Dr. Pinaki Ranjan Samanta, Dr Ruchi Gupta, Ms. Ritu Gupta, Ms. Shweta Chauhan and Mr. Anuj Johri, Regulatory Affairs and Instrumentation Department Uflex Ltd** (Chemical Division)05.18.20
Abstract
Plastic packaging protects food during storage, transportation and withstands light, mechanical and also thermal stresses. The circular economy promotes closing loops in industrial systems, minimizing waste and reducing raw material and energy inputs.
During the SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, the food packaging manufacturer helps to gather, summarize and communicate the relevant information related to food packaging, circular economy, and human health. The virus plays right into the industries strong suit: Disposability and hygiene that could increase plastic packaging intensity.
The rising death toll and related social lockdown due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) has had a significant impact on our society that was unanticipated. It provoked the food packaging debate with some, using the crisis to hammer the message that plastic is vital for protecting food from germs and extending its shelf life, while others stressed that the pandemic highlights the facts that disposable plastic is unsustainable and a carrier of harmful bacteria.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the circular economy and role of plastic packaging use for food in this pandemic phase.
Key Words
Circular Economy, Food Packaging, Recycling, COVID-19.
* Corresponding author (Email: pinaki.chem@uflexltd.com).
** www.uflexltd.com
Introduction
Flexible packaging, in general, has an essential role in our daily lives, protecting the goods and items we all use every day. Within this, the pandemic has highlighted the critical role that plastics play in protecting people from infection and the spread of the disease. The role of packaging is as follows:
Environmental: Temperature, Moisture, Light, Gases, Volatile Matters.
Mechanical Protection: Compression, Vibration, Impact.
Biological: Microbiological, Other Infestations, Humans.
The recyclability of food packaging materials is being affected. Recyclability is fundamentally relevant to achieving a circular economy. In addition, we review material-specific chemical contamination, impacting on the safe use of recycled food contact materials (FCMs). Recycling practices are exemplified for the different materials, along with decontamination options for removing chemicals of concern. The reduction of material input, one major goal of the circular economy, has been proposed for reducing the total amount of food packaging (Allwood, 2014; Winans et al., 2017). Reuse of packaging is recommended to accomplish the goals of the circular economy (EC, 2015; European Parliament, 2017), but for food packaging, reuse is commercially only feasible for refillable and cleanable containers (e.g., glass bottles, stainless-steel containers). Recycling has been implemented for different packaging materials in many countries to reduce the quantity of waste and its related environmental impact (Ghisellini et al., 2016).
Nevertheless, focusing on chemical safety within the circular economy will add a new level of complexity during the assessment and may identify additional conflicting goals, e.g., between reduced environmental impacts and protection of human health. Sustainable food packaging in the circular economy may only be achieved by combining such efforts, considering any conflicting goals and involving all stakeholders, including food and packaging manufacturers, recyclers, decision makers, civil society and consumers. [1-4]
Its hygienic and protective properties are vital benefits for the packaging of all types of healthcare, medical and pharmaceutical products - and these benefits are equally important in helping to maintain an effective food supply chain.
The linear economy “take, make, dispose of” production model is no longer useful and a fundamental shift is needed towards a more circular and low-carbon model. The circular economy is a key element in the transition to a more sustainable economy. Its goal is to promote eco-friendlier and more conscious consumption and production and encourage the repair, reuse and recycling of products. To make this vision a reality, companies need to be convinced of the future path towards eco-friendly production by using waste as a resource.
As per EuPIA, the Circular Economy as a guide to three underlying principles:
• Preserve and enhance natural capital by controlling finite feed stocks and balancing renewable resource flows.
• Optimize resource yields by circulating products, components and materials and ensure they are employed at the highest utility levels at all times in both technical and biological cycles.
• Foster system effectiveness by revealing and designing out negative externalities which may hinder the above.
The Circular Economy of food packaging is important to distinguish between the biosphere and technosphere. In the biosphere, circularity for packaging focuses on decomposition; in the technosphere, the focus is on recycling. By making these distinctions, the industry can more effectively understand the impacts that different recycling loops have on the natural world, whether these be open loop, closed loop or simply down cycling.
Current efforts to resolve the plastics crisis are ineffective and misleading, warns the European Academies of Science (EASAC), which is proposing a seven-step response. The findings of an 18-month investigation by leading scientists from 28 different countries will help EU policymakers ‘transform the system’. The seven recommendations detailed in ‘Packaging Plastics in the Circular Economy’ are:
• Ban exports of plastic waste.
• Extend producer responsibility schemes,
• Minimize production and consumption of single-use products (which will help minimize landfill).
• Develop advanced recycling and reprocessing technology.
• Limit additives and types of resin to improve recyclability.
• Enforce price regulations and quotas for recycled content.
• End misleading narratives about bio-based alternatives.
