TekniPlex Consumer Products, a globally integrated provider of innovative solutions through materials science and manufacturing technologies, put materials diversity and sustainability front and center during a featured presentation at AMI Plastics’ Thin Wall Packaging Conference, June 20 in Chicago. At the event, Rodolfo Haenni, VP of Sales, Marketing, & New Product Development, presented ‘Protecting Products, Strengthening Brands, & Innovating Sustainably’ – TekniPlex’s take on addressing evolving sustainability needs through functional, item-specific materials science solutions.
TekniPlex was invited to present in recognition of its broad array of packaging materials and solutions for industries including food & beverage, beauty, personal care, and others where thin-walled packaging designs such as rigid and flexible plastics, rubber, aluminum, molded fiber, and paper-based containers are utilized.
In addressing TekniPlex’s multi-faceted approach to furthering sustainability, Haenni’s presentation ran counter-current to a topic often portrayed in an overly simplistic fashion. Speaking from his experience pairing packaged goods of all sorts with solutions comprising differing materials and environmental benefits, he stressed that sustainability has many different definitions depending on customer and consumer needs, must be intimately connected to the product requirements, and can be achieved in different ways – always combining product protection with exemplary brand experience in ways that are cost-effective and satisfy both customers and consumers.
The presentation hinged on a common – and common-sense – denominator: that for any package to further sustainability goals, it must first protect the product it houses. “Waste is sustainability’s worst enemy. There’s nothing worse than putting a product inside a package that does not protect it. When that happens, all the resources invested in making the product, its package, and the entire supply chain involved in bringing it to consumers is wasted, with a significant carbon footprint,” said Haenni.
A number of other factors were brought into the overall discussion; fitting, as “sustainability” has taken on various context-dependent meanings. Product shelf life and performance, portability and consumer convenience, dosing and dispensing control, and resealability – all play complementary roles in determining how truly sustainable any solution is.
Haenni also discussed the packaging industry’s responsibility to help society improve and achieve sustainability goals by continuously reducing waste, increasing operational efficiency, innovating around eco-designs, further using and developing bio-based and post-consumer recycled solutions, and implementing closed-loop systems for a true circular economy for all materials.
“Our customers’ sustainability goals are both far-reaching and far-ranging, encompassing everything from recyclability and biodegradability to materials waste reduction and a lighter transportation footprint,” said Haenni. “And of course, all of this falls under the umbrella of product protection, package functionality, and consumer satisfaction. The invitation to present our sustainability perspectives at AMI Plastics’ conference is greatly appreciated, and we were delighted with the warm reception and healthy dialogue it generated.”
For more information, visit www.tekni-plex.com/consumer