Based on a late March 2020 study, when the North American impact of COVID-19 was beginning to make itself known, L.E.K. Consulting, a global consulting firm, predicted that the packaging industry’s future was bright and that the pandemic would have a major — positive — impact.

With very little fanfare, McDonald's Corporation announced that it was taking steps to eliminate the use of polystyrene drink containers from its entire system by the end of 2018. The plan is to replace these containers with sustainable packaging materials made from recycled or fiber-based materials or a combination of both.