According to a new study by global packaging industry authority Smithers, the total amount of global packaging waste is expected to reach 434.5 million tons by 2025. By 2030, this number will increase to 525 million tons, equivalent to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.9%.

In 2024, the global average per person generated 53 kilograms of packaging waste, of which 36 kilograms were recycled and 17 kilograms were discarded. By 2030, it is expected that the per capita recycling capacity will increase to 63 kilograms, 44 kilograms will be recycled, and 19 kilograms will be discarded.

Recyclability and efficient collection of waste are urgent issues in the packaging industry. These priorities will reshape the selection, design, and use of packaging over the next five years, as discussed in detail in Smithers' latest market report 'The Impact of Recycling and Waste on the Packaging Industry Until 2030'.

Plastic remains at the core of the packaging sustainability debate. Between 2000 and 2019, the amount of plastic waste doubled, with packaging accounting for approximately 40% of it. The recycling rate of these formats is one of the lowest in the world - only 27.9% in 2024. In the next five years, with the deployment of "ultra clean" mechanical recycling equipment, hard polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) will gradually improve this situation.

The recycling technology for other polymers, especially flexible materials, is not yet advanced enough. With the introduction of more single polymer designs and the improvement of advanced (chemical) recycling pipelines, the recovery rate will increase. For suppliers, there are direct economic incentives, including EPR, which requires companies to pay for the management of waste they put into the market, and regulations for the use of recycled resin in new plastic packaging.

Fiber based packaging - paper, cardboard, corrugated paper, and molded packaging - has achieved higher recycling rates: the global recycling rate is 76.2%, rising to 88.3% in Europe and 94.5% in the United States. With the emergence of advanced reverse ink machines, the yield of paper recycling streams is expected to increase, as these machines can enhance ink removal capabilities and reduce the presence of other pollutants.

In 2024, glass packaging achieved a global recycling rate of 88.6%. Innovation includes better color classification and screening of mixed recycling stream pollutants.

Metal packaging, with its high intrinsic material value and mature infrastructure, has a global recycling rate of 93.1% by 2024. Europe leads with a metal packaging recycling rate of 95.5%, while North America has the lowest recycling rate in the region at 89.4%. Maximizing collection remains the main challenge.

Among all packaging types, recycling efficiency will be improved through advanced sorting technology, including advanced washing and cleaning equipment, as well as connecting artificial intelligence algorithms with automatic sorting equipment to enhance the purity of the recycled waste stream.