This research is highly relevant to all stakeholders as most of them strive for higher recycling rates to reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste. Ideally, plastic food packaging is recycled into new packaging. But only limited types of packaging are suitable for circular recycling, most can only be recycled for non-food applications, and others cannot be recycled at all .

All stakeholders will have to take drastic and coordinated action
The situation in 2017 was described in detail as a baseline measurement. The Dutch recycling value chain for plastic packaging waste was relatively well developed globally in 2017. The recycling rate was approximately 37% in 2017. In addition, the average polymer purity of the recycled plastics in 2017 was only 93%. To move beyond this status quo, all improvement measures were modeled in a complex material flow analysis model.

First of all, all packaging types were systematically redesigned for recycling. Czech American packaging machine manufacturer Viking Masek packs emotions | Empack Den Bosch 2021 where all packaging components have been optimized.
Second, collection and mechanical recovery rates were increased to the maximum levels achieved.
Third, the transfer coefficients of the best available recycling technologies were selected and the entire model was rerun. This leads to a total recycling percentage of 72%. The average polymer purity of the recycled plastics is 97%.
In such an ideal circular value chain, more recycled plastics are produced that are suitable for more demanding applications, such as food packaging, compared to the 2017 value chain. However, this requires all stakeholders to implement drastic and coordinated measures, which mean unprecedented investments. , with which this optimal circular recycling value chain for plastic packaging can be realized. In addition, this optimized recycling chain is still largely based on the use of crude oil as raw material and the use of a lot of recyclate in non-food contact applications.

The majority of takeaway meals are packed, transported, and served in single-use plastic containers, most of which are then either burnt or dumped in our oceans. On top of this, take away packaging is ghastly - it's cheap, flimsy and however appealing the meal inside, the packaging completely detracts from the consumer experience.

Take Back is designed to be easy to clean for reusability and stackable for ease of storage. The double-walled construction helps ensure the temperature of the meals is maintained through delivery. The structural design of this particular example is reminiscent of a pagoda for specific use by Asian cuisine proprietors and purposely unbranded for flexibility of use by different restaurants. The design also serves as a desirable container beautiful enough to be proudly placed on the dinner table.

The concept envisages a returnable system whereby the container provider hosts a platform for use by members - namely, local restaurants and cafes. Members deliver meals in 'Take Back' containers, consumers then keep hold of them and return them during their next delivery. The infrastructure for tracking the location of the containers for retrieval is already in place via platforms such as Deliveroo and Just Eat and one can easily imagine a small deposit system paid for by consumers to help validate the investment in the reusable packaging.

Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, has created three sustainable packaging products for a brand-new range of vegan products from food manufacturer Orkla.

The branded consumer goods company worked closely with Mondi to create sustainable, high-performance packaging for the Swedish launch of its Frankful® plant-based Tex Mex range - soft tortilla wraps, tortilla crisps and taco spices.

Each bespoke packaging solution has been designed to provide premium product freshness for consumers and ensure a standout appearance on the shelf for retailers. Using a truly collaborative approach, Mondi supported Orkla’s sustainability agenda, which includes launching healthier food products, reducing food waste and offering environmentally-friendly choices. The three Frankful® products benefit from tailor-made packaging that extends shelf life, balances portion control and is recyclable.

Original soft tortillas will be one of the first food products to be packaged in Mondi’s innovative BarrierPack Recyclable, which uses a high-barrier, lightweight mono-material and a reclose tape to keep the food fresh in its original packaging and prevent waste.

Taco spice mix is packaged in a paper-based laminate, created from FSCTM certified paper1 and a film made from renewable resources. The high paper content ensures suitability for Swedish recycling paper streams.

Tortilla crisps are kept crunchy and fresh, thanks to Mondi’s metal-free high-barrier laminate, which makes the new solution completely recyclable. It eradicates the need to include a metallised layer while retaining crispness and avoiding grease leakage.

”Our aim is to work closely with our valued partners through our customer-centric approach, EcoSolutions, in order to create sustainable packaging that works for the products, the customer and the environment. The challenge with Frankful® was to find a solution that would ensure recyclable packaging materials while offering the required functionalities such as barrier protection, and still run on the existing machines at full speed”.

Thomas Kahl, Mondi EcoSolutions Project Manager

According to the latest research the global food supply chain system is responsible for 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions; a third of all food is lost or wasted somewhere in the supply chain; fossil fuel-based materials need to be phased out; and significant improvements are needed to the way packaging is dealt with after use.

Laurence Mott, Executive VP for Development and Engineering at Tetra Pak, says: “We are joining forces with our strategic partners and paperboard producers to find solutions. It's possible to make a completely sustainable package, but you have to make it safe. And if you can’t make it at scale, you can't minimise food waste, and you can't serve a growing global population. In order to bring those three things together, it takes very strong collaboration.”

Mott says that the scale of the environmental challenges the world faces requires that actors within the value chain join forces to develop truly sustainable packaging solutions.

Leading paperboard producers are united in their approach to tackle carbon emissions and have an ambition to create a net-zero carbon future..

