Reimagining Food Packaging

The Necessary Transition to Safe and Sustainable Snack Packs

Reimagining product packaging to emphasize food safety and circularity is an essential step toward meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Image courtesy of Plastic Ingenuity.

By Zach Muscato, Corporate Sustainability Manager, Plastic Ingenuity

Spoilage is a major concern in the food industry, and the consequences are dire. In 2022 alone, the world squandered 1.05 billion tons of food — almost one-fifth (19%) of the consumable food that is wasted in retail, food service and households combined. This is in addition to the 13% of global food lost in the supply chain between harvest and retail, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates. Furthermore, food loss and waste generate 8-10% of annual global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with a toll on the global economy estimated at roughly $1 trillion.¹

With so much at stake, food and beverage brands are seeking packaging solutions that can extend the shelf life of their products and enhance product appeal to consumers while also supporting their circularity goals. When surveyed about their sustainability efforts, 76% of industry stakeholders listed “make packaging from recyclable materials” as a top goal their company is working toward, and 41% stated their intent to “maximize post-consumer recycled (PCR) content.” Transitioning to PCR polymers significantly lowers the embodied carbon of a package and reduces reliance on virgin materials.²

Thermoforms are a great way for companies to increase the amount of PCR content in their food packaging portfolio, with package  formats such as clamshells and trays. The challenge is to make packaging as sustainable as possible without compromising food preservation or causing inefficiencies. “We want to move to PCR slowly to ensure performance and safety is not compromised,” shared a food packaging expert in our survey.

Form & Function

A thermoform tray with 80% PCR content is produced using the equivalent of nearly 11.3 million recycled water bottles. Image courtesy of Plastic Ingenuity.

What are the necessary components for a safe and functional snack package? While each food product has different characteristics and requirements for preservation, generally the goal is to keep moisture in and oxygen out. For instance, refrigerated product packaging might use less extreme barrier coatings than what is needed for shelf-stable products. Barrier coatings on cookie trays or compartmentalized protein packs help prolong shelf life but might also make the package more challenging to recycle. However, it doesn’t mean packages with lamination layers cannot be sustainable.

Materials like polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (used for water bottles) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) (used for milk jugs), have the most robust recycling infrastructure and end markets for rigid packaging formats, which helps improve recovery rates for greater circularity. Clear packaging is often desired for food applications because it provides consumers with the perception of freshness. Also, colorants can interfere with near-infrared (NIR) sortation equipment at material recovery facilities and reclaimers. Colorants can be formulated for NIR sortation, so opaque single-use snack trays are an option. However, not all colored polymers have established recycling end markets.

Although polypropylene (PP) (used for yogurt cups) is the third-highest material by volume in a residential recycling bin, sortation capabilities are underdeveloped compared to PET and HDPE. Fortunately, PP recycling (rPP) has grown rapidly in recent years and is seen by stakeholders as a viable option for food applications, provided a strong supply of recycled materials is established. An increased supply of rPP will require growing collection through policy changes such as extended producer responsibility, improvements in sorting capabilities for PP-only bales and a growing capacity for food-grade rPP.

Food-grade rPP production presents challenges due to its various grades, colors and formats. Not all PP grades are food grade, and creating a clean stream of food-grade rPP has proven difficult. PPs have a tendency to absorb chemicals when used for non-food purposes, so rPP feedstocks must undergo extensive source control and decontamination to be considered food-grade material. As demand for rPP increases, more reclaimers are receiving a letter of no objection (LNO) for food contact rPP from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) based on a complete description of the recycling process, results of surrogate contaminant challenge testing, and the intended conditions of use for the material.

Food Grade PCR

Thermoforms are a great way for companies to increase the amount of PCR content in their food packaging portfolio, with formats such as clamshells and trays. Image courtesy of Plastic Ingenuity.

The deadline for 2025 packaging sustainability targets, set by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Global Commitment, is rapidly approaching. Signatories are expected to transform their packaging to make it recyclable, reusable or compostable while integrating higher amounts of recycled content. ³

Recently, Creminelli Fine Meats was searching for a way to enhance the sustainability of an existing thermoform—a ready-to-eat charcuterie tray. Working with a production partner, they conducted a sustainability assessment focused on material efficiency, structure selection and design for recovery, referencing the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) Design Guide. Design engineers determined the snack trays could be downgauged to reduce material usage without compromising performance. The redesigned tray was then created with 80% PCR content, or the equivalent of nearly 11.3 million recycled water bottles, with overall material use reduced by 7%. On top of that, the reduced GHG emissions were equivalent to planting 6,300 trees^.4

Brands are also beginning to explore and implement alternative materials to oriented polystyrene (OPS), such as PET, for insert trays. OPS has been recognized as a problematic and unnecessary material by the U.S. Plastics Pact, and major retailers are urging brands to transition away from OPS-based packaging. OPS is categorized as a resin ID code #6, which is not commonly accepted by municipal recycling programs. If OPS is mixed into recycling streams of common plastics, it can result in losses due to contamination. Switching from OPS to PET materials can transform a single-use cookie tray into a fully recyclable product.

These examples demonstrate how organizations in the food industry (and beyond) are rising to address global sustainability challenges. Yet if we are to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, companies and stakeholders must accelerate the pace of change. SDG 12 calls for halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels by 2030, as well as reducing food losses along production and supply chains according to the UNEP Food Waste Index Report. Mitigating food waste not only limits global GHG emissions but may also minimize food insecurity and support more resilient food systems. Reimagining product packaging to emphasize food safety and circularity is an essential step toward meeting these goals.

About the Author:

Zach Muscato is the Corporate Sustainability Manager for Plastic Ingenuity, a leading custom thermoformer based in Madison, Wisconsin, where he is responsible for helping packaging professionals realize their sustainability goals. Zach has dedicated his 20-year career to the thermoformed packaging industry with roles ranging from product development to commercial sales. Visit www.plasticingenuity.com

References:

1. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Food Waste Index Report, 2024
2. Plastic Ingenuity, Packaging Sustainability Stakeholder Study, 2023
3. Ellen MacArthur Foundation, The Global Commitment Five Years In: Learning to Accelerate Towards a Future Without Plastic Waste or Pollution, 2023
4. Plastic Ingenuity, Incorporating 80% PCR Into an Existing Food Tray Case Study