How TOPPAN Supports Sustainability Officers With Verified, Recyclable, and PPWR-Aligned Packaging Materials That Reduce Risk and Support ESG Reporting

Responsible Material Selection for Sustainable Packaging.

For Sustainability Officers, packaging has become one of the most visible and scrutinized parts of the corporate sustainability agenda.

Packaging sits at the intersection of waste, carbon, resource efficiency, product protection, consumer trust, supplier accountability, regulatory compliance, and ESG reporting. It is also one of the first things customers, retailers, regulators, and investors can physically see.

That makes packaging a risk area.

A sustainability claim printed on packaging can build trust when it is specific, documented, and technically defensible. The same claim can create greenwashing risk when it is vague, unsupported, or disconnected from real end-of-life conditions.

This is why responsible material selection has become a strategic sustainability function.

For brand owners and manufacturers, the challenge is no longer simply to “choose a more sustainable material.” That wording is too broad. The better task is to select packaging materials that can help protect products, reduce unnecessary material complexity, support recyclability, align with regulation, provide documentation, and contribute to credible ESG reporting.

For Sustainability Officers, this means packaging decisions must be evaluated across four linked requirements:

1. Environmental performance
2. Technical product protection
3. Regulatory readiness
4. Evidence-based reporting and claims

TOPPAN supports this shift through advanced barrier materials, mono-material packaging development, GL BARRIER technologies, PP and PE-based recyclable structure options, third-party recyclability assessments for selected packaging, and corporate climate targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative.

The result is a stronger procurement and sustainability position: TOPPAN provides verified, recyclable, and PPWR-aligned packaging material solutions that can help reduce risk and support ESG reporting.

Responsible Material Selection Starts With Product Protection

A responsible packaging material must first protect the product.

This point is sometimes overlooked in sustainability discussions. Packaging reduction, mono-material design, recyclability, recycled content, and lower carbon materials are all important. But if a packaging change shortens shelf life, increases damage, causes leakage, creates product waste, or fails in distribution, the overall sustainability result can be worse.

For many packaged goods, the environmental impact of the product is significantly higher than the environmental impact of the packaging. That means product waste is a serious sustainability issue. A package that fails to protect food, coffee, pet food, medical products, or other sensitive goods can create avoidable environmental, commercial, and reputational loss.

Responsible material selection therefore begins with the question:

What must the packaging protect against?

For flexible packaging, this may include:

• Oxygen ingress
• Water vapor transmission
• Aroma loss
• Moisture gain
• Moisture loss
• Light exposure
• Oil migration
• Seal failure
• Puncture
• Heat treatment
• Distribution stress
• Product contamination
• Shelf-life instability

This is why high-barrier packaging remains essential.

For sustainability teams, the objective should not be “less packaging at any cost.” The objective should be the right material, in the right structure, with the right barrier performance, validated for the product, and designed for the most responsible end-of-life route available.

TOPPAN’s GL BARRIER platform is relevant because it is designed to protect contents from moisture, oxygen, and drying while enabling different packaging design possibilities, including transparent barrier formats and mono-material packaging development.

Why Traditional Multilayer Packaging Is Under Pressure

Many flexible packaging structures were designed around technical performance. They often combine several materials because each layer provides a different function.

A typical high-performance flexible package may include PET, aluminum foil, CPP, PE, PP, polyamide, EVOH, PVDC, adhesives, coatings, inks, and sealant layers. These materials can support stiffness, oxygen barrier, moisture barrier, printability, heat resistance, seal integrity, puncture resistance, and shelf-life performance.

This technical logic is sound.

The problem is end-of-life complexity.

When incompatible materials are laminated together, the final structure can be difficult to sort, separate, and recycle economically. For Sustainability Officers, this creates a clear risk: packaging that performs well today may not align with future recyclability requirements, retailer expectations, or ESG commitments.

This is where responsible material selection becomes more complex.

The question is not whether traditional high-barrier materials have value. Aluminum foil, PET, EVOH, PVDC, PE, PP, and other materials all have functional roles. The question is whether the same packaging objectives can be met with lower material complexity, better recycling-stream alignment, and stronger regulatory readiness.

This is the basis for the shift toward mono-material packaging.

Mono-material flexible packaging is designed around one main polymer family, often PP or PE. By reducing incompatible material combinations, mono-material structures can make recycling more feasible where collection, sorting, and recycling systems exist.

