Companies are now looking into elevating packaging to a tool for a sustainable environment.
This was stated by Dennis Jocson, president of Packaging Institute of the Philippines, at a roadshow for Propak Philippines, one of the biggest processing and packaging trade shows in the world.
The trade show is scheduled on Jan. 24 to 26 at the World Trade Center Manila in Pasay City.
“Packaging is not inherently sustainable, but used packaging material that has served its primary purpose as a container is not necessarily an environmental waste. There are now modern ways to manufacture packaging products that support sustainability,” said Jocson.
The PIP head said there are three pillars of sustainability that manufacturers now have to seriously consider: the environmental aspect, the economic aspect, and the social aspect.
“For the environmental aspect, the use of renewable materials, the matching of material usage with the desired performance level for packaging optimizations, the impact on natural resources, as well as the appropriate methods for recycling, reusing and disposing of materials after use must all be considered. Economic considerations include costs that ensure minimal damage to products. For the social aspect, manufacturers have to have reasonable work hours, fair competition, a healthy work environment, and product safety,” Jocson said.