Six Giants Unite to Replace Plastic Packaging with Paper

Six leading consumer goods companies have joined forces to accelerate the development of paper-based flexible packaging alternatives to plastic. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and (RE)SET, a company that helps organizations turn environmental ambition into concrete action, are behind the consortium known as PaperFlex.

The founding members include Colgate-Palmolive, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever. They aim to bring viable solutions to consumers faster by joining research and development efforts.

The PaperFlex Consortium will focus on markets where flexible plastic packaging is widely used but lacks effective collection and recycling systems. In these areas, the consortium aims to design alternatives that are recyclable as collection systems improve and biodegradable if they unintentionally end up in the environment.