What do Italy, Australia and India have in common? In each country, new regulations aimed at reducing packaging waste and promoting alternatives to plastic will come into force in 2022. While packaging is often necessary to protect products, everyone in the industry is looking for ways to reduce waste and overpackaging. This goal is complemented with efforts to make packaging more sustainable with renewable and recyclable materials. The quest for sustainability unites big brands with responsible consumers and – regulators around the world. In recent years, governments have responded to public concerns by devising rules that seek to tackle packaging waste – single-use plastics in particular – and improve recycling and waste management systems. Many of these new norms will become effective in the next years, creating a worldwide regulative trend that can help promote more sustainable packaging. Here’s a quick look into what various countries are currently doing to reduce packaging waste and how this affects companies and consumers.

Colbert Packaging Corporation recently hosted a TICCIT® (“Trees Into Cartons, Cartons Into Trees”) event for elementary students in Wisconsin’s Salem School District. Jeff MacDougall, production manager at Colbert Packaging, led the educational outreach program, which drew participation from over 320 students in the third, fourth and fifth grades. Salem students learned how trees are grown and harvested for the making of paper and paperboard, and then turned into packaging materials that are recyclable and renewable. Click Read More below for additional information.

Berry Global Group, Inc., announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Specialty Tapes business to the private equity firm Nautic Partners, LLC for a headline purchase price of approximately $540 million, which is subject to a number of closing adjustments. The Tapes business is a franchise highly valued by its industrial customers. As a result, this separation is aligned with Berry’s broader strategy to transition the portfolio towards more consistent, higher growth consumer-oriented end markets and platforms. Berry CEO, Kevin Kwilinski, said, “Over the past year, Berry has undergone a significant transformation, completing the spin-off of our HHNF business, enhancing our product mix and optimizing our portfolio. The sale of Tapes further supports these efforts and the continued focus on our high-growth consumer portfolio.”