Reducing Packaging Waste Research Articles

User preference for electronic commerce overpackaging solutions: Implications for cleaner production

The volume of express delivery has increased dramatically with the rapid development of electronic commerce (e-commerce) in China. This increase exacerbates overpackaging and challenges the sustainable development of our society. To solve the issue of overpackaging in e-commerce from the perspective of consumers, this study systematically summarizes the overpackaging solutions from the previous literature and obtains a list of 13 solutions. Then, we rank the user preference for these solutions by conducting a best–worst scaling experiment and analyze the data with the mixed logit model. The research demonstrates that the top three most accepted solutions are the optimization of the packaging strategy, the construction of a recycling system, and large-scale packaging. Results show that consumers have a pronounced preference for technologically improved solutions but a less evident preference for material improvements. This study identifies the overpackaging solutions that consumers prefer. In addition, it provides feasible recommendations for governments and enterprises in reducing packaging waste and promoting cleaner production.

Carbon-neutral medical conferences should be the norm

Carbon-neutral medical conferences should be the norm

Methods of eliminating waste from food packaging as a globalization tool

The article deals with possible ways of elimination of waste from food packaging. It focuses on eliminating packaging waste through unpackaged food stores and the zero waste concept. Elimination of any waste in the form of packaging is an important element of protection and reducing the burden on the environment, and in this context also important element of globalization. The methodological approach is based on a field survey in the form of interviews with customers of a selected packaging-free shop and research aimed at identifying awareness and the use of packaging-free stores among the general public. The survey also included a comparison of prices of selected foods in the packaging shop and three hypermarkets. The aim of the article is to propose other possible ways to reduce packaging waste when buying food. The survey found that customers from 21 to 30 years old are most likely to shop in unpacked stores. The main reason for buying in unpacked shops is for most customers the effort to reduce the man-made environmental burden and the higher quality of the products sold. The most frequently mentioned disadvantage of this way of buying food is the limited range of products.

Emulsifier Composition of Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLN) Affects Mechanical and Barrier Properties of SLN-Protein Composite Films.

Protein films can be applied to improve food quality and to reduce packaging waste. To overcome their poor water barrier properties, lipids are often incorporated. The function of incorporated lipid depends on the interface between filler and matrix. This study aimed to tailor the properties of a protein-lipid film by designing the oil/water interface to see if the concept of inactive/active filler is valid. Therefore, we varied the emulsifier stabilizing solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) to promote (via β-lactoglobulin) or to minimize (via Tween 20) interactions between particle surface and protein. SLN were incorporated into protein films and film properties were determined. Addition of SLN led to significantly decreased water vapor permeability (WVP) of protein films. However, WVP was mainly affected by the emulsifiers and not by the lipid. Protein-stabilized SLN (BS) replaced a lacking protein in the protein network and therefore did not influence the mechanical properties of the films at ambient temperature. BS-composite films were temperature sensitive, as lipid and sucrose palmitate melted at temperatures above 40°C. Tween 20-stabilized SLN (TS) led to reduced tensile strengths, probably due to perturbative effects of TS and plasticizing effects of Tween 20. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that TS and Tween 20 increased film mobility. Melting of lipid and emulsifiers, and temperature-dependent behavior of Tween 20 led to a strong temperature dependence of the film stiffness. By designing the interface, particles can be used to tailor mechanical properties of protein films. Tuned edible films could be used to control mass transfers between foods.

Optimal decisions in reducing loss rate of returnable transport items

Returnable transport items (RTI) have been commonly used due to their advantages in reducing packaging waste and improving supply chain sustainability. However, RTI loss will result in a mismatch between the products flow and the RTI supply, which will affect operational continuity. This paper studies a RTI supply chain consisting of a single manufacturer and a single retailer, assuming that the retailer can reduce RTI loss by investing in staff training. We first develop an inventory model to minimize the total cost of the system. Then we analyze the optimal decision of the closed-loop supply chain of RTI. We compare the case where the retailer invests in reducing RTI loss and the case where the retailer does not. The results show that the supply chain will be more efficient if the retailer invests in reducing RTI loss, and the total cost of the system will be reduced. However, the retailer will invest only when its cost decreases. Thereby, we consider side payments as an available incentive to stimulate the retailer to invest. Moreover, we build an asymmetric Nash bargaining model considering investment cost sharing to coordinate the RTI supply chain. We compare the total optimal cost of the manufacturer and the retailer. The results show that the system can be coordinated, and the optimal total costs of both the manufacturer and the retailer are reduced.

