Consumers might be interested in where their food has come from, but for packaging, they’re more concerned about where it’s going next. As the recyclability of packaging becomes more important, here are three companies doing well on sustainability.
Edible packaging
A US-based brewery has invented a special kind of packaging to protect marine wildlife. Florida’s Saltwater Brewery has developed edible six-pack rings that can safely be eaten by marine wildlife.
Unlike the standard plastic rings, these biodegrade and are made from edible wheat and barley. In order to create the packaging, the brewery worked with New York advertising agency We Believers.
The packaging is a brand new approach to sustainable beer packaging. While some brands are focusing on reinventing the can material, this brewery is taking a novel approach to the usually overlooked plastic rings.
See also: Researchers at the US Department of Agriculture have developed an edible packaging film made casein that is said to have a neutral flavour. Read more…
Plant-based bottles
Eco for Life’s new beverage bottle is made 100% from plants and is fully biodegrable. Instead of the traditional plastic bottle, this bottle is made from polylactic acid (PLA), not from oil as PET plastic bottles usually are.
The bottle’s material comes 100% from plants such as corn and sugar beet, and the manufacturing process produces 60% less greenhouse gas and uses 50% less fossil fuel than standard PET manufacturing plants.
This revolutionary new bottle material will also mean an end to potentially harmful chemicals leaching into the earth, as is the case with some other plastics.
Of the launch, the brand said: “From the word go, we knew that we were dealing with such a hugely influential product… By changing to our product when buying bottled water, consumers show that they are serious about how they treat their bodies. This change is not only good for consumers’ health but is also a step in the right direction with regard to saving the planet.
See also: Last year, Coca-Cola unveiled its first bottle made entirely from plants, having previously managed to achieve 30% plant-based material. Read more…
Compostable laminate
Sustainable snack company Snact’s has launched its new range of fruit jerky using Tipa’s revolutionary laminate packaging. The packaging decomposes completely in soil within six months and behaves similarly to the way in which orange peel breaks down.
Of the packaging, Tipa CEO Daphna Nissenbaum said: “Over 9.6 million tonnes of plastic waste are sent to landfill every year in Europe and something has to change. We look forward to the beginning of a new era in packaging where, for the first time, viable end-of-life solutions are available on the market.”
This is a revolutionary development in packaging and could see a dramatic adjustment to the way landfills works.
Snact co-founder Ilana Taub said: “We launched our new packaging in December last year with traditional plastic as we struggled to find an environmentally friendly option that had the functional properties required as well as being food safe… now we have the perfect solution to do this and build on our own eco credentials.”
See also: Coffee pod makers can’t avoid compostability, with Percol and Dualit both releasing compostable pods in recent weeks after Lavazza pioneered the idea last year.
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