COVID-19, Carton Packaging and the Pulp and Paper Industry: An Overview

The future of packaging has never seemed so multifaceted, because environmentally conscious consumers are continuously spurring this traditional industry to make creative changes. But before we consider what will happen next, we should first acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic has already brought enormous change and a lasting impact to our industry.

Repeated global lockdowns forced changes in consumer behaviour and shopping habits, leading to 46% growth in e-commerce. The boom in online shopping during the pandemic brought more packaging deliveries than ever before, all of which urgently needed to keep up with market demand. As packages were hastily thrown from warehouses onto vans and then to doorsteps, their strength attracted more attention than ever. This is because demand keeps growing for sturdy cartons that can safely hold your goods under any delivery conditions.

But COVID-19 was not the only catalyst. With the decline of physical retail, e-commerce was already growing explosively, bringing with it greater consumer awareness of packaging delivery volumes. As a result, sustainability, and the use of more recycled materials, has become equally important. Most cartons today are made from about 50% recycled corrugated material, and every tonne of corrugated material reused can help avoid up to 17 trees being felled.

The disadvantage of recycled fiber is that it gets shorter after each reuse, which can continuously weaken the properties of the recycled fiber. Usually, after 5-7 cycles the fiber can no longer be used. From a practical point of view, this means the structural integrity of recycled corrugated cartons depends on the quality of the raw materials. There are many ways to overcome this problem, but ultimately it comes down to balancing strength and sustainability—not to mention cost—and this is a hard problem to tackle.

Because strength can only be measured after the paper is made, the opportunity for process optimization to achieve the right blend of virgin and recycled raw materials to meet specifications is limited. It is therefore no surprise that demand surged for the virtual strength measurement released by ABB last year. It created an online calculation that enables paper and packaging manufacturers to better manage strength properties within their target limits, producing more paper that meets specifications at lower cost while also reducing raw material use. ABB has also expanded the use of online fiber measurement to better optimize fiber blends.

What other factors are driving this change?

COVID-19 will continue to have a long-term impact on the future of e-commerce and packaging. According to McKinsey & Company, global demand for packaging is growing, and sales in 2021 will exceed the 1 trillion US dollar mark.

Over the past 18 months we have seen demand for corrugated cartons surge with each lockdown, which has brought bright prospects to the paper packaging industry at the core of the e-commerce economy, valued at 350 billion US dollars. According to the consulting firm Smithers, the amount of paperboard used last year to ship goods from retailers to homes surged by nearly 40%, and by the end of 2020 Fisher International confirmed that US containerboard consumption reached its highest level in 40 years, with the paper industry's operating capacity growing at a pace not seen in more than a decade, driven by growth in corrugated packaging.

Sustainability is one of the biggest contributors to positive change in our industry, as we see packaging clearly shifting toward using less material and being more natural. Companies now have both a responsibility and a vested interest in serving emerging consumers interested in a green future. The unusually high level of e-commerce, combined with the younger generation's desire to support companies that match their beliefs, is prompting people to reassess the waste issue and gradually move away from retailers with excessive or unsustainable packaging.

The evolution of packaging will also be driven to a large extent by demographic change and consumption trends, such as rising urbanization and its related phenomena—takeaway culture and the demand for convenience. We see changes in everything from on-the-go food containers to paper straws, which restaurants and consumers choose more often even though they are less durable than plastic. This proves that the desire to reduce waste has changed, and companies need to find ways to optimize the use of packaging materials and make them as cost-effective as possible.

This shift in sentiment is largely encouraged and reinforced by changes in government regulation, most notably the European Commission's directive on single-use plastics (SUP), which took effect in 2019 and is now extending into the paper field. This triggered the gradual ban on plastic shopping bags, forcing us to buy reusable or paper alternatives.

Tips for e-commerce companies coping with a changing packaging world

Manufacturers need to balance sustainability with consumer preferences while ensuring packaging can do what it needs to do. Packaging strength needs to be consistent with the product type to deliver a sturdy, high-quality product, and the key lies in knowing the source of the pulp/material blend used to make the carton.

The biggest challenge will be for companies to stay relevant in a fast-changing and constantly evolving market. New entrepreneurs, new lifestyles, new venues and new industries bring cutting-edge change, and the rise of e-commerce has highlighted trends and topics such as improving product safety, the "unboxing" experience, anti-counterfeiting measures and last-mile delivery optimization.

In short, manufacturers must innovate to stay competitive and bravely do more than simply improve their packaging methods. We need to prepare for the circular economy and change our way of thinking so that packaging can play an important role in building a positive future.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-378509.html