2020 was supposed to be the
‘year of sustainability’, building on the momentum of last year where climate
action and reducing plastics pollution were at the forefront of discussions.
However, since the outbreak of
COVID-19 focus has quite rightly shifted towards overcoming the pandemic.
Most companies have been
focussing on ensuring the safety of their staff and customers, managing
elevated demand for essential items, and supporting their local communities.
This has mean that the
packaging supply chain has had to become more flexible as demand has proven to
be unpredictable.
With this in mind, it is not
surprising that we have already seen signs that many consumers have rethought
their preference for ‘packaging free’ consumption. With hygiene and safety
being more prominent in consumers’ minds, some food retailers have gone back to
increasing packaging and individually wrapping fruits and vegetables.
Some foodservice chains have also
halted use of personal cups because of the risk of contamination, bringing back
up the use of disposable paper cups and single use alternatives.
There is a risk that the low
oil price may lead to an increase in the use of virgin plastic materials and in
some places, single use plastic bags have become widespread rather than reusable
ones.
It’s hard to anticipate what the impact of COVID-19 will be on
sustainable packaging, but one thing we can say for sure is that in the short
term, our behaviours and habits have been transported to the ones we had 10
years ago.
