The Four Key Elements of Green Packaging
The four key elements of green packaging: low carbon, energy conservation, environmental protection, and safety.
The rapid development of China's economy has driven the growth of the food industry. The food available on the market not only has a wide variety of types, but also comes in numerous packaging styles. Generally speaking, food packaging is mainly made of inexpensive and convenient plastic. However, the non-biodegradability of plastic has had extremely adverse effects on the environment. To protect the environment, the renewal of food packaging is urgently needed.
According to the data released by the National Standardization Administration Committee, there are currently over 200,000 domestic manufacturing enterprises, and the variety of products they produce amounts to tens of thousands. 80% of these enterprises are still using traditional plastic packaging, including many food producers. Most enterprises lack advanced green packaging technologies and environmental awareness, resulting in an increasing amount of plastic packaging waste, which has a significant impact on the environment.
Currently, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Administration Committee have issued the "Evaluation Methods and Criteria for Green Packaging". This standard sets forth four requirements for green packaging products, namely low-carbon, energy-saving, environmental protection, and safety. It also stipulates the evaluation criteria for green packaging. "Green packaging" refers to packaging that, throughout the entire life cycle of the packaging product, meets the packaging function requirements while causing minimal harm to human health and the environment and consuming less resources and energy. This definition will bring new development opportunities for the food packaging industry. Green packaging will become the main development direction of the future food packaging industry.
Furthermore, to combat plastic pollution, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation launched the "Global Commitment for a New Plastics Economy", aiming to develop green packaging and reduce plastic pollution. Food companies such as Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and Danone have all taken the lead in signing the commitment letter. As of now, more than 350 companies have signed this commitment letter. The actions of these enterprises have played a very good leading role in the food production industry and have also brought huge business opportunities to the food packaging industry.
To achieve green packaging, the support of green packaging technologies is indispensable. As of now, the food packaging industry has several main trends in green packaging:
Develop plastic blending technology to reduce the usage of plastics; at the same time, utilize the edible and water-soluble characteristics of some plastics to package food, enhancing the environmental friendliness and safety of food packaging and reducing the generation of packaging waste.
Developing new plastics. One of the drawbacks of the existing plastic packaging is that even if it is recycled, it cannot be reused. Currently, many scientists and related organizations around the world are researching new plastics that can be reused. It is known that scientists have invented a new type of plastic material - poly(diketone diamine), also known as PDK. The difference between PDK and the currently used plastic materials lies in the fact that PDK can be reused after recycling through a special separation method, improving utilization and reducing plastic pollution.
Develop biodegradable packaging materials. Biodegradable packaging materials refer to those that utilize biotechnology and use packaging materials related to living organisms. They can naturally decompose under the action of microorganisms and are very ideal green packaging materials. They are also currently popular green packaging materials internationally. Since the early 1990s, the usage of biodegradable packaging materials has continued to increase, with approximately 60% being applied in the packaging industry. Many foods have also begun to use this material for packaging. And this figure is increasing year by year, fully demonstrating the broad application prospects of biodegradable packaging materials in the food packaging industry.
Whether it is the introduction of the new national standards or the initiation of the "New Plastics Economy Global Commitment", they all share the same goal, which is to promote the development of green packaging and resist plastic pollution. Under the impetus of this global environment, the demand for green packaging by food production enterprises will continue to increase in the future, and the food packaging industry will also usher in new development.