COURTESY OF SAPPI The world has a single-use plastic problem: the majority of plastic does not get recycled, and much of it ends up in the ocean or landfills. Most consumers are in favor of reducing plastic. In fact, 87% of customers think retailers should curb the amount of plastic packaging they use.
Global governing bodies are passing sweeping environmental recommendations and regulations to reduce plastic. Congress introduced The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act in 2021, and in 2015 all member states of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which relies on 17 Sustainable Development Goals for global peace and prosperity. Responsible production and consumption are key components of these UN goals, and Sappi uses them as a guideline for sustainability in both our operations and our products.
Major companies, such as Estee Lauder and Unilever, are responding to the pressure with sweeping declarations to reduce plastic. Of several options to replace plastic, few are better than paperboard made from wood fiber. At Sappi, we believe wood fiber is the material of the future – and we are using it to produce alternatives to plastic in packaging.
Our innovative, fiber-based products are used in gift cards and hotel room cards, as well as in shopping bags and food-service board for paper plates, reducing or eliminating the amount of plastic in these items. Our fiber-based products are also used in luxury packaging for cosmetics, premium packa.