Specialist
VP at Illinois packaging company
Agenda
- ESG trends and sustainability drivers in plastic packaging across regions
- Innovations and new technologies, noting renewable inputs such as PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) and PLA (polylactic acid)
- Potential challenges in realising ESG and sustainability goals
- Competitive landscape overview and ESG efforts assessment
- H2 2022 outlook and role of sustainable plastic
Questions
1.
What are the key issues today when it comes to plastic and the packaging players? What are the overarching or most pressing issues regarding plastic packaging?
2.
Is there any order of priority when it comes to packaging players and how they look at plastic? Is there more focus on the actual material and making it more recyclable? Is it the recycling infrastructure? What is the near-term top priority and respective evolution to reaching a more sustainable future?
3.
How do plastics-related issues and solutions differ across the world? Europe is further along than the US, but what comparisons of the two approaches would you make when thinking about global priorities?
4.
Where are the biggest gaps in the US?
5.
You outlined some solutions, but how would you rank them in order of priority? Which are the most meaningful innovations or solutions to the problems you’ve laid out? Is it more renewable feedstock, better technologies, better infrastructure, more taxes or something else? What are the most feasible avenues to solve the issues at hand?
6.
What are the key limiting factors when it comes to decreasing recycled resin costs? What is restricting or holding back today’s recycled resin cost?
7.
Could you comment on sustainable plastic packaging and renewable inputs, such as PHA [polyhydroxyalkanoate] and PLA [polylactic acid]? How is the supply situation there and how do they fit into the broader plastic situation?
8.
What other new innovative substrates within plastic are worth mentioning?
9.
Is there any common denominator among PLA and PHA? The feedstock differs but what about machinery required? Are there any commonalities in the production methods? Would specific machines be needed as production ramps up?
10.
Do any other companies do the same thing when it comes to PHA or PLA? You mentioned NatureWorks and a couple of other names. I’m familiar with Danimer Scientific.
11.
How does production cost for PHA and PLA compare to traditional PET [polyethylene terephthalate] ? How does that compare with glass bottles or cans?
12.
What would implementing PHA and PLA technology or feedstock at a high scale look like? How feasible is it and what are the cost considerations?
13.
Is there a world in which packaging players can meet their stated goals without bioplastics? Are bioplastics somewhat essential? Can we depend on recycled resin and will that be enough to meet goals and satisfy consumer demands?
14.
Who are the main partners driving packaging innovation? Could you describe the value chain and how brands and producers work together? What do feedback loops look like and overall innovation cycles?
15.
What infrastructure is still needed for enhanced recycling or recycling generally? Where does technology stand when it comes to enhanced recycling? Where are we falling short and what still needs to be done?
16.
How do we fix the consumer issue? Anecdotally, I just had a bottle where I’m supposed to rip the label and recycle the bottle separately – it’s a lot for consumers to handle. Is there a solution we could look towards?
17.
Most packaging players are focused to most extents on one substrate, but could players diversify their product base as we start to see pressures mount across the board with plastic, glass, metal or whatever it may be? Could production lines shift to create cans if the company historically made glass bottles, or vice versa? What would that look like on the supply side and what would be the associated costs? Can you nimbly shift the line and how long would it take?
18.
What is your outlook for the shift towards a more sustainable plastic world? What should we pay attention to over the next 1-5 years? What could be important to track across plastic packaging?
19.
Who are the winners and losers in the transition to more sustainable plastic?
