Six global consumer goods companies have come together to launch the PaperFlex Consortium to accelerate the development of responsibly designed paper-based alternatives to flexible plastic packaging.

The PaperFlex Consortium, convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and powered by (RE)SET, includes Colgate-Palmolive, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever, as founding members and is open for others to join.

Members of the PaperFlex Consortium.

Fast grow of flexible packaging and its plastic waste problem

Flexible plastic packaging, including sachets, wrappers and pouches, is the fastest-growing type of plastic packaging worldwide, and scaled solutions to recycle the material are currently not widely available.

Small-format flexible plastic packaging is also identified as one of three key systemic barriers to tackling plastic waste in the Foundation’s 2030 Plastics Agenda for Business.

Collaborate on packaging innovations

The PaperFlex Consortium will focus on markets where flexible plastic packaging is widely used and where a lack of collection and recycling systems could increase their likelihood of ending up in the environment.

For those markets, the consortium aims to design alternatives that are recyclable as collection systems improve, and biodegradable in the event they unintentionally end up in the environment.

Over the next few years, the consortium, through its members, intends to shape, fund and conduct collaborative trials covering innovations in areas such as biodegradable coatings, and other technologies that deliver product protection, shelf life, and consumer usability, and improve how paper-based materials perform on manufacturing lines.

Joint research and development efforts will help develop and scale promising innovations faster and at a lower cost, getting new options to consumers in shorter time.