Authors of the report note that much of the increased activity in green packaging has been driven by Wal-Mart, which unveiled its Packaging Scorecard in November 2006. The scorecard was implemented in February 2008 and is used by Wal-Mart to evaluate the packaging used by suppliers in terms of its eco-friendliness, including factors that reduce waste as well as packaging and
transportation costs.
Furthermore, the fastest gains are anticipated for biodegradable plastic packaging and plastic recycled content packaging. Growth for biodegradable plastic packaging will be driven by price competitiveness with conventional resins, rapidly expanding capacity and lower pricing volatility than petroleum-based plastic packaging materials.
The report highlights that the largest markets for green packaging are food, consumer products and beverages, which together represented two thirds of total green packaging demand in 2008. However, the fastest growing markets through 2013 will be the foodservice and shipping markets.
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