We’re hearing variations of this question from brand owners and converters worldwide:
“How can we produce packaging that protects the health and safety of people while protecting the environment and enabling a circular economy.”
It’s a big ask and, of course, there is no quick-fix, magic solution that will address all this overnight. BUT, at Archroma Packaging Technologies, we have made it our mission to create chemistries that enable packaging to do just that. We believe that progress will always happen faster when there is close collaboration across the packaging supply chain.
While these collaborations continue to take shape – from raw materials suppliers, manufacturers and designers, to regulators, research institutions and consumers, we are continually collaborating directly with customers and tailoring solutions that overcome their specific packaging application challenges, right now.
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It all starts with chemistry.
Though it’s often the unsung hero, chemistry is central to answering the above question. Why? Because it’s chemistry that keeps packaging strong, safe, and functional while also ensuring it is easier to recycle. It’s chemistry that can give paper fibres a second, third, even twenty-fifth life before they start to break down. And it’s chemistry that enables the replacement of harmful substances with safer, high-performance alternatives, and move to water-based adhesives, coatings and colorants that lower emissions and waste.
Collaboration is key when it comes to producing packaging that protects both people and the environment. When brands and converters set out to design safer and more sustainable packaging, a critical first step is engaging directly with chemistry providers. Asking questions such as ‘what chemistries can replace the ones we rely on today? Do they offer PFAS-free or bio-based alternatives?’ helps the industry move away from incumbent materials that may no longer align with consumer expectations or evolving regulations.
Equally important is taking a holistic view of the package rather than treating each component in isolation. Every layer – from board strength to barrier coatings, colorants, adhesives and finishing – plays a role in both performance and end-of-life outcomes. Considering sustainability at the outset of design, instead of as a late-stage check enables choices that balance protection, recyclability and circularity. For example, light weighting with stronger fibres, designing with renewable or compostable inputs and ensuring coatings are repulpable all contribute to packages that are functional, compliant and better aligned with circular economy goals.
Of course, no two customers’ starting points are the same, and the challenges they face differ greatly. For customers in flexible packaging, this might be moving away from solvent-based systems, designing products that are easier to recycle, or rethinking how packaging will be handled at the end of its life. For others, it might be about producing tapes and labels that stick where they should, release when they need to, and still fit into a circular system.
Customers worldwide are also working in very different conditions and, importantly, packaging needs to adapt with local water and fibre sources, machinery types, as well as relevant local regulations.
With operations on every continent and over a century of experience in cellulose chemistry, we understand the variables that can affect packaging performance and environmental impact from one region to another.
Ultimately, our role as experts in chemistry for packaging is part problem-solver, part navigator. It’s our mission to use our deep heritage and expertise, global resources and adaptive solutions to help customers produce packaging that is strong enough to do its job while helping both people and the planet to thrive.
To learn more about Archroma Packaging Technologies visit: www.archroma.com/packaging-technologies