Is all paper biodegradable, and are biodegradable plastics really possible? Let’s discuss the evidence…
Consumers want food packaging to be sustainable, and laws to control packaging waste and better protect our environment are responding to consumer concerns and scientific evidence for climate change. Today all food packaging needs to be sustainable.
How can food packaging be made sustainable?
- Reduce the volume of material being used in packaging
- Reuse containers and packages as an alternative to disposal
- Recycle all food packaging
How does being biodegradable make food packaging more sustainable?
You may have reduced the volume of material used in your packaging design, and made your packaging reusable and recyclable, but there are going to be times when people can’t or won’t reuse or recycle your packaging and it will end up in landfill, or be discarded directly into the environment.
Most plastics left exposed to the natural environment produce harmful micro-plastic pollution that we are finding globally in the oceans and the food chain. This is why the way plastic food packaging behaves at end of life matters if it is not recycled or reused.
So…what is biodegradable food packaging?
Biodegradable food packaging is made of materials that break down readily in the natural environment without producing harmful by-products. Unfortunately the way this happens and how complete and harmless the process is are not easily defined or clearly described when you encounter most biodegradable food packaging, and especially biodegradable plastics.
There are materials that meet the PAS 9017 specification and do not require special processing to break down into their defined components in the natural environment. The problem is that identifying which biodegradable food packaging is genuinely eco-friendly can be confusing and difficult.
Paper food packaging should be biodegradable, and carbon neutral, as it is made from trees that absorb carbon when they are alive, and the carbon goes back into the environment in a closed cycle when the paper bag biodegrades.
Why should food packaging be biodegradable?
We need to start by thinking about what food packaging is designed to do. It has to be effective and attractive enough as packaging that people will be happy to buy the food that’s inside it. Being biodegradable seems at first to be an additional but non-essential feature, especially if the packaging is recyclable.
Effective food packaging meets five requirements
- Structurally strong
- Leak proof
- Uses food grade materials that cannot contaminate or change the taste of food
- Securely sealed & tamper evident
- Food is easy to see and identify without opening the packaging
To make biodegradable food packaging we need to add a sixth requirement, which is that food packaging should break down if it is discarded in the natural environment without producing harmful by-products.
Does paper food packaging meet the five requirements?
1. Structurally strong
You can make paper and card packing structurally strong, corrugated cardboard is good for making structural boxes and containers. Unfortunately it is also a very good habitat for insects, and this makes it a poor choice for long-term storage or reuse.
2. Leak proof
It’s not difficult to make leak proof containers out of paper or card if you coat it with waxes, plastic or metal foil. Unfortunately this makes the package more difficult to recycle and also reduces its biodegradable qualities.
3. Uses food grade materials that cannot contaminate or change the taste of food
Paper food packaging is not easy to make food grade due to health and safety concerns, and unless it is coated it tends to rapidly absorb moisture and grease from food, which can alter the taste of food and also make it a less pleasant experience for the consumer.
4. Securely sealed & tamper evident
It is difficult to seal paper and card packaging and make it tamper evident, this makes it best suited for very temporary packaging that is used at point of sale, for example in fast-food restaurants, but less well suited for food that is kept in chillers or on shelves for people to self-select.
5. Food is easy to see and identify without opening the packaging
Paper and card packaging are not transparent, and unless plastic windows are put into the packaging it is not possible to see what is inside. This makes it more difficult to recycle packaging as the plastic window needs to be separated from the paper package before disposal.
Do any fast food restaurants use biodegradable food packaging?
Fast food restaurants now commonly package food in card and paper for take out and eat-in. To make packaging that is greaseproof and waterproof you need to add waxes and coatings to the paper used to make it, and this is not always biodegradable.
There has been a trend in fast food restaurants to use paper food packaging to demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and environmental values. Unfortunately this has not worked out well, as people have discovered the packaging products being used are not as sustainable as they are claimed to be.
