Packaging can protect food, extend its shelf life and reduce environmental impact resulting in less food waste. In this sense, packaging can be considered an ally in the fight against food waste.
The win-to-win approach is used by the EU-funded H2020 project SISTERS (1) aimed at reducing food waste by finding strategic solutions for each stage of the food supply chain including through the development of new biodegradable packaging.
Plastic disposal systems
Plastic pollution is an emergency that the agribusiness sector cannot ignore (2). Plastics that reach waste management systems and are recycled amount to less than 30 percent. The percentage is even lower if bottles and containers are not considered.
70% of the plastic is disposed of in landfills or incinerated because recycling technologies are not adequate and compatible with most plastic packaging that is too thin or too small to be sorted by disposal facilities, complex and composed of multiple layers, soiled with organic residues to be processed (1).
Packaging and food waste
An analysis conducted by ReFED (3) indicates that improving package design could divert more than one million tons of food waste and avoid six million tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
Solutions in this area would also have a net financial benefit of $4.13 billion (4). However, to date, there is a growing need to guide producers and consumers in the implementation of responsible packaging management and design in order to prevent food waste, meet climate goals and integrate positive consumer features.
Biodegradable packaging
The use of biodegradable packaging is included among the goals of theEuropean Green Deal, in policies to reduce, reuse and recycle plastics to minimize plastic use and energy and resource use while pursuing a toxic-free environment (5).
Globally, biodegradable packaging accounts for 1 percent of total plastic production capacity, amounting to more than 2 million tons per year. Europe hosts a quarter of the production capacity, while Asia accounts for nearly half. Their production is expected to grow faster than in previous years and double their share of total plastic production capacity by 2025 (6).
The two principles of biodegradable materials
1) System properties
The design of new plastics or for the development of policy measures is to consider biodegradation as a “system property” that takes into account material properties, specific environmental conditions and risks.
2) Determination of degradation time
The use of plastics that biodegrade in the open environment should be limited to materials for which complete biodegradability has been shown to be below a specific and proven time period to avoid harm to the environment and to specific applications where consumption reduction or reuse are not viable options and where removal, collection and complete recycling of plastic products are not feasible.
The PLA-The polylactic acid
One of the main polymers studied in the field of biodegradable packaging is PLA (Polylactic Acid). PLA is currently the most accessible biobased and biodegradable plastic, but its biodegradability, and that of many other biodegradable biopolymers, is limited and not guaranteed in every environment.
Recent findings have shown that PLA packaging, when treated with natural enzymes and introduced into a biodegradable polymer matrix can disintegrate more rapidly at room temperature and thus can be transformed into compost in less than 8 weeks and certified“OK Compost Home.”
Upcycling- Bioplastics from agro-industrial waste
Some studies (7) have found strategies available forupcycling (8) agro-food waste into functional bioplastics and advanced materials. Low-value or underutilized biomass, biocolloids, water-soluble biopolymers, polymerizable monomers, and nutrients are introduced as building blocks for biotechnological conversion of bioplastics.
Obtaining bioplastics from agroindustrial wastes is one of the major goals under the win-to-win approach.
Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC)
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) (9), an association committed to the implementation of sustainable packaging, has published a guide,“Best Practices for Designing Packaging to Prevent and Reduce Food Waste” (10).
The paper proposes to address the issue of food waste prevention by combining it with that of packaging sustainability. It also presents specific design strategies such as resealability, new portion and package sizes, and active/intelligent packaging.
The strategies described in the guide also help stakeholders in finding trade-offs between food waste and sustainability of food waste.
On average, only 3-3.5 percent of the climate impact of packaged food comes from the packaging itself, the remainder comes from the other stages of the food value chain. This percentage may be significantly higher for some types of foods and formats, but ultimately packaging “pays off” if it helps reduce waste of the food it contains by at least 4 percent.
This means that even when packaging creates a climate impact, companies should prioritize strategies that reduce food waste.
