Fast-food, convenient food or confectionary… are the fastest consumed commodities which dump tons of waste every day. The need for recyclable or biodegradable packaging solution for food industry is put in highest demand. For this reason, today, we will introduce some eco-friendly materials for food packaging which have a good impact in our environment.
Kraft paper as one of the eco-friendly materials for direct packaging of food
“Kraft” paper has its name from the German language which means “resistance” paper. Because its features are stronger and tougher than normal paper, it could replace plastics as the direct packaging for some grains, sugar, salt or some “slightly wet” food… You can also find them in some butcher’s or bakery where the sellers use them to wrap some kinds of fresh meat or cake. The most common kraft paper has brown color and is widely used for food. Kraft paper is also one of the eco-friendly materials made of wood pulp which is decomposable and eco-friendly.
Corrugated cardboard – the most popular eco-friendly material for food packaging
Corrugated cardboard is known for its widely application in packaging due to its sturdy structure, light weight, recyclability and made-from-recycled-material. Corrugated cardboard is used for many food deliveries and outer packaging for food in general.
However, recycled cardboard couldn’t be the direct packaging for food due to harmful substances contained in this material. Some kinds of corrugated cardboard packaging could be used in direct contact with food but they must be made from virgin wood fiber sourced from sustainable forests.
Cornstarch based material – the ecofriendly material for hot food packaging
Cornstarch boxes are widely used for hot food delivery. It is made of corn or maize which is renewable and cheap resources for packaging. After disposal, this material does not take long time to decompose into carbon dioxide and water in nature which is safe in term of environmental conservation.
Cornstarch is easy for mass production, but the only concerning is that the material supply is not sufficient to the vast daily demand.
Composable sugarcane fiber – an alternative for Cornstarch
Similar to cornstarch, sugarcane fiber is also derived from a plant-based source and usable for deliver hot food. The food container made from sugarcane fiber is light and keep heat well, the same with corrugated fiber box.
Sugarcane fiber packaging is biodegradable due to its natural origin. It is also a renewable and affordable material. For this reason, it has been used to make many different packaging types for food industry.
At this moment, Botta Packaging is providing many packaging products made from fiber-based materials. Concerning about recent environmental matters, our aim is to develop and encourage the use of eco-packaging which is made from recycled materials and recyclable. The use of eco-friendly materials is a part of circular plan for packaging industry.
