Julia O’Loughlin: Parkside Flexibles

With extensive experience in marketing and a strong commitment to sustainability, Julia plays a key role in shaping the company’s strategic direction and customer engagement. Her work is characterised by a forward-looking approach that embraces innovation, collaboration, and environmental responsibility.

The Collaborative Group research proved to be an “eye-opening” experience for Julia, revealing the many complexities of the packaging industry. Her main takeaway, which she has since integrated into her role at Parkside Flexibles, is the importance of being fully prepared for a sustainable future, for example, by accelerating the introduction of mono-polymer packaging solutions.

How the Futures approach has affected Parkside Flexibles

The insights gained from the research have been particularly timely, as Parkside Flexibles’ current campaign focuses on the future of flexible packaging. Julia has been able to apply foresight techniques to guide her team and support the company’s efforts to expand its portfolio. This strategic shift has positioned Parkside to anticipate an industry-wide transition toward recyclable materials.

Sustainability has long been at the core of Parkside’s values. The company developed seven pillars of sustainability, based on the UK waste hierarchy of Remove, Reduce, Re-use and Recycle, with three additional areas of focus: carbon footprint, food waste, and compostability. Through R&D, these pillars have shaped innovative solutions. Following their involvement with the Collaborative Group, however, the emphasis has evolved toward exploring the future of packaging—whether through deeper advances in sustainability or through rethinking packaging’s form and function altogether.

Challenges in the packaging industry

Julia also highlights the regulatory and economic challenges facing the sector. High levels of taxation—through mechanisms such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWR), Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and the Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT), create significant hurdles. She highlights the complexity on the market, that despite Parkside Flexibles’ readiness to deploy mono-polymer packaging, the lack of recycling infrastructure results in continued heavy taxation on these materials.

Working with customers

A critical aspect of Parkside’s mission is working closely with its customers to tailor sustainable solutions. While some products require packaging with barriers against moisture and oxygen, which can limit sustainability, the company offers pragmatic alternatives, such as applying protective coatings to paper. This flexible, solution-oriented approach has helped clients, including Riverford Organic Farmers and Two Farmers Crisps, transition toward compostable packaging.

Looking Ahead

Overall, Julia’s engagement with the Collaborative Group has been highly valuable. It highlighted both the complexity of material transitions and the limitations imposed by government legislation. The insights gained from the Collaborative Group are channelled by Julia into her work by shaping marketing campaigns, guiding product innovation and supporting customers. Through Julia’s leadership, Parkside Flexibles is well positioned to navigate future challenges and collaboratively drive the packaging industry toward a more sustainable future.