The Transformation Path of Takeaway Packaging: Beyond Performance, the "Environmental" Attribute Cannot Be Ignored

China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation News] "My answer at the moment may be somewhat pessimistic. Although many plastic packages now claim to be fully biodegradable, in reality this is not the case." Ma Yong, deputy secretary-general of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation, said this recently when interviewed by the media on the topic of takeaway packaging.

According to the "Research Report on the Environmental Impact and Recycling of Packaging Plastics in the Takeaway Industry (2021)", with the explosive growth of the takeaway industry in recent years, the amount of plastic packaging consumed (discarded) grew from 57,000 tonnes in 2015 to 574,000 tonnes in 2020, a tenfold increase over five years.

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According to the findings of the "Green Packaging Solutions for Food Delivery" (Phase One) released in May 2023 by the Meituan Tsingshan Plan and others, merchants are most concerned about packaging performance, followed by environmental friendliness, appearance and cost; moreover, merchants operating different dishes have different concerns about packaging.

For different types of food, merchants tend to choose different categories of packaging. For example, steamed buns, dumplings and other flour-based foods require packaging with good air permeability, while wontons, noodle soup and rice-noodle soup mostly use solid-liquid separated packaging; because the delivery distance also involves the issues of heat preservation and cold preservation, cakes and pastries mostly use paper boxes, while beverages widely use plastic cups.

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But no matter which type of packaging it is, it is almost difficult to avoid plastic components. This brings us back to the issue we were just concerned about earlier: the recycling and degradation of the massive volume of takeaway packaging.

One reality is that, where waste sorting is poorly enforced, takeaway food leftovers and their plastic packaging boxes are often mixed together. Leftover food is tied and fastened up in packaging boxes/bags and then thrown into the trash bin.

"Large amounts of plastic waste are very difficult to recycle and utilize effectively. It either continues to pollute the water and soil environment and increases greenhouse gas emissions during incineration and landfill, or drifts in the environment and is mistakenly eaten by wild animals, causing their death, or finally turns into microplastics that enter organisms, including human food." Ma Yong said.

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At the same time, Ma Yong also stressed that much takeaway food now suffers from the problem of excessive packaging, and the cost of excessive packaging is often passed on to consumers. "Judging from the current technical level of plastic degradation and the huge volume of takeaway packaging, achieving source reduction is the top priority in reducing plastic waste pollution."

At present, the issue of plastic pollution has become a focus of concern and anxiety for the international community. The United Nations is promoting the formulation of a "plastics treaty". Following the first session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-1) held in Uruguay in November 2022, the second session (INC-2) was held in Paris, France, from May 29 to June 2, 2023. More than 1,600 representatives from over 160 countries and more than 300 observer organizations reached a consensus at this meeting to complete a first draft of the "plastics treaty" in November 2023 and submit it for discussion at the next meeting to be held in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn), original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-379436.html