The Fast Food Straw Fiasco…
Sometimes paper packaging is less environmentally sustainable than plastic. Fast food restaurants have made claims for their paper packaging that don’t meet proper environmental standards, even though they might sound good and look good to the public.
There are serious greenwashing issues with paper and cardboard take out packaging being recyclable / biodegradable but people not actually recycling it. Fast food restaurants may talk about using recycled materials in their commitment to sustainable packaging, but they don’t offer evidence that their packaging is recycled after use.
How is food packaging disposed of?
A high proportion of paper based food packaging ends up in landfill compared to recyclable plastic packaging. There are two reasons for this.
1. Food packaging contaminated with food waste cannot be recycled
Packaging that is contaminated with food waste is more likely to end up being put in garbage bins. Paper packaging usually cannot be cleaned enough to be recycled if it is greasy or has food particles stuck to it.
2. Clean, recyclable, plastic food packaging is easily recycled
Recyclable plastic packaging is easier to rinse and clean than paper packaging, and is seen to have a higher recycling value, so people will often rinse it off for recycling.
Is paper food packaging an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic?
There are three things to consider when comparing paper and plastic food packaging:
- Carbon Footprint
- Biodegradability
- Sustainability
1. Carbon Footprint
Paper food packaging can have a very low carbon footprint, but that depends on where the paper is sourced, how far it travels, and whether it is recycled or biodegradable. Ideally paper food packaging would be sourced from local, renewable, tree plantations. In practice this is not very likely, so savings on carbon footprint from paper packaging are often very small.
2. Biodegradability
We assume paper packaging is biodegradable, but a lot of paper food packaging has coatings or construction details that make it much too durable to biodegrade easily, or even be recycled easily. Recyclability and end-of-life behaviour depend heavily on how a material is made and how it is disposed of.
3. Sustainability
With paper food packaging we have to balance the apparent biodegradability and carbon neutral status of paper as a packaging material against the sort of paper packaging that ends up being used for food packaging, and what happens to it when it is disposed of. It turns out that plastic food packaging can be just as sustainable as paper.
What are the problems with biodegradable plastic packaging?
Most biodegradable plastic packaging doesn’t live up to expectations. Manufacturers often make unrealistic claims for marketing purposes. This gives biodegradable plastics a poor reputation for strength and performance, and most biodegradable plastics are not recyclable.
The three main issues with biodegradable plastic packaging
- Unrealistic claims are often made for marketing purposes
- Strength and performance needs to be as good as conventional packaging
- Biodegradable plastic packaging should be recyclable
How can biodegradable claims be assessed?
Two developments help separate credible biodegradable packaging from marketing language:
- Certifications that allow independent verification of biodegradation claims
- Testing against a defined standard, environment, and timeframe
1. Certification for biodegradable plastic packaging
It can be difficult to work out if biodegradable plastic packaging is really eco-friendly. The UN and Greenpeace have both raised concerns about the truth behind claims that biodegradable plastic packaging is genuinely biodegradable in the natural environment.
The PAS 9017 Plastics. Biodegradation of polyolefins in an open-air terrestrial environment specification provides an evidence based method of evaluating biodegradability claims. If plastic packaging is described as biodegradable, that claim should be tied to a recognised standard of this kind rather than to marketing language alone.
2. Assessing the technology
Materials technology companies have developed processes intended to let polyolefin plastics break down in an open-air terrestrial environment. Where these processes are independently tested against a recognised standard such as PAS 9017, they offer a more evidence based way to assess biodegradation claims than marketing statements.
Making an Informed Choice
The key point is that “biodegradable” only means something when it is tied to a defined standard, environment, and timeframe. Unqualified claims, whether for paper or plastic, should be treated with caution.
At South Plastic, our focus is on recyclable PP and rPET food packaging that meets international food safety standards without compromising strength, clarity, or tamper-evident performance. Contact us to discuss the right packaging for your products.