Six Global FMCG Giants Join Forces to Accelerate Paper-Based Flexible Packaging

A new industry consortium backed by six of the world’s largest consumer goods companies is bringing together global expertise and investment to accelerate the development of paper-based alternatives to flexible plastic packaging.

The PaperFlex Consortium, convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and powered by (RE)SET, brings together Colgate-Palmolive, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble and Unilever as founding members. The initiative aims to accelerate research, development and commercialisation of responsibly designed paper-based flexible packaging, particularly for markets where flexible plastic packaging is widely used but formal collection and recycling infrastructure remains limited.

Flexible packaging formats such as sachets, wrappers and pouches are widely used across food, beverage, personal care and household products. However, their small size and multi-material construction can make collection and recycling challenging in many markets.

The PaperFlex Consortium is intended to address some of these challenges through collaborative research and development, with members working together to identify, fund and conduct trials of promising technologies and materials.

Areas of focus will include biodegradable and advanced barrier coatings, as well as technologies that can provide the product protection, shelf life and consumer usability required from flexible packaging. The consortium will also examine how paper-based materials perform on existing high-speed manufacturing lines, an important consideration for any solution seeking to move beyond laboratory or pilot scale.

The initiative reflects a recognition within the consumer goods and packaging industries that replacing flexible plastic is not simply a matter of substituting one material for another. Paper-based alternatives must meet demanding technical and commercial requirements, including product protection, seal integrity, shelf life, manufacturing performance, affordability and consumer expectations.

The consortium therefore aims to reduce duplication in research and development while helps promising technologies move more quickly towards commercial scale. By pooling expertise and supporting collaborative trials, its members hope to accelerate innovation while reducing the cost and time associated with developing new packaging solutions.

A key principle of the initiative is a dual end-of-life ambition: developing paper-based solutions that can be recyclable as collection and recycling systems improve, while also being biodegradable where they unintentionally enter the environment. The consortium says its work will focus particularly on markets where inadequate waste-management infrastructure can increase the risk of flexible packaging leaking into the environment.

The initiative builds on research published by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation earlier in 2026, which identified responsibly designed paper-based flexible packaging as one potential component of a broader strategy for addressing small-format plastic packaging waste. The Foundation’s report highlighted six principles for responsible paper-based packaging, including responsible sourcing and production, meeting technical and consumer requirements, local recyclability, avoiding hazardous chemicals and persistent plastic pollution, and contributing to a wider circular economy approach.

The consortium’s formation also comes as packaging producers and brand owners face growing pressure to respond to evolving regulations, sustainability commitments and consumer expectations around packaging waste.

However, the PaperFlex Consortium acknowledges that significant technical challenges remain. Current paper-based solutions do not yet consistently deliver the combination of performance, scale and cost required to replace flexible plastics across all applications. Developing suitable barrier properties, maintaining shelf life and ensuring compatibility with existing production equipment remain important areas for innovation.

The consortium is structured as an open and voluntary initiative, with an invitation for additional FMCG companies using small-format flexible packaging to participate. It is also calling for engagement from businesses across the wider value chain, including innovators, suppliers and investors, as well as policymakers.

The PaperFlex Consortium says broader collaboration will be necessary to establish the conditions required for sustainable sourcing of fibre, affordable solutions and effective collection and recycling systems.

For the paper and packaging industry, the initiative could create new opportunities for innovation across fibre development, coatings, barrier technologies, converting, printing, machinery and recycling, while potentially opening new markets for paper-based flexible packaging.

The challenge now will be translating collaborative research into solutions that can perform at commercial scale. As the consortium moves towards collaborative trials, the coming years will provide an important test of whether paper-based flexible packaging can achieve the technical performance, economic viability and end-of-life characteristics required for wider adoption.

For more information, visit https://paperflexconsortium.org/