By Julia O’Loughlin, group marketing manager at Parkside
AS we approach the halfway point of 2025, most businesses could probably sum up the year so far in a single word – ‘chaos’.
And between tax rises, cost increases, inflation, new packaging regulations, supply chain turmoil, disquiet in the farming sector, and an international trade war that is unfolding so rapidly that even 24-hour news coverage is struggling to keep up, the food industry has had to deal with more chaos than most this year. But where there are challenges, there are also opportunities – and in the current climate, transitioning to lightweight flexible packaging could be one of the biggest opportunities of all for food processors.
Tariff turmoil
At the time of writing, there is no bigger issue in the global economy than the US Government’s tariffs. By the time you read this, however, this may all have changed. The fluidity and uncertainty of this situation is, in itself, a massive problem. The tariffs could be raised, lowered, cancelled, and reimposed on almost any nation at a moment’s notice.
As the saying goes, when America sneezes, the world catches a cold. When it erects a nearly impassable trade barrier with China, the world’s manufacturing hub, the pressure this creates on global supply chains is immense.
Evolving regulations in Europe
At the same time, the European market is rolling out a number of new laws aimed at cutting packaging waste – notably, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) in the EU, and the UK’s extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR) reforms. Both use modulated fees to incentivise businesses to shift to more circular materials. The only way to avoid these levies altogether is to use no packaging at all – an impossible ask for food producers. However, it makes sense to minimise the amount of material being shipped around the world for use in packaging.
This is why flexible packaging can be the ideal format to help food brands minimise risks and overcome uncertainty. Flexible packaging is inherently lighter weight than rigid formats, and results in less empty air being shipped in each consignment. This can help businesses combat global uncertainty through efficiency – and while cutting waste is always a positive, in uncertain times it can be what separates success from failure.
A flexible solution
This minimalist approach has to be balanced against the functionality of the final pack. At Parkside, we have seen first-hand how the performance of flexible food packaging materials has advanced in recent years. This means producers and brands can enjoy a wealth of options, tailoring their packaging to suit particular applications.
Many categories of snack packaging, for example, can make use of lightweight paper-based materials, laminated using a vapour deposition of aluminium that creates a robust barrier against moisture, oils, and oxygen. This metallised barrier uses such a minimal amount of material that it does not compromise a pack’s recyclability in domestic paper recycling streams – another important point under pEPR legislation.
Where plastics are required, such as in fresh produce, protein, or dairy applications, light weighted monopolymer laminates can be used to create lidding films, pouches, flow wraps, and more, in duplex or triplex configurations if needed. These monopolymers are recyclable in front-of-store collection schemes, or in domestic recycling bins in the case of lidding films weld-sealed to a tray made of the same material (such as PET).
When using the right flexible packaging materials, less really can be more for the food industry, providing greater efficiency and some semblance of certainty in uncertain times.
• To learn more about Parkside’s range of flexible packaging solutions, visit www.parksideflex.com.
