Plastic packaging faces uncertain path after pandemic

To say the COVID-19 pandemic had a dramatic impact on consumer attitudes on plastic packaging would be a huge understatement, Matt Dusi thinks.

“Up until March of 2020, I kiddingly reflect that it was more socially acceptable to commit a misdemeanor crime than it was to use a plastic straw,” said Dusi, sector manager for food and agribusiness industry advisors for Wells Fargo Commercial Banking. 

“Overnight, plastics went from public enemy No. 1 to consumers asking for everything to have as much packaging as possible and to be single use.” 

With the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dusi said the nation’s landfills will be affected the most, and in a good way.

“(Landfills) have been inundated with single-use packaging over the last 12 months,” he said. “The sheer volume of food packaging that ended up in our landfills has been staggering.”

Lately, though, he said the consumer preference for single-use packaging has started to slow with the easing of the pandemic.

“That being said, the huge momentum that consumer groups had in place to reduce plastic/packaging has slowed significantly,” Dusi said. 

“Even when COVID passes, there will be a greater number of consumers that want a barrier between the public and their produce — a clam-shell, pouch, sleeve, or bag.”

While there is innovation toward alternative packaging, Dusi said it may hard to displace some well-established packaging choices.

“Consumers are rightly focused on alternative packaging with a lens toward sustainability, but there are reasons behind certain packaging decisions that aren’t always apparent to consumers,” he said. 

For example, Dusi said companies use clamshells to protect strawberries and provide a clear view of the fruit consumers are buying.

“If that is moved to a cardboard container, a certain percentage of the product will be damaged, contributing to another important concern around food waste,” he said. 

An alternative to formulating a new packaging product that Dusi has seen is that companies are going to market with an educational message. 

“Some companies are using messaging like, ‘We are constantly looking for lower impact methods of delivering our product to you, but we want you to know why we chose this method … by using the clamshell/sleeve/bag, we have reduced food waste by XX%, reducing greenhouse gas emission by XX% and delivered a higher quality, longer lasting product to you,’” he said.

“An education program, coupled with a comprehensive recycling plan, could be an effective option rather than a wholesale shift away from the current packaging option we have today.”