When it comes to tackling climate change, people tend to focus on the “big emitters” of greenhouse gases—the energy industry’s emission reduction measures. Few people associate “carbon neutrality” with a bottle of water, a carton of milk or a lollipop Linked up, in fact, the carbon footprint is all over the raw materials, production, processing, logistics and storage of food. According to Our World in Data, 26% of total global greenhouse gas emissions come from the global food system, and a large portion of carbon emissions within the food industry comes from packaging.
According to the “2021 Consumer Trends Report” released by the global research and consulting company Mintel, about 61% of Chinese respondents have a higher favorable impression of brands that support environmental sustainability, indicating that there is a considerable number of consumers. Groups are willing to help companies take sustainable development measures. With the increased emphasis on environmental protection and sustainability issues, packaging R&D in the food industry is redoing addition and subtraction.
Low-carbon and environmentally friendly food packaging upgrades: increase recyclability, reduce packaging complexity, research and develop new materials and deliver “green” influence.
The most common materials used in food packaging are plastic, paper or cardboard, of which plastic contributes a considerable amount of carbon footprint, as greenhouse gases are emitted at every stage of the plastic life cycle: extraction and transportation of fossil fuels, refining and production of plastic, and the management and disposal of plastic waste. According to a study by CIEL (Centre for International Environmental Law), every kilogram of plastic produced emits 3.5 kilograms of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere [3]. In order to reduce the carbon footprint of food packaging, on the one hand, the selection of packaging materials should use as many raw materials as possible that do not pollute the environment.
One of the most important points of subtraction in environmentally friendly packaging is to reduce the use of excess materials. On the one hand, it can reduce unnecessary carbon emissions by reducing unnecessary decoration, packaging printing and material consumption, and on the other hand, it can reduce the types of packaging materials, and use a single material to manufacture packaging, which is convenient for waste sorting and recycling after product use.
As one of the most important packaging forms in the field of beverage packaging, plastic bottles often consume a certain amount of manpower and resources due to the separation of labels during the recycling process. At present, many beverage companies have shouldered the responsibility of environmental protection and began to take steps to reduce carbon emissions. They have removed bottle labels and launched unlabeled bottles, simplifying the recycling process of plastic bottles and reducing carbon footprints from the source.
Research and develop new materials
Packaging has a very important psychological hint for consumers. In addition to conveying product information, packaging design, as a product with cultural attributes, is bound to shoulder the important attribute of cultural communication. More and more food packaging chooses to convey the “green” concept of protecting the environment, saving energy and reducing emissions through packaging design, so as to subtly influence consumers’ thoughts and behaviors, so that the meaning of packaging is not only beautiful and beautiful. practical.