Last March, Steven Sargeant, Ph.D., the general manager of R&D/technology for Flex Films International, gave a presentation on sustainability at a conference in the Chicago area. He described the response from many brand owners in attendance in one word: “stunned.” Stunned, as in many were completely unaware of the sustainable solutions when it comes to plastic film that are currently available.
Flex Films, a division of Uflex Ltd., knows a thing or two about sustainable films. In fact, Sargeant says the company produced one of the first BOPET films from bio-sourced monomers in the industry years ago. It didn’t take, as cost issues largely prevented its adoption, but it gave Flex Films a starting point – both when it came to future sustainable film developments and when it came to discussing the importance of flexible packaging sustainability.