You may remember the Robotics Pizza Company from a few years ago? Now renamed Zume the company that manufacturers the innovative machines is transitioning to compostable packaging in order to make the supply chain easier for brands, brokers and distributors.
Agricultural waste and other materials is packed local to the companies that require these services.
This new approach came about on the back of multi national brands like Pepsi & Unilever announcing their targets to have 100% of their packaging reusable, recyclable, compostable and biodegradable by 2025.
Pizza Robots for Compostable Packaging?
Zume is one of many companies in the machinery space that is dedicated to compostable packaging. Last year in 2020 the compostable packaging industry was valued at over $274.2 billion per year with it expected to grow to $413.8 billion by 2027.
Grand View research values the packaging industry as a whole at over \$900 billion.
Zume’s approach is to repurpose its pizza making robots to process agricultural waste into take away & cosmetics containers as well as other procedures that Zume and its clients can come up with.
Zume CEO Alex garden thinks the robots can produce low quality items quickly as well as high quality items slowly.
Other robots with similar capabilities carry such enormous associated production costs that it makes their use completely unviable for the consumer market. Zume’s tech is quite a revelation in that in can produce high quality components quickly.
It is a little known fact however that only about 27% of the total US population even has access to a compostable program that allows for either food waste alone or a combination of food waste and compostable packaging. In this respect the Zume robots are not the final solution. The waste management issue in general will need to be improved first.
In the US it would seem each of the 50 states has its own goals when it comes to waste management and disposal. Legislation at both the federal and national level will likely be required to move things forward.
Compostable Packaging Explained
Compostable packaging describes a packaging that can be disposed of and breaks down in a way that is more environmentally friendly than plastic alternatives. Made from plant based materials these recycled formats return to earth faster than other packaging formats. When disposed of in the correct way & in the correct environmental conditions they are essentially as safe as soil.
Compostable packaging does not require anywhere near as much carbon to produce which is of course good for the environment. Furthermore less waste makes it way to landfills and so the earth gains nutrients when the packaging degrades on it.
