Sustainable packaging has become a strategic objective for the food industry, under pressure from European regulations and consumer expectations. In practice, however, the transition to “green” packaging exposes a major problem: the lack of functional collection and recycling infrastructure.

Many packages considered recyclable or compostable are technically compliant, but cannot be properly managed within existing systems. Separate collection is incomplete, sorting capacities are limited, and actual recycling is, in many cases, impossible. The result is paradoxical: sustainable packaging that ends up in landfills or incineration.

For producers, the costs are real and immediate. Alternative materials are more expensive, require technological adjustments, and may reduce product shelf life. These costs are not always recognized by the market and can rarely be fully passed on to the final price.

In the absence of coherent infrastructure, sustainability remains more an exercise in compliance than a genuine environmental benefit. The food industry thus finds itself caught between legal obligations, reputational pressure, and the practical limits of the current system.

Without substantial public investment in collection and recycling, green packaging risks becoming an expensive but inefficient solution.

(Photo: Freepik)