Is replacing plastic with paper always a circular solution?
The shift toward “paperisation” is gaining momentum as companies look for alternatives to plastic packaging. But the material switch alone doesn’t guarantee circularity.
Some paper-based packaging uses plastic coatings that can complicate recycling. At the same time, increasing demand for virgin fibre raises questions about resource use and forest pressure.
Maybe the better question isn’t simply “plastic or paper?”
It is: Can we design packaging that is easy to reuse, repair, recycle, or safely return to nature, regardless of the material?