Compostable packaging is designed as a sustainable alternative. This is often touted as an alternative, non-toxic food packaging which creates less pollution when released into the environment.
1. Compostable food packaging
Many compostable food packages are made of a polymer known as Polylactic Acid. The PLA polymer cannot be broken down by a home composting system. It requires temperatures over 60C, which is higher than what home compost can achieve. Therefore it needs to be treated in an industrial facility that first shreds it and then maintains high temperatures. Compostable plastics will not break down at all if they are thrown in a backyard compost pile or landfill.
Many countries, even those that offer compostable plastics, still lack infrastructure and dedicated collection methods, which makes this eco-friendly packaging less attractive than the more sophisticated alternatives.
Compostable plastics for home use
You need to invest money in certified packaging if you want to offer eco-friendly food packaging in Sydney that people can compost themselves. The packaging products are certified by an authoritative certification such as:
- The European OK Compost Standard (from the TUV Austria)
- The Australasian bioplastics association AS 5810 standard
The best way to find compostable packaging is by searching for local packers certified under either scheme.
2. Bioplastics
Bioplastics are a separate trend, because the topic is much more than PLA. Let’s dive into it.
What is a bioplastic?
We use the term “bioplastic” to refer to plastics that are derived (totally or partially) from biomass or materials of biological origin, rather than fossil oil. PLA, starch based polysaccharide, and PBS are examples.
This term is overused and can cause confusion as to what is or isn’t a bioplastic and what the customer should do when finished with their packaging. Many bioplastics, for example, are not biodegradable and need to be thrown away or recycled just like regular plastic. These materials include bio based PET and PE, as well as PTT.
Plastics that are not made from plants (also called fossil-oil based plastics) can also biodegrade. Plastics made from fossil oil (also called fossil-oil-based plastics), are not biodegradable but they can be recycled.
Offer bioplastics to your customers
Bioplastics are usually more environmentally friendly than fossil-based plastics. Many can be produced in a sustainable manner, producing up to 80% less greenhouse gasses than polystyrene, for example ( Ingeo).
Nevertheless, regulators will be watching how brands market plastic to the consumer. Be careful with your claims about what your packaging can do and what the consumer is supposed to do once they’re done. In New Zealand, for example, claiming that a product can be recycled when it is only possible in a few facilities could result in a fine by the Commerce Commission.
The easiest way to avoid this risk is by being honest on your label.
3. Biodegradable food packaging
The word “biodegradable” has been used here several times. This phrase is becoming increasingly popular, both with manufacturers and consumers. Biodegradable packaging is not always what it seems. You need to be able to distinguish between the good and bad plastics if you are serious about investing in eco-packaging.
What does ‘biodegradable’ packaging really mean?
Plastic that is biodegradable can be broken down organically (by microbes essentially) into water, biomass or gas. The term biodegradable can also be used loosely, and sometimes manufacturers of so called biodegradable items do not provide a timeframe for the degradation. It could be that the plastic takes many years to degrade.
How can you find biodegradable packaging for food?
Watch out for products that make vague claims about being environmentally friendly, but don’t deliver on them. Unfortunately, the term ‘biodegradable’ is often used to greenwash plastic packaging.
Find out how long it will take for plastic packaging to biodegrade. If the plastic packaging takes more than a year before it degrades, or if it turns into microplastic instead of biomass – and requires a specialized facility with limited infrastructure – it is not as eco-friendly as you thought. You will have a hard time marketing it to your customers.
Look for certifications instead of biodegradable when searching for compostable products.
4. Recyclable packaging for food
Many people believe that recyclable packaging is better than biodegradable, but not as good as compostable packaging (where composting facilities exist). The reason is that they can be recycled into raw materials and used again. Biodegradable plastics, on the other hand, just break down.
Recycling is not the same everywhere. Cities offer different options and consumers don’t know what to do. What are the most recycled food packaging materials available?
Five of the most recyclable materials for food packaging:
- Reusable Packaging: It’s best to avoid recycling if possible.
- Paper: 68.2% ( EPA) of the cardboard produced in the US was recycled in 2018. This is the highest recycling rate of any material.
- Aluminium: Aluminum is considered to be easier to recycle than the glass. However, it is safer for the environment to produce new glass rather than new aluminum. If you find recycled aluminium (which can be recycled forever), that’s great. A strong demand for aluminium can also be harmful to the environment.
- Glass: Glass is also reusable indefinitely, making it an excellent recyclable option. Glass recycling facilities are not as common as for other products, so it is important to consider the availability of these plants in your area before you commit to using glass packaging. Glass packaging is also heavier, adding to the overall fuel consumption.
