A number of consumer-driven trends are wielding an impact on current rigid and flexible packaging within the dairy products arena.

It’s no secret that consumers are more health-conscious now than ever before. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this already fast-growing trend as people re-evaluated their current lifestyles and began taking a more proactive approach to their health and wellbeing. 

At the recent 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, the United States announced that it would join the international Global Methane Pledge, which aims to limit methane emissions by 30%, compared to 2020 levels, by 2030. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that the U.S. dairy industry is already tackling.

The United Nations reports that nearly 40% of the world’s population — 3 billion people — cannot afford a healthy diet. This has far-reaching effects on all forms of malnutrition, including obesity.

Danone Institute North America, a not-for-profit established by White Plains, N.Y.- and Broomfield, Colo.-based Danone North America, announced the five winning teams of the "One Planet. One Health" Initiative — a grant program that promotes resilient and sustainable local food systems.

Pathways to Dairy Net Zero, a ground-breaking new climate initiative, is Sept. 22 during Climate Week and just prior to the United Nations (UN) Food Systems Summit. Forty leading organizations, including 11 of the 20 largest dairy companies in the world, already declared their support for the effort, according to the Global Dairy Platform, Rosemont, Ill. 

The ability to nourish people amid unprecedented population growth of close to 10 billion by 2050 with escalating climate concerns takes center stage at the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) on Sept. 23. 

Chobani LLC said it is taking an important step toward a more sustainable future, announcing the planned launch of a paper cup for its yogurt alternatives. The paper cup marks a milestone in the company’s efforts to reduce plastic use and put more sustainable packaging on shelves across America. 

The United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) takes place in September with a goal to “launch bold new actions to transform the way the world produces and consumes food, as part of the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.”