The anti-waste law for a circular economy intends to ban the sale of all single-use plastic packaging in France by 2040. And by January 2022, plastic overpackaging of certain fresh fruit and vegetables weighing less than 1.5 kg will be prohibited. Paperboard packaging manufacturers are well positioned to respond to these changes.
According to studies conducted by the cardboard packaging manufacturer DS Smith, 1.5 million tons of single-use plastic, or 70 billion units, could be replaced annually from supermarket shelves in Europe by renewable and recyclable materials.
This market could represent more than 6 billion euros each year for the corrugated packaging sector worldwide.
Alternative packaging to plastics: a significant market in which DS Smith is positioned
The UK-listed group has already replaced 170 million plastic parts with its paper-based solutions for supermarkets and e-tailers around the world in 2020 and 2021. In France, 50 million plastic trays have been replaced by paper-based solutions designed by the company.
DS Smith has created more than 1,000 recyclable packaging solutions for a wide variety of products such as wine, ready meals and fresh fruit trays. It has also worked to eliminate small plastic components. For example, plastic sealing tapes on packages have been replaced by self-locking cardboard flaps and plastic labels by direct printing on cardboard.
"Together with our customers, we are creating tailor-made solutions that will replace more than one billion plastic containers with fully recyclable cardboard solutions by 2025 says Miles Roberts, president and CEO of DS Smith Group.
To achieve this, the British industrialist DS Smith will invest 116 million euros in the research and development of 100% recyclable packaging solutions until 2023.