With the same technical outline, but different UX and UI, the platform was launched earlier last week to help the users order food from multiple restaurants in the same order, much like Dunzo’s ‘Food Court’.

The differentiator here being the four Ps the brand builds on: People, Process, Produce and Packaging, Sagar Kochhar, co-founder, Rebel Foods, says.

‘People’ are the chefs who prepare the food, ‘Process’ refers to the steps involved in food preparation, ‘Produce’ refers to the food ingredients and ‘Packaging’ is the carry/takeaway bag the food is packed in, he elaborates.

Kochhar mentions that according to the brand’s research, both in pre and post-COVID world, it was found that these four Ps concern the consumers most when it comes to ordering food online.

“While the rating of the restaurant on the delivery app may give an idea of the quality of food it delivers, there is very little or no information about the people who prepare the food. Similarly, there is no or very little information about the food preparation process – is the vegetarian and non-vegetarian food being prepared separately, or are basic sanitisation steps being followed. There are hundreds of questions in the minds of the consumers,” Kochhar shares.

He adds, “Also, in the current (COVID) times, the consumers are conscious of the food items they eat. They have started looking out for immunity-boosting meals. And, of course, the packet of the food that passes through many hands is a pain point. Loose packaging, food received in polybags, broken bags, soggy paper bags… are some of the feedback we received.”

The EatSure app, says Kochhar, gives exact information of who is preparing the food. It also gives access to the chef’s doctor-validated medical certificate, along with his body temperature.

The EatSure-certified partner kitchens adhere to 200-plus quality checks, including maintaining the right food temperature, taking care of step by step sanitisation process, and separate preparation of veg and non-veg food. EatSure also mandates that no brand uses artificial flavours or colours in any of the produce.

“We believe in giving complete transparency to the consumers on what ingredients are being used in the preparation of food. It goes to the level of telling the consumers the calorific value of each item – fat, protein, carb components. Other apps in the space don’t even have control on how the food is being prepared,” Kochhar points out.

The food ordered on EatSure will be delivered in double sealed packaging – ‘UV sure bags’. Food packets are put in an outer cover/bag, which is run through a UV chamber, deployed at all partner kitchens, before being handed over to the delivery person. The UV chamber disinfects both the outer and inner surfaces of the bags.

The outer bag comes with two sanitiser pods, one on each handle of the pack.

UV sure bag

The concept of UV Sure Bag was developed completely in-house by the Consumer Solutions Group (CSG) of Rebel Foods. The brand has associated with some of its old partners to produce them.

Kochhar says that the company was working on many broken keys of this initiative since its inception in 2011, but only started putting it together about four months back.

“No artificial flavours or colouring, proper sanitisation of food, taking care of hygiene in the food preparation process… the core was always there. It was an unsaid rule with which we always worked. The current times gave us the opportunity to bring out our vision to the world, and that is how EatSure was born,” he says.

So, who does the brand see as its rivals? “EatSure is like a smart food court with most trusted brands. Hence, the comparison becomes difficult because it is not just a digital-first initiative. We are also activating multiple physical presence at multiple touchpoints,” Kochhar says.

The brand has gone live with EatSure food trucks that are stationed at high-end streets, apartments, colleges, corporate areas of Mumbai and Bengaluru. Kochhar explains that the trucks are a digital-first interaction initiative, where users can scan the QR code to order. They are informed when their order is ready and can either choose to pick it up, or opt for it to be delivered to their desk/doorsteps.

Specifically, innovative, efficient bioplastic production processes were developed to package food using renewable materials that are also recyclable and could replace conventional fossil fuel-based materials. These bioplastics include polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and polyglycolide (PGA), which were used to develop three different bio-based active packaging systems, specifically designed to package fresh chicken meat, cereals and snacks.

One of project’s innovations was the formulation of bacteriophage-based coatings that considerably reduce the proliferation of Salmonella bacteria in chicken breast samples packaged in a modified atmosphere. The project successfully addressed one of the problems faced by packaging with barrier properties: in order to protect food, packaging must be made up of complex multilayer structures that are either difficult or costly to recycle. However, all the packaging systems developed by the REFUCOAT Project can be recycled and/or converted into compost, making them a promising sustainable alternative.

Lorena Rodríguez Garrido, Packaging Researcher at AIMPLAS and scientific co-ordinator of REFUCOAT, said: “Packaging must be recyclable and must also maintain the barrier properties that help protect packaged food. Current packaging has a complex multilayer structure and is made from non-renewable sources. It provides all the protective functions but is difficult and expensive to recycle. REFUCOAT aims to replace current packaging with more sustainable, better-performing alternatives.”

The REFUCOAT Project focused on three main areas: developing active coatings for food packaging films that use bacteriophage organisms; using low-quality flour as a base to produce PHA,; and developing an efficient production process for PGA, a completely biodegradable material with excellent water barrier properties. Until recently, this solution had been too expensive to use to replace fossil fuel-based materials.

The REFUCOAT Project ended in October 2020 after successfully validating all the new packaging structures and comparing their performance with metallised packaging. Tests were also carried out to compare the products’ shelf life and biodegradability with those of current conventional packaging on the market.