Operational Challenges of Sustainable Packaging

As packaging and manufacturing trends shift toward sustainability, a new set of challenges arises. PMMI, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, released a new report detailing some of the challenges manufacturers can expect with regard to sustainable materials. Staying out in front of industry changes ensures manufacturers can maintain product integrity and reduce batch sizes.

Most challenges center on materials; the report notes sustainable materials can cause machine troubles with lightweighting due to varying levels of purity for secondary cartons, making it difficult to maintain production rates. When introducing sustainable materials that are unfamiliar to the production line, integrity and quality of the materials is important. Manufacturers must ensure product protection is maintained for barrier requirements and sterility.