Unilever Joins PaperFlex Consortium to Accelerate Paper-Based Flexible Packaging

Unilever has joined the PaperFlex Consortium, an industry initiative convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and powered by (RE)SET, to accelerate the development and rollout of paper-based flexible packaging alternatives to flexible plastics.

Unilever is a founding member of the consortium alongside five other global consumer goods manufacturers. The companies will collaborate on research and development, including trials of technologies intended to provide the product protection, shelf life, consumer usability and manufacturing performance required for flexible packaging.

The consortium is focusing on markets where flexible plastic packaging is widely used but formal collection and recycling systems are limited. Its stated aim is to develop paper-based alternatives that can be recyclable as collection systems improve and biodegradable if they unintentionally enter the environment.

Pablo Costa, Unilever’s Global Head of Packaging, said flexible packaging presents significant technical challenges because packs must protect products, withstand complex supply chains and operate efficiently on high-speed production lines.

Costa said Unilever has more than doubled its investment in packaging R&D in recent years and has more than 60 material scientists working on paper-based materials and barrier coatings. The company has assessed more than 3,000 emerging materials and technologies, including bio-sourced and mineral-based materials.

Paper-based packaging can be recyclable and compostable, but Costa noted that paper has limited barrier properties, can tear in industrial production and presents sealing challenges. As a result, some current paper-based packaging uses thin plastic films for barrier protection and sealing.

Unilever has already begun deploying paper-based flexible packaging technologies. In the UK, the company has launched recyclable paper-based wrappers for Knorr stock cubes. The change required modifications to factory equipment so the folded paper wrappers could run reliably on production lines.

Costa said collaboration is needed to address the cost, infrastructure and scaling barriers facing recyclable and compostable paper-based flexible packaging.