Consumer Sustainability Push Drives Packaging Innovation: rPET, Paper Bottles and Recyclable Cartons Gain Ground

New research from IRI and the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business (CSB) shows that 77% of consumers view sustainability as important when selecting products—8% higher than the 2021 survey. As expectations keep shifting, CPG manufacturers and retailers must understand and respond to these demands.

Packaging is one of the fastest-growing areas. Nielsen’s “Sustainability: The New Consumer Spending Outlook” report found that by September 2022, “sustainable packaging” claims had risen 18% compared with three years earlier.

Consumer demand is driving that increase: Nielsen found 53% of consumers want companies to cut plastic in packaging, while 46% want sustainable packaging materials.

These eco-friendly products are not a passing trend. IRI and CSB research indicates that 27% of shoppers—and 32% of Gen Z and millennials—specifically look for retailers that offer sustainable products, suggesting these preferences may persist and grow.

Below are recent packaging solutions that can help meet this rising demand.

From fresh produce to snacks, brands are embedding sustainability into everyday shelf-ready formats.

Upward Farms’ new resealable packaging for organic microgreens gives consumers a more sustainable product, using 38% less plastic than ordinary green clamshell packaging.

Eco-conscious concepts from CPG

In produce, organic vertical farming company Upward Farms recently introduced a resealable packaging design for its USDA-certified organic microgreens. Compared with standard green clamshells, the new design cuts plastic by 38% and uses post-consumer recycled material. The sealed plastic trays stack easily and open and close more easily than traditional clamshells. The resealable technology also extends microgreen shelf life.

“Continually reducing Upward Farms’ carbon footprint is our top priority, and our new packaging marks an important milestone in that journey,” said Jason Green, CEO and co-founder of Brooklyn, New York-based Upward Farms. “Upward Farms’ new packaging is made using post-consumer recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET), one of the only truly recyclable plastics.”

Eric Greifenberger, vice president of marketing and sales at Upward Farms, added: “Implementing this resealable technology allows us to add value for consumers by offering more sustainable, more effective packaging. Functionality is extremely important to us and to our consumers, and through rigorous testing we designed a solution that is easy to reseal, can be stored in the consumer’s refrigerator and maintains freshness.”

Mars is also working with PET. The confectionery manufacturer has partnered with packaging manufacturer Berry Global Group to launch pantry-sized snacks in PET jars that are optimized to reduce weight and contain 15% post-consumer resin (PCR).

These moves show how material innovation is expanding from single-serve items to larger-format packaging.

Kraft Heinz’s iconic Heinz tomato ketchup is set to become the first sauce brand to develop a sustainable paper bottle with packaging technology company Pulpex.

The easy-grip square jars are produced by Evansville, Indiana-based Berry using single-pellet food-grade resin to ensure a clean, consistent substrate from mechanical recycling. In addition to PCR content, the jars are widely recyclable.

The jars come in 60-ounce, 81-ounce and 87-ounce sizes and will reduce roughly 300 tons of virgin plastic annually. For the 81-ounce and 87-ounce products, Berry also reduced each jar’s weight by 10 grams, cutting 374 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). That reduction is equivalent to consuming 42,084 gallons of gasoline, charging 45,494,350 smartphones and powering 72.8 homes for a year.

“At Mars, we want to contribute to a circular economy where packaging material never becomes waste but is recycled, reused or composted,” asserted Justin Comes, vice president of R&D at McLean, Virginia-based Mars Wrigley North America. “We have set an aggressive, science-based strategy to innovate our packaging, and changing these large-format jars to 15% PCR is an important step toward a more sustainable future.”

Better sustainable packaging does not always require science. For example, Chicago-based Kraft Heinz brand Shake ‘N Bake will cut 900,000 pounds of plastic waste annually through its first packaging update. In November, the brand announced it would remove plastic “shaker” bags from its products, opening a new era for its iconic packaging.

The brand is encouraging consumers to use reusable containers instead of shaker bags to shake on extra crunch for their favorite recipes. According to the brand, this simple change to family mealtime helps eliminate plastic equivalent to the weight of more than 270 midsize cars.

“While the shaker bag has been an important part of our tradition, our product works just as well and tastes just as good without plastic waste, and we are excited about all the benefits of this simple but effective packaging change,” noted Brianna Galvin.

Bumble Bee Seafood has achieved 98% easy-to-recycle packaging and pioneered the switch of multipack canned products to paperboard cartons, estimated to reduce 23 million pieces of plastic waste annually.

Another CPG company, Bumble Bee Seafoods, says it also reduces about 23 million pieces of plastic waste annually by becoming the first shelf-stable seafood brand to switch multipack canned products from shrink wrap to easily recyclable paperboard cartons. The change applies to all multipacks made by San Diego-based Bumble Bee—23 SKUs in total, including 4-can, 6-can, 8-can, 10-can and 12-can packs. The paperboard is made from 100% recycled material, contains at least 35% post-consumer content and is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. That means the multipacks are fully recyclable, both the outer box and the cans inside.

Award-winning green solutions

To further eliminate plastic pollution in the packaging value chain, Walmart Inc. recently joined the U.S. Plastics Pact at GreenBiz VERGE 2022 in October in San Jose, California, and unveiled the first winners of its Sustainable Packaging Innovation Award. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer donated use of its recently launched Circular Connector platform to support the award.

Winners spanned four categories—compostability, recyclability, refill and reuse—and each highlighted scalability, low-cost efficiency or customer-first recommendations.

The winners were Smile Compostable Solutions for compostability, Amcor for recyclability, Clorox for refill and DeliverZero for reuse.

Darien, Connecticut-based Smile offers a convenient, sustainable solution for polypropylene plastic (PP #5) coffee pods, especially where recycling is limited and food contact is involved. PP #5 pods are rarely recycled because they are small and require separating the lid, filter and grounds before recycling. Smile’s pods, however, compost whole, eliminating water waste during cleaning and lid disposal.

Shortly after winning, Smile signed a materials sales agreement with Pod Pack International, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based co-manufacturer of single-serve coffee and tea pods and cups. The company can now produce Smile commercially compostable, plant-based and carbon-neutral coffee pods compatible with Keurig brewers, giving Pod Pack customers more sustainability options.

Meanwhile, Zurich-based Amcor’s AmSky is a breakthrough blister system innovation that is vinyl-free and aluminum-free. AmSky is both a more sustainable alternative for popular healthcare packaging and designed for recycling in hard and flexible packaging recycling streams.

The innovation is reaching healthcare, coffee and retail applications, among other scenarios.

These cases show that from materials to recycling infrastructure, the packaging value chain is generating more scalable green options.

Oakland, California-based ... (original truncated)