Sustainable Packaging Choices Not Always Simple

The demand for sustainability in packaging is growing, but the choices in pursuit of that goal aren’t necessarily easy.

That’s the view of Jay Singh, director of the packaging program at Cal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business.

Cal Poly is launching a project looking at sustainable packaging demands on growers from retailers, as well self-motivated goals by companies.

Those goals could be as complicated as having “no plastics” in packaging, moving to biodegradable, compostable paper (or plastics), or defined targets for post-consumer recycled content.

The need and demand for packaging isn’t going away, Singh believes.

Consumers will have a say in what direction packaging trends go, but consumers often buy from the “heart” without a full understanding of the environmental impact of packaging choices. 

“Packaging is a necessary evil and it is not going away,” he said. “If anything, (it) is expanding very, very rapidly,” Singh said, noting the expansion in e-commerce and meal kit business.

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