Reducing Packaging Waste – Mechanical Characteristics and Network Parameters of the Gelatin-Based Thin Film for Cruciferous Vegetables Packaging

The role of the materials used for packaging is to protect innercontent from external, mostly negative, factors. Besides beingsafe, and with good mechanical properties, these materials needto align with other consumers’ needs and demands, being bothattractive and authentic, while at the same time meetingecological requirements. Gelatin-based thin films are goodcandidates for production of semi-soft cup-shaped products thatcould be used for cruciferous vegetables packaging. These filmswere prepared by a simple solvent evaporation method. Preparedfilms were characterized by swelling study and their mechanicalproperties were investigated. The optical characteristics of thefilms were determined by optical microscopy revealing that thesesystems possess attractive clear and transparent gold-yellowishappearance with a smooth surface.

Nanocellulose-polypyrrole-coated paperboard for food packaging application

Currently, studies on packaging that improves the shelf life of perishable food while reducing the waste that is produced upon disposal are encouraged. Thus, exploration of the property improvement of paperboard (Pb) packaging is of interest since this type of packaging is biodegradable and recyclable. This work emphasizes the added value of (2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl (TEMPO) oxidized cellulose nanofibres (TOCN) and polypyrrole (PPy) coating on such paperboard. The mechanical properties and reduced gas permeability of the coated paperboard (CPb) were significantly improved due to the dense network formed by TOCN and polypyrrole particles. These results suggest that surface coating by polypyrrole particles may be utilized for the manufacture of multilayer paperboard containers in industrial applications to reduce packaging waste generated by the often added conventional plastic.

Antimicrobial agents from Malaysian plants and their potential use in food packaging material: Review

<p>Malaysia is among 12 countries in the world that rich in biodiversity including an assortment of plants with potential sources for new antimicrobial agents. Despite the fact that various plants have been screened, the requirement for detail study on antimicrobial compounds from plants is preceded as safer and better agent to inhibit growth of microbes. Therefore, selected Malaysia plants with medicinal properties are listed for further review in their antimicrobial activity and their major compound that act as antimicrobial agent. The major groups of the antimicrobial constituents are phenolics, phenolic acids, quinones, saponins, flavonoids, tannins, coumarins, terpenoids and alkaloids. These compounds are secondary metabolites that play the main role in plant defense mechanism. They also exhibited inhibitory effect on various microorganisms such as <em>Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli </em>and <em>Candida albicans</em>. Compounds derived from Malaysian plants have the potential to be used as antimicrobial additive as most of their extracts containing active compounds such as caffeic acid, pyrogallol, catechin and curcumin. Extraction method of plants extract is done either by conventional method of maceration and extraction under reflux and steam distillation or modern method of microwave assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction and ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction. Even though plants extracts with medicinal properties are gaining fame for their antimicrobial properties, however the study on incorporation of the extracts into edible films as antimicrobial food packaging is limited. The advantages of using an edible film with antimicrobial agent plants for food products are it safe to use and it able to extend the shelf life while reducing packaging waste.</p><p>Chemical Engineering Research Bulletin 19(2017) 57-66</p><strong></strong>

Polypyrrole/nanocellulose composite for food preservation: Barrier and antioxidant characterization

When food cannot be consumed immediately after production, food packaging must create a protective atmosphere around the food product. The packaging must improve the shelf life of perishable foods and protect the food from dirt, dust, oxygen, light, pathogenic microorganisms, and moisture by acting as an effective barrier to moisture, gases (CO2 and O2) or even by possessing antimicrobial properties. However, extending the shelf life and enhancing food quality while reducing packaging waste is encouraged. The exploration of new bio-based packaging materials, such as TEMPO-oxidize nanofibrillated cellulose (TOCN), has increased due to its biodegradable and renewable character. This work emphasizes the antioxidant activity and high barrier properties against the diffusion of oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor from a nanocomposite based on polypyrrole (PPy) and TOCN, as well as its biodegradability for food packaging applications. The preparation, characterization and application of the nanocomposite in food packaging are discussed.

Optimization of demand-related packaging sizes using a p-median approach

The determining of efficient packaging sizes is a key factor in saving material and transportation costs and also in reducing packaging waste. By analyzing the range of items and their contribution to sales-relevant order structures of a globally operating mail order company, a simplified packing algorithm is proposed. In combination with well-known methodologies, this heuristic provides near optimal solutions improving current packaging of eCommerce companies. It is shown that simple, practical heuristics are sufficient to achieve average material savings of more than 10 %. In order to find efficient packaging sizes, a set of them is generated by discretization of packaging dimensions. Given the set of orders and the set of packaging sizes, a p-median approach is applied to find a specified number of optimal, demand-related packaging sizes.

