week 7of sustainable system class was about the further research about your problem statement identified and how other countries tackle the same , and what are their alternative solutions to that problem.
The problem statement that we identified was about the issue with packaging in the food sector as well asPackaging in general, Especially Plastic packaging to all home delivered or take away food items .The issue that with the increase in population, and demand for food along with the increasing demand Of food delivery apps such as Swiggy and Zomato the percentage of plastic packaging associated with
Food is rapidly increasing and is impacting the enviornment and indirectly the 3 pillars of a sustainable country
Plastic packaging comes with a wide range of material types, each of which Offers various features , such as temperature control, food use, shelf life, barrier Properties and environmental footprint.
Good properties of plastic:
Due to plastic’s good barrier properties against water, carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen, products in plastic packaging retain their flavour, aroma and nutritional value and are protected from external contamination. Lightweight plastic packaging also contributes to lighter truck loads, which helps reduce the energy used for transportation, lower shipping costs and reduce the amount of waste generated.
NEGATIVE PROPERTIES OF –
Plastic poses a challenge to the food sector The food sector is struggling with negative consumer attitudes towards plastic. The sector is striving for less packaging material, better packaging and more recycling.. Worldwide, plastic production is growing by 4% every year.
Increase rather than decrease in plastic use The total amount of packaging is set to increase further in the coming years
The use of plastic packaging is on the rise due to: More people and more households More convenience products More plastic instead of other materials
FOAM CONTAINERS, ADDITION RESEARCH
pros-
The food service industry generally favors EPS for food ware because it’s less expensive than other products and provides better insulation, which helps keep food fresh longer. EPS creates versatile containers that can maintain temperatures for both hot and cold food and beverage items.
cons-
Environmentalists generally disapprove of EPS foam products because they claim it wreaks havoc on the environment. One of the main concerns regarding EPS foam is that it’s not biodegradable and therefore takes up a lot of space in landfills, which adds to the pollution problem.
6 general solutions:
Six things that the food sector can do to solve the plastic puzzle 1. Lighter packaging 2. More recycled plastic in packaging 3. Improve recyclability 4. Bio-based and/or biodegradable plastic 5. From non-reusable to reusable packaging 6. From plastic to other materials
SOLUTION 1
1) Boxed Water is Better : US based company
Reusable bottles are the most sustainable way to haul around water. But when that’s not an option, Boxed Water is Better offers a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic bottles. The 100 percent recyclable box is 75 percent paper. The cap is made of plastic, and the rest is aluminum lining. The packaging is free of BPAs and phthalates. The paper comes from well-managed forests, and they use some of their profits for planting trees in areas affected by deforestation and fires. The boxes flatten for shipping to regional filling locations, reducing the companies carbon footprint by using one truck for every 26 trucks needed for shipping plastic bottles.
SOLUTION2
Celestial Tea : US – based company
Celestial Tea does not use strings, staples, and individual wrappers for its tea bags. The company says these practices prevent 3.5 million pounds of landfill material a year. Celestial’s tea bags are compostable, and their outer boxes are made with 100 percent recycled paperboard.
SOLUTION 3
No Evil Foods : US based company
No Evil Foods’ vegetarian meat alternatives come in compostable packaging made by Kraftpak and are printed with plant-based ink. Previously, No Evil Foods used butcher paper with a non-biodegradable sticker, making it difficult to compost the butcher paper. Kraftpak is a biodegradable unbleached carton board that seals with water-soluble adhesives. The packaging unfolds like origami to mimic the unfolding of butcher paper. Kraftpak is also certified for recycling.
SOLUTION 4
Loving Earth :
Loving Earth’s chocolate bar and superfood bar packaging is made with Econic, a compostable film derived from FSC certified wood pulp and non-gmo corn. Their chocolate boxes and line of boxed cereals are made of 100 percent recycled wood fibers. The inner bag of the cereal boxes is made from Econic. All of Loving Earth’s products use non-toxic vegetable-based printing ink to prevent contamination of water supplies and compost piles. Loving Earth has also taken a sustainable packaging approach to all most all of their wide range of other products.
Loving the wild :
After a year of development and testing, Loving the Wild recently released a compostable tray for their line of ready-to-cook sustainable seafood meals. The tray is certified compostable and made from plant-based plastic. Loving the Wild will come out with a microwaveable version later this year.
SOLUTION 5 EUROPE COUNTRIES INITIATIVE.
Plant-based plastics
A.K.A. Bioplastics are made from a variety of sources such as corn, which is broken down into PLA, or polylactic acid. This is incredibly sustainable to produce, as it’s made from the waste products from the production of corn – which is also easy to grow. PLA can be used to make drinks bottles, various food grade containers, as well as films. Eco-heroes Innocent are now making their bottles from 15% PLA. EUROPEAN COMPANY
2. Mushroom root
With Mycelium (mushroom roots, funnily enough, the same stuff that Quorn is made from), packaging is literally grown. Ecovative Design gather agricultural waste, mix it with the mycelium in moulds and then the packaging quite literally grows.
3. Bagasse
Bagasse is a by-product of sugarcane processing. Due to its malleability and stickiness, it can be easily moulded into packaging suitable for food delivery and food service – similar to polystyrene. Unlike polystyrene, it’s certified biodegradable and compostable, and being a by-product, much more sustainable to produce.
These solutions were researched and reference taken from the internet , and notes taken from presentation presented in class.
Our solutions that we found were mostly company based initiatives and solutions bought to our problem statement rather that a system based or product based solution.
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