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Despite pushes for alternatives, plastic packaging to remain a future solution

As governments move to reduce the use of plastic (both single-use and packaging) through legislation and consumers push for fewer options that harm the environment, companies have progressively moved away from this versatile, flexible packaging option — until the Covid-19 pandemic.

The disposable nature of plastic and its flexibility to wrap individual portions positioned this material as both a convenient and a safe packaging material. A Bloomberg article from early 2020 noted that fast-food chains like Starbucks revised their policies on customers bringing reusable cups. The company instead opted to take precautions against the virus and use disposable alternatives. Similarly, the intensification of home delivery purchases increased the use of mostly non-renewable food packaging.

Consumers still like plastic packaging

In a study published in the Wiley Public Health Emergency Collection journal, researchers found “a clear decline in support for tighter regulations or bans on single‐use plastics, along with an increase in consumers’ willingness to pay for biodegradable alternatives.” These findings suggest that plastic has once again found a favourable reception among consumers and that it will be difficult to eradicate its use through legislation. At the same time, it also presents an opportunity for innovative companies looking to create plastic alternatives that can compete with this controversial packaging option.

Prior to the pandemic, the BBC reported that Coca-Cola took a stance to say that plastic bottles were not going to be eradicated from its portfolio because consumers still liked to use them. Nevertheless, the company has still looked for more sustainable alternatives, including introducing bottles made from recycled plastic in early 2021 and more recently saying it will strive globally to make 25% of its packaging reusable by 2030.

The search for alternative packaging continues

Even with the pandemic pumping the breaks on the increase in plastic packaging alternatives, there remains a concerted effort to find alternatives. One option that is getting a second look is glass. This retro packaging has reappeared in a big way in recent years. When the French-American brand Yoplait launched its Oui French-style yoghurt in 2017, the company chose to do so in glass jars, which are the same packaging that the yoghurt is cultured in. The American soup stock company College Inn uses glass containers for some of its higher-end stocks and broths.

Other companies have turned to aluminium as an alternative to plastic. In 2019 PepsiCo announced it would begin bottling its Aquafina water in aluminium cans. That same year, Coca-Cola and Vita Coco said they would package their Dasani and Ever&Ever brand waters in aluminum.

Recently, Kraft Heinz, the third largest food-and-beverage company in North America, agreed to set a goal to reduce its total use of virgin plastic following the filing of a shareholder proposal spearheaded by As You Sow. The shareholder advocacy nonprofit similarly made headway with Keurig Dr Pepper, Mondelez International and PepsiCo, all of which agreed to curtail their use of virgin plastic in packaging. Keurig Dr. Pepper agreed to reduce its use of this material in brand packaging by 20% and Mondelez agreed to a 5% reduction — all by 2025. PepsiCo agreed to a 20% cut by 2030.

To help achieve this collective goal of developing sustainable packaging options, there are also scientific breakthroughs on the horizon. The French chemistry firm Carbios discovered an enzyme that can break down PET plastic into food-grade material in a matter of hours. In 2020, it partnered with PepsiCo, Nestlé and Suntory to commercialize its technology. In 2021, the company revealed its first enzymatically-recycled bottles.