Consumers are looking for more sustainable options in all aspects of the lives, and packaging isn’t left behind. As a matter of fact, sustainability is crucial in every part of life – from raw materials to the final stage of life. Recent studies show that most consumers expect almost all kinds of packaging to be eco-friendly, and paper-based packaging is widely viewed as a sustainable and natural solution in the manufacturing industry.
Although paper-based packaging is attractive to most consumers, using it for food and other related consumer products isn’t easy because the industry does not have a reliable paper-based packing solution. Amcor’s team of professionals have assumed the work of identifying an effective solution to this problem.
<h2>Consumer Perception of Paper-Based Packaging</h2>
Amcor commissioned studies in 4 countries across Europe to try and figure out the consumer perception of different <a href=”https://www.amcor.com/products/food/snacks-sweets-nuts-packaging/emea”>sweets packaging solutions</a>. Over 80% of U.K. consumers said that bio-based paper and PE packaging is an excellent solution for the confectionary industry. Over 73% of consumers in Germany said that paper wrappers for chocolate bars are more unique, while consumers in Italy had no issue buying chocolate bars packaged in paper wraps even if it meant paying 20% more for the products. But, why does paper packaging have such a huge impact?
The PEW Charitable Trust did some research in 2020 where they found that over 50% of U.K. consumers said that they preferred paper-based packaging because it could be easily recycled when compared to plastic packaging materials. In contrast, the appearance of paper wrappers also has a significant impact when it comes to consumer appeal for such products. This is evident in countries such as France, <a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy”>Italy</a>, and the United Kingdom where paper-based packing and bio-based PE packaging – which is made from sugarcane – have a bigger effect on a person’s intent to buy a certain product. As a matter of fact, in all 4 countries involved in the study, paper packaging was picked as the most preferable packaging solution for confectionery.
<h2>Implementing Paper Packaging Is Still A Challenge For Many Players in The Food Industry!</h2>
While recent data supports a favourable consumer preference for paper packaging, the fact is that the performance of paper packaging for many food products is still not that good. Paper is a porous material that does not have barriers in its natural form. As a matter of fact, authentic paper-based packaging has been previously used for low to mid-barrier applications. However, packaging options for perishable goods require high moisture and oxygen barriers to stay fresh and prolong their shelf life, which means paper-based packaging solutions need extra barriers in order to be effective packaging solutions. In contrast, most counties demand that paper packaging include 80% of. Hence, the barrier must be very thin so as not to interfere with recycling.
<h2>Is High-Barrier Paper-Based Packaging an Effective Solution for Snacks?</h2>
Paper-based packaging materials for confectionery and snacks must meet certain requirements in order to be considered effective. It should have a high barrier layer for moisture and oxygen. It should also be grease resistant in order to prevent fatty foods from damaging the packaging material over time. Also, paper-based packaging must be easy to recycle. Most jurisdictions require that this sort of packaging have at least 80% <a href=”https://www.livestrong.com/article/375772-how-to-calculate-the-daily-percent-value-for-fiber/”>fibre content</a>.
<h2>A Fast-Growing Paper-Based Packaging Solution</h2>
Amcor is at the verge of introducing a new and innovative paper-based packaging solution to help address all the above packaging requirements. It will include a robust barrier to properly hold food products like coffee, snacks, chocolate, and more.