The way an item is packaged informs us of its value, it has a practical use to keep the product clean and undamaged, and it can be the difference between a marketing success – or failure. 

We are also anxious about the waste left behind when it has served its purpose. 

Mike Doss, President and CEO at Graphic Packaging International (Graphic Packaging) says that waste is something everyone should care about: 

“Waste is on the end user’s mind. They see big piles of garbage. They worry about consumption. They worry about the world running out of resources.” 

The packaging industry has a role to play in ensuring that things change. Fundamental to this change, says Elizabeth Hargrave, VP Global Quality at Graphic Packaging, are materials: 

“Graphic Packaging makes fiber-based packaging for a variety of end uses. 100 percent of the fiber used at our coated recycled board mills comes from recycled paper and cartons. At our virgin mills, the primary fiber source is trees, which come from certified and responsibly managed forests.“

Michelle Fitzpatrick, VP & Chief Sustainability Officer at Graphic Packaging says that good management of the forests is essential as they play such an important role in the carbon cycle: 

“Net annual carbon sequestration in US forests offsets approximately 10 percent of the US economy’s carbon emissions. Our principles for sustainable forest management include working with landowners and loggers to educate them and advance their use of responsible practices.”

Tom Garsed, Business Unit Director at Graphic Packaging says that there must first and foremost be a practical, functional side to packaging: 

“We work closely with our customers and assess the full end-to-end value chain. We consider the journey that the packaging makes through the manufacturing process, to consumption and then at the end of its life to ensure that it can be correctly collected and recycled. The success of a pack is its integrity, functionality and strength, and that’s really necessary through the supply chain until a consumer gets it home.” 

Elodie Bugnicourt, Sustainability Manager EMEA at Graphic Packaging demonstrates how rethinking the materials used can mean the end of life for packaging can easily become the beginning of the next recycling process:

“We design for optimal recyclability. For example, paper can reduce the use of plastic by between 80 and 90 percent versus a traditional plastic tray. We design packaging so that the different components can be easily separated by the consumer, making it easy to enter the right collection streams,”

Ricardo De Genova, Senior VP, Global Innovation & New Business Development at Graphic Packaging says that the company is keen to work collaboratively to find the right packaging solutions:

“Today working alone will not take you to where you need to go. Within Graphic Packaging, we take a holistic approach to how we innovate. We couple our material science, engineering, and design with partners across our own value chains. This is key for us to bring innovation to the market at speed.” 

Part of this collaboration means bringing everyone together to participate in a circular economy. De Genova says that the drive to change is also an opportunity to do better:

“Packaging is evolving from being something that protects a product to being something that interacts with consumers. In the future, we’ll see more smart types of packaging that let you know, for instance, whether or not something is approaching its shelf life. We see the possibility of joining our efforts around solutions that will make consumers’ lives more convenient and practical.” 

Mike Doss believes that in the Americas, there is a duty to follow the example of other countries who have more developed infrastructures. 

“The recycling and systems in place for recycling in Japan and Europe are far superior to what we have here in the United States. The consumer knows that we can do a better job as well. We are working with customers to create opportunities to recycle more of the material so that we can collect it and get it back to our mills so we can use it again, cost effectively. Ultimately, that’s what the consumer wants to see happen.”

Ricardo De Genova says that one of the biggest problems facing the health of the planet is something we use every day. But, he says, he and his team are motivated to make a difference:

“We are looking at solving big problems and the fact that they are big and difficult, they do not stop us. They serve as a motivation for us to aim higher.”