Packaging for a Better Planet: Swedish Innovations at Forefront of Sustainable Packaging

Bo Lindskog at STFI-Packforsk agrees. “There is a huge demand on sustainable packing from the food industry right now. Where possible, food companies are looking to use renewable resources rather than compostable resources, but the packaging must be good enough in terms of price, safety, and quality, as well as its reduced environmental impact,” he says. “Large food companies are encouraging the use of converted bioplastics and are looking to increase the use of sustainable packaging wherever viable.”

Green Carrier Bags

One example of this trend is the Swedish supermarket Coop Konsum, which has opted to scrap traditional plastic carrier bags in its 170 stores in favor of compostable bags made of cornstarch rather than petroleum-based plastic.

Coop’s environmentally friendly carrier bag is made of 40% renewable raw materials, with cornstarch as its main ingredient. In order to create a sustainable carrier bag, the cornstarch is mixed with biodegradable and compostable polyester. “We want to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels such as oil both in materials and as an energy source,” says Mikael Robertsson, environmental director at Coop Konsum. “The new environmentally friendly carrier bag is a small step in our long-term environmental plan. We want to make it possible for our customers to contribute towards a sustainable development. Besides being fully compostable, the main benefit with our environmentally friendly carrier bags is that the main part of its materials are part of the natural cycle.”

Large food manufacturers and retailers are becoming more responsible about the types of packaging they use for their products, which is indeed an encouraging trend. Sweden has long been a leader in this field and should be the source of more research into, and development of, sustainable packaging options.

Eliasson is head of packaging for the Invest in Sweden Agency. Reach him at +46 (0)70 342 43 60 or [email protected].

REFERENCES

1. Johansson BB. Förpackningens betydelse för produktförluster i hemmet. Förpackningar kan spara miljarder genom minskat produktspill. STFI-Packforsk. Report 204. June 2002. Available at: http://www.stfi-packforsk.se/upload/ Gamla_PF-sidor/204%20Produktspill.PDF. Accessed October 26, 2008.
2. Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA). CIAA Web site. Managing environmental sustainability in the European food and drink industries. Available at: http://envi.ciaa.eu/asp/l1.asp?doc_cat_1=Message%20from%20the%20CIAA%20President . Accessed October 26, 2008.
3. Williams H, Wikström F, Löfgren M. A life cycle perspective on environmental effects of customer focused packaging development. J Cleaner Prod. 2008;16(7):853-859.
4. Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). WRAP Web site. The food we waste. April 2008. Available at:http://www.wrap.org.uk/downloads/ The_ Food_We_Waste_v2__2_.a8bf7f2c.5635.pdf. Accessed October 26, 2008.