Trends in sustainable packaging for 2023

In recent years, sustainable packaging has been gaining importance in the purchase decision process of Spanish consumers.

Plataforma Tierra collects data from a True Global Intelligence survey: 51% of consumers consider that the use of sustainable packaging materials is relevant to purchase their items online and one in three consumers claims to have made the decision to make more sustainable purchases when ordering online.

That is why many companies are reinventing themselves, betting on the use of more ecological, recyclable and biodegradable packaging.

Visit www.eliter-packaging.com to find the information of tax on plastics published with royal decree of Spain.

This 2023 will be a key year in the development and evolution of sustainable packaging, since last January 1, the additional tax on non-recycled plastic, manufactured or imported in Spain with a charge of € 0.45 /Kg came into force and some of the trends for this year are:

The 100% biodegradable packaging film

Made from vegetable proteins, it is a new material created by the Biomat research group of the University of Donostia. This biofilm is environmentally friendly and industrially compostable. In addition, it improves the characteristics of traditional films in terms of barrier against oxygen and ultraviolet light.

The 100% compostable packaging

They are packaging that can be decomposed in a compost pile and used as fertilizers. It is composted in organic waste composting plants because they meet the perfect conditions of temperature, humidity and microorganisms.

Custom-made flexible packaging

It is related to bulk buying and is a booming trend because of how practical and profitable it is. Flexible packaging preserves food better, extending its shelf life by maintaining the properties and freshness of food for longer. This translates into less waste.

In addition, they have less environmental impact, since their manufacture consumes resources in a more efficient way, using less energy and water. On the other hand, its transport is also more efficient than that of rigid containers due to its moldable and flat shape.

Recycle, reuse, reduce and reinvent

It is no longer just about recycling, reusing and reducing plastic. The R+D+i departments are committed to reinventing materials that can be biodegradable or 100% recyclable. However, the sector recalls that biodegradation is not an automatic process. It takes time for nature to do its job and this is too slow to reduce the mountains of waste around cities and in the oceans. Hence, for now, the main thing remains to strengthen the recycling chain as a more efficient alternative.

Plastics without oil

This is the development of sustainable packaging for food with polymers or plastics whose origin is not petroleum. For example, the use of starch, bamboo, sugar cane or vegetable peels.