, allow the consumer to visualise the full lifetime of a pack and are using this to inform purchase decisions. Unlocking the circular economy in everyday products has true commercial value, and its importance to sales recovery cannot be overstated.”
