Recyclable Packaging
The materials used in eco-friendly packaging are a mix of biodegradable and recyclable outputs of different forms of either plant or synthetic-based resources. These include Bioplastics, recycled paper, and so on. This term can also be stated as GREEN PACKAGING. These materials decrease the impact of packaging on the environment and hence, play a vital role in maintaining a healthy balance for the betterment of nature.
Mainly, the five basic swaps for recyclable packaging includes:-
CORNSTARCH BASED PACKAGING:-
Out of all the starch-based packaging materials, this one, in particular, has seen an astounding surge over the last ten years. Derived from a cob of maize, it is much eco-friendlier and versatile in its applications. Australia has stated that all the single-use plastics that are currently in use must revert to cornstarch as a substitute for plastic in packing by the year 2022. An eco-friendly image is also being portrayed by leading food-delivery sites by switching to cornstarch packaging. The jerry bags are now also a product of the starch family.
PLANT-BASED Biomaterials:-
These include PLA (polylactic acid), Plantbottle (sugarcane-based biomaterial), and so on. PLA is a product of lactic acid and is used as a substitute for petroleum-based plastics usually derived from agricultural waste.
The Plantbottle is a product of Coca-Cola that dates back to 2009 with an average of 30% plant-based materials till 2015. Now a total of 100% of Plantbottle packaging is derived from sugarcane.
MUSHROOM-BASED Packaging:-
It might be sounding like a mouth-watering wrap of cuisine in a restaurant, but its effectiveness has proven to be a success in commercial packing. This form of approach is carried out by making use of agricultural waste that is held together by mycelium (mushroom roots). Exhibiting the property to be both environmentally friendly and highly bio-degradable many distributors are switching to mushroom-based packaging rather than Styrofoam packaging.
ORGANIC FABRICS:-
These include hemp, flax, banana leaves, and even pineapple leaves which are used as a substitute for plastic products. Their Biodegradability rates are also very high thereby, making them incredibly eco-friendly. They are grown without the use of any chemicals or toxic pesticides. SeaCell, a textile that is made up of crushed dried seaweed plus cellulose fibre, is used as a building material that promotes humidity flow (cool in summer, warm in winter).
Also, hemp is ideal for organic farming, and the cellulose of the cannabis plant is used to make packing fibre which is much stronger and lighter in comparison to the conventional fibre.
BIODEGRADABLE PACKING PEANUTS:-
These are loose-filled packaging materials that are used to prevent damage to fragile items such as glassware during shipping. These biodegradable peanuts are derived from starch and wheat thereby, rendering them harmless if they end up in water bodies.
Read our blog on Biodegradable Packaging – The Demand & Difficulties of This