by Paul Foulkes-Arellano
In recent decades, we’ve seen game-changing improvements in packaging efficiency, with more and more lightweight solutions brought to market. As a result of sustained R&D investment, packaging suppliers have both reduced the environmental impact of their product offering and reduced costs throughout the supply chain. But the increased use of plastics in food and beverage packaging has had unexpected consequences, as evidenced by shocking images across the media.
The changing profile of plastic packaging in recent years has been dramatic. PET plastic bottles are 30% lighter than 15 years ago. And on the back of decades of work to promote slimline packaging, plastic on average accounts for only 1-3% of the total weight of UK food and drink products. But their final resting place is not just landfill.