Zeitschrift für Umweltverschmutzung

The general function of packaging is the protection and preservation of the packaged products from external contamination. Nowadays packaging functions are wider and vary from case to case. Continuous innovation is going on, mostly driven by consumer needs and demands which are influenced by changing global trends. The most challenging trend in the packaging industry is increased expectations for sustainability and biodegradability of packaging material; many efforts are focused on identifying novel biodegradable packaging materials, an increase of life expectancy, and stricter requirements regarding consumer health and safety.

The development of a new generation of renewable materials, in particular, thermoplastic and biodegradable polymers is desirable for packaging and many other applications to tackle the major issues of disposing of non-degradable polymers in landfills. Aliphatic biodegradable polymers such as poly (propylene carbonate) (PPC) can be considered as an alternative to non-degradable polymers. PPC is a partially renewable polymer from feedstock such as CO2 and propylene oxide (PO). In this study, we assess the potential of PPC for food packaging applications. To this context, we compared the physicochemical properties of PPC with commercial polymers such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and poly (butyrate abdicate terephthalate) (Eco-Flex) that are currently used for food packaging.

Using cereal flours as raw materials for obtaining thermoplastics does not require extractive operations, thereby making the process more sustainable. In this study, blue corn flour films were developed. Commercially available blue corn (Zea mays L.) kernels were obtained from Guanajuato (Mexico). The cereal grain´s total composition (excluding the pericarp) is used. The blue corn flour was obtained according to the methodology described by Rojas de Gante et al. (2010). The plasticizing effects of two different polyols (glycerol and sorbitol) on the mechanical, thermal, and microstructural properties of flour films were researched.

To stay competitive in a global market, any organization needs to anticipate the most significant consumer trends which shape the business. Consumer trends foresight produces information that can also be applied and adapted to food packaging. Poyry has a long history in trend foresight work within many industries using proprietary tools. In our presentation, we first discuss current and emerging consumer trends relevant to food packaging based on our foresight tools. The presentation will give a comprehensive overview of the consumer trends relevant to the industry and foresight on rising themes. In the second part of the presentation, we solidify the case for the trends by presenting case examples from early adopters where the emerging trends have been met by e.g. new technology, user interfaces, sustainability measures, new bio- and nanomaterial, software solutions, and new business models. As a conclusion, we present theses on what this all would mean for food packaging.

In recent years, nanotechnology is widely used in food packaging areas such as Nano barcodes for tracking and sensing, Nanoscale pigments for inks, nanomaterial for color without the use of dyes or conventional pigments, and nanomaterial electronic displays with quality paper. We diversely applied Nano-clay to biodegradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA) films, which are used instead of plastic films to reduce the growing serious environment problem, for the purpose of improvement in mechanical or barrier properties of the films. The poor moisture barrier property of a PLA film was improved by a chitosan or/and clay coating.