# Significance of Sustainable Packaging: A Case-Study from a Supply Chain Perspective
## 2 Literature Review
Pakistan produces 50,438 tons of Municipal Solid Waste per day out of which 18% is generated through plastic, and out of all types of plastics the ratio of single-use plastic is the highest which is non-recyclable and is alarming for the environment [23]. Even though these single-use PET bottles and other plastic components that have higher economic value gets collected, the single-use plastic ultimately ends in landfills, garbage sinks, or municipal sewers, blocking the sewage system in Pakistan [24]. However, Pakistan is gradually moving toward implementing the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, where there is a need to invest in infrastructure to develop its PET waste collection, recycling capacity, and developing a strategy for assessing different options based on environmental, economic, and social impacts [23]. Similarly, multi-layered packaging is made up of two or more distinct materials that are very closely laminated to form flexible packaging [25]. According to a study conducted in 2021, multi-layered packaging is the most used type of packaging in fast-moving consumer goods industry, as multi-layered packaging has enhanced the properties such as the shelf life of a product [26]. However, on the other hand, [PERSON] et al. (2020) contradicts that even though multi-layered has its own benefits, but the recycling of multi-layer product is itself a complex and multi-step process which starts from collection and sorting of materials, identifying the composition of those materials, as the materials are very closely laminated, it becomes extremely difficult to separate them from one another [27]. According to the rules of Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2016, multi-layered packaging shall be eliminated within the period of two years, issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change [28]. According to a recent study conducted in Pakistan, even though multi-layered packaging has helped companies to deliver their products to the customers with the quality like never before as it is light weighted and protect the goods for a longer time, it has also challenged them in terms of disposal [29]. Multi-layered packaging consists of layers of different polymers designed to achieve penetration and oxygen barrier properties; the polymer used in multi-layered packaging are polyethylene, polyethylene temepthhalate, nylon, and aluminum [29]. [PERSON] et al. (2021) investigated the environmental consequences caused by the populated cities of Pakistan, which alone produces around 2,420,680 tons of plastic waste per year [30]. With regard to multi-layer packaging waste, it is concluded that the avoidance of multi-layered material packaging is one of the policy initiatives that would significantly increase the flexible packaging's recyclability. Hence changing to polyolefin could be the first step in the ladder to success in combating plastic waste. As per the Pakistan Environmental Agency, Pakistan is one of the fastest developing countries of Asia, but the solid waste management system of Pakistan is still not as effective to dispose of and recycle the waste generated through these packaging materials [31]. Similarly, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission during production processes also poses a radical impact on the environment; for example during the cultivation processes as compared to small-scale individual farming, large-scale rice production emits approximately 1178 kg CO\({}_{2}\) eq ha\({}^{-1}\) year\({}^{-1}\) greenhouse gas (GHG) which is equivalent to 11% lesser than small-scale individual production [32]. In contrast, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission for per yield of paddy rice at commercial farming level is approximately 2.19 kg CO\({}_{2}\) eq kg\({}^{-1}\) as compared to individual small-scale farming which contributes similarly to 2.19 kg CO\({}_{2}\) eq kg\({}^{-1}\) per yield [32]. Since the difference was not statistically significant among both categories of farming.