Sustainable food packaging: biodegradable and compostable options CCFRA Review No. 56 (2007)

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A review and discussion of the options available for more environmentally friendly food packaging

The replacement of petroleum-based food packaging with more sustainable options is complex. To date, there are a limited number of viable biodegradable and compostable food packaging material options that are commercially available. This review examines the materials that are available and those that have potential, with further research, for use as food packaging.The food contact considerations and current legislative status are outlined.The review also highlights areas that must be addressed if the use of sustainable packaging materials is to increase significantly in the UK. One specific aspect is the current lack of infrastructure for composting and related environmental effects if these materials are not disposed of correctly.

Consumers are demanding convenient plastic packaging for an increasing number of products. However, there is also a growing awareness that this way of life is not sustainable. Many consumers are concerned with waste; they are also concerned about the non-renewable resources used to fuel our society, including the production of plastic. Biodegradable and compostable polymers can help promote environmental health and resource conservation as well as a more sustainable way of life. They are not made directly from petroleum resources, but from rapidly renewable agricultural feedstock. In addition, as they are fully biodegradable and compostable they do not go to landfill, but instead cycle back into nature.

Contents

• Introduction
  
  
• Biodegrabable/compostable materials
• Natural biodegradable polymers
• Synthetic biodegradable polymers
  
  
• Food contact considerations
• Migration
• Microbial contamination
• Permeation of microorganisms
• Moisture sensitivity
• Quality considerations
  
  
• Commercially available systems
  
  
• Regulations and Standards
• European biodegradable packaging standards
• Test of biodegradability
  
  
• Barriers to successful adoption
• Environmental performance
• Compostability considerations
• Landfill considerations
• Consumer acceptance and understanding

Softcover - 39 pages

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