By: Dahiana Pena, Nicki Titus, Bianca Lau, and Alexa Yin
More than ever consumers have become increasingly mindful and more observant of the life cycle of their purchases. We are seeing a growing population of conscious buyers. Buyers who are spending more time, research, and oftentimes money on products that will not contribute to global pollution and in turn result in high buyer gratification. The recent pandemic has had both consumers, retailers, and even manufacturers reevaluating what the shopping experience should look like going forward. Due to the pandemic of COVID-19, in the month of April 2020 alone, stores were left completely empty of supplies and produce, and landfills filling up at a rapid pace with plastic and waste. According to the USDA, over 100 billion pounds of foods are wasted annually in the United States, nearly 30% of the agri-food supply chain, and with that are the tons of plastics and packaging. As the world starts preparing to recover from this recent global disaster, we will explore the impact our grocery, specifically produce, packaging has on our planet, and why we should consider the sustainability of our purchasing cycle as part of our overall well-being.
There is no denying that we live in a plastic based economy. Plastic is an important part of the industrial and agricultural production of almost everything we surround ourselves with. Still, research has repeatedly proved the harm that plastic can cause our environment and even our health. While some plastics are recyclable, most are incinerated at the end of their life cycle. This incineration process results in the emission of harmful gasses, and plastics not incinerated make their way to our soil. A study by the University of Montpellier found that 40% of plastic ends up in landfill corresponding to 9 million tons of plastic packaging waste that is fated to accumulate in soils. 32% leak out of collecting and sorting systems and finally end up in the soil and ocean. Are you keeping track? So far that’s our air, soil, and water being affected by plastic waste. What’s the real problem with plastic? That it covers 90% of our produce. Food companies are challenged in their need of high-performance packaging that ensures the safety, attractiveness and freshness of these products. Until recently, plant-based packaging couldn’t compete with traditional plastics with regards to food shelf life and costs. But now, new innovative packaging materials derived from plants are catching up and bridging the gap between consumer demand and business practicality.
As consumers grow more environmentally conscious and manufacturers more innovation, sustainable packaging is aiming to address food waste and loss reduction by preserving food quality as well as food safety issues and food chemical contamination. Many existing brands who use words like “bio-degradable” to define their packaging. Many of those products are not home-compostable – meaning they in fact add an additional step in the waste management cycle because they have to be specially seperated and sorted – meaning most people don’t know to do this or won’t dispose of the packaging properly. Studies at the moment are focusing on producing microbial biodegradable polymers from agro food waste residues to develop packaging materials. Essentially tailoring packaging properties to the produce itself to both enable freshness and longevity as well as be completely compostable. At the moment biodegradable microbial polymers are the most promising alternative to oil-based synthetic polymers, which make up most of our plastics. Their biggest advantage is that they are completely biodegradable in both natural (soil) and marine conditions, unlike other commercially available bioplastics. Meaning you can dispose of them in your sink, your compost, or even your backyard.
The kitchen of the future will be a globally conscious one. Both consumers and manufacturers alike will soon make up the majority who invest in packaging alternatives and help reduce toxic waste to our planet. Local agencies and governments can use this as an opportunity to encourage local food production and further minimize the carbon footprint, while also contributing monetary funds to the research and development of these sustainable products. Like all innovations, there are still many hurdles to overcome, but as demand keeps rising, there are more incentives to invest in sustainable and biodegradable packaging. It starts with the soil, and ends with the consumer. You are what you eat after all!
Benefits of Sustainable Packaging
- Reduced carbon dioxide levels
- Researchers at the University of Bath discovered a plastic made from sugar and carbon dioxide, erasing the need for utilization of petrochemicals and their emissions
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Biodegradable packaging can be broken down by natural bacteria, freeing up human resources for other important projects
- BPA free
- Require less energy to be produced
- This translates to burning fewer fossil fuels, which in turn releases less pollution into the environment
- Branding & Customer Appeal – companies that utilize biodegradable packaging will gain favor with a large portion of the population concerned with sustainability, quality, and health
- Cost Efficiency on Waste Disposal
Leading By Example
Sources:
“10 Advantages of Green Packaging to the Environment.” Green Business Bureau, 26 Sept. 2019, greenbusinessbureau.com/blog/10-advantages-of-green-packaging-to-the-environment/.
“Benefits of Biodegradable Packaging for Businesses.” BioEnergy Consult, 11 Jan. 2020, http://www.bioenergyconsult.com/biodegradable-packaging/.
Chief, Editor in. “22 Advantages and Disadvantages of Biodegradable Plastics.” ConnectUS, 27 Mar. 2019, connectusfund.org/7-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-biodegradable-plastics.
Deily, Karl. “The Whole Package: Is ‘Sustainable Packaging’ Another Buzzword, or Can It Actually Cut Waste?” GreenBiz, GreenBiz Group Inc., 15 Nov. 2018, http://www.greenbiz.com/article/whole-package-sustainable-packaging-another-buzzword-or-can-it-actually-cut-waste.
Fagundes, Colton. “Rethinking Food Packaging Can Dent the Plastic Pollution Crisis.” GreenBiz, GreenBiz Group Inc., 9 Sept. 2019, http://www.greenbiz.com/article/rethinking-food-packaging-can-dent-plastic-pollution-crisis.
Guillard, et al. “The Next Generation of Sustainable Food Packaging to Preserve Our Environment in a Circular Economy Context.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 19 Nov. 2018, http://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2018.00121/full#B1.
“The Environmental Impact of Food Packaging.” FoodPrint, foodprint.org/issues/the-environmental-impact-of-food-packaging/.
Kitchen of The Future 