Sustainable packaging? TMC’s answer for the industry of the future

Some numbers? According to a study conducted by a group of US researchers, every year, 50 kilos of plastic per person are placed on the market. And this quantity is growing.

World plastic production up to 2015 was 8 billion and 300 million tons; this means over one ton per current inhabitant of the planet. And half of that amount was produced in the last 13 years alone.

The study concludes that if current trends persist, i.e. if production continues to grow, even with a more massive use of recycling and incineration, by 2050 the amount of plastic that will in some way have ended up in landfills or dispersed in nature will reach 12 billion tons. A truly chilling figure that raises fundamental questions: how can we resolve the issue of waste disposal and reduce the exponential increase of plastic packaging materials in the waste stream? In which direction can we focus the evolution of technological innovation in order to reduce the environmental impact of packaging, safeguarding the environment and the future for all of us?

Two are the most creditable hypotheses currently being studied by the large multinationals:

1. Manufacturing packaging by using truly sustainable materials that, in addition to functionality, also keep the issue of the environmental impact of packaging disposal into consideration;
2. Using materials that can, thanks to recovery and recycling, minimize the use of new raw materials in the future.

The answer proffered by TMC (Tissue Machinery Packaging) is fruit of an evolutionary path that began some time ago. The Bologna-based company that for 20 years has been offering the most innovative solutions to manage and solve the complexities related to the packaging and handling of Tissue products has always been focused on innovations aimed at sustainability. Restoring efficiency, plant life span, reduction of production costs, but also the quest for solutions capable of reducing the thickness of the packaging material and of containing energy costs. For these reasons, the study of a sustainable and biodegradable packaging has been in the works for some time. And today, TMC is poised to provide the market and nature with a concrete and effective answer to solve this important environmental issue that the world and, more specifically, our seas are experiencing.

Packaging is in our DNA

The answer has a name: it’s called Plastic-Free-Tech and it is an innovative system for the production of paper packaging using machines that can yield this product without releasing plastic materials into the environment. This smart technological innovation can be implemented on all TMC machines. Through a specific upgrade, the lines can produce also paper packaging at the same performance levels with which they produce polyethylene, and thus become Plastic-Free-Tech. Plastic-Free-Tech is an opportunity that can be adopted by all brands interested in manufacturing a 100% ecological, biodegradable and compostable packaging, thus adapting their production to the demands of a market increasingly oriented towards people’s needs and towards truly sustainable products.

The growth of the eco-friendly market is highlighted by a research project commissioned in 2015 by Tetrapak, attesting that for 74% of Italians, sustainability has nowadays become a veritable style of life and that 70% of consumers prefers an eco-friendly product and is even willing to pay more for it. But preference does not stop with choosing a product: a more sustainable packaging improves the product’s reputation, making it more attractive. This is why in the course of the last few years companies have created packaging solutions that go in this direction.

Now, with Plastic-Free-Tech, TMC offers the market a concrete possibility to change course for the Tissue industry. A solution for all forward-thinking production and industrial facilities that, like you, are looking to evolve their sales strategies. An answer to today’s problem in order to create a better future.