The US-based company carried out its global survey on more than 500 packaging professionals and found that over 40 percent sited sustainability as the toughest challenge while 33 percent named cost as a major factor.
"Sustainable, cost-effective solutions that reduce packaging's environmental footprint are a top goal across geographies," said William J. Harvey, president of DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers.
Sustainability challenges take all forms
According to the survey results, meeting sustainability challenges requires multiple strategies.
Of those respondents working on sustainable packaging, 65 percent say their efforts are focused on design for recyclability or use of recycled content.
Fifty seven percent say they are focused on weight reduction, 41 percent say they rely on renewable or bio-based materials and 25 percent say they are focused on compostable materials.
"These survey results confirm that there are many pathways to improving packaging sustainability," said Harvey. "It starts with close collaboration throughout the value chain to spark innovation."
DuPont’s answers
DuPont’s Packaging & Industrial Polymers business unit offers a number of ways to enhance the sustainability of its products.
The company’s Fusabond resins are modified polymers that help bond dissimilar polymers to help facilitate recycling.
DuPont claims its Surlyn ionomer helps to reduce the total amount of material in packaging structures, whilst its Biomax Strong modifier helps bio-based polylactic acid (PLA) products gain more widespread use by enhancing performance attributes that limit its acceptance.
DuPont says that the issues facing the packaging industry are what led it to conduct the on-line survey of packaging professionals.