Sustainability as differentiator

"There is no such thing as being 'environmentally friendly.' However, different packaging solutions have different environmental performances," says Michael Rubenstein, chief growth and innovation officer at Alcan Packaging in a question-and-answer interview with Pharmaceutical Technology Europe (PTE).

Understandably, many companies in the packaging community are eager to push their sustainability solutions, but Rubenstein notes, “there are no silver bullets for more sustainable packaging—it all depends on the context.” Alcan takes a 4 Ps approach, aiming to integrate sustainability into its plants, people and communities, products, and partnerships.

Sustainability cannot be a mere marketing tool, but a long-term strategy. Citing automotive industry failures for sticking to “historically successful, but outdated strategies,” Rubenstein tells PTE, “Either one is at the front of the race or one risks to be out sometime in the future. Sustainability is developing to be a differentiator for leading packaging converters and their customers.”

-Jim Butschli