Coating and Laminating
The role of chemistry in closing the loop on circular, fibre-based packaging production
he paperization trend in modern packaging has many drivers: regulatory developments, growing environmental awareness, changing consumer sentiment — all these, and more, contribute to its increasing relevance. Fully realising its potential involves overcoming multiple practical challenges, and packaging producers need partners who understand what happens at every step of the value chain loop: the pulping of virgin fi bre; creating tensile strength in sheet formation; barrier coatings for improved performance; adhesives, inks and coatings, eye-catching design; lightweighting; recyclability, repulpability, compostability and biodegradability. Done correctly, the process is circular, not linear, and can be repeated as many as 25 times. In every region, regulators are demanding that packaging producers prioritise more recyclable materials and limit the use of single-use and hard-to-recycle plastics. The European Union has
T 12 May/June 2026
implemented Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) to ensure sustainable packaging practices and waste reduction. In the US most initiatives are at the state level: California, for example, has the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (SB54), which requires all packaging to be recyclable or compostable by 2032. And in India single-use plastics have been banned since July 2022. While regulatory changes like these demand that brands and packaging manufacturers come up with alternatives, there are other signifi cant contributing factors — shifting consumer sentiment, for example, the commitment of brands to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and to the sustainability targets they have set for themselves.
THE PAPER ADVANTAGE In the face of this tightening regulatory noose,
paper-based packaging is increasingly recognised as one of the alternatives because of the many natural advantages it enjoys over other substrates. It’s highly regarded by consumers for its environmental credentials, it’s widely recyclable, and (crucially) consumers understand that it’s widely recyclable. When they try to recycle plastic packaging, on the other hand, they face a veritable maze. Achieving the strength, fl exibility and barrier properties of plastic means much packaging contains multiple layers of diff erent plastics — PET, PE, PP, and so on — which are diffi cult to separate and recycle. Frequently, recycling instructions are unclear or confusing, and often municipal recycling facilities are unable to process the full range of plastics. In short, a lot of plastic packaging ends up in landfi ll. Look around, and the statistics for ‘paper vs plastics’ recycling rates make this clear. In the US, the respective national recycling rates for plastic and paper-based packaging are 13.3 per
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