People today are more aware of what they’re eating, they’re also aware of the packaging their food comes in. Despite an increasingly aware and environmentally conscious consumer base, most food manufacturers have been slow to the take and not invested in sustainable packaging for food products.
Any food manufacturer who thinks they can get without addressing the many concerns buyers have about the health and environmental concerns their food comes in, should reconsider. Consumers care, about their food, and how it is packaged and brought to them.
With rising demand for sustainable food packaging, governments around the world have already introduced many countermeasures, like the recent ban on a few single use plastic made items.
Before long, single use plastic will be a thing of the past, and it is critical for food producers and manufacturers to take the onus and give their consumers, and the planet, what they want and need. Global Parachem LLP is committed to creating and supplying sustainable food and beverage packaging solutions that help the planet, and the life that calls it home. Let’s see some food and beverage packaging preferences and how you can change up your packaging.
Food, More Food, and More Food
Food and beverage is among the biggest industries in the world, and it is only growing. People know what they’re eating, and what they want to try, and with more dietary options available than ever before, food is being produced, packaged, and consumed at staggeringly unsustainable rates. When it comes to the population, that’s only going towards unacceptably high. While this bodes well for the food industry, it does not for earth.
The Impact of Food Packaging which are not sustainable
The use of non-recyclable packaging and single use plastic is still rife across continents, stores, homes, canals, rivers, seas, people, animals, and it will be so forever. What makes this an even bigger given is the speculative fact that under 20% of all plastic is recycled around the world.
Low recycling means higher and higher landfills, dirtier and dirtier oceans, poorer and poorer wildlife and human health.
Food and beverage items are some of the major culprits of environmental plastic pollution.
The most trashed items on the planet list includes mostly food packaging like wrappers, containers, cans, plastic wrappers, bottles, lids, straws, and plastic grocery bags.
Packaged Food is Here for the long haul, but unsustainable packaging should not.
While naysayers will suggest sustainable food packaging will not meet the high hygiene and food safety plastic packaging offers, there are more and more innovations in the sustainable packaging sphere to counter these claims and deliver on the false promises of plastic as well.
Consumers Want What
The modern consumer understands the ramifications and consequences of not just their food choices, but also how it comes to them. And despite the surge in package food consumption, more consumers are demanding more responsible and ethical packaging, along with minimal packaging for the food that cannot be packaged in anything but plastic for now.
Food and food packaging companies to are under constant pressure to come up with sustainable packaging solutions that lift their shopping experience without leaving behind a bad after taste in their conscience.
More consumers are aware about how their food packaging reacts and influences the environment. Most consumers would gladly go for better packaged products if they were available, and would be willing to pay even a little more for the same. Consumers aren’t about plastic packaging anymore, and if they can’t find a way around it, they want plastic that can be recycled, reused, and repurposed.
How to go about Sustainable Food Packaging
For many brands in the food industry, sustainable packaging is a must, and your food packaging too can become sustainable and eco-friendly. Here’s how
1) Reduce the amount of packaging material you use
Onboarding packaging designers who vMs help you pack your food products using minimal material with erudite design is a terrific way to create more judicious and lighter food packaging. Reducing the amount of packaging material will reduce costs and be cheaper too as fewer resources will be used.
This approach is also a big win for both the food industry and the environment.
This also translates to lesser costs overall as the total weight of the product will also decrease.
2) Use compostable and biodegradable food packaging material
The recycling of plastic food packaging is rather hard, and the leftover food in these units makes it almost impossible. There are a number of sustainable and responsible options you can explore. For instance, use compostable material like Kraft paper, or starch paper as a great alternative. They don’t even need to be recycled, they just dissolve into the ground.
This will also remove leftover food and packaging material from the total waste stream. The leftovers from these packaging solutions can be used in agricultural endeavours too.
3) Use reusable food packaging
Coming up with food packaging that can be reused will help eliminate a lot of extra raw materials from the supply chain, and stop it from entering the waste cycle. Give your consumers more durable packaging, and they’ll use it longer, and of course, remember your brand for another good reason. Naturally, this will save huge costs for both producers and buyers.
4) Recycled and Recyclable materials for the win
Rather than using new raw materials that will produce new products and more waste, and use repurposed and recycled materials.
Or, come up with easily recyclable packaging to reduce food waste and environmental pollution. You can even mix and match both these solutions and find the best fit for your business.
Apart from being responsible and sustainable, consumer safety should not be overlooked. Global Parachem LLP constantly strives to create sustainable food packaging solutions that meet all safety regulations and responsible packaging standards. Feel free to reach out if sustainable solutions for food packaging resonate with you and your brand’s vision. We’re here to help you create a better world, with the choices you make today.
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