What are ways in which businesses can adopt circular packaging strategy?

Businesses can adopt circular packaging strategies by redesigning packaging systems to reduce waste, improve recyclability and increase the use of recycled or renewable materials. Instead of following a linear “take-make-dispose” model, companies can create packaging systems that keep materials in use for longer and support circular economy goals.Some key approaches include:Reducing material usage through lightweight packaging designIncreasing recycled content, such as post-consumer recycled (PCR) materialsDesigning packaging for recyclability using mono-material structuresImplementing reuse or refill models for packaging where possibleOptimizing packaging development with digital tools and simulation to test performance and sustainability before productionImproving material recovery systems and working with partners across the supply chainThese circular packaging strategies help businesses minimize environmental impact while maintaining product performance and scalability. Companies are increasingly adopting structured sustainable packaging programs to optimize packaging design, improve resource efficiency and accelerate their transition to circular packaging systems.

What are examples of recycled and recyclable materials?

Circular materials are materials that can be reused, recycled, or regenerated multiple times without significant loss of quality. Examples include:Post-consumer recycled (PCR) plasticsRecycled paper and cardboardAluminum and steel (highly recyclable metals)Glass (infinitely recyclable without quality loss)Biobased and compostable materials (when appropriate infrastructure exists)Mono-material plastics designed for easier recyclingThese materials support circular packaging systems by reducing reliance on virgin resources and improving material recovery rates.

What is the evolving regulatory landscape impacting sustainable packaging?

The regulatory landscape around sustainable packaging is evolving rapidly as governments and regulatory bodies introduce policies aimed at reducing waste, improving recyclability and lowering environmental impact. Regulations increasingly focus on recycled content requirements, extended producer responsibility (EPR), plastic reduction targets and packaging waste management.For many companies, meeting these requirements means strengthening regulatory compliance processes across product development, sourcing and packaging design. Businesses must ensure that packaging materials, labeling and manufacturing processes comply with both regional and international sustainability regulations.As sustainability regulations continue to expand, companies need to monitor policy changes, align their packaging strategies with compliance requirements and adopt digital solutions that support transparency, traceability and environmental reporting.

How can virtual twin help businesses in circular packaging strategy?

A virtual twin enables businesses to simulate and optimize packaging designs in a digital environment before physical production. This technology helps companies test materials, evaluate performance and assess environmental impact as part of their circular packaging strategy.By using virtual twin technology, businesses can:Simulate packaging designs to improve recyclability and material efficiencyReduce waste by identifying optimal packaging configurations early in developmentMeasure and reduce the carbon footprint of packaging systemsImprove collaboration across design, engineering and supply chain teamsSupport sustainability efforts by analyzing environmental impact throughout the product lifecycleVirtual twins allow companies to continuously refine packaging designs and create a continuous loop of improvement where materials, processes and performance are optimized over time. This helps businesses accelerate innovation while advancing circular packaging goals.

What is a viable strategy to create a circular economy for plastics?

A viable strategy to create a circular economy for plastics focuses on transforming the entire value chain, from material sourcing and sustainable design to recycling and reuse. Instead of treating plastic as a single-use material, organizations aim to keep plastics circulating in the economy through improved recyclability, material recovery and innovative packaging systems.Key elements of this strategy include:Designing plastic packaging with recyclability in mindIncreasing the use of recycled plastic materialsImproving collection, sorting and recycling infrastructureCollaborating across the plastics value chain including manufacturers, brands and recyclersUsing digital technologies and simulation tools to optimize sustainable design and lifecycle performanceBy aligning stakeholders across the value chain and integrating sustainable design principles, businesses can reduce plastic waste and move closer to a fully circular economy for plastics.

Facing Sustainable Packaging Challenges

How One Industry Leader Met the Challenges of Sustainable Packaging

When a major consumer goods organization wanted to incorporate more PCR materials into its packaging, Dassault Systèmes made it happen with the power of simulation.

