Is Your Packaging Truly Recyclable?

A Guide for World Environment Day 2025

Recyclability Starts with

Packaging Design

Today’s consumers—especially Gen Z—are more eco-conscious than ever. As sustainability expectations rise,

brands across every industry face growing pressure to make greener choices.

However, not all packaging is genuinely recyclable.
Each year, the world produces over 400 million tons of plastic waste, and approximately 40% originates from packaging.

Yet, more than 70% of packaging waste fails to get recycled.On this World Environment Day 2025, it’s time to distinguish greenwashing from genuine solutions

Why is that the case? Because true recyclability doesn’t begin at the recycling bin—it starts at the design table. Much of today’s packaging consists of complex multilayer materials incompatible with standard recycling systems.

These hidden challenges often mean that, despite the best intentions, packaging can still end up in landfills.

So, what truly makes packaging recyclable,

and how can your brand take action to make a real difference?
Let’s find out.

The Problem:

Confusion Around

Recyclability

Today’s packaging landscape is filled with contradictions:

• • • • Much of the packaging that reaches the facilities is rejected due to its complex material composition.

• • • • Common combinations, such as plastic with aluminum or paper with plastic, make separation and recycling nearly impossible.

      • Recycling symbols are often inconsistent, confusing consumers and brands.

Even well-intentioned consumers and brands struggle to make informed decisions. Without clear global standards, many contribute to landfill waste despite their best efforts.

How to Know if

Packaging is Recyclable

For Consumers:

• • • • Look for recycling symbols—but don’t stop there. Investigate further to ensure the material is accepted in your local recycling stream.

      • Check the composition. Monomaterial packaging (made from a single material) stands a much better chance of being recycled.

      • Use municipal or NGO-developed tools and apps to verify what can and can’t be recycled. For example recyclecoach.com

      • Check the packaging for recycling symbols or QR codes that show you how and where to recycle.

For Brands:

• • • • Choose new designs with monomaterials like all-paper or all-polyethylene solutions.

      • Avoid mixing incompatible materials that are difficult to separate.

      • Test the packaging against local recycling capabilities.

• • • • Develop innovative methods for sharing information about the recyclability of your packaging to foster strong connections with your customers.

What’s Trending:

Sustainable Packaging Solutions

A few key trends are shaping the future of recyclable packaging:

• • • • A shift toward monomaterial packaging to reduce complexity.

      •  Innovative eco-friendly barrier coatings are replacing aluminum or EVOH layers.

      • Paper-based packaging with eco-barriers is rising, especially in the food sector.

• • • • More brands are adopting new designs for recyclability, aligning packaging design with real-world recycling systems.

Regulation is Driving Change

Governments and regulatory bodies worldwide are taking action:

• • • • The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) enforces strict rules on recyclability and bans specific material combinations.

      • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws are gaining ground in Europe and North America, holding manufacturers responsible for the lifecycle of their packaging.

      • By 2030, more than 70% of packaging waste in the EU must be either recycled or composted.

Want to make it easier?

Choose technologies

that were designed

for recyclability from the start

Just like Melodea, which offers a new generation of eco-friendly, water-based, recyclable barrier coatings for plastic, paper, and flexible packaging, enabling brands to:

• • • • Go plastic-free, PFAS-free, and BPA-free

      •  Maintain high barrier performance

      • Transition smoothly without compromising product protection

The mission is simple: make packaging sustainable, effective, and ready for recycling

🔗 Plastic Packaging Solutions – Replace EVOH and aluminum barriers in plastic films.

🔗 Paper Packaging Solutions – Create fully recyclable paper-based packaging with plastic-free coatings.

Benefits Include:

• • • • Recyclable or repulpable (for paper-based solutions)

      • 100% recyclable packaging design

      • Outstanding OTR and WVTR performance

What’s Next? A Call to Action

Recyclability isn’t a marketing trend—it’s a global necessity.

                 Consumers: Be mindful of what goes into the recycling bin.

                  Look beyond the logo.

                 Brands should integrate sustainability from day one—select

                 materials designed for recyclability, not merely for appearance.

World Environment Day 2025 is the perfect moment to reflect, innovate, and commit. With solutions like Melodea’s science-backed coatings, brands no longer need to choose between performance and sustainability.

Let’s recycle better.

Let’s package smarter.

Let’s shape a circular future.

          read more about what we do 

References:

https://www.epa.gov/recycle/recycling-basics-and-benefits

                     https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-nalysis/recyclable-packaging-market-report

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250508698047/en/Reusable-Packaging-Global-Overview-Report-2025-Innovations-in-Lightweight-Recyclable-and-Biodegradable-Materials-Reshaping-the-$174.5-Billion-Market-by-2030—ResearchAndMarkets.com