Emerging Technologies Driving the Next Generation of Eco-friendly Rigid Packaging

In an interaction with Asia Business Outlook, Mr. Sanjay Chincholikar, Business Head of Cosmo Plastech & Cosmo Sunshield, highlights the major breakthroughs in the rigid packaging industry and how companies are tailoring their offerings to the carbon-conscious consumer. He boasts a rich experience spanning over 38 years across manufacturing, engineering, projects, R&D, technical services, quality control, sales, and marketing.

How would you describe the current state of the rigid packaging industry in terms of its commitment to sustainability and eco-friendliness? Can you provide insights into recent trends or developments in rigid packaging technologies that contribute to environmental sustainability? Rigid packaging is increasingly preferred over flexible packaging. The problem with flexible packaging is the film layer, which has a propensity to end up in the oceans in tatters, posing a challenge in the cleanup. Another problem that manifests due to this activity is the difficulty of recycling. The film is made up of two or more plastics, which makes it even more complex for the recycling process, as every plastic has its own parameters for recycling. Even if it is recycled, it is close to impossible to reuse. Rigid packaging is advantageous in this regard as it is made of mono-plastic, a single-layer plastic that is increasingly adopted in the FMCG sector. For example, noodle cups and ice cream cups all use these plastics, and it is easier to collect them upon disposal as they don’t easily break down like flexible plastics. The labelling on these plastics is also of the same type as the container.

Currently, there are three types of plastics that are widely used in the industry: polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyester. Rigid containers made from these are easy to collect, usable in recycling facilities and can be labelled with non-toxic ink. They also have the added benefit that their properties allow them to be repurposed for something other than their original function. The increased life cycle prevents them from being disposed of prematurely, which contributes to their sustainability.

What emerging technologies do you foresee having a significant impact on the future of rigid packaging, particularly in the context of eco-friendly solutions?

The thin wall injection moulding process is increasingly adopted and developed to a great degree in the rigid packaging industry. Plastic manufacturers are attempting to reduce the use of plastic by reducing the weight per unit down to a great extent. Currently, manufacturers who utilize 1000 tons of packaging have decreased it to 800 tons, sometimes 700 tons. This has resulted in a series of advantages for transportation and shelf appeal.

As the cargo load decreases, it takes less fuel to transport them, thus reducing pollution levels. The plastic containers can be designed in an extremely efficient way to fit into corrugated boxes. Retail outlets like malls and supermarkets charge the FMCG companies on the basis of shelf space. Here, the packaging manufacturers can show off their prowess by designing in such a way that the maximum number of units can be stacked in the designated shelf space.

What promising materials do you see that will be adopted for eco-friendly rigid packaging in the future?

One common misconception that needs clarity is biodegradable labelling. Biodegradable and eco-friendly tags are used interchangeably. There are two kinds of biodegradable materials. Compostable and non-compostable. Compostable materials break down, which can be absorbed by the soil, while compostables, upon breaking down, release products that harm the soil. However, the definition of eco-friendly is disposal, which does not harm the environment. So, we should be looking at compostable materials.

Paper has already presented itself as a sustainable alternative, although it has its shortcomings, the major ones being its weakness against moisture and oxygen. This is being overcome by putting a layer of edible coating on the inner walls of rigid paper containers. Major fast food outlets use these paper cups and have completely discarded the use of plastic cups.

Raw materials from Starch and cellulose, which are made from natural resources, are the future of eco-friendly packaging.

What factors do you believe are crucial in gaining consumer acceptance and promoting the use of sustainable packaging?

The first and foremost exercise that must be carried out is raising awareness. Whenever a brand launches a product in a different packaging, the reasoning and composition of the new design must be conveyed to the consumer. Instructions for its disposal must also be mentioned on the labelling of the packaging.

Consumers always seek convenience. E-commerce has prided itself on its consumer convenience aspect. FMCG products, which are majorly reliant on e-commerce rather than retail store shelf appeal, can leverage this and design their packaging solely with user experience in mind.

When offering eco-friendly alternatives, if the convenience aspect is emphasized strongly, consumers will naturally gravitate towards it. We need to understand that if we are providing an eco-friendly alternative to plastic packaging, we must make sure the substitute can replicate all the aspects of plastic.

What do you foresee as the future of the rigid packaging industry concerning eco-friendly solutions?

We have to note that producing paper has a large carbon footprint even though it is not visible on the end user side. A development which is seen to tackle this has been made on the chemical recycling front. We know that plastics are all derived from crude oil. In the future, it’ll be possible to break down any kind of plastic, be it rigid or flexible, into oil, and that oil can be used to produce new plastic. This can be a cyclic process if it is possible to harvest all the plastics and chemically recycle them. This makes it theoretically possible to reuse plastics as much as we want. Meanwhile, the mechanical recycling equipment and processes will also develop as the market demand increases.

Another development we can see in the next five years is smart packaging. There are two segments: active packaging and intelligent packaging. In active packaging, the main focus is on increasing the shelf life of the commodity compared to its traditional counterpart. Intelligent packaging is purely targeted to consumer benefits. The label will show green on the packaging if the food is good, and if it’s expired, the colour will turn red. This enables the consumer to judge the condition of the product from the shelf without the need to pick it up and analyse the information on it.