“Technology agnosticism”: Overly complex regulations could block innovation and cost jobs, says PulPac

15 Dec 2023 --- Swedish fiber specialist PulPac says that despite advancements in the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWR) recently voted in by the European Parliament (EP), the bloc needs greater focus on a “technology-agnostic” approach to create a fair and open market. 

Technology agnosticism is an open systems perspective, where different technologies and innovations can benefit from free market competition. According to the company, this approach draws out the best possible solutions instead of detailed product bans and exceptions that may be suboptimal in the long run.

As packaging converters, brands and consumers become increasingly aware, PulPac says it sees sustainability becoming a holistic part of the economy, and the market is no longer only a competition for the lowest prices. “Regulation can be pivotal in supporting this new multi-dimensional equilibrium, where the economy values impact and environmental footprint similar to cost efficiency,” PulPac’s CEO Linus Larsson Green tells Packaging Insights. 

“We propose that a technology-agnostic perspective would lead to fewer product regulations and more systems principles for opting for a lower impact. Setting clear targets for decreased impact and increased recyclability across the sector should increase the value of sustainable packaging and build on the EU’s long-standing leadership in recycling infrastructure.”

Nathalie Bödtker-Lund, head of Sustainability & Impact at PulPac.“If governments issue too complex regulations on a product level, we see huge risks for suboptimization. Or worst case, even blocked innovation and lost jobs in an industry that has a turnover of hundreds of millions of tons of materials annually and employs many people,“ adds Nathalie Bödtker-Lund, head of Sustainability & Impact at PulPac.

Clear targets, big risks 
PulPac says clear targets on impact, recyclability and production with system-led regulation should lead to “new waves of innovation.” Clarity could then drive the usage of local renewable resources with a working recycling stream and increase employment as jobs flow back into European manufacturing. 

The company argues that local transport and a high degree of renewable electricity would also become a competitive angle. 

“The potential risks are significant. Packaging is an enabling industry, extending life and functionality for many other products and services. The economic footprint globally exceeds US$1 trillion with probably billions of different articles and vast numbers of combined materials and solutions,” says Green. 

“The sheer scale and complexity of this industry mean that it is very difficult to understand the indirect effects of very detailed regulation. It could, for instance, inadvertently lead to a net increase in global impact if food waste is increased due to packaging quality decreases due to bans and if new solutions are not yet ready.” 

“Moreover, adapting manufacturing takes time, and some regions have a history of adapting faster than others, meaning that the import of non-local products that are viewed as more sustainable can actually be worse off in terms of life-cycle analysis and footprint if one considers the energy mixes applied in manufacturing and the transport distances.”

Going case-by-case 
PulPac says it advocates allowing the market to balance function, cost and impact for each solution while regulation prohibits dangerous materials. The PPWR efforts to ban PFAS and BPA for food or water contact have been largely lauded, for example. 

The packaging industry is moving away from non-sustainable chemicals and making significant investments into new technology — but the sheer number of packaging solutions and features needed make case-by-case product legislation very challenging, according to the company. 

“Especially in convenience products and food packaging, we see that recycling of renewable fibers has a systemic benefit over often fossil based-plastic reuse items in terms of achieving cost efficiency, good hygiene, and product shelf life at a low impact,” emphasizes Bödtker-Lund.

“Recycled fiber packaging uses existing infrastructure for paper waste and the environmental gains from replacing single-use plastic, such as a lower CO2 footprint. The reuse can model a great compliment to convenience but remains unproven on a macro scale, and it remains unclear how many times a consumer needs to reuse for the systems to work.” 

By Louis Gore-Langton