Overview

All About Packaging

The following pages give a detailed summary of the main activities involved in the pulp, paper and board, and packaging industry. A comprehensive account is given, showing the major stages in production, from raw material to end use by the consumer.

The sections are divided up into the different stages of the evolutionary process of paper, starting with pulp and ending with recycling. Contained within each section is an account of how the material is produced and manufactured, how the particular industry functions and the industry's relationship with the consumer. There is also useful information about legislation, trade bodies and environmental issues interwoven within each section.

The packaging industry is where a significant amount of paper and board produced is used and provides a good way of showing how the industry and consumer are linked.

Industry examples are also used, where appropriate, in order to generate a better understanding of how the industry operates.

The penultimate section concerns a vital element of the pulp and paper and board industry. That element is water and it is an essential item in the production process of pulp and paper and board.

The final section concludes the lifecycle of paper, discussing issues relating to recycling. This deals not only with the procedures involved in recycling waste paper, but also legislation and initiatives designed to encourage and promote recycling in Europe.

Fibre-based Packaging

Overview

Fibre-based packaging can be described simply as packaging made from the fibres of natural and sustainable raw materials. Fibre-based packaging is an essential element of all supply chains with the average consumer interacting with 10 to 20 pieces of packaging each day.

A large number of these packages are built mainly from paper and board or contain paper and board parts, e.g. cardboard boxes. The fibres in paper and board provide the packages with strength and structure. Coatings and additives, e.g. starch, can be combined with the fibres to enable high quality printing, grease resistance and other useful properties.

The pulp and paper industry is at the forefront of environmentally friendly packaging, with the distinct advantage that its basic raw materials are not only renewable, but also recyclable and degradable (i.e. they brake down naturally over time).

Figure 2 :: Packaging Recycling as a Percentage of Total Material Recycling
[Source: www.wasteonline.org.uk]

Packaging demands are constantly shifting to meet the requirements laid down by functionality issues (the shape of the products etc.) economic improvements (anything from better fork lift trucks to bigger shelves at the supermarket) and the introduction of new environmental legislation. In this changing market place, the potential of fibre-based packaging is enormous.

Date: 2015-02-28; view: 1027