COURTESY OF SAPPI
The world has a single-use plastic problem: the majority of plastic does not get recycled, and much of it ends up in the ocean or landfills. Most consumers are in favor of reducing plastic.
In fact, 87% of customers think retailers should curb the amount of plastic packaging they use. Global governing bodies are passing sweeping environmental
recommendations and regulations to reduce plastic. Congress introduced The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act in 2021, and in 2015 all member states of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which relies on 17
Sustainable Development Goals for global peace and prosperity. Responsible production and consumption are key components of these UN goals, and Sappi uses
them as a guideline for sustainability in both our operations and our products.
Major companies, such as Estee Lauder and Unilever, are responding to the pressure with sweeping declarations to reduce plastic. Of several options to replace plastic, few are better than paperboard made from wood fiber. At Sappi, we believe wood fiber is the material of the future – and we are using it to produce alternatives to plastic in packaging.
Our innovative, fiber-based products are used in gift cards and hotel room cards, as well as in shopping bags and food-service board for paper plates, reducing or
eliminating the amount of plastic in these items. Our fiber-based products are also used in luxury packaging for cosmetics, premium packaging for food and beverages and so much more.
Our flexible packaging papers come with integrated barriers against oxygen, water vapor, grease, aroma and mineral oil, which is ideal for applications such as candy wrappers, granola bars, chips and pretzel bags and even tea bag wrappers.
Unlike single-use plastics made from crude oil, wood fiber is renewable; the process of creating paperboard involves high use of renewable energy; and it can be recycled multiple times. Paper and paperboard also have the highest overall recycling rate of all materials in municipal solid waste. Fiber-based packaging has many advantages.
It is:
Accessible: Wood fiber is one of the most commonly found materials in nature, and with sustainably managed forests, wood fiber can be responsibly harvested without damage to the environment.
Biodegradable: Cellulose fibers are naturally biodegradable.
Malleable: Cellulose fiber properties lend themselves to be altered to meet human needs. From a durability standpoint, R&D efforts can transform cellulose
materials to be resistant to the elements, depending on packaging needs.
Recyclable: Paperboard can be recycled multiple times, recapturing the fibers for several more uses.
Sappi is renowned for its investment in R&D and modernizing its manufacturing facilities to meet market demands for innovations in consumer products. Sappi’s
legacy includes ownership of the S.D. Warren mill in Westbrook, which invented coated paper in the late 1800s. We are working every day on forward-thinking,
science-based innovations to replace plastic with wood fiber and cellulose solutions through our expertise in coating technology across six global research and
development centers.
Wood fiber provides an intersection of sustainability and quality that brands have been searching for to fulfill their environmental pledges. With cellulose as a base for a wide variety of materials that vary in biodegradability, thickness/structure and product applications, there is no reason it cannot be widely applied as a plastic substitute. The true challenge comes not from the manufacturing floor, but from
adapting wood fiber into long-standing business practices.
Here at Sappi, we are committed to helping brands understand how wood fiber can efficiently replace plastic, as well as keep businesses on track to meet customer demands and global sustainability goals.