This case study focuses on the estimated contribution to the objectives of Climate Change Mitigation and Transition into a Circular Economy.

Prioritizing Circular Packaging to Meet Sustainability Goals

Developing sustainable products means keeping emissions in check. In the packaging industry, this is no small challenge.

For one global organization, this translates to reducing the environmental impact of millions of products while maintaining high-performance standards and meeting consumer demands.

Clearly, its commitment to reducing plastic usage and increasing the integration of PCR (post-consumer recycled) materials into packaging required a transformative approach.

With plastic pollution escalating as a worldwide concern, the question looms large: How can packaging go beyond reducing waste to delight consumers, minimize material usage and support the principles of a circular economy?

By adopting sustainable practices and streamlining product development processes, the organization has advanced closer to its target of creating sustainable packaging solutions.

Uncover how Dassault Systèmes’ innovative solutions are shaping a more resilient future for packaging product development while minimizing resource consumption.

About the Customer

Use Case: Deployment of SIMULIA on the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform to improve the environmental footprint of product packaging by incorporating PCR materials over plastic, thinning out packaging for weight reduction and maximizing resource efficiency.

Industry

Consumer goods manufacturer

Company size

102,000 employees

Location

Presence in 185+ countries worldwide

The Challenge

The customer’s key challenges stemmed directly from its:

Business needs
Manage design-material optimization to streamline production, ensuring packaging can be produced in billions of units without compromising performance or reliability.
Operational requirements
- Software used during the design phase
- Primary benefits observed during the material sourcing phase

The Solution

The need to increasingly employ recycled plastic in packaging while maintaining product performance and consumer appeal
Accelerate the transition toward a circular economy

The Outcome

By leveraging SIMULIA on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, packaging designs were successfully optimized to increase the proportion of PCR materials, make more lightweight packaging and minimize overall material use — all while ensuring peak product performance. In turn, these improvements accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

This advanced modeling and simulation approach streamlined the design process, enabling faster iteration and testing while balancing stakeholder requirements. The ability to run sensitivity studies and evaluate design robustness ensured seamless integration of PCR materials, supporting mass production without compromising performance or reliability.

Throughout this packaging effort, SIMULIA was instrumental in capturing and managing clear, quantified requirements within the platform, integrating them right from the design stage. This capability enabled precise simulations, making it more efficient to design, test and optimize sustainable and more circular packaging solutions.

Real-time collaboration and improved visibility on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform enabled informed, data-driven decisions throughout the production process, helping achieve circularity and sustainability goals more efficiently.

The End Result

240tCO2e
Avoided emissions¹ for 10 million unit sales per year
18%
Mass material reduction per bottle
76%
recycled material incorporation, up from 10%, via our solutions achieved

Sustainability is huge for us. It’s at the core of our company vision and purpose, and packaging is a big part of that. Plastic reduction is super important for that agenda and Dassault Systèmes is helping us progressively optimize our designs so we can make sure we’re minimizing material usage.
Sustainable Packaging Director

Methods

The avoided emission estimation was estimated following the:

EU Taxonomy (Regulation Guideline), ISO 14067, 11044 and Guidance of WBCSD Net Zero Initiative Guidelines.
Methodology based on the comparison of two scenarios for one given functional unit (ISO 14067:2018 and ISO14064-2:2019).
3DS methodology has been certified by an independent third party and elaborated in compliance with the EU Taxonomy (Regulation Guideline), ISO 14067, 11044 and Guidance of WBCSD Net Zero Initiative Guidelines. The end result expressed in tCO2e remains an estimation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

¹Each of these case studies is a past or current project for which emissions avoided or reduced have been estimated following EU Taxonomy (Regulation Guideline), ISO 14067, 11044 and Guidance of WBCSD Net Zero Initiative Guidelines. The 3DS approach and these calculations, along with the allocated contribution of the software, have been certified by an independent third party. External View URD 2023, Chapter 2.