Plastic has been a significant packaging resource in the food packaging industry for decades. With the emergence of e-commerce platforms, it has shown a rapid increase in its usage. Thousands of packages wrapped in plastic are delivered to consumers daily. This has growing concerns over the environmental damage it is causing to humans, animals, and plants. The amount of plastic wastes thrown into the environment is causing global warming, threatening wildlife, and spreading pollution. Since it is the most basic go to go product for packaging, finding its replacement is a tough job. Government and private agencies are trying to change by banning single-use plastic and poly bags in some areas, but it will take time to ban them entirely until we find their replacement.
Why Do We Need Sustainable Packaging?
Plastic doesn’t only come from the food packaging industry, but even if we consider only 10% of all the food packet wastes, it can still fill the ocean with tons of manure. Plastics are not environment friendly and take years to decompose. The extent of harm that it is causing is beyond imagination, and we already see its effects. It is time that we start considering the alternatives for food packaging materials and move towards greener and eco-friendly packaging. Some companies have already begun using paper bags and bio-degradable packaging. However, in the food industry, we still need to find an alternative for leakproof packaging to replace plastic. If the consumers start preferring eco-friendly packaging, companies will be forced to use sustainable packaging.
Approaches To Incorporate Sustainable Alternatives
Many awareness programs are run by governments and agencies to spread the harm caused by using plastic bags. This has led to the manufacturing of recyclable materials, and that can be decomposed easily. Some of the companies other than the food industries have started promoting and using bio-degradable bags. Innovators have come up with the replacement of Styrofoam trays and introduced food trays that are compostable and containers that can be reused. Reusable packaging can reduce costs, enhance efficiency, and support sustainability initiatives. Leaves from trees are used to make compostable plates. Likewise, fibrous material from sugarcane is used to make bowls and plates. Another alternative is glass and aluminium for bottles and containers. These are easily recyclable, and consumers cannot find any difference in recycled items, so it is an excellent alternative for plastic. Plastic straws are replaced with paper straws and dissolvable edible straws. Another invention by a Swedish company is a bottle made of caramelized sugar-coated with wax to store coconut oil. One of the other inventions includes crop wastes to produce bio-based ingredients to create sustainable packaging materials.
Related: How to Promote Your Brand with Eco-friendly Bags
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Final thought
The world is seeing a widespread shift towards sustainable food packaging to stop hazards caused by plastic wastes. Consumers worldwide are preferring a ban on plastic to stop global warming and its effects. The use of sustainable packaging needs the hours, and it’s not just a trend. It’s a movement now. It won’t be wrong to say that if sustainability is taken seriously by companies worldwide; plastic will be a thing of the past.
I was just saying the other day we need more sustainable food packaging. Even though I buy loose fruit and veg, I still have so much plastic with other items I buy! It’s something that really does need to be looked into!
Hi,am grateful for your feedback.