Are these 5 plastic myths clouding your multipacking decisions? | PakTech

5 plastic myths that mislead multipacking decision-makers 

Plastic is no exception.

Widespread misconceptions about plastic, particularly recycled plastics such as recycled high-density polyethylene (rHDPE), can influence packaging decisions before material performance or life-cycle data are fully considered.

The better approach is not to assume that one material is inherently “good” or “bad.” Packaging should be evaluated according to the application, the amount of material required, recycled content, functional performance, life-cycle impacts and end-of-life pathways.

With that in mind, let’s examine five common plastic myths and what the available evidence tells us.

Myth 1: 'All plastic is bad' 

Concerns surrounding plastic pollution are real. Mismanaged plastic waste has contributed to environmental pollution around the world and has understandably influenced how consumers and businesses view plastic packaging.¹

But that does not mean every plastic product or packaging system has the same environmental profile.

PakTech’s proprietary research involving more than 500 European packaging professionals found that more than 85% of respondents recognized plastic’s essential role within the supply chain, with particularly strong recognition among sustainability professionals.²  

Consumer research reveals similar complexity. Environmental impact matters to consumers, but food safety and shelf life remain important packaging attributes. When consumers consider packaging sustainability, recyclability and circularity are also important factors.³ 

The reality is that environmental performance cannot be determined by material name alone.

Resin type, recycled content, material efficiency, manufacturing, transportation, functional performance and end-of-life management all influence a packaging system’s overall environmental impact.

In the right application, packaging manufactured from post-consumer recycled material can reduce reliance on virgin feedstock while also delivering favorable life-cycle performance compared with alternative packaging systems.⁸

The important question is therefore not simply, “Is it plastic?”

It is, “How does this specific packaging system perform across its full life cycle?”

Myth 2: 'Recycled plastic is still not environmentally friendly’ 

Consumers increasingly expect packaging to incorporate circularity principles. Yet material perception does not always align with measured environmental performance.

Many consumers continue to associate paper and glass with sustainability more readily than plastic, even when recycled content and recyclability are important to their purchasing decisions.³

In the United States, research has found substantial concern around plastic packaging waste, while many consumers remain uncertain about which types of packaging can actually be recycled.^{4, 5}

Concerns surrounding pollution, recycling infrastructure and the environmental effects of plastics can further reinforce these perceptions.⁶

But recycled plastic plays an important role within a functioning circular material system.
Recycling does not end when a material is collected.

For recycling systems to really be viable, recovered materials need reliable end markets. Manufacturers must be willing to purchase post-consumer recycled resin and convert that material back into useful products.

The Association of Plastic Recyclers describes sustained demand for post-consumer recycled plastic as a critical “pull” factor for a healthy recycling system. PakTech has been recognized by APR as a Recycling Demand Champion for its commitment to using PCR and strengthening demand for recycled HDPE.¹⁴

PakTech handles are manufactured from 100% post-consumer recycled HDPE sourced from recovered household containers such as milk and water jugs. Instead of relying on virgin HDPE as the primary feedstock, the manufacturing process creates productive demand for material that has already served a previous use.

There is another critical part of the recycling equation: sortability.

PakTech has conducted testing at a Van Dyk sorting facility to evaluate how its handles behave within material recovery processes. Testing reported 98% 2D/3D sortability and 97% NIR material sortability, supporting the ability of the handles to be identified and sorted using technologies commonly employed in modern material recovery facilities.¹⁵

That is what makes material-specific evidence so important.

Rather than judging packaging according to broad material stereotypes, brands can evaluate recycled content, material efficiency, sortability, design for recyclability, available recovery pathways and demonstrated life-cycle performance.

Myth 3: 'Fiber is always greener’ 

Fiber can be an appropriate packaging material for many applications. However, assuming that fiber is automatically environmentally preferable simply because it is fiber can lead to misleading comparisons.

Consumer research has demonstrated a strong association between paper packaging and perceived environmental benefits, even when other environmental information is presented.⁷

PakTech’s proprietary research similarly found that 47% of surveyed European packaging professionals considered recycled fiber more sustainable than recycled plastic.²

Life-cycle assessment tells a more nuanced story.

A comparative life cycle assessment conducted by Sphera evaluated PakTech’s 100% recycled HDPE beverage handles against two competing paperboard packaging designs. The study was conducted according to ISO 14044 requirements and considered the full product life cycle, including raw material sourcing, manufacturing, transportation, filling and end-of-life processes.⁸

The results found that PakTech’s rHDPE handles had the lowest climate change impact among the packaging systems evaluated. The handles also represented the lowest material mass of the evaluated alternatives.⁸

That finding is important because it demonstrates why environmental performance should be evaluated at the product and application level rather than assumed from the material category.

