At the 6th International Summit for the Packaging Industry (ISPI) in New Delhi, Parksons Packaging CEO Deepak Ganjoo delivered a keynote titled “Scaling Paper-based Packaging Solutions: Industry Perspective on Sustainability & Performance.” The ISPI session brought together industry veterans, packaging experts, academics, and packaging students from India and several African countries to discuss how the industry can scale sustainable packaging while maintaining performance.
In light of the lack of required waste streams for the variety of plastics used in flexible and rigid packaging, there is significant global interest by consumers and brand owners to increase the use of paper and board packaging, for which the waste streams are well established. Increasingly, innovative formats and paper materials with the requisite coating are replacing plastics even in food and beverage packaging.
Key takeaways from the session were that paperization is gaining momentum globally and in India as well. Growing consumer awareness, regulatory shifts such as the Indian government’s Plastic Waste Management Rules, which establish penalties for non-compliance in recycling plastic waste and the reuse of recycled materials, and the commitments of consumer product brands are accelerating the interest and movement toward paper-based packaging.
However, apart from sustainability, new paper-based formats and innovative materials and coatings must deliver performance. They still need to provide the required barrier properties, product protection, shelf life stability, and supply chain durability. Parksons Packaging’s CEO Ganjoo pointed out that his company is an enabler of the paperization transition with solutions such as paper-based gable top cartons for both liquid and dry products, and with its PaperPod solutions, designed for food service, takeaway, and delivery applications.
Parksons Packaging also offers innovative molded fiber packaging, a sustainable molded pulp solution used across multiple markets for protecting delicate and high-value products. Its design lab and R&D efforts are continuously exploring innovations in material science, structural design, and converting technologies to help brands transition more products and SKUs to fiber-based packaging at scale.
The ISPI keynote session provided a valuable platform for airing the possibilities, needs, and already available solutions for paper-based packaging in the country. It was especially important since the paper and paperboard waste streams already exist in India, and consumer perception of paper-based packaging is also positive. The session permitted a healthy exchange of ideas among industry leaders, consumer brands, converters, and academia on building the next generation of sustainable, high-performance packaging solutions.
