Eco Friendly Food Packaging for Every Online Wholesaler

Plastic is a part of everyday life. We carry groceries home in plastic bags, we drink from plastic bottles that we then throw away after one use, and most of the food we purchase has some type of plastic packaging. People started to realize that this is not the way to live sustainably.

The pros to plastic are also its cons. It is incredibly durable and lasts a long time. That sounds useful, but the reality is that every piece of plastic we ever made still exists. Landfills are overflowing with plastic that not even hundreds of years could decompose. It’s a sad fact that we have to live with, but now we have to look forward to ways that we can prevent the continuation of this problem.

Eco friendly food packaging is more commonplace now, which is a great step. Consumers show interest in purchasing sustainable goods. Even individuals try to do their part by taking their own bags to the grocery store so they do not have to take home plastic ones. Companies and online wholesalers should follow suit and offer environmentally friendly packaging.

What’s Wrong with Plastic?

You may ask, “Why can’t we just use plastic and then recycle it rather than throwing it away?” Unfortunately, not all plastics are recyclable. Flexible plastic  has more materials blended together than you would expect. Due to the combinations of these materials, they have no use for repurposing so recycling plants can only send them to the landfill. Most plastics we use on a daily basis are like this, especially for food packaging.

Most commonly, plastic bags and disposable bottles are the culprits that make up a lot of the world’s trash. On the individual level, consumers have started being conscious of this. They make better choices like bringing their own bags or reusing a travel bottle rather than disposable plastics.

Transitioning to Better Materials

Companies are starting to notice public interest in sustainability and are slowly transitioning to better packaging materials. It is a difficult process. There are some eco friendly materials that are still in early stages of development. Creating a material that is sturdy, flexible, looks clean, and keeps food is quite the task. Because it is still new to manufacturers, it can also be costly.

These materials do not need to be that expensive, though. If more people bought sustainable packaging, then companies would notice and would optimize their products, as well. When a new product becomes the norm, a mass production of it would lower prices. Being green does not have to be hard.

Alternatives

The plastic most of us are familiar with is petroleum-based. It is hard to get rid of because it could take thousands of years to decompose, and burning it emits harmful gases. Such gases are the reason why humans accelerated climate change to dangerous levels.

Corn-Based Plastic

Researchers are working on better plastics, such as plastic made from corn. It is biodegradable, which means that it can decompose on its own over time. It is also a huge step up from petroleum-based plastics because people can burn it without releasing toxic gases. However, if a consumer threw away this plastic it could still take up to 100 years to decompose.

Even though corn-based plastic is much more sustainable than petroleum-based plastic, manufacturers and researchers should still work toward improvements. It may be a while before they can craft an environmentally safe material that is as durable as plastic.

Sugar-Based Plastic

Another potential alternative includes plastic made from sugar and carbon dioxide. This is a cheaper alternative that is also biodegradable. Other plastics need high temperatures to decompose, but this material has an enzyme commonly found in soil that breaks it down. This makes the sugar and CO2 plastic perfect for people who compost!

This particular plastic is also non-toxic, which cannot be said about petroleum-based plastic. There are no BPAs (bisphenol-A) which have been known to get into people’s digestive systems from water bottles. The specific sugar used is thymidine which is found in our DNA. Because of this, researchers believe that this plastic has potential for medical implants.

Choosing companies whose products are biodegradable can boost interest in consumers. Customers will support environmentally-conscious decisions, and are even willing to pay a bit more for it. Manufacturers may need to spend more money to make it possible, but if you support them by carrying their products, they are sure to continue the practice on a larger scale.

Some companies have seen a huge increase in sales after switching to biodegradable packaging. Getting there can be very difficult, but the results are rewarding. Choose a cleaner method of packing food, and your customers (and the planet) will be happier for it.

Learn more about green products.