TOPPAN describes mono-material packages as easier to recycle because layers made from the same material do not need to be separated during recycling, while noting that TOPPAN can provide mono-material barrier packages with barrier properties.

For Sustainability Officers, this matters because mono-material packaging can support more credible circular economy strategies, but only when the full pack is validated.

Recyclability Must Be Verified at Pack Level

One of the biggest mistakes in sustainable packaging is treating a single material characteristic as proof of recyclability.

Recyclability is not determined by one layer alone. It depends on the complete packaging structure and the recycling system in the intended market.

A package may include:

• Base film
• Barrier layer
• Sealant layer
• Adhesives
• Inks
• Labels
• Zippers
• Valves
• Spouts
• Closures
• Coatings
• Additives
• Product residue

Each element can affect sorting, washing, reprocessing, and final recyclate quality.

That is why responsible material selection requires pack-level assessment.

For Sustainability Officers, the claim “recyclable” should only be used when it is supported by clear evidence and market context. A better internal framework is to classify packaging materials according to what they help enable:

• Designed for recyclability
• Supports mono-material structure development
• Aligned with PP recycling direction
• Aligned with PE recycling direction
• Supports reduced material complexity
• Assessed by a recognized recyclability evaluation body
• Suitable for further pack-level validation

TOPPAN provides a useful example of the importance of verification. TOPPAN announced that its GL-BP-based mono-material packaging received external recyclability assessments, including the highest “Very Good” classification from Interseroh+ for a PP mono-material tube body and a 95% recyclability rating from cyclos-HTP for a flexible pouch.

For ESG reporting and sustainability communication, this type of evidence matters.

It moves the conversation away from broad claims and toward documented material development.

PPWR Makes Responsible Material Selection More Urgent

The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation has changed the packaging timeline for companies placing products on the European market.

The PPWR entered into force on 11 February 2025 and will generally apply from 12 August 2026. The regulation is designed to reduce packaging waste, improve recyclability, harmonize packaging rules across the EU, and support a low-carbon, circular, and resilient economy.

For Sustainability Officers, PPWR is not only a legal issue. It is a packaging portfolio issue.

Packaging materials selected today may still be in use when new requirements apply. Packaging formats being developed today may need to support 2030 recyclability expectations. Supplier decisions made now can either reduce or increase future compliance risk.

This means sustainability teams should work with packaging development, procurement, regulatory, and marketing teams to review packaging portfolios by risk level.

High-priority review areas should include:

• Complex multilayer flexible packaging
• Aluminum foil laminates
• Difficult-to-recycle high-barrier structures
• Retort pouches
• Coffee packaging
• Wet pet food packaging
• High-volume flexible packaging SKUs
• Packaging with vague sustainability claims
• Packaging lacking supplier documentation
• Packaging exposed to retailer requirements
• Packaging categories with EPR cost sensitivity

The goal is not to redesign everything immediately. The goal is to identify where responsible material selection can reduce long-term risk.

TOPPAN’s PP and PE-based GL BARRIER grades are relevant in this context because they support mono-material high-barrier packaging development, helping brands explore recyclable structure options while still addressing product protection.

ESG Reporting Requires Better Packaging Data

ESG reporting depends on data quality.

For packaging, sustainability teams often need information related to material composition, recyclability, supplier performance, carbon targets, recycled content, product protection, waste reduction, and regulatory readiness.

Without supplier documentation, packaging ESG reporting becomes difficult.

Sustainability Officers should be able to request and organize information such as:

• Material specifications
• Polymer family
• Barrier technology
• Technical datasheets
• OTR and WVTR information
• Recyclability assessments
• Food-contact documentation where relevant
• Regional production information
• Carbon reduction targets
• Supplier ESG commitments
• Packaging structure details
• Evidence supporting sustainability claims
• Information for retailer scorecards
• Information for EPR and reporting requirements

Responsible material selection is therefore not only about the material itself. It is about whether the supplier can support the reporting infrastructure around the material.

This is why choosing a packaging supplier should be treated as an ESG data decision.

TOPPAN’s public climate commitments strengthen its position in sustainability discussions. In 2024, TOPPAN Group’s GHG reduction targets received validation from the Science Based Targets initiative, including net-zero Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions by 2050 and 54.6% Scope 1, 2, and 3 reductions by 2030 compared with fiscal 2017.

