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Food waste vs plastic waste

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The use of plastic packaging is highly demonised within the press and, although there is more to be done in reducing the use of unnecessary plastic packaging, is there still a place for it today? Food waste is not only an environmental but a humanitarian crisis. Around 1/3 of food produced globally is wasted yet more than 800 million people are considered to be starving. Although plastics remains a serious issue contributor to the global environmental crisis, food waste actually contributes more to climate change than plastics.

1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every year around the world”

Plastic Euroe

According to Plastics Europe, “around 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every year around the world”. Despite some issues, plastics can provide an ideal solution to this ever-increasing issue. By keeping perishable foodstuffs, such as fruits and vegetables, in plastic packaging, it can be delivered with the highest quality guaranteed and maximum shelf-life possible. This helps to reduce both global food wastage and energy consumption whilst vicariously increasing sustainability. Plastics Europe also goes one step further, announcing “the first commercial manufacturing plant that captures C02 emissions…is now operational”. The ability to become carbon-neutral within the packaging industry is a gamechanger for sustainability. Plastic retains its value beyond the end of its current lifecycle as it has the capacity to be recreated time and time again. This recovery of energy saves on fossil fuels and further prevents mass wastage. New technology with the ability to breakdown “non-recyclable” polymers becoming more accessible, virgin polymer production (which requires oil or gas for energy) can begin to retire and therefore become more sustainable: recycling the unrecyclable.

Food waste feeds climate change. Up to 40% of all food produced ends up wasted. This equates to around 8–10% of all greenhouse gas emissions. According to WRAP, “in the UK, 70% of post-farm gate food waste comes from the home”. Plastic packaging increases the shelf-life of perishable products. By extending this edible period, food is much less likely to be wasted. For example, the shelf-life of beef can be extended by 5-10 days with the use of advanced plastic packaging, remaining fresher for longer so food wastage is decreased. Europe on average loses around 3% of all food produced compared to up to 40% in developing countries. If plastic packaging can be more widely accessible to a global population, food wastage can be significantly decreased, and suppliers can maintain quality and freshness. This decreases waste at every part of the chain, from picking to packing to eating. WRAP has released recommendations to improve this food wastage as well as try and save on excess plastic packaging. These recommendations include selling loose, removing date labels and provide ‘Best Practice’ guidance on storage.  If industry was to implement WRAP’s three recommendations, they estimate around 14,000,000 shopping baskets worth of food waste could be avoided along with around 1,110 truckloads of plastic.

In a post-pandemic world, many of us are still deeply uncomfortable with loose produce. Plastic packaging protects against contamination of food by creating a barrier between us and the produce. This not only extends shelf life but saves on water wastage as washing is not required. Plastic containers for more delicate products such as berries provide not only a sanitary purpose but also prevents physical damage in transport. This in turn reduces waste as more produce makes it to our supermarkets rather than be disposed of before they even hit the shelves.

Just 1kg of food going to landfill produces the same emissions as 25,000 plastic bottles (500ml)

When it comes to an overuse single use plastics, it can be agreed that it has a negative impact on the environment and steps have been taken to reduce this. Food waste, however, is the hidden climate crisis that seldom hits the headlines like plastic waste. Just 1kg of food going to landfill produces the same emissions as 25,000 plastic bottles (500ml). We still have more to do in reducing our environmental impact and plastics can surprisingly aid that. By using plastics to elongate the shelf-life of perishable goods we can reduce global food wastage and the greenhouse gas emissions they produce. This greatly reduces the negative impact we upon the environment and helps to prevent further climate change.

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Plastic isn’t the enemy

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It doesn’t take long whilst scrolling through LinkedIn or browsing packaging media outlet news feed that you’ll come across a post or an opinion that would suggest that one form of packaging is “better” than the other. Especially when it comes to the debate of paper “vs” plastic and recyclability “vs” carbon emissions.

The comments section is filled with “no it isn’t”, and “”but you’re only consider one thing”, or “there is no one single solution” and I agree with them all.

We must always go back to why we have packaging, it is to PROTECT & PRESERVE

  • To protect: There wouldn’t be any hunger in the world if there were no food losses. More food is produced than we really eat or utilise. While packaging is powerless to stop waste, it is able to stop spoiling. Although shelf life is constrained, it can be extended. The shelf life of unpackaged beef is four days. Meat that has been vacuum-packed has a shelf life of around 30 days. Increased product shelf life helps prevent food waste and postpone deterioration.
  • For growth: The flow of commodities increases as a result of urbanisation, expansion, and globalisation, posing new infrastructural issues. Significantly less transport capacity are required throughout the life cycle as a result of the low weight and space savings. Less traffic, less strain on the infrastructure, and less environmental pollution are all benefits of having more merchandise on the trucks. It is feasible to save weight and space during shipment by using thinner films. As a result, the amount of cargo during transportation rises dramatically, and loading zones may be utilised to their full potential. Thus, the life cycle evaluation is enhanced (LCA). Flexible packaging is efficient and economical. Products are more reasonably priced for those with modest incomes when they are packaged in small, economical amounts.

