Sustainability is the order of the day. The days when production could be carried out at the expense of the environment and health are long gone. This is particularly true of the chemical industry. This industry, more than almost any other, is subject to critical public scrutiny in terms of environmental compatibility.

At the same time, especially with chemicals, care must be taken to ensure that packaging and contents match. Acids and alkalis are the best examples of this: These aggressive chemicals severely limit the choice of packaging materials.

However, the chemical industry is also assessing the situation correctly and is now relying as far as possible on sustainable and recyclable containers.

Check out our blog if you want to learn more about our sustainable packaging solutions.

Definition of sustainability in the packaging industry

What is considered sustainable is what lasts or functions over the long term without overusing resources. Sustainable packaging does not harm the environment or consume scarce materials. They can either be reused, upcycled or downcycled.

This ensures that the containers do not cause any harm in terms of their impact on ecology, economy and social justice. Sustainability in this case means that energy consumption during production, disposal or recycling is as low as possible.

If landfilling is unavoidable, the packaging material should at least be "inert", meaning "non-decomposing". Anything that does not endanger the quality of life of future generations is therefore considered sustainable.

Challenges for packaging materials in the chemical industry

The chemical industry is divided into numerous other sectors. What they have in common is that they supply precursors that are only used in the application. Typical commercial chemicals are as follows:

• Solvent
• Detergent
• Adhesives
• Paints and varnishes
• Process chemicals
• Binder
• Construction Chemicals

The primary task of packaging is to ensure that the chemical reaches the customer safely. It must neither contaminate nor leak. The design of the packaging is also subject to economic constraints, i.e. it should be as inexpensive as possible.

Construction chemicals such as cement, gypsum or lime binder are sufficiently non-hazardous and insensitive to be transported in low-cost paper bags.

At best, these bags are still provided with an additional layer of plastic to keep moisture from penetrating.

Solvents such as alkalis, acids, gasoline or turpentine, on the other hand, are liquid. To be able to transport them safely, tight containers made of plastic or sheet metal are required. The question of sustainability is therefore always subordinate to the primary requirements of the goods to be transported.

What packaging materials are used in the industry?

The following packaging materials have proven themselves in the chemical industry:

• Paper and cardboard
• Glass
• Plastics
• Metal

Paper and cardboard are considered sustainable because they are biodegradable or can be thermally recycled at low cost. Even full recycling is possible to a certain extent for cardboard containers. Paper and cardboard are also lightweight and inexpensive.

Low packaging weight always means low CO2 transport. This is also considered sustainable. In the chemical industry in particular, the use of paper and cardboard is only possible for selected products. Only powdered or granulated products such as construction chemicals, powdered cleaning agents or salts can be considered for this.

Glass is characterized by high fatigue strength and robustness against most chemicals. It is also transparent, making the contents controllable. Glass is very recyclable as long as it is disposed of correctly.

If, for economic reasons, the only option is to landfill used glass containers from the chemical industry, it also behaves sustainably in the wild. It does not decompose, but at best decays into harmless quartz.

What is less sustainable about glass is its weight. It requires a lot of energy to transport, which has a negative impact on its eco-balance.

Plastics are today's biggest challenge when it comes to sustainability. The extremely cheap as well as extremely durable polyamides cause major problems in many places if they are not disposed of correctly. But this does not apply to all types of plastic.

Plastics containing chlorine and sulfur, such as PVC, are considered particularly problematic. When burned, they release toxins that have to be filtered out in the plants. This makes their disposal expensive and unsustainable. Other plastics, on the other hand, such as polyethylene, break down into water vapor and carbon dioxide when burned.

In the chemical industry, plastic containers are often used as a substitute for glass. They are much lighter, easier to handle and just as robust. For many chemicals, such as strong acids, plastic containers and packaging are no alternative to other materials.

Metals are used in the chemical industry to a limited extent. The greatest advantage of metal packaging from a sustainable perspective is its maximum recyclability. Correctly returned to the material cycle, metals can be melted down again and again and processed into new products.

This is only possible to a limited extent with glass and plastics. The disadvantage of metals is their reactivity. Oxidation with oxygen is the biggest problem here. In containers made of ferrous metals, this oxidation is manifested by rust formation.

This can completely destroy the container. Other metals such as copper, aluminum and zinc can also interact with other chemicals and deteriorate their properties. Metal containers are used in the chemical industry, especially for strong solvents.

