Unilever invests in packaging R&D to reduce virgin plastic use

Unilever says it’s investing significantly at its Global Packaging R&D Centre to develop new sustainable packaging materials and technologies, noting that its investment in materials science and technology has more than doubled in recent years

The company says its ambition is “to end to plastic pollution through reduction, circulation and collaboration, and our Global Packaging R&D Centre is home to a specialist team of experts dedicated to making this vision a reality.”

“Our plastic progress is industry-leading, but we cannot be complacent,” Pablo Costa, global head of Packaging, says in a post dated Oct. 9 on the Unilever website. “That’s why we’re now taking materials science into our own hands. Our aim is to optimize what we can do in-house while working end-to-end with our partners and peers to bring these solutions to market.”

The company says using more postconsumer recycled (PCR) content in its packaging is key to reducing virgin plastic use, noting the “complex technical challenge” involved.

This year, Unilever says its Packaging R&D team characterized 160 grades of recycled plastics to create a digital tool that can predict packaging color, eliminating the need to create a physical prototype with recycled materials.

“This is saving a huge amount of time and resources, cutting development time by around 25 percent,” according to the company.

Unilever also is leveraging its Advanced Manufacturing Centre, a pilot-scale plant for in-house testing, to optimize its materials and designs virtually before bringing them to market.

“As part of our goal to make 100 percent of our flexible plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2035, we’re working on a range of solutions," Unilever says. "Our approach is to first eliminate nonessential packaging by scaling alternative product formats and business models. We’re realistic that these will take more time and systemic change, which is why we’re also developing material alternatives to flexible plastic.”

The company’s Future Flexibles program involves developing materials for pouches and sachets that are both recyclable and compostable.

"This means designing materials that are compatible with recycling systems and naturally biodegradable," it says.

While Unilever says paper is the only widely recyclable and compostable packaging material available now, it is insufficient as a packaging material when used alone because of its low barrier properties, a tendency to rip in industrial production settings and challenges in sealing.

“This is why many paper packaging solutions today often require a thin layer of plastic film—to provide barrier protection and seal and protect the product inside," the company says.

“Packaging liquid products like laundry detergent and shampoo in paper is one of the most technically complex challenges we’re tackling in R&D," Costa adds. "They have higher barrier requirements compared to dry products. The solution lies in removing the plastic film layer by developing material alternatives that can still seal the packaging and provide barrier protection without impacting its recyclability and natural biodegradability.”

Unilever says it has assessed more than 3,000 technologies, including those used in pharmaceuticals and electronics but not currently used in packaging.

“Switching to recyclable and compostable paper flexibles will require major industry transformation,” Costa says. “There are no quick fixes. But we’re already starting work to prepare our supply chain—and our consumers—for the transition.”

The company says creating new sustainable materials and technologies complements its work to develop and deploy new packaging formats and scalable reuse–refill models.

“We also continue to call for systems change, because voluntary action by businesses is insufficient to turn the tide on plastic pollution,” Unilever says. “We need ambitious, coordinated policy measures across the full plastic life cycle that help scale solutions and ensure all businesses play by the same rules.”