The push to reduce single-use plastics in packaging has gained momentum as companies respond to growing pressure from legislation, corporate sustainability goals, and shifting consumer preferences. Companies are largely moving towards alternatives like paper-based packaging, yet there are both benefits and challenges to this transition, particularly around recyclability. Governments and organizations worldwide are enacting legislation to reduce plastic waste, driven by the environmental impact of single-use plastics, which contribute to pollution, climate change, and harm to wildlife. For example, recent U.S. policies aim to limit plastic pollution, reflecting a broader trend of regulatory action against single-use plastics. The U.S. federal government is the largest buyer of consumer goods in the world. A report released by the administration in July detailed the administration’s plan to phase out federal purchases “of single-use plastics from food service operations, events, and packaging by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035.” The report says this action could significantly impact the supply of plastic products, while the government seeks tougher regulations on plastics manufacturers.

Duro®, a Novolex® brand, is introducing Load & Fold® Shopping Bags and Load & Seal® Shopping Bags, tamper-evident paper bags that offer more secure transport and deliveries for restaurants and retailers. The bags feature a wide opening for easy loading, a flat bottom to keep items secure and sturdy paper twist handles for easy and reliable carrying. The Load & Fold bags offer an upscale folded top security option using a customer-supplied branded label or other adhesive to seal the bag; the Load & Seal bags offer a built-in tamper-evident adhesive strip to securely seal the bag.

Several Koehler flexible packaging paper have been certified by the environmental services provider Interseroh and awarded the „Made for Recycling“ seal. This includes Koehler NexPlus® Advanced, Koehler NexPlus® Seal Pure and Koehler NexPlus® Seal Pure MOB. Among other things, the after-life aspects of collection, sorting and recovery were analyzed. With this seal, the environmental services provider Interseroh certifies that the paper has a very good recycling capability. With Koehler NexPlus®, Koehler Paper is meeting the rapidly growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions - and this extends beyond just the food industry. Koehler NexPlus® paper has a barrier coating with various capabilities and characteristics. In particular, these include barriers for odors, greases, oils, water vapor, or gases, which combine with the paper's inherent capabilities, such as high strength properties and a natural feel, to create a strong overall concept. The advantage of Koehler’s NexPlus® barrier paper is that it is manufactured from sustainable raw materials. After use, it is classified as wastepaper and is thus a sought-after recycled raw material.