Reducing Packaging Waste and Cost via Consumer Price Discounts

ABSTRACTLow‐waste packaging may imply an inconvenience to consumers and cause firms to offer a compensating price discount. For example, Starbucks’ “Take the Mug Pledge” campaign provides a 10‐cent discount for customers who purchase coffee without a standard cup (i.e., customers provide their own cup). Understanding how such a discount drives demand and profit is the focus of this article. We consider a monopolist that can offer a reduced‐packaging option for its product at a variable cost savings. That option implies a transactional “inconvenience” cost for consumers. While that transactional cost is generally positive, our model also permits some consumers to associate convenience with reduced packaging. We derive the optimal price and discount that maximize profits. We show the optimal discount is bounded by the magnitude of the variable cost savings associated with the packaging reduction. We explore when the optimal discount is negative (a price premium), which requires a specific proportion of consumers to associate convenience with reduced packaging. We also derive conditions under which the firm should price to eliminate demand for the standard product, rather than segment the market, to leverage the variable cost savings of reduced packaging. When the variable cost savings are low (e.g., as is true for Starbucks), we show the profit curve for the segmenting policy is relatively flat for a discount up to several multiples of the cost differential. Finally, we demonstrate the potential for the reduced packaging option, with optimal discounting, to simultaneously increase profit and consumer surplus while reducing waste.

Edible Packaging, Sharks With Frickin’ Lasers

Biodegradable chip bags and biobased soda bottles are just a few of the environmentally friendly packaging options that food manufacturers have tried in recent years. But David A. Edwards is taking efforts to reduce packaging waste one step further: He envisions that instead of discarding or recycling food wrappers and drink bottles, future snackers would just eat them for dessert. That’s the idea behind Edwards’ brainchild, WikiCells, which are foods with edible containers. So far, yogurts, soups, and fruits have been designed to sit on store shelves, without all the wasteful plastic packaging. “We will eventually look back at the plastics packaging era as starting at one point and ending at one point,” says Edwards, a biomedical engineer at Harvard University. “Right now, sustainability in our minds is limited.” WikiCells take inspiration from biological cells and fruits. Thin and edible like grape skin, WikiCells skin is made of charged particles ...

A simulated annealing based hyperheuristic for determining shipper sizes for storage and transportation

The current drive to reduce packaging waste has led many companies to consider the use of multi-trip containers or shippers in which to transport their products in order to reduce packaging waste. The efficiency of such systems obviously depends on selecting shipper dimensions in such a way as to ensure high volumetric utilisation. As is the case with many practical problems the efficiency/solution quality can be improved if problem specific information is used to enhance the operation of a meta-heuristic solution approach. The problem can be modelled as a p-median problem but is too large to be solved in reasonable time without further modification. Four such modifications, all based on properties of the physical problem, are introduced and incorporated into a hyperheuristic driven simulated annealing solution approach.

Compostability of Bioplastic Packaging Materials: An Overview

Packaging waste accounted for 78.81 million tons or 31.6% of the total municipal solid waste (MSW) in 2003 in the USA, 56.3 million tons or 25% of the MSW in 2005 in Europe, and 3.3 million tons or 10% of the MSW in 2004 in Australia. Currently, in the USA the dominant method of packaging waste disposal is landfill, followed by recycling, incineration, and composting. Since landfill occupies valuable space and results in the generation of greenhouse gases and contaminants, recovery methods such as reuse, recycling and/or composting are encouraged as a way of reducing packaging waste disposal. Most of the common materials used in packaging (i.e., steel, aluminum, glass, paper, paperboard, plastics, and wood) can be efficiently recovered by recycling; however, if packaging materials are soiled with foods or other biological substances, physical recycling of these materials may be impractical. Therefore, composting some of these packaging materials is a promising way to reduce MSW. As biopolymers are developed and increasingly used in applications such as food, pharmaceutical, and consumer goods packaging, composting could become one of the prevailing methods for disposal of packaging waste provided that industry, governments, and consumers encourage and embrace this alternative. The main objective of this article is to provide an overview of the current situation of packaging compostability, to describe the main mechanisms that make a biopolymer compostable, to delineate the main methods to compost these biomaterials, and to explain the main standards for assessing compostability, and the current status of biopolymer labeling. Biopolymers such as polylactide and poly(hydroxybutyrate) are increasingly becoming available for use in food, medical, and consumer goods packaging applications. The main claims of these new biomaterials are that they are obtained from renewable resources and that they can be biodegraded in biological environments such as soil and compost. Although recycling could be energetically more favorable than composting for these materials, it may not be practical because of excessive sorting and cleaning requirements. Therefore, the main focus is to dispose them by composting. So far, there is no formal agreement between companies, governments and consumers as to how this packaging composting will take place; therefore, the main drivers for their use have been green marketing and pseudo-environmental consciousness related to high fuel prices. Packaging compostability could be an alternative for the disposal of biobased materials as long as society as a whole is willing to formally address the challenge to clearly understand the cradle-to-grave life of a compostable package, and to include these new compostable polymers in food, manure, or yard waste composting facilities.

