The most important factors for increasing the use of biobased plastic in food packaging

Lower price, greater supply and better functionality. These are the most important factors for increasing the use of biobased plastics in food packaging according to the industry. A new study from STEPS summarises the thoughts of 17 Swedish companies about replacing the fossil-based plastic.

Biobased plastics can reduce the negative environmental impact from plastic food packaging. By using renewable raw materials, the use of fossil resources is reduced, which in turn leads to reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the packaging's production phase. Yet, the use of biobased plastics is still low: around one percent of all plastics on the market today are bio-based.

Katrin Molina-Besch was previously a researcher in packaging logistics at Lund University of Technology, LTH, and a member of STEPS. Today she works at Miljögiraff AB. Photo: Erik Andersson.

– Our hope is that the results will lead to discussion and cooperation between the packaging industry, food companies and traders. Are there ways to lower the price of biobased materials, and how can long-term supply for food companies be secured? This is an important aspect, because many companies operate on a global market, and want to be able to use a biobased packaging in all relevant countries for a long time, says one of the authors of the study, Katrin Molina-Besch. She was previously a researcher in packaging logistics at Lund University of Technology, LTH, and a member of STEPS. Today she works at Miljögiraff AB.

Obstacles and opportunities for biobased plastics

The interview study points out a number of obstacles and opportunities for increasing the use of biobased plastics in food packaging, and includes interviews with the packaging industry, food companies and traders. Obstacles include: concerns among companies that increased production of renewable raw materials could affect food production, doubts about the actual environmental benefits of biobased plastics, and that customers could be confused and unable to handle new types of plastics.

Factors considered to be able to increase use are: lower material price, greater availability of biobased plastic over time, and better technical functionality.

In all three sectors, the interviewed companies preferred biobased drop-in plastics. These plastics have identical chemical structure and thus also identical properties as fossil-based counterparts. This preference can be linked to the companies' technical requirements for the plastic's functionality in machines, and production and packaging processes. They also want to be able to include the material in existing recycling systems. None of the companies interviewed were interested in increasing the use of biodegradable plastics.

Collaboration and discussion are important

According to Katrin Molina-Besch, the results are interesting for many reasons. Not least in light of the EU's plastic strategy, and Svensk dagligvaruhandels ambitious goals for plastic packaging: 2025 all plastic packaging must be recyclable, and 2030 all plastic packaging must be made from either renewable or recycled raw materials.

She says: – The study clearly shows that all interviewed companies have a positive attitude towards bio-based plastics. That is good. However, the actual use of bio-based packaging is still small. By identifying obstacles and opportunities, we want to encourage collaboration and discussion. Are the obstacles that the companies identify really obstacles, or are they only perceived as such?

New kinds of biobased polymers are needed

She reflects that there may be advantages in developing new types of biobased polymers because these materials can be developed from the outset for recycling.

– Today, almost all companies use the same biobased plastic, polyethylene, PE. The majority is imported from a supplier in Brazil. However, companies expressed great interest in biobased PE made from renewable materials other than Brazilian sugarcane. An open question, however, is whether PE is a good enough material for the circular economy in the long term. PE works well in today's packaging machines and in existing recycling processes, but it is not a material that has been developed for recycling and therefore recycled PE usually has a lower quality than newly produced PE, says Katrin Molina-Besch.

According to her, there is therefore a need for more research and development. For future biobased plastics should not only be developed to be recycled with the same quality, they should also be made from residues, or plants that humans cannot eat, so that production does not compete with the food supply.

– For certain types of food, there would also be advantages in investing in biodegradable plastics, even if interest is currently low. Packaging for, for example, fresh fish or meat could in that case be thrown away together with the food waste instead of ending up in residual waste where most consumers throw these packaging away. We absolutely have to look more at which plastics are needed for different types of products, says Katrin Molina-Besch.

About the study

The study explores the perceptions of the packaging industry, the food industry and traders regarding the use of biobased plastics in food packaging. It includes interviews with 17 different companies. The selection was based partly on the size of the companies and partly on the type of packaging they produce and use to be able to package different foods. Dry, chilled and frozen food places different demands on the plastic's functionality.

Download the study, which is published in Sustainable Production and Consumption: Exploring the industrial perspective on biobased plastics in food packaging applications – Insights from Sweden.