When it comes to their sustainability efforts, dairy processors would be wise to count product packaging as a critical element. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, containers and packaging make up a major portion of the United States’ municipal solid waste, amounting to 82.2 million tons in 2018 alone (the latest year for which data are available).
Waste is not the only packaging-sustainability issue, either. For example, packaging production often relies on nonrenewable source materials and nonrenewable energy.