Sustainable Food Packaging: The Future Of Dining

 Currently, there have been multiple steps being taken by both consumers and businesses to create more environmentally friendly products. Various industries are also finding ways to decrease ecological footprints. For instance, avoiding the use of non-degradable and single-use types of plastic packaging has now been one of the trends commonly seen in the biodegradable packaging industry. This is where sustainable food packaging comes into the picture.

Consumer packaging alone has caused up to 60% of landfills to be filled with plastic. Today with multiple solutions such as sustainable food packaging options, it has become easier to handle the problem. Here is all about why sustainable food packaging is important and why it is an upcoming trend.

Why Is Sustainable Food Packaging Important?

One of the questions that most people ask consists of why sustainable packaging is important. To answer this let's take a look at one of the major concerns of plastics. Plastics have been accumulating in the oceans and landfills which has led to the generation of micro and nano-plastics. There is also considerable human exposure to such toxins when chemicals in food packaging get transferred to food materials.

In addition to the chemicals that are used to create plastic, many unintentional materials that are toxic are found in food packages. These chemicals in turn pose high toxicity and endocrine-disrupting problems in humans.

However, now there are multiple eco-friendly packaging alternatives which have been introduced. These eco-friendly food packages often use sustainable bioplastics and plant-based extracts such as bamboo, wheat, and wood which are not just free of chemicals but are also reusable and biodegradable. It is hence seen that these biodegradable packaging options are on the rise.

While these may also consist of chemicals, the amount of chemicals entering your body as compared to those seen in plastics is much lesser. This makes sustainable food packaging solutions safer for both human health and the environment.

Types Of Sustainable Food Packaging

Here are some of the types of sustainable food packaging solutions that have been on the rise:

Biodegradable Plant-Based Plastics

Some of the plant-based green packaging includes cornstarch, maize, corn, bagasse, and other derivatives. These derivatives make the packaging material more biodegradable and eco-friendlier. However, these types of recyclable packaging need to be disposed of correctly in compost to ensure that it does not take too long to decompose.

Plant-based plastics are also quite cheap and sustainable while also being easy to produce which is why they are now popular among multiple companies.

Edible Packaging Solutions

Another one of the types of sustainable food packaging solutions is edible packaging. Edible packaging is often made from starch or seaweed and eliminates the possibility of waste. It also provides an edible barrier to food items. It hence offers a sustainable solution to single-use packaging and enhances customer experience while also saving the environment from waste production.

Recycled and Recyclable Materials

Sustainable food packaging materials also prioritize those that can be recycled or are already recycled. Glass, aluminum, and PET are some of the commonly used materials due to their high recycling properties. By choosing recyclable packaging materials that can be easily recycled businesses tend to contribute to a more efficient recycling infrastructure. This in turn will reduce the environmental impact and create a sustainable future.

Reusable Packaging Systems

While reusable packaging needs investment, businesses over time tend to achieve significant cost savings. Reusable packaging systems eliminate any recurring expenses which are associated with the purchase of new packaging materials for multiple products.  They can also avoid costs related to waste disposal and recycling. Reusable crates and glass milk bottles are in trend that enable multiple use of these resources. 

Challenges In Sustainable Food Packaging

No matter which industry, there are always challenges when it comes to sustainable packaging opportunities. These challenges may complicate the move towards eco-friendly packaging however being aware of them and trying to overcome them is the right way forward. Here are some of the common challenges in sustainable food packaging.

1. Meeting Customer expectations and current standards:

Customers can be fickle and brands are always trying to find new ways to meet the expectations that are being set by the customers. While the demand is significantly shifting towards a more sustainable environment, customers are still expecting a good experience as compared to the past. This presents quite a challenge.

2. Optimizing materials to its best performance:

Another one of the challenges in sustainable food packaging that many companies are facing is optimizing the materials. Sustainable materials need to perform at least as well as the non-sustainable alternatives when used for packaging. This goes beyond the customer’s expectations and goes towards the issues of food waste or product damage. The role of packaging is to protect the goods present inside and there can be no compromises on this point. Hence packaging quality also matters.

3. Costs of sustainable packaging solutions:

Currently, the cost of green packaging is quite higher than conventional packaging. This is due to the materials that are involved and the sourcing of these materials. Some of the other reasons why such high prices are seen are due to the less established supply chains, lower economies of scale, and no proper manufacturing processes in place.

The Role of Businesses in Promoting Sustainable Food Packaging

As a business, it is essential to know how the world’s consumers are not moving towards a more safer and environmentally friendly alternative. As more people realize the importance of properly sourced materials there are a greater number of people who want to save the planet. Some of the businesses are also leading the way in this initiative. Earth Care Now is one among these businesses that is actively taking part in providing a more sustainable environment. Small businesses can also contribute to this idea by assessing various strategies such as life cycle assessments, and eco-design principles or by collaborating with a reliable sustainable packing manufacturer.

Conclusion

Petroleum-based packaging tends to accumulate in the environment while also posing multiple health risks which include metabolic disorders and even cancer. While it may be impossible to completely avoid the usage of plastics, there are ways through which one can choose eco-friendly sustainable food packaging options that are less toxic, biodegradable, and recyclable. This can be a huge step towards curbing all the harmful effects on both the environment and your health.

 

FAQ’s

1. What is the best packaging for sustainability?

Some of the packaging options for sustainability include renewable packaging, compostable bioplastics, recycled kraft shopping bags, recycled cardboard boxes, and biodegradable packing tapes.

2. What are the main components of sustainable food packaging?

Sustainable packaging mostly consists of eco-friendly materials. The materials used are normally biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable packaging materials. These materials can be easily broken down without harming the environment.

3. How Can Consumers Support Sustainable Food Packaging?

There are multiple ways through which consumers can support sustainable food packaging including the following:

• Avoiding usage of single-use packaging
• Using plantable packaging
• Using recycled packing materials
• Avoid over-packaging throughout the supply chain.

 4. What is Sustainable Food Packaging?

Sustainable good packaging prioritizes the use of renewable resources such as compostable, bioplastic, or biodegradable materials. These materials tend to reduce any harmful effects on the environment.