What’s More Sustainable as Single-Use Plastic Alternatives?

What’s More Sustainable as Single-Use Plastic Alternatives?

A brand can no longer just concentrate on utility or emotional appeal. Consumers of today anticipate social responsibility from companies. Many people are looking for items they think to be more sustainable than single-use plastics as a result of heightened media criticism of plastic packaging. However, choosing truly sustainable packaging involves more considerations than merely switching out one material for another. As leaders in sustainable packaging, it is our duty to spread the message that being plastic-free is only one aspect of sustainability.

FOOD WASTE & PACKAGING

Waste is produced throughout the whole production process when a food product receives more packaging than is necessary. Underpackaging, however, can result in loss due to food spoiling or damage from a lack of structural protection.

A third of all food produced for human use is lost or wasted, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Approximately 30 to 40 percent of the food produced each year in the US alone is wasted. Amazingly, 58% of the food that is produced in Canada is wasted.

Food waste is a considerably bigger contribution to climate change than plastics, even though we may not immediately notice the environmental effects of throwing our leftovers in the trash or compost.

Food that ends up in a landfill rots and releases methane, one of the most harmful greenhouse gases, as it does so. The gas that is most frequently released during the production of plastic is carbon dioxide, while methane is 21 times more hazardous to the environment. In addition, producing and distributing food consumes 10 times as many resources (materials, energy, and water) as producing the packaging that shields it.

What do we now know about how plastic packing affects fresh food?

Studies have revealed:

In comparison to unwrapped cucumbers, cucumbers covered in plastic survive 14 days longer.
Plastic-wrapped bananas keep their freshness for 21 days longer than their unwrapped counterparts.
An oxygen barrier film and plastic vacuum packing extend the shelf life of beef by 26 days.
Grape waste in stores has decreased by 20% as a result of the sale of grapes in plastic bags or trays.
Given that food travels 4,200 miles on average from the farm to the customer, it should come as no surprise that food processors and merchants are worried about keeping food fresh throughout transportation.

WHAT IS THE MOST SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING MATERIAL? GLASS VS. PLASTIC VS. ALUMINUM VS. PAPER
Plastic is commonly contrasted with other packaging materials including paper, glass, and metal. Although food waste is the main topic of this blog, a comprehensive analysis of the materials is important.

The resources, manufacturing, storage/assembly, retail, use, and recycling phases of the life cycle of packaging materials

Let’s start with paper, which is a well-liked retail substitute for plastic bags. In terms of the entire lifetime of paper, producing a paper bag requires four times the energy of producing a plastic bag. In addition to weighing more than plastic bags, paper bags take more energy to carry, increasing their carbon impact.

An illustration of the paper product lifetime, from the pulp through end-of-life