For Sustainability Officers, SBTi validation does not replace product-level material assessment, but it does provide important corporate-level climate context for supplier evaluation.

Greenwashing Risk Is Now a Material Selection Risk

Packaging sustainability claims are under increasing scrutiny.

The European Commission’s Green Claims proposal aims to ensure that consumers receive reliable, comparable, and verifiable environmental information, and it includes requirements around substantiation and verification of environmental claims. The EU has also adopted rules through the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive, which targets misleading environmental claims and requires stronger substantiation of environmental information.

For Sustainability Officers, the implication is clear: packaging claims must be specific, evidence-based, and carefully worded.

Terms such as “eco-friendly,” “green,” “sustainable,” “recyclable,” “circular,” or “climate neutral” can create risk when they are not supported by evidence.

Responsible material selection helps reduce this risk by ensuring that packaging claims are connected to real material properties and documentation.

For example, instead of making broad claims, companies should consider more precise language:

• Designed to support mono-material packaging
• Developed for PP-based recyclable structure direction
• Developed for PE-based recyclable structure direction
• Supports reduced material complexity
• Assessed for recyclability in a specified structure
• Supports metal-free high-barrier packaging in selected applications
• Supports PPWR-ready packaging roadmap development
• Helps reduce dependency on difficult-to-recycle multilayer structures in selected applications

This language is more specific and more defensible.

TOPPAN’s role is valuable because the company can provide material technologies and documentation that help sustainability, regulatory, and marketing teams make more accurate claims.

Responsible Material Selection Requires Cross-Functional Governance

Packaging sustainability cannot be managed by one department.

Sustainability Officers need a cross-functional framework that includes packaging development, procurement, legal, regulatory, marketing, operations, and finance.

Each function sees a different risk:

Packaging development evaluates performance.Procurement evaluates supplier reliability and cost.Operations evaluates line performance.Regulatory evaluates compliance.Legal evaluates claim risk.Marketing evaluates consumer communication.Finance evaluates total cost and EPR exposure.Sustainability evaluates ESG alignment and environmental impact.

Responsible material selection is where these functions meet.

A practical governance model should include:

1. Define the sustainability objective.
2. Identify the product protection requirement.
3. Select the target recycling stream or circularity pathway.
4. Review supplier documentation.
5. Validate technical performance.
6. Assess recyclability at pack level.
7. Review regulatory requirements.
8. Approve sustainability claims.
9. Collect ESG reporting data.
10. Monitor supplier performance over time.

This process reduces the risk of making packaging decisions based only on cost, marketing pressure, or incomplete technical assumptions.

It also helps sustainability teams avoid two common errors:

Choosing a material that looks sustainable but fails technically.Choosing a material that performs technically but creates future regulatory or claim risk.

The correct standard is performance with evidence.

How TOPPAN Supports Responsible Material Selection

TOPPAN supports responsible material selection in several important ways.

1. High-Barrier Performance

TOPPAN’s GL BARRIER technology helps protect products from oxygen, moisture, and drying. This supports shelf-life performance and product protection, which remain essential for sustainability because product waste is itself an environmental risk.

2. Mono-Material Packaging Direction

TOPPAN offers PP and PE-based grades for mono-material packaging, supporting the shift away from complex multilayer structures in selected applications.

3. Recyclability Verification

TOPPAN has published third-party recyclability assessment results for selected GL-BP-based mono-material packaging, including Interseroh+ and cyclos-HTP evaluations.

4. Aluminum Foil Alternative Potential

TOPPAN states that GL FILM can be used to replace aluminum foil in selected applications, while enabling transparency, microwave compatibility, and metal detector inspection.

5. Regulatory Alignment

TOPPAN’s material direction supports the market shift toward recyclable packaging, mono-material structures, reduced material complexity, and PPWR-readiness.

6. ESG Supplier Context

TOPPAN Group’s SBTi-validated GHG targets support supplier evaluation for companies that consider value-chain climate performance in procurement and ESG reporting.

7. European Supply Support

TOPPAN announced its first European production location for transparent barrier films in Most, Czech Republic, strengthening regional support for European packaging markets.

For Sustainability Officers, these factors are relevant because they connect material performance, recyclability direction, supplier credibility, and risk reduction.

A Practical Responsible Material Selection Checklist

Sustainability Officers can use the following checklist when reviewing packaging suppliers and material options.

