Foodservice packaging: The End of a Persistent Environmental Myth

The most persistent environmental myth about foodservice packaging concerns their role in the solid waste stream, and particularly that which ends up in landfills. Year after year, data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shows that paper and plastic foodservice packaging products make up a tiny portion – under two percent! – of the municipal solid waste discards in landfills in the United States. Compare that to other items that end up in landfills:

Source: FPI

Source: U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency. Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2011 Facts andFigures

My comments:

• Food waste is the environmental sleeping giant
• In the near future the role of packaging will change; we will see packaging as a resource rather than a resource waster.
• Packaging is part of the solution, not the problem: preventing food waste and saving resources and assuring the safety and security of the food supply
• A bright future for Smart Packaging (active and intelligent): Increasing health and environmental awareness, rising food prices and food safety concerns and improved purchasing power will drive growth in the smart packaging market.