If you want to stay ahead of the sustainable packaging game for 2022, keep an eye on these trends | Valdamark Direct

Last year, states passed groundbreaking legislation to help repair the broken recycling system and move companies faster towards their 2025 sustainability commitments.

In 2021 it became increasingly clear that we have a waste problem in this country – this is a global problem but one that is particularly apparent in the United States and wider western world.

We live in a world where Recycling isn’t delivering what its capable of anymore due in large amount to external forces like the increased amounts plastics being used across industries. Or advancements within manufacturing processes leaving behind more synthetic fibers which cannot be recycled because of their chemical contents, making them too dangerous for human consumption. The single use, disposable culture that many of us adhere to does not help neither.

The recycling industry may have cause for some hope as 2021 comes to a close. With the coronavirus continuing with it’s disruption, more people than ever before have turned towards virgin plastic for heat seal packaging – but will this momentum lead into 2022? Looking toward this year and beyond here are three packaging trends you’ll want at to keep in mind –

More Produce Responsibility 

The idea of extended producer responsibility has been around for decades, but only in 2021 did it reach the U.S., with Oregon and Maine passing laws requiring manufacturers to help fund collection/processing packaging while other states such as New York not far behind.

Truth in Labelling 

The new “Truth in Labeling” law for recyclable materials is a step towards more sustainable practices and lessens consumers’ confusion about what they are buying. The passage of this bill shows that there’s no shortage of will when it comes to environmentally friendly changes, but rather an endless supply!

Toxins Removal

The EPA has found that when recycling is done properly, more harmful chemicals are introduced into products. This may be an issue for the circular economy and its ultimate goal of purity.” Toxins need to be removed from packaging where possible now.

Holistic Approach To Packaging

One of the biggest tragedies in this field is that it’s all about the recycling conditions as they exist right now. There are however so many other factors to consider when packaging is designed. We need sustainable packaging stakeholders and consumers alike on board with moving beyond just following industry guidelines for what can be recycled or composted. People want more than just those two options if they’re going green!

Growth of Loop and Reusuable Packaging

Reuse pioneers Algramo and Loop are contiuned to expand in 2021. This time around, they’re raising $8.5 million from Series A funding round for their expansion into cities like Jakarta, New York, Mexico & London

More Accountability

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition is looking forward to seeing progress towards their goals in 2022. “We’re that much closer,” said Goodrich, noting the score card for benchmarking company’s performance will be an important tool during this time period. It all comes down taking action and making the changes needed by 2025 standards, sooner if necessary.”

Read the full article at: www.greenbiz.com

Spider Silk & The Plastic Packaging Problem | Valdamark Direct 

We all know plastics are very useful materials used in nearly every part of our lives, they have contributed greatly to the formation of our modern world. 

However we also know that the unprecedented amount used in production over recent years can caused serious unbalance and damage to the environment around us. In fact packaging alone contributed a whopping 46% out of 340 million overall tonnes of plastic waste generated on earth in 2018. 

Plastic recycling has increased enormously over recent years however the majority used today are single use and neither recyclable or biodegradable. Pair this with the simple fact that the global demand for food will double by 2050 and you have a recipe for a problem that will get much worse, much more quickly. 

At present it is usually poorer countries in Africa that hold the burden of waste disposal for us in the West, the pressure they are already under will of course increase in the coming years. 

In order to meet these challenges we need more sustainable packaging materials that are naturally biodegradable and if necessary can easily be recycled.

Spider Silk and Plant Based Sustainable Packaging : A lesson from Nature

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered an innovative way to produce plastic from abundant and sustainable plant proteins. Inspired by the spider silk ( weaved by spiders when they produce their web ) these packaging films function in a similar way to traditional plastics, but can be readily composted at home. 

Types of Plastics Packaging 

Using the food packaging market as an example we typically see both synthetic and non-biodegradable plastics used in film constructions. These include PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PS (Polystyrene) and CPET (Crystalline Polyethylene Terephthalate).

Some mechanical and chemical processes do already exist mainly for the disposal of PET but it is a little known fact that despite all the West recycling initiatives and efforts the vast majority of plastic packaging is still sent to landfills. This is exacerbated by the inconvenient truth that PET can take hundreds of years to decompose and is certainly not biodegradable. Unfortunately the damage done to eco systems in that time can be severe. 

Enter Plant Based Plastics  

Alternatively there a some biodegradable plant based plastics that can provide real world, viable alternatives to traditional plastics. These include PLA (Polylactic acid), PBS (Polybutylene Succinate), PCL (Polycaprolactone) and various PHA’s (Polyhydroxyalkanoates). Each is much more environmentally friendly when compared to non-renewable polymers, coming from renewable sources and being fully recyclable & compostable. Generally speaking though these plant based plastics are not currently as robust as their synthetic counterparts. 

The new Cambridge research builds on this understanding and looks to further enhance plant based plastics by investigating new polymers such as soy proteins to further enhance stability and performance. 

Vegan Spider Silk?

Researchers created plant based plastics with the addition of nanoparticles smaller than one millionth of a meter, This meant material structures could be manipulated and controlled in order to create new flexible packaging films for use across sectors. They were able to mimic a material that looks like spider silk on a molecular level. They christened it ‘Vegan Spider Silk’.

Watch this space for more innovations in the plant based packaging sector. 

Read the full article at: thenextweb.com