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Can the food packaging be eaten?

July 19, 2024

        Can the food packaging still be eaten?

        You really don’t believe it, but today I will share “Edible environmentally Friendly Packaging” with you.

        Exquisite packaging colors will indeed bring a sense of ritual to consumers. However, excessive packaging will only cause waste of raw materials and environmental pollution.

        At present, food packaging waste accounts for about 30% of urban domestic waste.

Why?

        The main reason is that only a small amount of materials in product packaging can be recycled. Now most other packaging waste such as corrugated paper, cans, glass bottles, etc. need disposing through landfill or incineration. As a result, this will have a great impact on the ecological environment. Let’s take a look at something about edible environmentally friendly packaging.

Takeaway boxes made from cocoa beans

        The takeaway food market continues to expand since the pandemic. Traditional food takeaway packaging (mainly plastic)have a great negative impact on our environment.

        Therefore, in order to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Prigogo has specially designed a set of environmentally friendly packaging made from cocoa beans and other ingredients. The packaging is made from ingredients such as cocoa bean shell cores, mycelium and pineapple, which is reusable.

        The main body of the container is made of biomass genes made from cocoa beans, a by-product of the chocolate industry. The takeaway bag or box uses mycelium as an insulating material, and the bag cover is made of leather made from pineapple leaf fibers. The outside of the bag will be made from a biodegradable material made from cornstarch.

Pineapple leaf paper wrappers

        The Philippine Design Center recently launched pinyapel, which is a specialty paper processed and manufactured locally. The raw material is sourced from local discarded pineapple leaves.

        According to 2017 agricultural statistics from the Philippine Bureau of Statistics, pineapple production reached 2.671 million tons, of which about 5% was agricultural waste such as pineapple leaves.

        Designed by Pat Bangkola, the 'Pinyapel' material has seed 'sprout' packaging embedded in it. Consumers are encouraged to "plant the packaging" after use because the packaging is 100% biodegradable!

Potato peels for potato chips packaging

        In 2018, designers Simone Caroni, Paolo Stefani and Pietro Gelli jointly launched a French fries packaging made of potato peels. As a sustainable alternative to paper, it will eventually become fertilizer for plants returning to the biological cycle.

        More and more designers are constantly pioneering in material innovation, integrating sustainable concepts into every design idea, and entering the commercial and social industry chain.

        Of course, there are some more and more edible environmentally friendly packaging materials as following:

Edible film

        Made of edible materials such as lipids, fibers, starches, proteins and other renewable energy sources. For example, the edible hamburger wrapper launched by Bob's fast food restaurant in the United States, and the coffee Scoff-ee cup developed by KFC. The cup is a sugar-covered biscuit with edible sugar wrapper and heat-resistant white chocolate inside. This type of material has gradually emerged in recent years, but because it is a food-grade raw material and requires strict hygienic conditions during production, the production cost is high and it is inconvenient for commercial use.

Materials made from bacterial cellulose (BC)

        Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have created a new composite disposable packaging material using a network of ultrafine cellulose nanofibers synthesized by bacteria. This material is not only environmentally friendly and edible, but also transparent, oil-resistant, non-toxic to human cells, and completely biodegradable within one to two months. Its production process is relatively simple and does not require specific reaction conditions. For example, a straw made of this material is strong enough to pierce the plastic film of commercially available bubble tea, and can still maintain its integrity after being soaked in water for 24 hours. The material has the potential to be used in a variety of packaging, including cereal bags.

“Notpla” material

        Made of seaweed and other plant ingredients, such as “Ooho” water balloon capsules are made of this material. It can be eaten whole, or you can bite it open to drink the water inside. It can be completely biodegraded within 4 to 6 weeks and won't cause pollution to the environment. In addition to being used to make water balloon capsules, this material can also be used to hold capsules for ketchup and other sauces, cocktail capsules, or as a waterproof coating for fast food boxes. However, this kind of capsule packaging has problems with durability and cleanliness. It is currently difficult to directly replace bottled water on supermarket shelves. It is mostly used in marathons, parties and other scenarios that don't require long-term storage.


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