Packaging & Sustainability

Packaging and sustainability

Packaging is an essential component of the modern life, weather applied to the food, pharmaceutical, medical devices, healthcare & cosmetics, textile or electronic industry; it ensures preservation, safe distribution along the supply chain and correct usage of goods. With current demands on high preservation performance and the paramount need to minimise waste and environmental impacts, packaging technology is evolving with sustainability at its core.

Current EU regulations on Packaging and Packaging Waste have stablished the target to recycle at least 70 % of all packaging waste by 2030, including 55% of plastic packaging through the improvement of packaging design for reuse and the promotion of high-quality recycling.

According to the Ireland’s Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, to comply with the European Deadline for establishment of producer responsibility schemes by the end of 2024, the mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) will make producers liable for the ecomodulation of fees, proposing heavy penalisation of non-recyclable and over packaging and lower fees for more sustainable alternatives.

To assist the Irish industry in the transition to a circular economy and to adapt to the upcoming European and National regulations, our packaging team has specialised in the four core areas:

Fundamental Packaging Technology and Investigations: comprehensive pilot processing, characterisation & stability facilities for plastic packaging items.
Sustainability Research in line with the EU directives for the achievement of a circular economy including packaging reduction, reusability and recyclability.

Packaging systems recyclability and incorporation of recycled content: development of a closed resource loop, providing confidence in the performance of recycled materials to achieve a superior market position
De-risk the use of biodegradable alternatives for the construction of sustainable packaging systems for appropriated industrial and retail applications.