Definition of Packaging

Packaging provides a physical barrier between a product and the external environment thereby ensuring hygienic conditions and reducing the risk of product waste due to contamination. This is particularly important in the case of food and beverage products. In the life cycle of food products, the highest energy input takes place during the production process. Appropriate packaging ensures that this energy is not wasted. Some packaging is also needed for safe and efficient transportation. Packaging is also used to provide customers with product information and usage instructions, some of which are required by law.

Development of Packaging

Packaging has developed to a large extent in response to social and economic changes affecting consumers. Higher living standards in the western world have led to an increase in consumer goods and tastes for exotic foods, which cannot be grown locally and must be imported. A trend towards urbanization in the last century, which creates longer distances between food producers in rural areas and consumers in urban areas, has also led a greater demand for packaging. Other contributing factors are the increases in working families along with the increase in microwaves and freezers, and smaller family units. As these issues illustrate, to achieve a change towards more sustainable products, it is not just the packaging that requires alterations but also our lifestyles and consumption habits. Due to the large volume of packaging materials, packaging waste tends to be very visible. Approximately 70% of primary packaging is used for food and drink which is often discarded in a dirty state and contaminated by residues of the original contents. Paper and cardboard are the most widely used packaging materials in terms of weight. Paper and cardboard account for 43% by weight of all packaging and are used to pack 25% of all goods. Paper and cardboard packaging make up 6.4% of the overall content of the typical household garbage can. Plastic packaging accounts for 20% of the weight of all packaging and 53% of all goods are packaged in plastics. Because of its low weight and relative strength, plastic is one of the most energy efficient, robust and economic delivery methods available. Even though plastics can be recycled, there are fewer recycling collection facilities than for other types of packaging waste. This is partially because plastic has a high volume to weight ratio, which can make recycling collections of plastic packaging waste less efficient than the collection of other recyclables which weigh more. End-markets for mixed and single stream plastics are increasing, and have in the past formed a barrier to increased plastics recycling. Recycled plastics can be used for a variety of products, such as: garden furniture, flower pots and containers, fibers and new packaging materials.

Glass accounts for 20% of the weight of all packaging and 10% of all goods are packaged in glass. Glass can be recycled easily. This contrasts with much higher recycling rates of 80-90% achieved by other European countries. The reason these countries recover more glass for recycling is that they have a much more developed collection infrastructure. Aluminum is used in packaging applications such as beverage and food cans, foils and laminates. It has a high value as a scrap metal and can be recycled economically. Steel containers are used to package a wide range of products, including food, paint and beverages as well as aerosols. It is relatively easy to separate through magnetic extraction, making it the world's most commonly recycled material. Mixed material packaging can in some cases have the benefits of being more resource and energy efficient than single material packaging, but combining materials makes recycling difficult.

Why Biocompostables?

Plastic and Styrofoam disposables are made from petroleum based chemicals and additives. Petroleum is not only becoming an increasingly scarce resource, but it causes pollution and toxicity every step of its use - extraction, transportation (e.g. oil spills), refining and eventual production of the end use product. Paper disposables on the other hand are made from "virgin" wood fiber, which comes from our steadily depleting forests. Forests provide invaluable ecosystem services in maintaining biodiversity, streams, regulating climate and rainfall etc. and it is quite amazing that even today forests are cut down to be made into disposable paper products with a lifetime use of few minutes or seconds. 

 Biodegradable and compostable food service and packaging disposables provide a sustainable alternative to the Styrofoam, plastic and paper products as they are made from readily renewable sources like sugarcane fiber, corn and potato, take less energy to manufacture, are not made from toxic or pollution causing sources and can be composted to reduce the amount of waste generated.   They can also help reduce waste collection bills in counties and cities, which have a food waste/green waste pickup.