Sheet metal is the preferred material for containers for varnishes, paints, brush cleaners, gasoline or similar products. Compared to glass, metal has the advantage of shock resistance. When hit, the container gets dents, but does not break. Thus, metal containers offer good protection against leakage.

What requirements must the packaging materials meet?

The chemical industry provides products that are intended to interact with other compounds in a defined way at the point of use. Cement, gypsum and lime binders are mixed with water. Varnishes evaporate in the air.

Solvents clean brushes contaminated with paints. Detergents react with greases and remove them from surfaces. The packaging materials have to meet two requirements in the process:

• safe transport until the moment of use
• no interaction with the ingredients.

Chemicals are subject to certain aging processes. In most cases, these are not as serious and rapid as in the case of foodstuffs. Nevertheless, these substances can lose their effect over time or transform into unusable compounds.

The packaging must therefore be airtight and protect against moisture penetration. Ideally, it can also ensure this after the container has been opened. Here, for example, plastic bottles with variable volume ("bellows bottles") are an interesting option.

The question of sustainability follows on from these primary requirements. Fortunately, the packaging industry is now able to provide a suitable transport container for virtually any chemical that can also be disposed of safely after use.

What materials can sustainable packaging for the chemical industry be made of?

Sustainability for packaging in the chemical industry takes hold at two points - production and disposal.

Sustainable production of chemical packaging means using as much recycled material as possible for cardboard boxes and containers. This reduces the need for new resources and even lowers energy consumption.

Aluminum is a good example: smelting one kilogram of aluminum from bauxite requires up to 20 kWh of energy. Producing the same amount from recycled aluminum, on the other hand, requires only 5 kWh, or 75 percent less.

The same applies to packaging made of glass or cardboard. Both types of material can be easily recycled or obtained from renewable sources. In the case of plastics, on the other hand, reusability is severely limited.

Full recycling of plastic waste is very difficult to implement. Even with sorted disposal, the quality and thus the usability of the plastic decreases with each cycle.

Recycling of industrial packaging for the chemical industry

Industrial packaging has the advantage that it remains in the B2B area. This makes it easier to return them to the materials cycle. The important thing here is that every recipient and processor of the materials supplied are aware of their responsibility to act sustainably.

The large quantities delivered arrive in correspondingly voluminous packaging and outer packaging. In some cases, the components of the transport containers are recycled directly, as is the case for pallets, skeleton containers and containers, for example.

Outer packaging made of stretch or shrink film can also be disposed of by type and returned to the recycling system. In the B2B sector, containers made of glass, metal and plastic have additional protective packaging made of wood or cardboard.

Both can be recycled to some extent. If this is not possible, both materials are well suited for thermal recycling. They thus conserve fossil energy sources.

Proper disposal of the actual transport container for the chemicals, on the other hand, is a greater challenge. The restriction here is not based on the type of packaging material, but on the contents.

Many chemicals are hazardous substances that must be disposed of properly. This also applies to contaminated containers. In some cases, the only option is to dispose of them at a landfill for hazardous waste.

Importance of proper disposal for environmental friendliness

The regulations for proper disposal are strict and have a tendency to become progressively stricter. But this is not harassment, it is sustainability in action. In the past, chemicals of all kinds were handled all too carelessly, which poses health hazards to this day.

Just think of leaded gasoline, asbestos or carcinogenic flame retardants. The chemical industry is doing its utmost to develop harmless alternatives for all formerly hazardous products. This is increasingly successful - but not always.

It is and remains important that used chemicals and their containers are disposed of properly. The instructions for this are printed on the packaging. Today, however, disposal is made as easy as possible. Used oil, for example, can be disposed of at any auto repair shop, spare parts store or gas station.

Used batteries or used electrical appliances are taken back by retailers. These are just three examples of how entire networks for the proper disposal of used chemicals have formed outside the perception of the end customer.

The focus is not only on ecology, but also on economy. After all, what has become waste for the consumer can certainly be turned into usable products again by industry. However, proper disposal is an important part of this in any case.

Conclusion

Providing sustainable packaging is a particular challenge for the chemical industry. Primarily, the packaging must always fit the product and must not interact with it under any circumstances. This severely limits the selection of suitable materials.

While sustainability does not lose relevance to this, it must yield to the primary requirement of a safe container for the critical contents. Sustainability also means the correct feeding into the recyclable material cycle. Here, the chemical industry has created a powerful network that avoids ecological damage and reuses resources.

Do you have any questions about this topic? Feel free to contact our expertswho will be happy to support you or write to us via hello@palamo.com.