The global spread of the epidemic has caused a huge shift in the way people think about packaging. Concerns about Marine plastics, environmental trading and the challenging recycling economy came into focus earlier this year, with widespread doubts about the value of packaging and the viability of recycling. But then came the outbreak, and packaging was once hailed as a key tool for ensuring health and safety.

While the value of packaging is now more widely recognized by the public, previous concerns have not gone away. In this time of pandemic, the packaging industry must reflect and prepare to ensure that the packaging value chain provides more value to our environment and society, and plays a key role in the economic restructuring our world so badly needs.

The packaging value chain is likely to undergo the following four changes after the outbreak, which may create a more robust future for the industry:

1. Consumers appreciate the value of packaging more, but still need a circular packaging system

Since the outbreak, more and more media have focused on the value of packaging for home delivery and consumer preferences for packaged goods. Disposable packaging is on the rise as consumers want to ensure hygiene and minimise the potential risk of virus transmission. Packaging is now recognized as a valuable tool to ensure product and consumer protection, increased shelf life, and safe delivery.

But the more time consumers spend at home, the more they become aware of their spending and processing patterns, and consumers face the visual impact of their spending. Food waste is put in their kitchen bins rather than in the back of restaurants, and when products arrive at home, there are usually more packages disposed of in the store, out of sight. Now all the packaging is filled with consumers' own recycling containers. As consumers become more aware of the impact of consumption and disposal, they are likely to become more environmentally conscious and concerned about materials that cannot be easily recycled.

You will also see a shift in policy away from banning materials and towards a greater emphasis on environmental design. You might even expect to consider further how to support extensions of technologies and processes to ensure increased packaging recycling or reuse. Investment, policy support and coordinated innovation strategies are all necessary. This approach could provide a valuable economic boost as we emerge from a virus-induced recession.

In addition, clear education and guidance on recycling may become increasingly important as consumers seek ways to better manage their household waste.

2. The definition of recycling needs to be expanded and coordinated

E-commerce packaging is very different from traditional physical retail. With the increase in vibration and movement between e-commerce distribution chains, multi-materials and flexible packaging appear to be more effective in providing the necessary product protection while minimizing the transport weight, in addition to reducing the cumulative material requirements provided through the "own container ship" (SIOC) alternative. In addition, with the number of takeaways on the rise, longer or more restricted restaurant meals may increase delivery service and necessary packaging.

In the case of food service packaging, while some may be recyclable or compostable, concerns about food contamination or lack of handling services further hamper their recycling efforts.

In the post-epidemic era, where home delivery is still expected to be high, and where interest in plastics and hard-to-recycle materials is seen as a valuable health precaution, emerging recycling technologies will be very valuable.

There is also a need to develop and encourage research and development to identify the most effective ways to collect, classify and reprocess emerging packaging materials and technologies so that our recycling systems are ready for future consumption trends. As e-commerce and takeout services are expected to continue to grow, in the current absence of single-material alternatives with the same level of protection, we need to find ways to separate multi-material packaging formats in order to recycle or identify new USES for mixed materials. In addition, we need to determine the best way to collect food-contaminated packaging to prevent cross-contamination of other materials.

3. Reusable packaging strategies may move to a more industrial model

To reduce the potential risk of spreading the virus, an increasing number of fast food restaurants have suspended the use of reusable containers, and states have begun temporarily lifting plastic bag bans. These behaviors have led many people to openly explore reusable packaging forms. In doing so, other industry groups have taken on environmental nonprofits, who were quickly drawn to the value of scientific research and methods.

AMERIPEN takes a different approach by redefining and commercializing reusable products as an economic growth opportunity. The shift to more industrially scale reusable products will continue to be an emerging field. In industrial facilities, reusable products are cleaned before being put back into use. In this way, the risk of spreading the virus through multiple hands is reduced by relying on consumer cleaning habits.

But these plans are in their infancy and further expansion will require additional support. Policy shifts and financial investments are also needed to improve the capacity to safely scale up reusable health processes. More research and development is needed to help test and experiment with different designs and systems for different reuse opportunities.

4. Distance and transmission issues will drive the automation of transportation and classification

In the current outbreak, the use of optical classifiers and robots to help improve classification and reduce manual labor in recycling sorting facilities may be a natural choice. As we look to the future of recycling, the use of these technologies is likely to increase dramatically.

The packaging industry has identified effective strategies to increase cooperation among investors, packaging companies and recyclers, which are imperative. In the post-epidemic era, the packaging industry needs to think more, establish a unified strategy, recognize the value of packaging, and strengthen the supply chain, but this will not be easy. Therefore, people need to establish the right awareness that packaging value chain strategy is based on the protection of the environment and human health, so as to find mutually beneficial ways to promote the balanced development of society, environment and economy. Sustainable packaging is more than just design; it requires systematic thinking, discovery and handling of unexpected results, as well as forethought. To promote circular economy and meet the changing needs of consumers, we still need to keep exploring.