Regardless of where companies currently stand on the sustainability spectrum, there is always room for growth — and certainly the demand to support it. As consumer awareness of sustainable brand practices grows, there are some considerations that companies must make to catch up or stay ahead of the curve.

The Alloyd Division of Sonoco has introduced its first, all-paper retail blister package. 

In January, U.S. plastic bag manufacturers and recyclers signed a sustainability commitment for the industry and renamed its coalition the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance (ARPBA). The agreement by ARPBA members includes a target that 95% of plastic retail bags be reused or recycled by 2025.

International beauty packaging manufacturer and provider Quadpack and Sulapac, a pioneer in development and manufacturing of sustainable microplastic-free materials, are partnering to provide microplastic-free packaging for cosmetics customers worldwide.

The NextGen Cup Consortium, an effort driven by McDonald's and Starbucks, is debuting reusable cup pilot programs at independent coffee shops around San Francisco and Palo Alto, California. The consortium is managed by Closed Loop Partners' Center for the Circular Economy.

P&G’s Lenor, Unstoppables and Fairy brands will become the first commercial implementations of HolyGrail intelligent packaging in Europe. HolyGrail digital watermarks are imperceptible to the human eye but can be detected by optical scanners at MRFs.

Haney, a global leader in package prototyping, has produced first-of-its-kind sustainable fashion packaging for designer Heron Preston using HP Indigo printing and cellulose-based materials from Futamura.

Charter NEX Films, a leading independent producer of specialty films, has joined the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) and will participate in the APR’s Demand Champions program.  

From beer to household cleaning products, brand owners will be seeking ways for their packaging to add value beyond point of sale. The best brands do this by expanding and enriching consumers’ experience in unique, meaningful and enduring ways. The role of structural packaging has never been higher on brand owners' and consumers’ agendas.