VOCs – harmful pollutants released during many packaging manufacturing processes – are strictly regulated. Continuous monitoring is essential to demonstrate compliance and verify that sustainability improvements do not come at the expense of air quality. “It wouldn’t be possible to label a recyclable product as more sustainable if it caused an increase in VOC emissions,” explained James Clements, Managing Director at Signal Group.
“The packaging industry is currently under enormous pressure,” said Clements. “Most major players have made ESG commitments to improve the sustainability of their products. But sustainability means different things to different people – and while waste reduction is critical, other impacts such as carbon footprint and air emissions must also be addressed.”
Balancing circularity with emissions
Driven by new regulations such as the UK’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), manufacturers are developing recyclable and reusable products, often using recycled materials. Yet, as Clements describes, the process can resemble “whack-a-mole” – improving one sustainability metric while inadvertently increasing another environmental impact.
Recent research from McKinsey found that the global packaging sector is expanding faster than GDP, with rising investment in sustainable materials and circular production. However, many innovations involve new processes that can emit VOCs, particularly when plastics, resins, adhesives or coatings are heated or combined with recycled content. These emissions must be controlled and monitored to ensure compliance and genuine environmental improvement.
Monitoring and abatement
In typical applications such as food packaging, VOCs arise when plastic membranes (PET, HDPE, LDPE, PP) are bonded to paper or board. Regenerative Thermal Oxidisers (RTOs) are often used to destroy these compounds, but their effectiveness must be verified by gas analysers. Signal’s Flame Ionisation Detectors (FID) measure total VOC concentrations at multiple points in the process, providing real-time data on abatement efficiency and emissions performance.
The FID technique detects carbon–hydrogen bonds with high sensitivity, making it the industry’s reference method for VOC analysis. Signal manufactures both fixed and portable FIDs for continuous or periodic monitoring, supporting compliance and operational optimisation across diverse packaging applications.
Certified for compliance
Signal’s latest model, the SOLAR CEMNEX, has received TÜV and MCERTS certification, confirming compliance with the UK Environment Agency’s stringent standards for continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS). This certification demonstrates adherence to EN 15267 and EN 14181 quality assurance levels, ensuring reliable data for regulatory reporting and environmental management.
Ensuring full sustainability
“A product can only be considered sustainable if it performs across multiple dimensions – reducing waste, carbon, and pollutants,” Clements said. “Packaging manufacturers are turning to VOC analysers to make sure environmental gains in one area aren’t undermined elsewhere.”
