In 2022, PMMI and AMERIPEN conducted research that resulted in The Packaging Compass, a report on the future of materials usage and replacement for CPGs, OEMs, Materials Suppliers, and Recovery professionals.  

Packaging, in its many formats – single-use, compostable, and reusable, to name a few – continues to play an important role in consumer’s and business’s day to day. But what’s changed in the 2 years since we last checked with industry professionals?  What are CPGs now looking at as the future of packaging materials?  How has their packaging strategy changed?  What materials does the recycling industry need to prepare for? PMMI is answering these questions by refreshing the data collected in 2022.  Original research conducted for this report measured the usage and potential for use as a replacement material for 36 material types.  Key findings in 2022 were continued growth in plastics, particularly flexible films, and the widespread move toward plastics reduction on the part of brand owners.  We also found that CPGs are looking toward a future that includes packaging materials that possess a less complicated end of life process.  What this suggests is that although brand owners are focused on the safety, freshness, and sustained quality of their products, they are also aware of the need for sound end of life processes for all of the materials that package their products.  Join PMMI, as we seek to find out how the materials landscape is evolving in our new white paper Navigating Packaging Materials Transitions .