THE WHAT? Unilever has joined the PaperFlex Consortium as a founding member to accelerate the development of recyclable and compostable paper-based alternatives to flexible plastic packaging .
THE DETAILS Convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and powered by (RE)SET, the consortium brings Unilever together with Nestlé, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive and Mars to jointly fund and test paper-based packaging technologies. The work will focus on improving product protection, shelf life, consumer usability and compatibility with high-speed manufacturing lines, particularly for markets where flexible plastic collection and recycling infrastructure remains limited. Unilever says it has more than doubled its investment in packaging R&D in recent years, with more than 60 materials scientists working on next-generation paper materials and barrier coatings and more than 3,000 technologies assessed.
THE WHY? The collaboration allows major consumer goods manufacturers to share the cost and technical challenges of replacing flexible plastics, potentially accelerating the development and commercial scale-up of paper-based packaging suitable for products including shampoo and pers...