Consumers’ preference in recent times is embracing more sustainable food packaging alternatives. Even businesses are making the switch to comply with consumers’ demand for eco-friendly packaging.
Failing to make sustainable choices when purchasing household items, especially groceries, can have environmental consequences. Our demands for sustainability can influence businesses to make the right choice in protecting the environment.
Due to recent consumer demand, manufacturers are responsible for supplying not only durable products but also making them environmentally friendly.
Packaging is generating tons of waste in landfills, but we can make a positive change by embracing a sustainable option with eco-friendly food packaging materials.
What Is Eco-Friendly Packaging?
Eco-friendly packaging is a “saving the planet” type of packaging that avoids single-use plastic but instead uses biodegradable and plant-based materials for packaging.
It’s a sustainable packaging option using materials that are manufactured through an energy-efficient process with minimal resources used. Also referred to as green packaging, eco-friendly packaging is gaining more popularity with increased consumer demand.
Learn more: What Is Food Sustainability and Why Is It Important?
The Importance of Eco-Friendly Packaging
When we talk about durable and flexible packaging options, what usually comes to mind is plastic. Yes, plastic is still a widely used packaging option, especially in food packaging and storage.
However, using plastic containers for food packaging is bad for the environment. Whether it’s a disposable or reusable plastic container, the truth is that they are likely to end up in landfills or the ocean.
Plastics are non-biodegradable materials that take forever to fully decompose. Plastics used in the 1900s are still somewhere buried under the earth because they can take hundreds of years to decompose.
Thermoplastics like low-density polyethene (LDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethene (HDPE), polyethene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), and expanded polystyrene are most commonly used in food packaging.
Plastics contain toxic chemicals that may have adverse effects on health and the environment. According to a research study, plastic chemicals like BPA and phthalates were detected in over 90% of the United States population.1
In 2015, the global packaging market was estimated at 4,300 billion packaging units and up to 73% of these packaging units were used for food and drinks. A total of 1,130 billion packages were used for food and drinks in the European Union in 2018 (Fuhr et al 2019). 2
In 2020, the worldwide packaged food market was valued at $1.9 trillion. The market value is expected to increase to $3.4 trillion by 2030.3
From what we have seen so far, the packaging industry is using the highest volume of plastic from global production. We can easily point out the industry as the main source supplying plastic waste into the environment.4
Eco-Friendly Food Packaging Materials
If there is a chance to replace plastic food packaging with sustainable options, here are the best ones to make the change.
#1. Mushroom Packaging
First on the list is mushroom packaging. This is a sustainably proven food packaging material manufactured from mycelium, a root-like structure of a fungus.
Mushroom packaging is a material that is 100% compostable. The materials take about 30 to 90 days to fully decompose, and it’s environmentally friendly, not affecting the organisms nearby.
Mushroom-based packaging can be easily moulded into different shapes. It’s a sustainable packaging option made from a durable material to protect packaged items.
#2. Corn Starch Packaging
Corn starch is a biodegradable packaging material that is preferably used for suitable packaging. This plant-based material is safe to use for food packaging.
Being a biodegradable packaging material, corn starch easily replaces Styrofoam as a better packaging option.
#3. Water-soluble Packaging
Water-soluble packaging is uniquely eco-friendly as it dissolves when it comes in contact with water. It’s one of those biodegradable materials used in packaging that is simply eco-friendly worthy.
The films of the material are made from starch derivatives and they are also commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry.
#4. Seaweed
Seaweed packaging is a biodegradable packaging material made from seaweed extract. It’s an environmentally friendly option to package food in edible, compostable, and water-soluble seaweed-based films.
Seaweed-based materials are eco-friendly upgrades to traditional single-use plastics.
Learn more: 5 Best Eco-Friendly Disposable Cutlery
#5. Sugarcane Residue
Sugarcane residue can be utilized for other purposes but in food packaging, it’s used in polystyrene-like meal containers. This plant-based product is also used as biofuel in making electricity, energy, and heat.
Businesses are using this plant-based product to make an entire food packaging range.
#6. Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts
Biodegradable peanuts are eco-friendly food packaging alternatives. This biodegradable food packaging material easily dissolves within minutes of coming in contact with water.
It dissolves in water, leaving no waste behind and you can be rest assured that they are environmentally safe for marine species.
#7. Plant-based Plastics
This is a naturally derived product that is far better than petroleum-based plastics. It’s 100% biodegradable being a material that is made from renewable biomass sources like corn starch, cellulose, or sugarcane.
#8. Hemp
Hemp is a valuable plant that can be used to produce a variety of commercial and industrial products such as ropes, shoes, textiles, food, biofuel and bioplastic.5
Hemp bioplastic is a biodegradable material that can fully decompose in a space of 3 to 6 months. It’s a more durable and stronger product than polypropylene.
Learn more: 10 Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Ziploc Bags
#9. Palm
In my opinion, the palm tree is one of the most useful gifts from nature because every part can be useful for making something creative.
Palm leaves are material used to make disposable cutlery, bowls, and plates. These eco-friendly products are derived from areca palm leaves and they can replace plastic and other environmentally damaging tableware.
#10. Coconut
Whole Tree is a company that utilizes coconut husk to make food packaging materials. They invested in research to make this eco-friendly innovation possible.
Coconut shells are durable and biodegradable and far better to use for food packaging than plastic containers.
Conclusion
Eco-friendly packaging is a “saving the planet” type of packaging that avoids single-use plastic but instead uses biodegradable and plant-based materials for packaging.
The eco-friendly packaging materials listed in this guide are alternatives to replace single-use plastic food containers.
Sources
- Sarah Stevens et al.: “Plastic Food Packaging from Five Countries Contains Endocrine- and Metabolism-Disrupting Chemicals.” 2024. ↩︎
- Meike Ketelsen et al.: “Consumers’ response to environmentally-friendly food packaging – A systematic review.” 2020. ↩︎
- Mengqing Kan & Shelie A. Miller: “Environmental impacts of plastic packaging of food products.” 2022. ↩︎
- National Library of Medicine: “Environmental Impact of Food Packaging Materials: A Review of Contemporary Development from Conventional Plastics to Polylactic Acid Based Materials.” ↩︎
- Wikipedia: “Hemp” ↩︎