A new initiative – The PaperFlex Consortium – has launched today, comprising six global consumer goods companies, aiming to accelerate the development of responsibly designed paper-based alternatives to flexible plastic packaging.

The consortium has been established by global charity Ellen MacArthur Foundation and environmental consultancy (Re)Set. It includes Colgate-Palmolive, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble and Unilever as founding members, and is open for others to join.

Flexible packaging, including sachets, wrappers and pouches, is the fastest-growing type of plastic packaging worldwide. Scaled solutions to recycle the material are not widely available currently, with small-format flexible plastic packaging identified as one of three key systemic barriers to tackling plastic waste in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s 2030 Plastics Agenda for Business.

Markets where flexible packaging is widely used, and where a lack of collection and recycling systems could increase their likelihood of ending up in the environment, will be the key focus of the new initiative.

The consortium aims to develop alternatives for these markets that are recyclable as collection systems improve, and biodegradable if they do end up in the environment.

Its members now plan to fund and conduct collaborative trials in the coming years, covering innovations in areas such as biodegradable coatings and other technologies that offer product protection, shelf life and consumer usability. They will also aim to improve how paper-based materials perform on manufacturing lines.

Joint R&D efforts are expected to help scale promising innovations faster and at a lower cost, though each participating member will continue to adopt its own packaging strategy independently.

The announcement builds on the findings of a report published by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation earlier this year, endorsed by 48 businesses, NGOs, investors and academics. The report highlighted responsible paper-based alternatives as a promising part of a wider strategy to address flexible plastic waste in markets with greater waste management challenges, provided solutions meet six design criteria.

These criteria include recyclability, biodegradability and responsible sourcing and production – critical in ensuring paper-based packaging does not create new problems in place of those it is aiming to solve.

The consortium said its efforts will be pursued while continuing to ensure food safety, product quality, consumer protection and regulatory compliance, warning that change will not happen ‘overnight,’ but rather through interim steps intended to progress towards addressing the necessary criteria.

Sander Defruyt, strategy lead for plastics at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, said: “Responsible paper-based flexible packaging solutions don’t yet exist at the performance, scale and cost required. This consortium signals strong demand for them – and real ambition from six consumer goods companies to help scale them.”

“We’re inviting other FMCG companies, innovators, suppliers and investors to get involved now – the faster we develop such solutions, the sooner they reach the markets that need them most.”

Allison Lin, global VP of Healthy Planet and chief circulatory officer at Mars, commented: “The consortium challenges the traditional mindset of innovating on our own, demonstrating that partnership – structured with legal oversight, clear guardrails on permissible topics, and an independent third-party convenor – can accelerate the development of more sustainable packaging in ways that no single company could achieve alone.”