Apart from all the practical qualities such as preservation and extension of shelf life, packaging conveys messages and vital ingredient and nutrition information.
Packaging protects food and drink, and without it the amount of food wasted is enormous. According to the UK’s Advisory Committee on Packaging, the level of food wastage in developing countries, where packaging isn’t widely used, can be as high as 50%, whereas in the UK only 3% goes to waste before it reaches the shops. And food waste has 10 times the environmental impact of packaging waste. The other surprising statistic is that household packaging only accounts for less than 2% of all solid waste.
Consumers may be interested to discover that a cucumber’s shelf life is extended from three to 14 days if wrapped in 1.5g of plastic film, and that selling grapes in trays or bags has reduced in-store waste of the fruit by 20%. Perhaps the tutting at the fruit shelves in the supermarkets would be hushed if these facts were more widely known.
With the exception perhaps of products such as Easter eggs, the amount of packaging used has steadily declined; and according to The Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment in the UK, glass and can containers are on average 30% lighter than in 1980.
PET has also undergone drastic lightweighting. In the case of Easter eggs, I can see that the amount of packaging used may cause the sustainability police some grief, but we must be allowed to ‘lighten up’ from time to time. It’s like never having a slice of birthday cake because we must eat healthily at all times!
That said, the packaging industry has been quietly working away in R&D labs around the world to produce recyclable, reusable and compostable materials, and those from renewable sources, recognising as it does the importance of sustainability.
Mintel has reported on a number of food and drink products around the globe that have ‘green’ credentials, including those that claim to have a lower carbon footprint. For example, in the UK, Arniston Bay wine in a 1.5-litre pouch claims to have an “80% lower carbon footprint and generates 90% less waste and landfill than two 750ml glass bottles”. There are many more, and according to Mintel, Europe accounts for about 50% of all environmentally friendly package claims worldwide.
Of course, the whole question of sustainability is a complex one, and the arguments for which type of packaging is kindest to the planet will run and run. Suffice it to say that each sector, be it plastic, glass, metal or paperboard, is investing heavily in making packaging that has less impact on the environment. Let’s applaud their good work and commend what they’ve achieved so far.
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