WIESLOCH-WALLDORF, GERMANY—  The future of flexible paper-based packaging is bright, with flexible packaging papers predicted to enjoy annual average growth of over 4.5 percent by the end of the decade. This is primarily thanks to their sustainable properties, especially when compared with plastic packaging. An expert survey entitled “The future of packaging 2030”, which was conducted by Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University in collaboration with Heidelberger. The results indicate that paper-based packaging solutions will increasingly play a dominant role by 2030, as long as key technological and economic challenges relating to coated paper packaging can be resolved. The study is based on expert interviews with trade and industry decision-makers, who are underpinning the ongoing trend toward paperization – the substitution of plastic with paper – in the packaging industry. According to Professor Carsten Kortum, who led the study: “It’s not just a trend, it’s a systemic change driven by new regulatory pressure, rising environmental awareness and associated changes in consumer behavior, and technological innovations.” HEIDELBERG has also published a white paper on the current position of fiber-based solutions in the packaging mix.