The 5 Strategies for Reducing Food Waste – The Sisters Project
The European project Sisters fits into this context and aims at the ‘implementation of five innovative strategies following the conjoint approach of combating food waste through smart packaging management.
Each innovation links directly to a stage in the Food Supply Chain:
- New tools for primary producers to promote direct and short-chain sales (farmers),
- new technological innovations in packaging for processors and retailers,
- Awareness campaigns for retailers and consumers on food loss and waste.
1 – The Platform for Short Supply Chains.
The project proposes the creation of Europe’s first online platform to enable farmers and the primary sector to sell their surplus produce, thereby boosting the local economy and facilitating access to healthy, nutritious food for disadvantaged social groups.
This space will include, for example, fruit and vegetable crops that do not meet the size or appearance standards required by the market for their subsequent marketing, but are perfectly suitable for consumption.
2 – SMART containers for packaged and bulk goods.
SISTERS will also design smart food containers that will help minimize food loss during transport, keeping both bulk and packaged foods in optimal condition by installing advanced sensors that will allow precise monitoring of the environment in which the product is transported or stored.
Among other parameters, the temperature, humidity and gaseous composition of the environment will be measured.
3 – Bio-based&active food packaging
To implement food quality preservation, a range of bio-based packaging will also be developed, using polyesters and polylactic acid (PLA)-based biopolymers that can be composted at home, thus reducing the negative impact on the environment.
Additives extracted from agricultural waste will be added to these materials to extend the shelf life of products through upcycling cycles. Other additives will be added to aid the biodegradability process of the final product.
4 – Seal of Excellence
To complement this comprehensive strategy, SISTERS will create a brand of excellence that aims to promote sustainable retail practices.
5 – QR code labeling
The label will provide information to consumers through a QR code and dynamic labeling in order to increase sustainability awareness for both customers and retailers.
Wasteless, quantify waste and reduce environmental stress
Also Wasteless is a European project with the ultimate goal of reducing food waste to reduce environmental stress. The project aims to develop tools to measure and monitor food losses and waste in different scenarios, from large-scale retail trade to families.
Furthermore, a digital toolbox will be developed to collect and share good practices aimed at the reuse of secondary flows and waste aimed at all stakeholders in the food value chain.
Giulia Pietrollini
Notes
(1) Official Page of SISTERS EU Project https://sistersproject.eu/
(2) Marta Strinati and Dario Dongo. Plastic pollution, the responsibilities of Big Food. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 12/01/2022
(3) ReFED, Roadmap to 2030: Reducing US Food Waste by 50%, 02.2021 https://refed.org/uploads/refed_roadmap2030-FINAL.pdf
(4) Dario Dongo and Marta Strinati. Compostable plastics, double-digit growth. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 20.06.2019
(5) Dario Dongo, Alessandra Mei. Packaging reduction, reuse and recycling in the EU. PPWR’s proposal. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 14.12.2022
(6) European Bioplastics, nova-Institute, Market Update 2021. The EU market share of these plastics is also 1% https://www.european-bioplastics.org/market/
(7) Otoni CG, Azeredo HMC, Mattos BD, Beaumont M, et al. The Food-Materials Nexus: Next Generation Bioplastics and Advanced Materials from Agri-Food Residues. Adv Mater. 2021 Oct;33(43):e2102520. doi: 10.1002/adma.202102520. Epub 2021 Sep 12. PMID: 34510571.
(8) Dario Dongo. Upcycling the high road of research and innovation. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 1.1.2023
(9) The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC). Supply Chain Solutions Center (edf.org) https://supplychain.edf.org/partner/the-sustainable-packaging-coalition-spc/
(10) The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC). Does your package fight food waste? (sustainablepackaging.org) https://sustainablepackaging.org/does-your-package-fight-food-waste/
Graduated in industrial biotechnology and passionate about sustainable development.
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