Material Structure

What is the complete material structure?Which polymer family dominates the pack?Is the structure mono-material or multi-material?Which components may affect recyclability?

Product Protection

What barrier performance is required?What are the OTR and WVTR targets?Is oxygen, moisture, aroma, light, or heat the main risk?Has shelf-life testing been completed?

Recyclability

Which recycling stream is targeted?Is the structure designed for PP or PE recycling?Has the final pack been assessed?Are there third-party recyclability results?

Regulation

Does the material support PPWR readiness?What EPR information may be required?Does the supplier provide compliance documentation?Are food-contact requirements relevant?

Claims

What claim is being made?Can it be substantiated?Is the claim pack-specific and market-specific?Has legal or regulatory review approved the wording?

ESG Reporting

What supplier data is available?What corporate climate targets does the supplier have?Can the supplier support ESG questionnaires?Can the material be connected to waste reduction or recyclability goals?

Supply Risk

Where is the material produced?Can the supplier support regional demand?Are samples and technical support available?Can the supplier scale from trial to commercial production?

This checklist helps sustainability teams move from intention to evidence.

Why Responsible Material Selection Reduces Risk

Responsible material selection reduces several categories of risk.

Regulatory Risk

Materials aligned with recyclability, documentation, and PPWR direction reduce the chance of future non-compliance or costly redesign.

Greenwashing Risk

Verified materials and specific claims reduce exposure to misleading environmental communication.

Product Risk

High-barrier materials help protect shelf life, safety, and product quality.

Procurement Risk

Suppliers with technical support and production capability reduce sourcing uncertainty.

ESG Reporting Risk

Better documentation supports more accurate reporting and stronger internal governance.

Commercial Risk

Packaging that supports both performance and sustainability can help preserve market access, retailer acceptance, and consumer trust.

This is why TOPPAN’s message to Sustainability Officers should be clear:

Responsible material selection is not just about choosing a recyclable material. It is about reducing business risk through verified, technically validated, and regulation-aligned packaging choices.

Responsible Materials Must Be Verified, Recyclable, and Regulation-Ready

Sustainability Officers are under pressure to make packaging progress that can withstand technical, regulatory, and public scrutiny.

The packaging market is moving away from broad sustainability promises and toward evidence-based material decisions. PPWR is increasing the urgency for recyclable packaging design. Green claims rules are increasing pressure on claim substantiation. ESG reporting is increasing the need for supplier data. Product protection remains essential because packaging failure can create waste and commercial risk.

Responsible material selection brings these requirements together.

The best packaging material is not simply the lightest, cheapest, or most marketable option. It is the material that can protect the product, support recyclability, provide documentation, align with regulation, reduce risk, and support credible reporting.

TOPPAN supports this requirement through advanced GL BARRIER technologies, PP and PE-based mono-material options, third-party recyclability assessments for selected structures, aluminum foil alternative potential, European production support, and SBTi-validated corporate climate targets.

For Sustainability Officers, this creates a more defensible pathway.

Verified materials.
Recyclable structure direction.
PPWR alignment.
Technical performance.
Supplier documentation.
ESG reporting support.
Reduced greenwashing risk.
Lower long-term packaging risk.

That is what responsible material selection now requires.

Making packaging better

If your sustainability team is reviewing packaging materials, preparing for PPWR, reducing difficult-to-recycle multilayer structures, strengthening ESG reporting, or improving the credibility of packaging sustainability claims, TOPPAN can support the technical conversation.

Contact TOPPAN’s technical sales team to discuss:

• GL BARRIER film options
• PP and PE-based mono-material packaging
• Recyclability support
• Technical documentation
• OTR and WVTR data
• Sample requests and validation
• Aluminum foil alternative opportunities
• PPWR-aligned packaging development
• ESG and sustainability documentation support
• Quote options for your next packaging project

TOPPAN provides verified, recyclable, and PPWR-aligned packaging materials that reduce risk and support ESG reporting. 

If your team is reviewing recyclable flexible packaging, mono-material structures, GL BARRIER film options, aluminum foil alternatives, PPWR-ready packaging development, or packaging data for ESG reporting, TOPPAN Packaging Czech s.r.o. can support the technical conversation.

Speak with TOPPAN Packaging Czech s.r.o. to discuss verified packaging materials, barrier performance, recyclability direction, technical documentation, sample testing, and responsible material selection for your next packaging project.

Contact us at: toppancz@toppan.com