ePac Flexible Packaging has launched in Australia, with its first manufacturing facility opening in Melbourne in the fourth quarter of 2021. Built entirely on breakthrough digital printing technology, ePac serves local brands of all sizes, with a particular focus on small and medium sized businesses producing snacks, confections, coffee, natural and organic foods, pet food, and nutritional supplements. ePac’s first production facility will open eight kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, at the new Newlands Road food manufacturing hub, located in the heart of Coburg’s thriving industrial district.

With physical stores closed during the pandemic, the boom in online shopping resulted in record numbers of packages arriving on consumers’ doorsteps. Along with all that merchandise came a growing awareness of the materials used to package and ship products, and the impact those materials have on the environment. A new survey commissioned by Two Sides North America and conducted by international research firm Toluna found that U.S. consumers believe paper-based packaging is better for the environment than other packaging materials. Survey respondents were asked to rank their preferred packaging material (paper/cardboard, plastic, glass and metal) based on 15 environmental, aesthetic and practical attributes. Overall, paper/cardboard packaging was preferred for 10 of the 15 attributes, with half of respondents saying paper/cardboard is better for the environment. Consumers also preferred paper/cardboard packaging on other environmental attributes, including being home compostable (65%) and easier to recycle (44%).

E-commerce is booming and this year several sources predict records for the Christmas online shopping. A recent research commissioned by DS Smith reveals that extra 224 million of us will be purchasing our Christmas presents online this year, resulting in 350 thousand tonnes of unnecessary packaging. This could incur in real environmental, reputational and business risks for brands, which is why it is important for brands and retailers to optimize the packaging. At DS Smith, sustainability sits at the heart of our business model and is core to our Purpose of Redefining Packaging for a Changing World. And for that we aim to provide the best service to our customers thinking about the impact on the environment and future generations. L’Oréal shares those views too, and few months ago, we were approached by their team with the challenge of redesigning the E-commerce packaging for their luxury products range.