Plastics in the Packaging Industry: More than just a protective cover

A cup that keeps yogurt fresh. A blister pack that protects medication. A tray that transports food. Plastic packaging is everywhere. And the choice of material determines durability, recyclability, and carbon footprint.

While a PET yogurt cup guarantees freshness for weeks and is significantly lighter than glass, hygienic polypropylene in blister packs ensures sterile storage of medicines. Modern monomaterial packaging is much easier to recycle than composite materials, which often end up in residual waste. The carbon footprint of plastic packaging is often lower than that of alternative materials during transport due to its lower weight. This is clearly illustrated by rPET wine bottles, as explained in this interview with ALPLA!

But what exactly is “typical packaging,” and what criteria must manufacturers consider when selecting it? The answer lies in a complex interplay of material properties, application requirements, and sustainability goals—from the barrier function against oxygen to recyclability in the circular economy system. This means that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all packaging solution. It always depends on the specific product that needs to be packaged.

Plastics are indispensable in the food packaging industry. For example, PET dominates beverage bottles due to its barrier effect against CO₂, while polypropylene (PP) dominates yogurt cups due to its heat resistance up to 130°C, which is particularly hygienic when in contact with food. Polyethylene (PE) is used as LDPE for flexible cling film and as HDPE for sturdy milk bottles. Composite materials with barrier layers are used for more demanding applications.

Sterile and secure packaging is essential in the medical sector. PVC dominates blister packaging—it offers transparency for visual inspection if desired, and its low water vapor permeability protects medications from moisture. PE and PP withstand sterilization processes without damage, while cyclo-olefin copolymers (COC) offer glass-like transparency in injection vials with pharmaceutical purity.

Plastic packaging offers numerous design options in the consumer goods sector. ABS enables high-quality visual appearances for cosmetics packaging with excellent surface quality, while PETG scores points in display packaging with its crystal-clear transparency.

Robust yet lightweight packaging materials are required for the safe transport of goods. Various plastic solutions are used for this purpose: shrink and stretch films effectively secure pallet loads, while bubble wrap provides optimum protection for goods that are sensitive to impact. Expanded polystyrene, better known as Styrofoam, serves as reliable protective packaging due to its excellent cushioning properties. Plastic crates and containers have established themselves for reusable applications, impressing with their durability and stability while also protecting the environment through repeated use.

Boomerang is a start-up that has impressed with an exciting idea for mail order. Its solution focuses on shipping bags made from recycled plastic as a sustainable alternative to disposable shipping bags. The bags help to reduce packaging waste by being reusable up to 50 times. They are made from 100% recycled polypropylene, are resealable, and can be stored and transported in a space-saving manner. Customers who order via the system can simply fold the shipping bag after delivery and return it to the company by mail. There, the bags are cleaned and returned to the cycle.

A similar reusable system for parcel logistics has also been developed by BOOXit. Exciting insights into this system can be found in this K-Mag interview!

Compared to other packaging materials such as glass or metal, plastics are significantly lighter. This leads to considerable savings in transport costs and is beneficial for climate protection:

• Lower fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions during transport
• Higher transport capacity per vehicle
• Less material consumption with the same protective function

Design for recycling is becoming increasingly important in packaging development. Solutions such as monomaterials are preferred over composites that are difficult to separate, and the use of recycled materials in new packaging is on the rise. In addition, color coding facilitates sorting in the recycling process, while problematic additives are reduced to improve reusability.

When it comes to a closed material cycle, there is no getting around recyclates. Mechanical recycling is now well established, while chemical recycling is still in development. So, the approaches are there, but manufacturers are currently still faced with a price issue. New materials are often still cheaper than recyclates.

Innovative designs and a sophisticated approach to material design significantly minimize the use of materials in modern packaging solutions. This not only leads to cost savings, but also contributes significantly to the conservation of resources:

• Thin-walled packaging with optimized stability thanks to special reinforcement ribs and strategically positioned stiffening elements that maintain mechanical strength despite reduced material usage
• Corrugated profile structures for greater rigidity with lower raw material consumption, transferring the biomechanical principle of natural structures such as corrugated cardboard to plastics
• Concentrates and multi-packs and refill packs with reduced packaging volume, which can reduce the material requirements for primary packaging by up to 80% while increasing transport efficiency

There are high hopes that bio-based materials will be able to replace fossil raw materials. These materials are based on sugar cane, corn, or cellulose, for example. Unfortunately, however, bio-based does not automatically mean environmentally friendly. Even bioplastics are not always biodegradable. Furthermore, they often end up in the same waste stream as conventional plastics. This means that their true potential is unfortunately wasted. However, the industry is continuing to work on finding solutions.

For anyone working on material innovation and future trends, packaging remains an exciting—and challenging—topic. Some of these new developments can be experienced at K 2025. What new applications will there be?

If you don't want to wait until K 2025 in October, we will soon be presenting specific solutions from exhibitors in part 2 of our series “Focus on user industries: Packaging.”