The world is going greener. 73% of consumers say they would “definitely” or “probably” change their consumption habits to reduce their impact on the environment, which presents a great opportunity for food manufacturers.
So what kind of sustainable food and beverage packaging is out there today? Today, we look at eight sustainable food packaging trends seen around the world and discuss the facts and fictions of sustainable food packaging.
Eight trends in sustainable food packaging.
- Compostable food packaging
- Bioplastics
- biodegradable food packaging
- Recyclable food packaging
- Reusable food packaging
- optimal food packaging
- Ecological packaging in logistics.
- ecological packaging for animal feed
1. Compostable food packaging
Compostable food packaging is a more ecological alternative. It is a non-toxic and well-known alternative to food packaging. Once in the environment, it breaks down in the soil, reducing pollution caused by plastic.
2. Bioplastics
We have divided bioplastics into a separate section because PLA is not the only plastic in this field. So let’s start at the beginning.
What are bioplastics?
When we use the term “bioplastics,” we are referring to plastics made (in whole or in part) from biomass or bio-based materials and not from fossil fuels. Examples include PLA, starch-based polysaccharides, and PBS.
However, overuse of the term has led to confusion about what is and is not bioplastic and what customers should do with these products once they have been packaged. For example, many bioplastics are not biodegradable and must be disposed of or recycled like traditional plastics. These materials include PTT and biosourced PE and PET.
In addition, some traditional plastics (called fossil oil-based plastics) can be degraded, although they are not made from plants.
Provision of bioplastics for our customers
Compared to polystyrene, for example, bioplastics can be produced more sustainably, with an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, so switching to bioplastics is a more environmentally friendly way to sell your products than using fossil-based plastics.
However, regulators are looking at how brands market their plastics to consumers. You need to be careful about what you say about your packaging and what people should do with it after they use it. In New Zealand, for example, the Ministry of Commerce can find you if you claim that a product that can only be recycled at a limited number of facilities is “recyclable.”
3. Biodegradable food packaging
We’ve used the term “biodegradable” several times before, and it is becoming increasingly popular with both manufacturers and consumers. However, biodegradable packaging doesn’t always live up to the hype. If you really want to invest in environmentally friendly packaging, you need to know how to tell the difference between good and bad biodegradable plastic.
What does “biodegradable packaging” really mean?
Biodegradable means that the plastic organically degrades into biomass, gas, and water (is eaten by microorganisms). However, the term is a bit vague and manufacturers of so-called biodegradable products sometimes do not indicate a time frame for the degradation process. This means that it can take years for their plastics to degrade significantly.
How do you find food packaging that is truly biodegradable?
Greenwashing refers to products that claim to be environmentally friendly, but it’s not clear how they are or how they live up to their claims. Unfortunately, it is well known that the term “biodegradable” is used to refer to “green” plastic packaging. Visit also: best Eco Friendly Food Packaging Company
Check the biodegradation time of the plastic packaging you want to use for food and beverages. If it takes more than a year to degrade, dissolves into microplastics and not biomass, or requires special equipment without infrastructure, it is not as environmentally friendly as you might think and will be difficult to offer to consumers.
4. Recyclable food packaging
In the hierarchy of sustainable food packaging options, many consider recyclable packaging to be better than biodegradable packaging, but less desirable than compostable packaging (if composting is possible). This is because they can be reused as raw material, whereas biodegradable plastics simply break down, and if they cannot be reused, what was created is lost.
However, there are many recycling options, which vary from city to city, and consumers often don’t know what to do. So what are the easiest food packaging materials on the market to recycle?
The five easiest food packaging materials to recycle are
- Reusable packaging (see below). If customers don’t have to recycle them, it’s a good way to save money.
- Paper 68.2% of cardboard produced in the U.S. in 2018 was. Recycled, the highest rate of any material (EPA).
- Aluminum is generally easier to recycle than glass, but it’s safer for the planet to produce new glass than new aluminum. So if you already have recycled aluminum, that’s great. On the other hand, the high demand for new aluminum can have a negative impact on the environment.
- Glass is also suitable for recycling because it can be. Recycled indefinitely. However, recycling facilities are less common for glass than for other products. Therefore, before choosing a glass package, it is a good idea to check what recycling facilities are available in your sales area. In addition, they are more difficult to transport, which increases total fuel consumption.
- Plastics 1 and 5 Most plastics can only be recycled a few times before their quality is impaired: PET (resin marking: recycling number 1) is considered a plastic that should be recycled whenever possible, as is polypropylene (number 5). On the other hand, materials such as polystyrene (number 6) and LDPE (number 4) (e.g. flexible plastic bags) are. Rarely recycled.
5. Reusable food packaging
Recycling is great, and the world needs to do more of it. However, the process of recycling – disassembling and reusing materials – still requires energy and causes environmental pollution.
On the other hand, it’s almost always more cost-effective to reuse food packaging in its original form rather than putting it into the waste cycle. Market research firm PreScouter has declared reusable containers to be the future of the food and beverage industry. You can also check the full article By clicking on the link.
However, to be reusable, product packaging must be durable. For this reason, paper cannot be. Used and materials such as stainless steel, silicone, glass, and solid plastics are. Preferred.
Reusable packaging ideas from well-known brands
– Stainless steel coffee cups with silicone lids
– Heavy-duty plastic to-go containers
– Glass containers with metal or plastic lids – bonus points if labels are easy to remove
– Silicone containers with plastic lids
6. Optimized food packaging
Optimized food packaging is another trend that is gaining momentum around the world. Optimization here means improving the quality and efficiency of the packaging, minimizing the amount of packaging, and reducing its thickness and lightness.
Where manufacturers do not have the option of using bioplastics or other materials, packaging optimization (or combining with more environmentally friendly materials) is a way to reduce the carbon footprint of packaging while reducing costs.
Of course, there are obstacles along the way and not everyone is. Cut out for it. Here we’ve listed some general pros and cons to help you determine if optimized packaging is right for your needs.
Benefits of an optimized packaging
- Reduce carbon footprint by using less material in packaging – for example, fewer internal fillers and plastic wrappers, smaller labels, and greater use of eco-friendly materials.
- Reduce packaging costs by using fewer packaging materials. For example, reduce the thickness of glass or replace three-layer cardboard with two-layer cardboard.
- Reduce logistics costs by reducing weight (e.g., switching from metal to bioplastic or paper).
- Pass on cost savings to the customer.
7. Green packaging for logistics
Even if you reduce the carbon footprint of some products or optimize packaging design to reduce costs, loading all the products on a truck quickly adds up to more plastic: peanuts, bubble wrap, shrink wrap, etc. Visit also: Disposable Lunch Boxes Suppliers
However, there are environmentally friendly alternatives. Here are a few examples
- Biodegradable packing peanuts
- Cardboard bubble wrap
- Packaging made of recycled materials
- Packaging made of organic materials
8. Eco-friendly pet food packaging
Pet food manufacturers can also contribute to the health of the planet by making a number of advancements in pet food packaging: according to a report by Trivium Packaging, 74% of pet owners are willing to pay for environmentally friendly packaging, and two-thirds of them feel it’s timely, as they say, eco-friendly and recyclable packaging is important to them.
The environmental concept of reduction, reuse, and recycling can also be. Applied to pet food production. The 2020 campaign by Earth Animal, Pet Food Experts, and Pet Sustainability Coalition is a successful example: soft plastic bags containing pet food and treats were. Collected from U.S. consumers and recycled in the second phase of testing (shredding the plastic into pellets that will be recycled into new pet products). Our expectations were exceeded and consumers returned the plastic, allowing us to proceed to the second phase.
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