Lower costs from reduced packaging

Many companies are saving money as a result of reducing packaging waste. The author briefly discusses legislation that has been introduced to reduce packaging waste. The author also discusses two new Good Practice Guides for cost-effective solutions to packaging. The first, GG140, 'Cutting costs and waste considered by reducing packaging use' is a nontechnical guide that can be used by any company of any size, although it is written particularly for the benefit of small-to-medium sized companies. All secondary packaging (used to group items together until they reach the point of sale) and tertiary packaging (which allows groups to be handled and transported as a manageable unit) is covered, and plenty of cost-saving tips are included that can be put to immediate good effect. The second new Guide, GG141, 'Choosing and managing re-usable transit packaging' is more technical than the first and is intended for companies that handle a significant amount of packaging. The contents will help them achieve considerable cost savings by redesigning transit packaging for reuse. GG141 will be of benefit to middle managers in medium-to-large companies or directors of smaller companies that are in the supply chain of a large company.

Oxygen and aroma barrier properties of edible films: A review

Interest in maintaining food quality while reducing packaging waste has encouraged the exploration of the oxygen and aroma transport properties of edible films. This review article introduces the theoretical basis for oxygen and aroma barrier property determination and presents a brief historical per- spective of the development of barrier polymers. The effects of structure and composition on mass transport in edible films are examined and compared with those of the more thoroughly investigated synthetic polymers. A survey of edible film oxygen and aroma barrier research is presented; areas re- quiring additional investigation are suggested, for applications as well as basic research. The potential of edible films and coatings to provide excellent aroma retention and superior oxygen barrier properties makes this quite a promising area of research for both food and packaging scientists.

Recycling and reducing packaging waste: How the United States compares to other countries

This report summarizes current developments in the United States and 18 other industrial countries regarding packaging waste. It presents available data concerning the types, amounts, and methods of managing such waste and provides information concerning the policies established or under consideration to reduce the amount of such waste being disposed. The countries discussed are all members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In recent years, waste disposal capacity has become more scarce in most OECD countries. As a result, waste management policies have focused on efforts to reduce and recycle major components of the waste stream. Packaging represents about one-third of municipal solid waste in many countries. Because of this, measures to reduce the amount and toxicity of packaging and to encourage its recycling are currently being considered in at least 18 OECD countries. In addition, the EC and the Nordic Council are developing programs to address packaging on a regional basis. The report is divided into four main sections. Section I summarizes available information for the OECD countries. The second section discusses waste generation and recycling rates for six types of packaging material: paper, glass, metal, plastic, wood, and composites. The third section discusses key questions raised by the information presented in the report. The fourth briefly discusses packaging waste issues facing the Congress. In general, the report finds, other countries use less packaging than the United States, recycle more of it, and are considering policy measures stronger than the measures generally being considered in America. As noted in detail, other countries have adopted or are developing requirements that: • • set mandatory requirements for packaging waste reduction; • • require reusable or refillable packaging; • • impose taxes to discourage single-use packages; • • prohibit the use of non-recyclable packaging, • • prohibit or limit disposal of packaging, and • • require manufacturers of packaging materials to collect and recycle post-consumer waste. Perhaps the most fundamental issue raised by these approaches is whether local governments will continue to bear responsibility for funding and operating recycling programs or whether all or some of this responsibility might be shifted to industry. To date, this issue has not been joined in the Congress directly; however, there is a growing consensus in other countries concerning the advantages of industry responsibility.

Consumer Choices Can Reduce Packaging Waste

When all packaging is accounted for, it adds up to about one-third of all the trash that's thrown away in the United States. Industry and business are responsible for most of this waste, but consumer product packaging accounts for about 15 percent of what's discarded. When you purchase a frozen dinner, you are paying for not only the meal but for the outer paperboard box, the plastic or foil tray that holds the meal, and the covering over the food. You pay again for packaging, directly or indirectly, when your garbage is picked up and disposed of in a landfill or incinerator. Some communities are moving toward "pay-as-you-throw" fees for every bag put out at the curb, so it makes sense to reduce household waste. Composting, recycling, and reusing items all help. And by shopping carefully you can reduce excess packaging that you would throw away. This document is ABE328, one of a series of the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. First published September 2002. 
 https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ae226