Sustainable food packaging must also be safe

"Consumers expect sustainable packaging," explained Salome Hofer, Head of Sustainability and Economic Policy at Coop, at this year's SVI Annual Conference, providing insights into a consumer survey from 2020. Sustainability is often equated with "plastic-free" in this context. Less packaging waste or even zero waste are also at the top of the wish list.

At the same time, demand for convenience and takeaway offerings has been increasing for years. However, Hofer reported that it is only possible to a limited extent for the large retailers to offer unpackaged food. One exception is the fruit and vegetable assortment, where unpackaged goods have been common for many years. In some cases, wishes and reality diverge: For example, customers at Coop can now leave their own containers at the fresh produce counter to have cheese, sausage or meat packed, but the offer is only rarely taken up. Overall, Coop is therefore striving for optimized packaging that saves material, is recyclable and at the same time meets the product requirements.

Vincent Colard, an ecodesign engineer at the French association Citeo, pondered what would happen if there were no more packaging in 2030: Around 40 percent of food would spoil before reaching the end consumer. The Frenchman does not think a ban on plastic makes sense because plastic offers too many advantages. Instead, Colard pleaded for the expansion of collection and sorting systems. As early as 2025, PET, PE, PP and PS are to be collected and sorted in France in various types of packaging. Another approach, he said, lies in the eco-design of packaging. The entire value chain must be included in the development of recyclable packaging.

The ideas of Dr. Isabelle Chevalley, a member of the National Council for the Green Liberal Party, who advocates less incineration of waste and more recycling, also go in this direction. She explained the weaknesses of Swiss waste management to the conference participants. The main problem, she said, is that the cantons act independently of each other and do not benefit from synergies. Instead, she said, there are overcapacities that have to be compensated for by importing waste from neighboring countries. About 20 percent slag remains after incineration, which has to be landfilled and which no one wants anymore. Biowaste and plastics would have no place in waste incineration plants (MWIP). "You wouldn't think of throwing your food scraps down the chimney," Chevalley said. Plastics are too valuable to burn, he said. Chevalley believes it is up to the municipalities to create appropriate collection structures. Necessary measures, he said, include nationwide coordination of waste management, providing incentives for innovative packaging and following international guidelines.

"For me as a chemist, it is completely incomprehensible why plastics are so little appreciated," said Dr. Stefan Pirker, who works on chemical recycling processes at OMV Refining & Marketing. There are cycles for glass, paper, sheet metal and aluminum, why - apart from PET - not for plastics? With the help of chemical recycling, plastics are broken down again into their building blocks, resulting in polymers of pure quality. In principle, these polymers can also be reused for food packaging. Unlike mechanical recycling, the process is endlessly repeatable, Pirker explained. The process is energy efficient, he said, and requires temperatures similar to those used in pizza baking. Composite materials can also be recycled. Currently, the costs are high and the process is not as widely recognized as mechanical recycling, he said. In the medium term, however, Pirker sees it as a useful addition: "With the appropriate cycles, plastic would be a raw material of the future!"

Casper van den Dungen, general manager of Poly Recycling, has been active in PET recycling for 30 years. He explained that harmonization of standards is important, such as is being done through RecyClass. All players in the value chain would thus be provided with important information that is important in the production and recycling of the packaging. Standards were initially developed for PET, he said, but could gradually be applied to all other polymers. The use of digital watermarks, such as those used in HolyGrail 2.0, as well as artificial intelligence to make sorting materials easier and more precise, also offer promising prospects for plastics recycling, he said. Van den Dungen expressed confidence that all of the EU's set targets can be achieved by 2030.

"Which functions of the packaging can we do without?" is the central question for Thomas Galatik from Dow Chemical Europe. After all, the entire packaging design is based on these requirements and, if necessary, allows for a less complex packaging structure. Galatik sees an opportunity in biobased plastics on condition that agricultural waste products are used for them, the disposal of which requires energy, he says.

Long-used packaging materials are well known and well studied, explained Dr. Thomas Gude, deputy head of Swiss Quality Testing Services, in his presentation "Bioplastics: Sustainability versus Safety." Natural materials such as bamboo, which are used as an alternative to plastic, contain substances and allergens that can have undesirable consequences for food safety, he said. That's also the case with monomaterials that don't provide a sufficient barrier, he said. "What is sustainable still has to be safe," the food chemist indicated.

Fulvio Cadonau, Manager Business Development at Smurfit Kappa Hoya Papier und Karton, also advocated a sensible combination of packaging materials. Ultimately, the decisive factor is which barriers are required for optimum protection of the packaged goods. Where possible, Smurfit Kappa uses monolayer solutions that can be disposed of in the waste paper. Activated carbon is used as a barrier to filter out undesirable substances such as MOSH, MOAH or bisphenol A. Cadonau did not reject plastics: where necessary, they are used to ensure ideal product protection. This can then be in the form of a plastic bag in a carton, for example, which can be easily separated and disposed of. Cadonau also advocated looking at the entire supply chain and choosing sensible combinations for primary and secondary packaging.

Eric Pavone, Business Development Director at Bobst Mex, spoke about trends in sustainable flexible packaging solutions. Plastics are increasingly being replaced by paper with water-based dispersions of polymers. New bio-polymers are also being tested for use with paper, he said. RCF, Regenerated Cellulose Film, for example, is already widely applied to coffee bags and compostable films, while PLA - polylactic acid - is finding initial applications in compostable food trays as well as flexible packaging.

In the concluding panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Karola Krell, participants agreed that standards are needed for evaluating the recyclability of packaging. The industry, he said, is investing a lot of money in developing new sustainable solutions that also make money. Pavone suggested that Switzerland should take a pioneering role: both recycling streams, technologies and a high level of awareness among the population are given. These could be used and proactive steps could be taken. Dr. Gude agreed. As a small, agile unit, Switzerland is also in a position to develop solutions quickly and easily in matters of food safety. There will likely be a coexistence of different packaging solutions, Cadonau said, because "what works for one doesn't work for the other." The value of packaging is still not clear to most consumers, he said. This is where the food industry would have to come in and educate people about the meaning and functions of packaging.

The next SVI Annual Conference will be held on January 19, 2022, on the topic "Shooting Star Packaging?"