Consumers around the world and particularly in the developed world are getting serious about how their products are made, packed and ultimately disposed of; its implication for the environment; and also how suitable the whole product life cycle is.

In the packaging sector, a number of developments have been happening to improve environmental performance which includes:

• Efforts to reduce materials usage through improved production processes.
• Reduction in the thickness of the packaging.
• Increased use of renewable, for instance, fibre and bio-plastics.
• Increase recycling of the packaging materials by resin codes.
• Development of biodegradable materials.
• Increase in the use of environmental friendly packaging alternatives
• Ban on plastic bags in some places and chargeable plastic in shops
• Enhancing the whole supply chain.

On the downside, there is also some opposition for using rigid plastic packaging due to its negative impact on the environment, which may affect the growth to some extent.