Fiber is not inherently bad.

Plastic is not inherently bad.

What matters is how much material is used, where that material comes from, how the package performs, how it moves through the supply chain and what happens at the end of its useful life.

For beverage multipacking, the comparative LCA demonstrates that a lightweight secondary package manufactured from 100% recycled HDPE can provide favorable environmental performance compared with the paperboard alternatives evaluated.⁸

Myth 4: 'Fiber and plastic perform equally well’ 

Environmental performance is only part of a packaging decision.

Packaging must first perform its fundamental job: protecting and securing the product throughout manufacturing, distribution, retail and consumer handling.

Changing packaging materials can create operational and supply-chain consequences that may not be immediately apparent during material selection.⁹

Moisture illustrates the difference particularly well.

Fiber-based packaging can provide excellent structural performance under appropriate conditions, but paperboard and corrugated materials are sensitive to moisture and humidity. Research has documented reductions in important mechanical properties as relative humidity increases.^{10, 11, 12}

For beverage secondary packaging, that distinction matters.

Multipacks can encounter refrigeration, condensation, wet filling environments, transportation, storage and outdoor consumer use. These conditions can place very different demands on packaging than a dry laboratory environment.

HDPE is inherently resistant to moisture, providing an advantage in applications where condensation or wet handling may occur.

PakTech handles are designed specifically for these demanding conditions. Their function is to securely unitize containers while maintaining grip and structural performance throughout distribution, retail and consumer handling.

This is why material substitution should never be viewed as a simple one-for-one exchange.

The correct question is not whether plastic or fiber is universally stronger.

It is which material and design provide the required performance for the specific packaging application while using resources efficiently and minimizing overall environmental impacts 

Myth 5: If it’s sustainable and recycled, it can’t be strong’ 

Another persistent misconception is that recycled materials inherently deliver inferior performance.

Repeated mechanical recycling can affect polymer properties over time. Processing history, contamination, stabilization, feedstock consistency and temperature can all influence the characteristics of recycled polymers.

But this does not mean recycled HDPE cannot provide demanding, high-performance applications.

Research into repeated closed-loop processing of HDPE demonstrates that recycled-polymer performance is considerably more nuanced than the assumption that a material becomes unsuitable simply because it has been recycled.¹³

The key is material selection, feedstock quality, processing control, product engineering and application-specific design.

PakTech’s handles demonstrate that principle in practice.

The material begins as recovered post-consumer HDPE. It is processed into resin, manufactured into a precisely engineered handle and then required to perform through filling, palletiz, transportation, retail display and consumer handling.

How a product performs can sometimes make the point better than laboratory terminology.

PakTech Industrial Design Engineering Manager Ronnie Mellor recalls one brewery customer’s unexpected durability test:

“One of our brewery clients was happy to find out that our handles were still usable after accidentally running them over with a forklift.”

While a forklift is certainly not part of the recommended test protocol, the story illustrates an important point.

Recycled content and functional performance are not mutually exclusive.

A well-designed product manufactured from appropriately processed recycled material can deliver the mechanical performance required for demanding commercial applications.

Moving beyond plastic myths to data-driven multipacking decisions 

Packaging choices increasingly have consequences across sustainability, regulatory compliance, operations, logistics and brand performance.

Those decisions deserve more than material stereotypes.

A stronger approach evaluates packaging against measurable criteria:

• Material efficiency
• Post-consumer recycled content
• Functional and supply-chain performance
• Comparative life-cycle impacts
• Design for recyclability
• Sortability and recovery pathways
• Demand for recovered materials

PakTech’s approach brings these elements together.

Our handles are manufactured from 100% post-consumer recycled HDPE, creating demand for recovered plastic and reducing reliance on virgin resin. Their environmental performance has been evaluated through comparative life cycle assessment. Their design takes advantage of the established characteristics of #2 HDPE, while sortability testing has demonstrated strong performance in both 2D/3D and NIR sorting evaluations.^{8, 14, 15}

Most importantly, the handles must perform their primary job: securing products efficiently through demanding supply chains.

That leads to a better question for brands considering their next multipacking decision.

Which packaging system delivers the required performance using the least practical amount of material, maximize recovered content, demonstrates favorable life-cycle performance and provides a viable pathway for the material’s next use?

When packaging is evaluated that way, the discussion moves beyond “plastic versus paper.”

It becomes a discussion about performance, evidence and better material use.

Ready to close the intention gap in your beverage multipacking decisions?

Download our report featuring insights from more than 500 European packaging professionals and evidence-based findings about recycled plastic, circularity and secondary packaging.