WNA CEO Julian Stauffer explores the challenges and opportunities in the food packaging industry as companies seek sustainability while balancing consumer demands and environmental impacts.
The Olympic motto, “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together,” embodies many positive values that we can embrace in our personal lives, as well as in the food packaging industry. As consumers show growing interest in food manufacturers’ efforts to reduce their environmental impact, companies are responding by increasing investments, making bold claims and striving to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable operations.
Julian Stauffer, CEO of WNA
While most companies aim to continuously improve and champion environmental causes that win over buyers’ hearts, achieving true progress is not easy. Striving for Gold in the race to sustainability takes an extraordinary commitment to planning, processes and execution.
The food industry is caught in an interesting paradox: while it sustains life on Earth for mankind in food, it is simultaneously a major contributor to climate change and pollution.
Single-use, non-recyclable and non-biodegradable packaging materials are cast as the biggest villains in the fight against pollution, with plastic materials being public enemy #1. Heavier and more commonly recycled packaging, such as glass jars and metal cans, create a substantially higher amount of greenhouse gas emissions than their lighter-weight, single-use and non-recyclable counterparts, exacerbating pollution. Additionally, despite polls indicating that consumers are willing to pay extra for eco-friendlier products, there is often a gap between good intentions and actual purchasing behavior.
When seeking environmental gains, food manufacturers can reduce packaging weight or opt for recyclable, reusable or biodegradable materials. While these changes may lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce pollution, they may not be ideal for ensuring food safety and extended shelf life—leading to increased food waste and more emissions from landfills. Every solution—past, present, or future—comes with its pros and cons. The ultimate goal is to minimize the environmental impact of food production, preservation, distribution and consumption to a negligible level. That is the game.
As human beings, we have an underlying desire to create games and strive to win them. The Olympic Games, as we know them today, have been held since 1896, with origins dating back to 776 BC. In the modern Olympics, we continue to push the limits to achieve results that are faster, higher and stronger each year. At both organization and individual levels, sustainability is one of many “games” we’ve created, now competing for our attention more than ever before. The sustainability movement offers us—and future generations — a chance to achieve better outcomes than in the past, with the hope it endures for millennia, much like the Olympic Games.
In this issue of the WNA Newsletter, we focus on several ways to run operations more sustainably. Preventing sealing issues in your production line is one of them. Our experienced Customer Success Manager Brian Jones shares five effective strategies to mitigate these issues while improving food production quality. We also feature an article comparing the benefits of aluminum to plastic in terms of product safety, shelf life and environmental impact. Additionally, our team details how a juice manufacturer achieved 99.78% overall equipment efficacy (OEE) using a Waldner pouch packaging filling and sealing system.
Finally, don’t miss our latest episode of Waldner Answers, where Product Manager Matt Gwin discusses a crucial topic for companies ready to take the next step in their businesses: ensuring machine flexibility to meet future market demands.
Enjoy your reading!
Check out the stories of the October 2024 Newsletter:
Five ways to mitigate common sealing issues
5 benefits of aluminum vs. plastic you need to know
Global juice manufacturer reaches 99% packaging efficiency with Waldner
Waldner Answers: ensuring machine flexibility to meet future demands