In a technical sense, it is possible to recycle all plastic, and the technology is available. However, in order to sift, recycle, and sell them as raw materials for new products, they must first be gathered. All of this must be accomplished economically. The development of new recycling methods that enable the industrial-scale recycling of even more forms of plastic may take a few years. However, in the interim, the plastics sector is collaborating with the government to achieve the shared objective of streamlining the materials that are gathered for recycling across the UK to make life simpler for individuals.

What we see in the interim is a race for alternatives to plastic as it is somewhat seen as the enemy! Yet time and time again publication and research back the opinion that alternative have a negative impact vs plastics.

The plastics investigated in a recent research by KcKinsey & Company offer lower overall GHG contribution compared with alternatives in 13 of 14 applications for which nonplastic alternatives are deployed at scale. Taking into account both the impact of consumption and the product life cycle, GHG reductions range from 10 to 90%. Additionally, there aren’t many alternatives to plastics today in many applications, particularly those that are centred in food packaging. Given their smaller GHG footprint, plastics use in the near term can actually aid decarbonization efforts in these sectors, notably in terms of food spoilage and energy efficiency.

It all depends on the application

The degree to which sustainability factors are given priority affects the sustainability of packaging materials. Businesses in the value chain will need to be aware of the trade-offs between reducing waste and carbon footprint.

So what is the criteria that should be considered:

  1. Minise the harm that non recyclable packaging will have on the environment
  2. Assess the GHG emission
  3. Recyclability and recycled content

Recycling is effective. Recently the British Plastic Federation concluded in response to the Big Plastic Count that between 30 and 80 percent of the carbon emissions produced during the manufacture and processing of virgin plastic are avoided through recycling. The quantity of plastic recycled has grown 2.4 times since 2006, with the UK recycling 51 percent of plastic packaging in 2020. For the first time ever, the UK recycled more plastic within its borders than it did for recycling abroad last year. Although there is still work to be done, it is apparent that progress has been made.

At Skymark we want to enable & inspire every individual and organisation to do more, using less. With our passion & desire to listen and give a personalised, collaborative experience, developing Innovative, forward thinking packaging solutions

Dan Richards – Sales & Marketing Director
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Mission Zero

In a world where we face a multitude of environmental challenges, we at Skymark Packaging are aiming to redefine how business can play a vital part in improving the lives of everyone around us.

At Skymark Packaging we take our obligation to our Environment serious. As such, we are always on the look-out for improvements to our environmental impacts on society. As a heavy user of Natural resources, both in terms of our Utilities and Raw materials, as well as being a user of a multitude of chemical products, we are all too aware that we must strive to adapt our practices and products to be as clean and green as is possible.

In the past, we have been working on a number of successful projects on reducing our waste footprint, such as on-site recycling of Plastic materials or reducing our overall power consumption by significant amounts. Now though, we are taking our ambitions to the next level by actively working towards compliance to Zero Waste to Landfill requirements.

Our team have spent significant amounts of time to assess and audit all of our current Waste streams, from wood and metal through to plastics and chemicals with the aim of diverting any waste away from landfill. Due to the excellent work conducted by all of our operational staff, we are proud to say that none of our waste materials are currently sent to landfill. Many are being recycled into new products (internally and externally) or used as alternatives to fossil fuels within the supply chain to construction materials or Energy from Waste plants within the UK.

If you are looking for a supply chain partner who has an impeccable record in developing ground-breaking products, whilst finding innovative ways of reducing its impact on the environment, then Skymark Packaging should be the first name on your list.

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PureLoop recycling output

Skymark Packaging has long held a desire to conserve our environment. We produce innovative packaging solutions, efficiency projects and next level working methods. Whenever we explore a possibility to improve, we endeavour to involve our work force or (wherever possible) local companies that share the same philosophy as Skymark, reducing unnecessary carbon emissions associated with travel and logistics.

The Pureloop project is another fine example of our philosophy. Together with our project partners at Pureloop in Austria, and in line with our commitment to “Operation Clean Sweep”, Skymark continue to tirelessly work to improve its recycling rates of plastic.

Our partners at Pureloop have enabled us to provide a closed loop waste solution to ensure our objectives are achievable “Recycle and re-use as much of our Plastic Packaging Waste as possible”
Housed within a purpose-built environment, our Pureloop unit significantly contributes to a dramatic reduction in Waste materials, as well as allowing us to contribute to the wider societal good by recycling plastic packaging materials.

The project enables us to offer a closed loop recycling solution to not only address production over-makes and associated materials at Skymark, but also offer our clients the peace of mind and assurance that we can offer a fully controlled and licenced recycling route for their post-industrial plastic waste stream(s). With Plastics receiving weekly headline news, we are proud to say that we have recycled over 450t of plastic Packaging between January and September 2019 which would otherwise have been sent to landfill or used as Refuse derived Fuel.

Instead, we have recycled the material into usable pellets which can be used in a controlled manner to displace virgin plastic use, thus significantly reducing the impact on the environment. Our Next step? Simple – Significantly beat this year’s figures. Skymark and Pureloop – a beautifully symbiotic relationship, not just another grind…

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