Compostable packaging gains ground through small farmers but industry giants remain passive

25 Mar 2022 --- TIPA has flagged the movement by small-scale farmers in pioneering environmentally sustainable packaging solutions for the food industry, particularly compostable packaging. Brands across the US and UK are investing in compostable packaging to ensure their fresh produce delivers a responsible end-of-life solution.

Compostable packaging can fertilize the soil at the end of its lifespan. TIPA helps brands reach circular economy goals, as its packaging breaks down in a few months under composting conditions and can be put back on the land as soil for agriculture.

The organization welcomed the passing of the Cultivating Organic Matter through the Promotion of Sustainable Techniques (COMPOST) Act in the US House of Representatives last year. However, TIPA now highlights that the small growers are leading the charge in the uptake of compostable packaging solutions.

Smaller growers are investing in solutions to drive the movement forward and make an effort to adapt – but industry giants with the deepest pockets are slower to follow suit and passing this responsibility back to the consumer, argues the compostable packaging specialist.

Research from the Yale School of Environment estimates that a loss of about 46% of fertile topsoil in the US corn belt has occurred, while compostable packaging can help solve this problem.

Compostable considerations
Land-based microplastic pollution is estimated up to 23 times higher than marine plastic pollution, TIPA reports. Small farms will suffer the most if the soil is damaged through microplastic pollution.

Sustainable Produce Container used at Sun Sugar Farms, Kentucky, US.Linda Fritz, small grower and owner Sun Sugar Farms, tells PackagingInsights that compostable packaging will have a positive impact if the containers reach economies of scale.

She has designed the Sustainable Produce Container for the tomatoes cultivated at the farm.

“The pricing will go down and compete directly with plastic. This [cost-competitiveness] will allow even more small growers to affordably use this compostable packaging,” says Fritz.

She recommends that the US Compost Act include incentives for growers to purchase compostable packaging, not limited to specific industrial composting facilities.

“In Germany, a company can make a 50% grass fiber paperboard. They have made samples of the Sustainable Produce Container. Now all that is needed is a large grower to want this material so we can ship a ream of it over to the US,” she explains.

The Sustainable Produce Containers can be stamped with a barcode and the information from Sun Sugar Farms for Kroger grocery stores.Linda Fritz has created compostable containers for her tomatoes.

“Even though I am only a seasonal supplier, old customers recognize the brown boxes with the orange tomatoes. Other new customers will buy them just because they (tomatoes) are not in plastic,” continues Fritz.

“They are interchangeable with plastic and could greatly alleviate nonrecyclable packaging issues. Customers recycle them or throw them in their compost pile. Even if they throw them in the trash, they will biodegrade quicker than plastic.”

“There have been almost 2 million of all different sizes sold to other growers in the last 2.5 years. Over 1.5 billion of Driscoll’s strawberry Quart clamshells each year in the US alone that head to landfills we have a way to go.”

UK perspective on compostables
Based in Newton Abbott, UK, Westaway Sausages sells pig meat reared in the surrounding rural region. The company packages the sausages in a patented compostable container that meets the European Bioplastics EN 13432 standard.

The company has sold 2 million of these products since stepping over to compostable packaging. The film that covers the container is polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT).

“It’s [PBAT] perfect for frozen and fresh distribution, and we haven’t had one complaint about over 20 million items produced. It is uncoated, so it meets EN 13432, and it’s recyclable like the cardboard sleeve. We have dropped the corners, so when we put film over it slides in,” Charles Baughan, owner at Westaway Sausages, tells PackagingInsights.

“If we can provide a clear waste disposal route for our customers and be part of a circular economy, that’s great. We believe in the importance of soils and marine environments, and we’re trying to eliminate fugitive waste,” explains Baughan.Charles Baughan advocates for plastic-free produce packaging.

Fugitive waste is waste that does not end up in the disposal stream it was initially intended for. The company also advocates for smaller containers to be used in retail stores to help minimize the environmental footprint of individual products.

“So if our packaging becomes litter on the side of the street, it will degrade naturally with no harmful effects to the environment,” he adds.

Since plastics recycling has plateaued in the UK, Baughan emphasizes the need for alternative packaging such as compostables.

“We’ve established a path that others can follow. We have shown the larger processors, who are looking at the nationwide picture, we can do it. Why can’t they do it when they have far bigger resources?” argues Baughan.

Compostable packaging can be included in food waste collections, ensuring a consistent root for waste management throughout the UK. “We are an early innovator in providing packaging that will fit into that waste stream,” he adds.

“We’re on a journey. We are looking at many other projects. We want to involve our suppliers and customers in what we do and inform and inspire them to change their behaviors. We might show leadership, but it is also essential that all sectors collaborate. The best solutions will come through leadership and collaboration.”

By Inga de Jong

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