Unlike plastic and styrofoam containers which take hundreds of years to degrade and are highly toxic, there are packaging films being manufactured from renewable wood-pulp. It is biodegradable and compostable to international standards, suitable for both industrial and home composting and has been proven to break down in waste water environments. This means that all the coffee waste generated by consumers can be turned into compost that goes back into the earth!
The world’s dependency on petroleum is a major factor in climate change – whether it is the gas that we put in our car or the plastic cup that we use for our take-out coffee. Research suggests that plant-based, biodegradable alternatives to plastics could provide a solution by reducing CO2 levels. The manufacture of plastics made from plant material with a cellulose-base, would use 30% less energy than a plastic made with a petroleum-base. In addition, only a quarter of the amount of greenhouse gases that fossil fuel plastics generate would be contributed by these natural plastics.
Due to consumer demand and more controlled environmental rules, biodegradable alternatives to plastic and polystyrene are now in wide use across Europe and North America. Concerns about global warming and the depletion of natural resources make the use of these innovative film products a conscious way to celebrate positive change. The global community needs to encourage companies with organic products to become more health and planet aware.
Packaging has become an important part of the consumer outcry toward finding a solution to environmental problems. Biodegradable packaging, in particular, has become one of the most effective marketing tools. The continuing trend will be aimed at the use of flexible film, a unique, high performance product, made from renewable resources.
