PaperFlex Consortium launches to advance paper-based flexible packaging

Six global consumer goods companies have joined forces to accelerate the development of responsibly designed paper-based alternatives to flexible plastic packaging through the newly launched PaperFlex Consortium.

Convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and powered by (RE)SET, the consortium brings together Colgate-Palmolive, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble and Unilever as founding members. The initiative is also open to other businesses, innovators, suppliers and investors interested in supporting the development and scaling of new solutions.

The work will focus particularly on markets where flexible plastic packaging is widely used and formal collection and recycling systems remain limited. In these areas, small-format packaging such as sachets, wrappers and pouches is more likely to escape waste-management systems and enter the environment.

The consortium aims to develop paper-based alternatives that can be recycled as collection systems improve and that are biodegradable if they unintentionally end up in the environment. Over the next few years, members intend to shape, fund and conduct collaborative trials covering biodegradable coatings, new coating technologies, product protection, shelf life, consumer usability and the performance of paper-based materials on manufacturing lines.

By combining research and development resources, the participating companies expect promising innovations to be developed and scaled more quickly and at lower cost. Each member will nevertheless continue to make its own packaging decisions independently.

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, paper-based flexible packaging solutions are not yet available at the required combination of performance, scale and cost. The consortium is intended to demonstrate market demand and create a structured route for technical cooperation.

Sander Defruyt, Strategy Lead for Plastics at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, said: “Responsible paper-based flexible packaging solutions don’t yet exist at the performance, scale and cost required. This consortium signals strong demand for them – and real ambition from six consumer goods companies to help scale them.”

The initiative builds on a Foundation report published earlier in 2026, which identified responsibly designed paper-based packaging as one element of a broader strategy to address small-format flexible plastic pollution. The report set out six design criteria, including recyclability, biodegradability and responsible sourcing and production, while maintaining food safety, product quality and regulatory compliance.