Sustainable Packaging Market & IP Landscape

Sustainable packaging design, production and use leads to reduced environmental impact

Sustainable packaging minimizes resource consumption, reduces waste, and decreases pollution. Every major industry leader who is leverages packaging is revisiting their sustainability plans to improve technology and reduce liability. They are investing across the packaging value chain, from raw material extraction to efficient production, optimized distribution, low-waste-use, and smarter end-of-life options.

Rising: reliance on eco-friendly materials

More packages are lighter weight, higher strength and made from renewable resources that meet sustainability goals, such as plant-based bioplastics. Lower package weights and volumes reduce transportation-related energy and emissions. Design innovations also play a crucial role in sustainable packaging, promoting solutions that are easily recyclable, compostable, or reusable.

Increasing pace of global regulation promotes sustainable packaging

In 2022 the U.S. Department of the Interior issued Secretary's Order 3407 (SO 3407) to reduce the procurement, sale, and distribution of single-use plastic products and packaging. Also that year, California implemented the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (Senate Bill 54), mandating that all single-use plastic packaging and food service ware be recyclable or compostable by 2032. Oregon established recycling rate targets for plastic packaging, from 25% by 2028 to 70% by 2050. Meanwhile, New Jersey introduced requirements to progressively raise the minimum recycled content to 50% for certain types of new packaging products.

Internationally, the UK government took action in 2023 by introducing a tax specifically targeting plastic packaging containing less than 30% recycled content. This tax is designed to provide businesses with a financial incentive to incorporate recycled plastic materials into their packaging, aligning with broader efforts to reduce the environmental impact of packaging and encourage the adoption of more sustainable practices across industries.

What’s the next major innovation in sustainable packaging?

Packaging leaders must remain vigilant and collaborative as regulation evolves. Major packaging shifts take time and involve big bets at large scale. Much due diligence is required in a packaging ecosystem. No large manufacturer can be beholden to a monopoly supplier, so patent positions require careful study as packaging technology investments are made.

Leading the charge in addressing sustainable packaging unmet needs

Consumer products companies are lead users meeting sustainable packaging unmet needs. Coca-Cola Philippines, for instance, introduced 100% recycled PET bottles and a new sustainable packaging platform in October 2023. Similarly, Mars China unveiled a redesigned SNICKERS bar with packaging crafted from mono polypropylene (PP), streamlining recycling processes and reducing environmental impact. Huhtamaki is also at the forefront of innovation, actively working on redesigning its sustainable paperboard packaging solutions to eliminate over 900 tonnes of virgin plastic annually in the UK. These initiatives highlight a broader industry trend towards environmentally conscious packaging solutions.

Keeping on top of evolving global innovation takes more innovation in competitive intelligence with IP at the forefront.

Objectives of Intellar Sustainable Packaging Technology and IP Landscape Dashboards

Sustainable packaging landscape dashboards are designed to visualize who is doing what, when and where - and for how much?
Key concepts: sustainable packaging (biodegradable, compostable, degradable, disintegrable, eco-friendly, recycled, recyclable, reusable, refillable, renewable, photodegradable) and wrapping

Data Coverage for Intellar Sustainable Packaging Technology and IP Landscape Dashboards

More than 17,000 de-duplicated global simple patent families published in (machine translated) English since 2010
Technical literature, scientific, and engineering journal, full text (when available) & images published in English since 2015
News articles, press releases, business research, market forecasts, announcements and magazine content published in English since 2017