[ad_1]
The United States generates nearly 80 million tons of packaging waste each year, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. When they are landfilled or incinerated, these wastes pollute the environment and pose a risk to the health of people and wildlife. The packaging is also the main source of plastic pollution that clogs the ocean and is expected to exceed the weight of all fish by 2050 at current rates. The food industry is largely responsible for this growing problem of packaging.
In the United States, about half of packaging waste comes from food and beverages. Studies suggest that large food companies such as Nestle and Unilever generate most plastic waste.
Conscious of this problem and under pressure from consumers, many of these companies have recently committed to reducing the impact of their packaging on the environment. Many small businesses in the food and beverage and industry sectors are doing the same, and some are at the forefront of packaging innovations for years. Food Tank points out that 16 companies in the food and beverage sector expose the different approaches of the industry to sustainable packaging.
Alter Eco
Alter Eco decided about ten years ago to find sustainable alternatives to non-recyclable soft plastic used for its chocolate truffle packaging and sachet packaging. After several years of research and development, Alter Eco has released the first plasticized compostable herbal pouch for its quinoa products. For truffles, Alter Eco is badociated with Natureflex to create a compostable eucalyptus and birch-based envelope with microscopic layers of aluminum preserving freshness. The packaging will compost the industrial facilities and will biodegrade in the ocean. Alter Eco also uses non-toxic inks on all their packaging. For chocolate packaging, Alter Eco uses FSC (Forest Steward Council) certified cardboard from sustainably managed forests.
BOSS Foods
BOSS Food's vegan superfood bars use compostable packaging made by TIPA. The biobased TIPA blend has all the properties of normal plastic, but is certified for industrial and domestic composting. TIPA carries out shelf life tests with each brand it works with to ensure the same shelf life as conventional packaging.
Canned water is better
Reusable bottles are the most durable way to carry water. But when this is not an option, Boxed Water is Better offers a greener alternative to plastic bottles. The 100% recyclable box contains 75% paper. The cap is made of plastic and the rest is aluminum. The packaging is free of BPA and phthalates. The paper comes from well managed forests, and Boxed Water is Better uses some of its profits for tree planting in areas affected by deforestation and fires. The boxes flatten out to be shipped to regional refill sites, thereby reducing the company's carbon footprint by using a truck for 26 trucks needed to ship plastic bottles.
Fruit friends
Some companies want to use more durable packaging, but feel that the nature of their products makes things difficult or impossible with the options available. Recycling facilities can not accept the soft plastic bags that Buddy Fruits uses for its fresh fruit purees in small amounts. Sustainability is an important part of its brand, but the highly perishable product must be as waterproof as possible. While looking for a more sustainable and equally safe alternative, BuddyFruits is badociated with TerraCycle. Terracycle collects and recycles hard-to-recycle products and manufactures new materials and products. Buddy Fruits customers can request an envelope from TerraCycle to send their empty bags. Many other companies in the food and beverage industry, such as White Leaf Provisions, badociate with TerraCycle for the same reasons as Buddy Fruits.
Celestial tea
Celestial Tea does not use string, staple or individual packaging for its tea bags. The company says these practices help prevent 3.5 million pounds of landfill per year. Celestial tea bags are compostable and their outer packaging is made from 100% recycled cardboard.
Don Maslow Coffee
Several companies sell coffee in bags that claim to be compostable but are not certified for composting. These bags use non-compostable plastic parts to keep them airtight. Fully compostable bags without these parts are also available, but they can not keep the coffee fresh as long. A few years ago, Elevate Packaging launched the first coffee bag with zippers and compostable valves. Today, Don Maslow Coffee is one of the first to sell products in these certified compostable bags.
GF Harvest
Instant meals are practical in today's busy society, but they use a lot of packaging. GF Harvest offers a sustainable take-out option with its GoPack oatmeal bowls. The recyclable bowls are made from the IntegraFlex foldable cup, with a rigid outer package and inner liner. The packaging comes flat to save space. When the client is ready to eat, he places the outer layer in a bowl and adds hot water to it. GoPacks come with a paper spoon that is partially wrapped in FSC-certified paper and recyclable in places where the coffee cups are recyclable.
Guayaki
This yerba mate company, focused on sustainability, is constantly striving to reduce the impact of its packaging on the environment. This has been a difficult ongoing process – it identifies packaging as the biggest contributor to its overall GHG emissions. Almost all of Guyaki's packaging is recyclable bottles and cans. She sells yerba mate in bulk in compostable Natureflex bags. It has recently reduced its annual packaging usage by 44,000 pounds by eliminating the overpack and tea string from its single-use bags. A large portion of its cans is made up of half recycled aluminum and uses 95% less energy than conventional aluminum cans.
Honest tea
Honest Tea has Cradle to Cradle certification on its glbad bottles. Certification attests to high marks in a number of sustainable indicators: the use of recycled materials, water management, material safety and the use of renewable energies. Honest Tea is also deploying the new Tetra Pak packaging for its range of juices for children. Tetra Pak is 75% FSC certified, the rest being a blend of plastic and aluminum polymers. Numerous studies (automatic download in PDF format) have shown that Tetra Pak's lifecycle GHG emissions are generally the lowest types of packaging. However, not all recycling programs accept cartons of mixed materials such as Tetra Pak. Some end up sending them to the landfill or to the incinerator.
Love the wild
After a year of development and testing, Loving the Wild recently launched a compostable tray for its range of sustainable ready-to-cook seafood dishes. The tray is certified compostable and made from herbal plastic. Loving the Wild will be released with a microwave version later this year.
Loving earth
Loving Earth chocolate bars and superfoods are made from Econic, a compostable film derived from FSC-certified wood pulp and GMO-free corn. Its boxes of chocolate and its range of canned cereals are made of 100% recycled wood fibers. The inner bag of cereal boxes is made from Econic. All Loving Earth products use non-toxic vegetable printing ink to prevent contamination of water supplies and compost piles. Loving Earth has also adopted a sustainable packaging approach for almost all of its wide range of other products..
Mindful Inc
Mindful Inc packs its Tetra Pak organic tea lines with a plant-based cap. Tetra Pak offers this optional ceiling to companies using its technology. The cap is made from plastic derived from sugar cane and its production process has a smaller GHG footprint than conventional plastic caps.
No diabolical food
Vegetarian meat substitutes from No Evil Foods are packaged in compostable packaging made by Kraftpak and printed with herbal ink. Previously, No Evil Foods used butcher's paper with a non-biodegradable sticker, which made composting difficult for butcher's paper. Kraftpak is an unbleached biodegradable cardboard that seals with water-soluble adhesives. The packaging unfolds like an origami to mimic the unwinding of the butcher's paper. Kraftpak is also certified for recycling.
Numi Organic Teas
Salt water brewery
The rings of six of the beers of this brewery are biodegradable and 100% edible. Seawater is one of the few breweries to use Eco Six Pack Rings technology. The salt water makes the rings with barley ribbons and wheat left by brewing. The compost of the rings in a few days. On uncovered land and in the ocean, the rings break down in a few weeks. Rings are not recommended for consumption, but animals can eat them safely. But if allowed to decompose in an open area, the rings can potentially trap marine life and other animals.
Strauss Family Creamery
For 25 years, Strauss Family Creamery has been packaging organic milk in reusable glbad bottles containing up to 30% recycled glbad. Customers can rinse their bottles and return them to the store where they were purchased for a $ 2 deposit. Strauss then brings the bottles back to his facility to reuse them five times on average before recycling them. The company has a return rate of 80% bottles, preserving each year about 500,000 pounds of milk and plastic containers from landfills.
Source link
