Packaging recognized as vital to food chain sustainability, Ishida study finds
16 Mar 2020 --- Food packaging plays a “high” and “critical” role in achieving a sustainable food supply chain, according to 100 percent of participants in an online survey in the recent roundtable webinar, “Food Packaging vs Waste – Moving Towards a Circular Economy.” The table discussion, organized by the Advanced Services Group at Aston University, UK, and sponsored by Ishida Europe, found that 45 percent feel they are “not informed” or have a “low knowledge level” of packaging, its recyclability and the shelf-life of the food they buy. This webinar took place as the symbiotic responsibility of food waste and packaging sustainability for both consumers and companies alike is increasingly coming to the fore.
The event discussed the definition of sustainability in the context of food and food packaging and questioned whether innovations in packaging can help to cut down on plastic waste. The discussion moved onto the most significant consumer trends in relation to food packaging, the role of packaging information in the move toward a circular economy and the potential commercial issues of food waste.
The importance of businesses, governments, NGOs, industry associations and charitable organizations working together was seen as “vital” to overcoming many of the challenges identified. It was also acknowledged that competition among commercial organizations could help to drive change. Moreover, the discussions affirmed that greater consumer engagement and education are necessary to create more awareness for the negative environmental and economic impacts of food waste on a global scale.
Ask the people
Surveys are a commonly used tool to decipher what impact packaging companies are truly having on consumers’ purchasing behavior. In general, global consumers are confused by how to correctly recycle different types of plastic packaging and lack confidence in current recycling collection systems, according to a recent YouGov survey. In light of the findings, the supplier is promoting several cross-industry partnerships, such as a recycling partnership with TerraCycle in the UK, and the launch of its +50 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) beverage carrier, RingCycles, which reduces the company’s use of virgin plastic by half.
Food packaging plays a “high” and “critical” role in achieving a sustainable food supply chain.
Building on this confusion, nearly half of US citizens surveyed in a Nestlé Waters North America report say it is easier to throw away plastic than to recycle it. Furthermore, the report indicates that rural communities are particularly disadvantaged by a lack of accessibility to recycling infrastructure. However, most consumers agreed that the national plastic waste has “gone overboard.”
Meanwhile, a Mondi-commissioned online survey of over 2,000 people aged 16 to 75 across the UK found that slightly more women are concerned by excessive packaging than men, while Millennials are more likely to switch brands for less packaging than Baby Boomers and Gen X.
In a survey ofUK government MPs, 98 of 100 agreed that compostable packaging alternatives may yet play a decisive role, with just 1 percent disagreeing and 1 percent undecided. The poll also found that 86 percent of the MPs recognized a need to invest more in infrastructure to facilitate compostables at the end of life. These results could be instrumental in encouraging the UK government to further invest in the right kind of infrastructure for compostable materials.
Edited by Anni Schleicher
