Food Packaging: Compostable Disposables

sugar cane plant

This week looks into compostable materials that can be used for disposable food packaging. To clarify, the term “compostable” applies to solid biodegradable materials, which through the process of decomposition and decay are broken down into nutrient-rich matter.

In response to the growing demand for a circular economy, the FMCG packaging industry is working to utilise byproducts from other industries and expand the production of bio-based plastics. Some of the most commonly used materials include Palm Leafs, Palm Fibres, PLA (plant based polyactic acid), CPLA (plant based crystallised polyactic acid), RCPLA (plant based recycled crystallised polyactic acid) and Bagasse (sugarcane fibre waste).

Characterised by different properties and opportunities, each of the listed materials can be processed into a range of relevant products for:

  • Drinks: single/double wall hot cups (Lined with plant-based PLA, not PE oil-based plastic), hot cup extras (lids made of CPLA, sugar packed in sticks made of recycled paper, cup clutches & carry trays made of recycled kraft board, wooden stirrers), cold drink cups
  • Food on the go: cutlery, soup containers, tableware, takeaway boxes, gourmet & deli containers, portion pots, sushi trays, sandwich and wrap boxes, sandwich platters, salad boxes, pizza boxes, food cartons, hot bags and wraps, bags to go, sheets (wax-coated burger wrap, greaseproof sheet, unbleached greaseproof sheet), cake & pastry boxes
  • Other: stickers with water based permanent adhesive, carry packs, carrier bags, napkins, blue roll, food preparation gloves, bin liners and sacks.

The above listed selection presents many packaging opportunities for your business to avoid using environmental pollutants like unrecyclable coffee cups or oil-based plastic film wraps.

Bagasse food packaging
paper packaging

If this all sounds interesting but you are worried about branding, there is no reason to. There are many ways in which our creative production team can help you customise these materials to fit your brand image. #graphicsonanysurface

If you are interested to learn what compostable materials could offer to your brand, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Posted 01 July, 2017 by Katie Kubrak