User:Mflloyd/sandbox

Environmental Impact:

Impacts of packaging originate from three main stages including feedstock sourcing, production of polymers and packaging, and the end of life treatment of the packaging. Emissions from each stage contribute to climate change, air pollution, acidification, and other environmental issues. Food waste is another prominent issue as one third of food meant for human consumption is lost. Sustainable packaging should aim to address properties of food, for example chemical and microbiological properties, in order to limit packaging and food waste.

Alternative to Plastics:

Another alternative to commonly used petroleum plastics are bio-based plastics. Examples of bio-based plastics include natural biopolymers and polymers synthesized from natural feedstock monomers, which can be extracted from plants, animals, or microorganisms. A polymer that is bio-based and used to make plastic materials is not necessarily compostable or bio-degradable. Natural biopolymers can be often biodegraded in the natural environment while only a few bio-based monomer bio-based plastics can be. Bio-based plastics are a more sustainable option in comparison to their petroleum based counterparts, yet they only account for 1% of plastics produced annually as of 2020.

Benefits:

Alongside the environmental benefits of adopting sustainable packaging, eco-friendly packaging can increase sales, reduce packaging cost, and increase the image of a company's brand alongside the rising awareness spread regarding environmental impact. There has also been found a direct correlation between a company's implementation of sustainable packaging and a more sustainable supply chain management. Alternatives such as bio-based plastics that are abundant, low cost, and biodegradable, offer a possibility of reducing use of petroleum resources and carbon dioxide emissions.


 * Mendes, Ana C, and Gitte Alsing Pedersen. “Perspectives on Sustainable Food Packaging:– Is Bio-Based Plastics a Solution?” Trends in food science & technology 112 (2021): 839–846. Web.
 * Mohammadhosseini, Hossein et al. “Waste Metalized Film Food Packaging as Low Cost and Ecofriendly Fibrous Materials in the Production of Sustainable and Green Concrete Composites.” Journal of cleaner production 258 (2020): 120726–. Web.
 * Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). EPA Sustainable Materials Management Program Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2017 – 2022. EPA. Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://www.epa.gov/smm/epa-sustainable-materials-management-program-strategic-plan-fiscal-years-2017-2022.
 * Ker[en]Xin, Wong, Yap Kar Sen, and Salini Devi Rajendran. “A Study on the Benefits of Eco-Friendly Packaging on Sustainable Supply Chain Management in Fast Moving Consumer Goods Industry.” E3S web of conferences 136 (2019): 4092–.
 * Kakadellis, Sarah, and Zoe M Harris. “Don’t Scrap the Waste: The Need for Broader System Boundaries in Bioplastic Food Packaging Life-Cycle Assessment – A Critical Review.” Journal of cleaner production 274 (2020): 122831–.