The UK’s biggest packaging trade show is back and set to demonstrate the latest trends, innovations and technologies shaking up the primary and secondary packaging scene. Sustainability will inevitably be the buzzword of Packaging Innovations 2020 as suppliers continue the innovation race towards
greener solutions in circular plastics, plastic-alternatives and plastic-free solutions. Notably, the show’s must-see event the Big Plastics Debate has transitioned to the Big Carbon Debate, as global plastic pollution integrates into the overarching climate change debate.
Nick Brown, Head of Sustainability at Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) has cautioned that swapping out plastics for other materials without addressing the fundamental challenges of material collection could increase the environmental impacts of packaging and decrease its effectiveness.
Although end of life disposal remains a key issue, companies must consider the net environmental impact and carbon footprint of packaging across the entire lifecycle to achieve meaningful sustainability, Michel Steinecke, R&D Sustainable Packaging Manager for Britvic, tells PackagingInsights.
The UK government must take an interventionist approach to packaging sustainability to prevent companies from pulling in different directions and creating more consumer confusion. This is the view of Green Alliance Senior Policy Advisor Libby Peake who will be speaking about the need to make holistic and strategic choices in packaging at Packaging Innovations 2020 in Birmingham, UK, next week.
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