The popularity of pouches is another sticky widget of sorts for this industry. “Wet pet food in a pouch would be more eco-friendly in terms of carbon footprint, but the recyclability portion isn’t there yet for pouches. This is a major concern for the industry,” explains Julian Stauffer, chief operating officer, Packaging Technologies and Inspection (PTI), Tuckahoe, New York. However, Mars Incorporated and global recycling company TerraCycle, Trenton, New Jersey, have made recycling wet pet food pouches possible in the United Kingdom, along with other flexible pet food packaging, through their recycling program.