Popular compostable packaging developments in the past year involved brands like Impact Snacks and suppliers like Tipa.

January 19, 2022

5 Slides

The compostable packaging the market is accelerating, forecast to reach a value of $25.4 billion at a CAGR of 17.4% for the period 2021 to 2028, according to a report from Data Bridge Market Research.

As popular as it is, this subcategory of sustainable packaging has proven to be divisive. Generally, consumers and companies seem to like the idea. In fact, brands and other industry stakeholders center their sustainable pledges on targets to make their products or packaging X% (25% to 100%) recyclable, reusable, or compostable, usually by 2025 or 2030.

By contrast, some sustainability experts like Robert Lilienfeld, who manages the recently launched think tank-group SPRING, aren’t on the compostable bandwagon.

SPRING posted a hierarchy of recommended sustainable packaging tactics that includes industrial composting, though with several caveats. Notably, it’s fifth among six tactics, positioned after chemical recycling and just ahead of “landfilling or converting to energy.”

Highlighted in this slideshow gallery in descending order are the five best-read compostability articles of 2021. It’s a way to find out what aspects of this market your packaging peers found of most interest.

For further reading, this Packaging Digest webpage offers a comprehensive list of more than 400 compostable packaging articles.

Onto the gallery, where the #1-read compostable packaging article of 2021 provides the perfect setup to the other four with a 5-point summary of useful guidance.

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