- Plastics 1, 5: Plastics can only be recycled so many times before they lose their quality. The plastics with Resin Identification Codes (or’recycling numbers’) such as PET and Polypropylene (5th number) are considered desirable recyclable materials. Polystyrene (6), LDPE (4) and soft plastic bags are not recyclable.
5. Reusable food packaging
The world should do more recycling, but the process of reducing materials and reforming them is still energy-intensive and polluting.
It is almost always better to reuse food packaging in its original state and keep it out of the waste stream. In fact, Research company Pre Scouter has labelled reusable container as the future of food and beverage industries.
To be reusable, a package must be durable. Paper is often ruled out as a material, and companies opt for materials like stainless steel, glass, silicone or robust plastic.
Popular brands use reusable packaging ideas
- Coffee cups made of stainless steel with silicone lids
- Takeaway food containers are made from robust plastic
- Bonus points for glass jars with lids made of metal or plastic – if you can easily peel the label off.
- Silicone containers with lids made of plastic
Barriers to widespread adoption of reusable packaging
The cost and convenience of reusable packaging are the two biggest obstacles to its widespread use.
You’ve likely already seen the list above of packaging materials and balked when you saw the cost associated with mass producing products using stainless steel.
Convenience also plays a role. Many brands give discounts to customers who return their reusable packaging. This is more common in the retail sector. However, if the customer can’t be bothered, then the discount will not work.
Manufacturers must now be creative in how they present reusable packaging. Some see it as a way to differentiate their customer experience (i.e. personalised packaging). Some companies use it to justify a change in business model or product. For example, Blueland offers dissolvable cleaning tabs instead of liquid soap.
Innovative packaging for reusable products
Other innovative models are now available, including packaging systems as a service, such as Huskee Swap which offers a wash and replace reusable coffee cup service.
Kua Coffee, a B2B coffee company based in Sydney, has achieved zero waste packaging by using. These are tracked on sales orders, and they are checked in and out as they leave and enter their warehouse.
6. Optimised food packaging
Another trend that is gaining popularity around the globe is optimising food packaging. Here, optimization refers to packaging that is more efficient or better in some way.
If manufacturers cannot use bioplastics or other eco-friendly packaging materials, optimizing packaging (or using them in conjunction with the more eco friendly materials) is a good way to reduce your packaging’s carbon footprint and save money.
There are some barriers and this isn’t for everyone. We’ve listed some of the most common pros and cons so you can decide if optimized packaging is right for you.
Package optimisation has many advantages
- Reduce your carbon footprint using less packaging material – less plastic or interior filler, smaller labels or a higher proportion of eco-friendly products.
- Reduce the cost of packaging by using less. For example, you could reduce the thickness of glass or replace triple-walled cardboard with double-walled.
- Reduce logistical costs through weight reduction, for example by switching to a different material. From metal to paper or bioplastic.
- Redirect the savings to customers.
Barriers to packaging optimisation
- When reducing weight there are usually trade-offs to be made, such as packaging durability.
- Packaging innovation can be hindered by regulations in certain industries.
- Lacking eco-friendly products or the necessary facilities to recycle them or compost them means that they’re not always better than alternatives.
7. Materials for eco-friendly packaging of logistics
If you are looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint or save money by optimizing the packaging design, you will find that as soon as it is loaded up and transported, you will come across more plastics. Think packing peanuts, shrink wrap, bubble wrap.
Eco-friendly alternatives are available here too. Examples of eco-friendly alternatives include:
- Biodegradable packing nuts
- Bubble wrap corrugated
- Recycling packaging materials
- Packaging made from organic materials
8. Pet food packaging that is environmentally friendly
The advancements in pet food packaging allow manufacturers to also contribute to the health of our planet. also found in a Trivium Packaging Report that 74% pet parents are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly packaging. Two thirds of them said they were interested in recyclable or environmentally friendly packaging.
Pet food manufacturers can apply the same principles of recycling, reusing, and reducing waste. Earth Animal, Pet Food Experts, and the Pet Sustainability Coalition ran a joint campaign in 2020, to collect flexible pet food and treat bag from US consumers. The bags were then sent to a recycler to undergo the second phase (grinding into pellets which could be used to create new pet products). Earth Animal, Pet Food Experts and the Pet Sustainability Coalition jointly ran a campaign in 2020 to collect flexible plastic pet food and treat bags from US consumers. The plastic was then sent on to a recycler for reprocessing into pellets that could be upcycled into new pet products.
