Conclusion

Recycled plastics and bio-based plastics are already used in a wide variety of plastic packaging: bottles, trays, tubes, films, bags, and more. Their use has been growing for several years, and they are emerging as a complementary source of supply to virgin fossil-based plastics, which remain the primary source of supply for packaging manufacturers. The various available studies agree that these materials will gain momentum in packaging over the coming years, with the pace of growth determined by the ability of stakeholders to overcome the barriers to their development, particularly technical and organizational ones.

Rising living standards worldwide and the growth of the middle class—from 4.4 billion people today to approximately 5.7 billion in 2035—will lead to a definite increase in packaged products as a means of combating resource waste. Plastic packaging is...