Single-Use Packaging In The Post-Pandemic Scenario

Modern-day consumers had started considering the use of plastic as something prohibited before the pandemic arrived. Until the end of 2019, social and mainstream media portrayed plastic as a more significant pollutant for the planet.

This trend has been much like time around 1982 when consumers were quite concerned about over-packaging of products. After a few months, companies started producing tamper-evident packaging for over-the-counter drugs. The consumers at that time then started questioning whether such a packaging technique could be applied to all packaging applications.

In the first quarter of 2020, there was a worldwide health crisis nearly after 100 years of Spanish flu. This pandemic has let an influence on nearly all walks of life, changing the lifestyle of every human being on the planet. This pandemic resulted in a rising demand for soap, sanitizers, disinfecting wipes, and other anti-viral solutions. This rising demand resulted in the workers joining manufacturing and packaging processes to help companies that were overwhelmed by the rise in demands.

This situation has resulted in a significant turnaround of public opinion. People who have been quite vocal while criticizing the use of plastic in manufacturing and packaging processes suddenly lined up to get the plastic bottles of sanitizers and other hygiene products. Grocery stores started telling customers that they no longer need to bring reusable bags for grocery shopping. The demand for disposable gloves also rose drastically. These demands are not going to discontinue since the winter season is causing an upward flu spike. There is also a looming threat of the second wave of COVID.

It is, however, not the time to call plastic the winner here. Plastic, despite its usability in the current times, is still an environmentally hazardous material. We can assume the extent to which this material can now contaminate the environment, as a lot of plastic has already been manufactured, and it is expected to head to the landfills and oceans in the upcoming months.

Multi-use containers

Firms are now looking for sustainable packaging solutions, which also include multiple-use containers. With the world moving towards the circular economy, it has become more essential than ever to work on a solution that can help us reduce packaging wastes and improve overall hygiene at the same time.

For instance, companies can work to evolve single-use packaging into lightweight cartridges that can be used with durable soaps and hand sanitizer dispensers. It means that an outer packaging may contain a lighter package inside it. This lighter package doesn’t need to be aesthetically perfect. The dispenser can be optimized to reduce human contact or touches.

With COVID-19, we have seen rising demands for clean water bottles and healthy juices. These products are usually available in single-use containers. Some brands, however, are trying to use recycled material for the production of containers for such products. The success of these packaging efforts will result in a more evolved single-use packaging solution.