PaperFlex Consortium Aims to Develop Biodegradable Packaging Alternatives
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has launched the PaperFlex Consortium to accelerate innovation in paper-based flexible packaging solutions. The consortium aims to reduce pollution from small-format plastic packaging and will focus on developing biodegradable and recyclable alternatives.
Six consumer packaged goods companies, including Colgate-Palmolive, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever, are the founding members of the consortium. The group is prioritizing geographic markets where plastics are likely to end up in the environment due to lack of collection and recycling systems.
The consortium's work aligns with the 2030 Plastics Agenda outlined by EMF in 2025, which discusses the need for collaboration and pooling resources to solve plastic pollution problems. The agenda notes that flexible plastic packaging is one of the major roadblocks to achieving a circular economy for plastics and packaging.
The consortium will focus on developing solutions that meet six criteria, including being produced responsibly and avoiding hazardous chemicals. However, Defruyt noted that 'paper-based flexible packaging solutions that meet all those criteria do not exist today'.