SPC Impact 2025: Harmonizing Impact Through Innovation and Collaboration
Pregis is a proud member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), a trademark project of GreenBlue, a nonprofit dedicated to driving innovation in sustainable packaging. As a sponsor, exhibitor, and presenter at SPC Impact 2025 in Seattle, Pregis engaged with industry leaders to explore the latest advancements and challenges in sustainability. The event centered on critical themes, including recycling, alternative materials, responsible sourcing, composting, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). While the industry has made significant strides, achieving lasting progress requires continued collaboration, strategic investment, and well-informed policy alignment to drive meaningful change.
Alternative Materials: Promising Innovations with Practical Considerations
Companies are making strong progress in reducing virgin plastic use and advancing bio-based alternatives. Produce packaging, traditionally reliant on monolayer LDPE bags and rigid PET clamshells, is seeing growing interest in bioplastics. Starch-based and sugarcane-derived films offer sustainability benefits but face challenges in clarity and durability. Wider adoption depends on improving functionality, lowering costs, and scaling production. While bioplastics continue to evolve, further innovation and proper application assessment will be key to address performance, shelf life, and processing efficiency.
Compostables: Gaining Momentum with Growing Support for Infrastructure
Compostable packaging is gaining momentum, particularly in food applications, where it reduces landfill waste and delivers food excess to enrich soils. Seattle’s expanded compostable waste collection showcases its benefits, while growing infrastructure and consumer education will accelerate widespread implementation. Refining sorting practices is key to minimizing contamination, and collaborative industry adoption can help composters stabilize feedstock consistency. Meanwhile, brands continue to advance clear compostable films that meet evolving market and consumer expectations. Expanding composting infrastructure, improving sorting practices, and aligning policies will be critical to support compostable packaging as a scalable, sustainable solution.
Sustainable Sourcing: Minimizing Trade-Offs in Material Selection
Shifting to bio-based and fiber-based packaging encounters environmental trade-offs, particularly when tracking Scope 3 emissions from external sourcing. Measuring impact is complex, and transitioning away from plastics can lead to increased land use, water consumption, and overall emissions. For paper-based alternatives, responsible sourcing through FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) or SFI® (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) certification supports sustainable forestry practices, while prioritizing water-conscious supply chains will be essential for businesses seeking viable solutions that minimize unintended consequences. Ultimately, packaging choices must align with product needs to ensure functionality while balancing environmental impact.
Recycling: Finding Solutions for Plastic Films
Plastic film recycling remains a challenge, as collected flexible films still lack strong end markets, a key factor in scaling recovery efforts. Contamination in the paper stream further complicates sorting and processing efforts. Chemical recycling presents a potential pathway for recovery, though its curbside application remains limited. Addressing these issues will require policy alignment, investment in new technology, and demand-side incentives, such as PCR minimums, to ensure sustainable markets for recycled content.
EPR: Moving Beyond Compliance Toward Impact
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies aim to drive packaging waste accountability, but SPC Impact 2025 discussions highlighted a strong focus on producer compliance. As deadlines approach, many companies prioritize regulatory adherence, while the financial burden of recycling remains unclear. Ecomodulation—adjusting producer fees based on environmental impact—could improve diversion rates, but broader industry adoption is key. To be effective, EPR must evolve beyond mandates and encourage innovation in sustainable material recovery and circular economy practices.
LCA & Carbon Considerations: Are We Making Data-Driven Decisions?
Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) were a central focus at SPC Impact 2025, highlighting the importance of accurate carbon footprint assessments. Plastics have well-documented emissions data, while bio-based materials still lack standardized emission factors, making comparisons difficult. Compostable LCAs often underrepresent soil health and carbon sequestration benefits, though studies suggest these materials may perform better than initially thought. As new materials enter the market, refining LCA methodologies will be crucial in guiding sustainable decisions.
Final Thoughts: A Balanced Approach to Packaging Sustainability
The future of sustainable packaging relies on a balanced approach—integrating material innovation, responsible sourcing, recycling advancements, and policy alignment. Packaging must fulfill performance and business needs while minimizing environmental impact. Strengthening recovery systems, optimizing material design, and aligning policies will drive meaningful progress toward a more circular and sustainable future.
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