According to a recent study conducted for the Carton Council of North America, 91% of consumers declared they expected more information about recycling to be present on packaging, especially in the food and beverage industry. Indeed, more people are becoming aware of environmental issues and engage in more eco-friendly behaviours, such as recycling, and they expect brand owners to follow this trend and implement measures to help them in this process.
Packaging continues to play an essential role in driving carton recycling perception and, for Jason Pelz (Vice President of Recycling Projects for the Carton Council of North America) it is crucial that “we must work together – the packaging manufacturers, brands, and everyone in between- to ensure we are talking to consumers in a clear way about the recyclability of our products”. In France, the sustainability movement goes even beyond packaging: from July 1st 2016, all plastic bags will be definitely banished at the check-out counters, replaced by environment-friendly pouches and bags, to be marked with recycling and usage directions.
Therefore, coding and marking technologies can cease this opportunity and help industrials to better show the sustainability of their packaging.
For instance, recycling logos should be clear and really visible on the packaging, as 67% of people surveyed said they would consider non-recyclable a product where this information is missing or not readable. Also, consumers want increased instructions about recycling the products they are buying (in which container it should go, etc) and it can be challenging for creating messages as the amount of data to be marked would increase. Finally, the use of colour can be a real asset, as green is often associated with eco-friendly products, and coding and marking manufacturers can start creating products to print helpful and colourful messages.
How can ALE help?
- High-resolution inkjet printers
ALE systems offer a resolution of 180Dpi to print high-quality logos and graphics on your packaging, to help communicate about recyclability of the products
- Highest print band on the market
Up to 576mm print band with a single controller to print a vast amount of data, like recycling directions or even tips
- Eco-friendly inks
All ALE inks are REACH approved, meaning that they represent no harm for the environment and they are 100% recyclable.
- Colour systems
Two spot-colours or full-colours system for more impactful packaging