Innovation is a sustainable activity. In Polifilm we believe that sustainability is a set of targets that guide innovation. The sponsorship of the 2018 Sustainability Awards shares generously the perspective on how to achieve flexible packaging products and approach that provides options for our contribution as a whole to be evaluated in the most comprehensive way across the extensive line-up, according to this understanding.

Flexible packaging can reduce the misuse of plastic packaging. Also, brands and organizations can benefit from functionality plasticity offers and trends. Plastics downloaded from polyolefin material minimize the cost of packaging, provide slight protection, and minimize contamination, extending the product's shelf life.

Flexible plastic packaging is the fastest growing packaging segment. The global market is projected to grow by about one percent in Europe, two to four percent in the Americas, and six to eight percent in Asia. Various factors drive this growth. Briefly, it is a more exemplary example of diversified and convenient packaging methods for all consumption, from a growing middle class to greater urbanization and small households.

Reflexive Trend

More recently, the disposable behavior of modern consumerism has prompted people to reevaluate traditional plastic packaging due to the impact of plastic waste on the world's oceans and terrestrial environments. In essence, the emergence and widespread adoption of fossil-based disposable plastics have made them victims of their success.

As consumers emphasize sustainability, governments, manufacturers, and retailers are heeding the call to deal with plastics more responsibly. In January 2018, the European Commission announced a strategy to ensure that all plastic packaging is reusable or recyclable by 2030. About 30 percent of Europe's 25 million tonnes of plastic waste is collected for recycling (the other 30 percent goes to energy).  This new EU-wide plastics strategy will transform the way products are designed, produced, used, and recycled to reduce the environmental footprint of plastics while reaping the economic benefits of a circular approach.

Many private, charitable, and non-governmental organizations projects are also started cooperating with companies that produce and use plastics. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation recently announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos that 11 of the world's largest food, beverage, apparel, personal care, and household products companies have committed to using packaging on a cyclical basis. That means they will try to use 100 percent reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025. The combined use of plastic packaging by these 11 companies is over six million tons per year. The situation seems pretty straightforward for the entire value chain, from financial rationale to resin suppliers, packaging companies, FMCG, and retailers. By recycling plastics for second or third use, they create value and help the environment. Thus, the higher the recovery rate, the greater the value and environmental benefit.

Circular Packaging

Various stakeholders are working hard to develop ways to use scarce resources on a cyclical basis. The said stakeholders, such as The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and The New Plastics Economy Initiative, and Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging (CEFLEX), play a decisive role in the packaging industry. In line with the developments in the packaging industry, Polifilm's managers and engineers approach sustainability as a guiding activity, as a set of goals guiding innovation. This complementary approach to innovation and sustainability helps Polifilm integrate a circular system into its business practices, creating value and managing risk for its customers. Over the years, the company has built a portfolio of sustainable products and processes to offer its customers the options that best meet their sustainability goals.