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.

In order to better serve it’s growing customer base ePac Flexible Packaging, the leader in fast time to market custom printed finished pouches and roll stock, has announced an expansion in operations to serve its rapidly growing customer base. Throughout 2020 ePac has been adding new manufacturing facilities in North America, expanded internationally, and added printing and finishing equipment to its existing operations. These expansion projects will continue to run through the balance of 2020 and into 2021. With its core mission to serve locally based small and medium-sized brands, the additional capacity will drive down lead times while enabling the company to also handle longer run length jobs.

Mondi, a global packaging and paper manufacturer, has once again achieved Platinum status in EcoVadis’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) ratings. With an overall score of 92% (up from 87% in 2024), Mondi is recognised among the top 1% of companies globally for the ninth consecutive year. "We are delighted that EcoVadis has once again rated our performance among the top 1% of companies globally. This recognition reflects our long-standing commitment to embedding sustainable practices and highlights how integral sustainability is to Mondi’s strategy and commercial success. EcoVadis supports our engagement with both suppliers and customers, helping us to drive progress across our value chain," comments Gladys Naylor, Mondi Group Head of Sustainable Development.