Winners of the 2020 BEYONDPLASTIC Awards, which looked for new designs to eliminate single-use plastic packaging in society, brought innovative and elegant solutions to make common consumer items biodegradable and CO2-free.

Radio Roasters' new single-use Steeped Coffee Bags reinvents the way imbibers brew and drink specialty coffee, with guilt-free, biodegradable packaging that is fully recyclable and environmentally responsible.

Sustainability is not a new issue. From a packaging perspective, there has long been a drive to design and introduce materials and structures that are kinder to our planet. What has felt different over the last 12 months is the urgency with which the subject is being discussed, due in part to what we might call the “Attenborough” effect.

It’s an exciting time in foodservice ware as companies and consumers increasingly seek to reduce their carbon footprint and improve waste diversion. But with evolution there is often confusion, misconception and misinformation. 

Corona will pilot 100 percent plastic-free six pack rings in select markets as part of the brand’s commitment with Parley for the Oceans to lead the industry with eco-friendly packaging. 

The latest contender for plastic packaging replacement could be Durapulp fiber, which is used to create biodegradable packaging to replace the black plastic trays often used in ready meals and raw beef products, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

From start to finish, and at every stop along the way, the familiar corrugated box perpetually excels as the world’s most renewable packaging option. Corrugated is a recycling success story that just keeps getting better, with a stellar 2016 annual U.S. recovery rate of 93%.

The global secondary packaging market is expecting exponential growth during the forecast period 2017-2021.