A press release dated 16 September 2026 announced the formation of the PaperFlex Consortium – convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and powered by (RE)SET. The consortium’s aim is to accelerate recyclable and biodegradable paper-based flexible packaging innovation. Founding members include Colgate-Palmolive, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever. By joining R&D forces, members aim to bring viable alternative solutions for flexible plastic packaging to consumers faster.
The consortium calls on businesses, innovators, suppliers and investors to work together, to build on a report identifying responsibly-designed paper-based packaging as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s strategy to address plastic pollution. The PaperFlex Consortium, convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and powered by (RE)SET, includes Colgate-Palmolive, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever as founding members and is open for others to join.
The consortium will focus on markets where flexible plastic packaging is widely used and where a lack of collection and recycling systems could increase their likelihood of ending up in the environment. For those markets, the consortium aims to design alternatives that are recyclable as collection systems improve, and biodegradable in the event they unintentionally end up in the environment.
Over the next few years, the consortium, through its members, intends to shape, fund, and conduct collaborative trials covering innovations in areas such as biodegradable coatings and other technologies that deliver product protection, shelf life, and consumer usability, and improve how paper-based materials perform on manufacturing lines.
Joint research and development efforts will help develop and scale promising innovations faster and at a lower cost, getting new options to consumers sooner.
While helping to accelerate the availability of solutions, each participating member will continue to adopt its own strategy and make decisions related to its packaging independently, individually and in their own independent interests.
Sander Defruyt, strategy lead for Plastics at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, says, “Responsible paper-based flexible packaging solutions don’t yet exist at the performance, scale and cost required. This consortium signals strong demand for them – and real ambition from six consumer goods companies to help scale them. We’re inviting other FMCG companies, innovators, suppliers and investors to get involved now – the faster we develop such solutions, the sooner they reach the markets that need them most.”
“Frank Gana, CEO and co-founder of (RE)SET, adds, “Our track record in running R&D consortia shows how they can speed up the path to solutions. While participation in this consortium is voluntary and each member makes its own packaging decisions, this approach lets us develop and scale solutions faster and at lower cost – benefiting consumers, the environment, and the entire industry.”
Gilles Demaurex, head of Global Packaging Development at Nestlé, says, “Nestlé believes that paper-based flexible packaging can play a valuable role in addressing virgin plastic reduction and minimizing flexible packaging waste and pollution. By joining our efforts under the PaperFlex Consortium, promising paper innovations will be developed and deployed responsibly at scale faster and at lower cost.”
Allison Lin, global VP of Healthy Planet and chief circularity officer at Mars, says, “The consortium challenges the traditional mindset of innovating on our own, demonstrating that partnership – structured with legal oversight, clear guardrails on permissible topics, and an independent third-party convenor – can accelerate the development of more sustainable packaging in ways that no single company could achieve alone.”
Pablo Costa, head of packaging, digital and transformation, R&D at Unilever, adds, “At Unilever, we have made significant investments in packaging innovation. Our dedicated teams are accelerating the development of next-generation paper-based packaging that can be scaled while delivering the experience consumers expect. Through the consortium, we are helping bring together the expertise, investment and shared learning needed to accelerate innovation and support a responsible transition at scale.”
Flexible plastic packaging, including sachets, wrappers and pouches, is the fastest-growing type of plastic packaging worldwide, and scaled solutions to recycle the material are currently not widely available. Small-format flexible plastic packaging is also identified as one of three key systemic barriers to tackling plastic waste in the Foundation’s 2030 Plastics Agenda for Business.
The announcement builds on the findings of the Paper-Based Flexible Packaging – The role it could play in tackling small-format flexible plastic pollution in markets with high leakage rates report published by the Foundation earlier this year. Tackling this challenge requires multiple tools, including reducing the use of small-format flexibles where feasible and designing those we do use for a circular economy
Endorsed by 48 businesses, NGOs, investors and academics, the report identified responsible paper-based alternatives as a promising part of a broader strategy to address small-format flexible plastic waste in markets with greater waste management challenges, provided solutions meet six design criteria.
Those criteria, which include recyclability, biodegradability and responsible sourcing and production, aim to ensure paper-based packaging does not create new problems in place of the ones it is designed to solve and will guide the work of the consortium. These efforts will be pursued while continuing to ensure food safety, product quality, consumer protection and regulatory compliance. Developing and deploying responsibly designed paper-based packaging will not happen overnight. There will be interim steps, deliberately designed and intended to progress towards addressing all six criteria.
While accelerating innovation is crucial, the report highlights that it is equally important to ensure paper fibres are sustainably sourced and are used alongside efforts to help scale effective collection and recycling systems. The Foundation is calling on industry and governments to help close these gaps, for solutions to deliver their full environmental benefits.
The consortium invites other FMCG companies using small-format flexible packaging to join, to help scale solutions faster and at lower cost. Over the next few years, members will aim to shape, fund and conduct collaborative trials covering innovations in areas such as biodegradable coatings, new coating technologies, and improving how paper-based materials perform on manufacturing lines. For further information, or to register interest in joining the consortium, visit http://paperflexconsortium.org/
Launched in 2010, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a global charity accelerating the transition to a circular economy, one that eliminates waste, keeps materials in use, and regenerates nature to create a resilient system that benefits business, people, and the environment. By addressing today’s most pressing challenges, our ambition is to deliver systemic change in the areas of plastics and packaging, critical minerals, and fashion and textiles by 2030.
With an approach built for action, (RE)SET has been helping companies and organisations turn environmental ambition into concrete action since 2019. From multinational groups to SMEs and public-sector actors, we work alongside our clients from strategy through to implementation, helping them rethink products, value chains and business models to meet environmental and economic challenges.
Our view
All six consumer production companies that are founding members are present in India. We believe the PaperFlex Consortium is a great opportunity for global and domestic consumer product companies in India, as well as their packaging material suppliers for small pouches used for various personal care, food, and tobacco (gutka and pan masala) products. This is especially true as the government seems determined to do away with metallized paper, aluminum and plastic coatings in these pouches.
Some industry experts indicate that paper with barrier properties is an inevitable solution, although the cost of this fiber-based raw material seems much higher than plastic solutions currently. The consortium seems to understand and reflect the Indian situation, and joint effort in even standardization of small pouch formats and structures could be a step forward. Setting up appropriate value–based waste collection and recycling streams would be another step. Joint R&D to arrive at the appropriate price and performance balance for the pauperization of Indian products is also key.