Until novel coronavirus started its spread across the globe, 2020 appeared to be a year when meaningful plastic use restriction would finally take hold. The virus plays right into the industries’ strong suit: Disposability and hygiene that could increase plastic packaging intensity, despite being petroleum-based non-biodegradable and difficult to recycle, would require five times the amount of energy to manufacture and use more water in the process. [5-10]
Many governments around the world have put their populations on lockdown, causing a severe slow-down in international trade and food supply chains. Panic buying by people going into confinement has already demonstrated the fragility of supply chains as supermarket shelves have emptied in many countries. Food packaging demand is expected to soar. Buyers are expected to favor plastic-wrapped food driven by hygiene concerns, and because of the widespread use of polyolefin in packaging cleaning and hygiene products. It is too early to know for sure that COVID-19 is affecting plastic demand overall. If demand increases, it is likely to be temporary and industry revenues would be flat and there would be no significant impact on either plastic demand or circular economy goal.
The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening lives and economies around the world. In other ways, this virus is changing the environment due to lockdown like:
• Improvement in air quality.
• Greenhouse gas emission.
• Mountains of waste.
Since it is a new strain, there is no specific vaccine/medicine that can cure it. However, according to different journals, news channels and WHO’s bulletin, “many of the symptoms can be treated and therefore treatment is based on the patient’s clinical condition.” So far some information available for curing of COVID-19 pandemic but not confirmed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), USA is:
• Hydroxychloroquine.
• Anti-parasitic like Ivermectin.
• Plasma transfusion.
• BCG vaccine.
• Alcohol.
• Sunlight.
• Steam.
• Vitamin C.
• Ayurvedic remedies.
• Social distancing-keeping at least two meters from others.
As per the FDA, there is no conclusive evidence for the foodborne transmission of coronavirus, as this virus predominantly affects the respiratory system and is spread from human to human via droplets while sneezing, coughing, contaminated hands and surfaces.
Worries are mounting that prolonged quarantines, lockdown, complete or partial shutdown of manufacturing units, supply chain disruptions, sharp reductions in tourism and business travel could weaken the global economy or even cause a recession.
Conclusion
For industry, a key for success is not to limit actions banning single-use plastic but to promote market-driven solutions. Packaging plastic needs a value making it attractive to collect and recycle so that a market for secondary materials can emerge. In the present situation of food contact materials across the globe may seem like a crisis, solving it may also serve to achieve solutions or avert a crisis in other areas. For instance, the resource problem may be averted by encouraging a circular approach; the economy may be boosted through higher consumer confidence and innovation; finally, harmonization may benefit all actors by creating a level playing field and making things easier for both industry and enforcement agents. Concerning the circular economy, world leaders pointed out that while the national legislation/EU provides targets for recycling packaging, there are no controls concerning the chemicals that are used in the packaging. Worried about a loophole in the circular economy process, recycling is encouraged but not controlled. Our commitment to transforming business the model spans everything from how we source to how we design, deliver, recover, repair and reuse our products and solutions.
Currently, there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with the transmission of COVID-19 pandemic. Cleaning and sanitizing the surface is a better use of resources than testing to see if the virus is present. To step forward from the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic is by saving lives in the immediate present, as there is a struggle between life and livelihood which is highly distressing and due to which the world economy is going to shrink and a massive recession will be seen. The challenge, of course, is to try and ensure the efforts to save ourselves from such a big economic crisis so that we do not lose control over our livelihoods.
Reference
1. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-during-emergencies/food-safety-and-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19
2. https://www.foodpackagingforum.org/news/packaging-could-be-involved-in-spreading-novel-coronavirus
3.https://www.packaginglaw.com/news/covid-19-update-keller-and-heckman-llp
4. https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2020/04/01/Plastic-packaging-Hero-or-villain-in-the-coronavirus-era
5. https://recyclinginternational.com/plastics/the-best-path-to-a-circular-plastics-industry/29823/
6. Food packaging in the circular economy: Overview of chemical safety aspects for commonly used materials Birgit Geueke* , Ksenia Groh, Jane Muncke Food Packaging Forum Foundation, Staffelstrasse 8, 8045 Zurich, Switzerland ; Elsevier ; Journal of Cleaner Production 193 (2018) 491-505.
7. EC, 2015. Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council Amending Directive 94/62/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste.
8.http://eurlex.europa.eu/legal- content/EN/TXT/CELEX:52015PC0596. (Accessed 20 November 2017).
9. EC, 2017. Circular Economy. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/ index_en.htm. (Accessed 18 September 2017).
10. EuPIA-Environmental Impact of Printing ink (2013-03-05).
Disclaimer: The views expressed are solely the corresponding author’s personal opinion. Uflex Ltd will not accept any liability for any loss or damage that may occur from the use of this information nor do we offer a warranty against patent infringement.
Plastic packaging protects food during storage, transportation and withstands light, mechanical and also thermal stresses. The circular economy promotes closing loops in industrial systems, minimizing waste and reducing raw material and energy inputs.
During the SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, the food packaging manufacturer helps to gather, summarize and communicate the relevant information related to food packaging, circular economy, and human health. The virus plays right into the industries strong suit: Disposability and hygiene that could increase plastic packaging intensity.
The rising death toll and related social lockdown due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) has had a significant impact on our society that was unanticipated. It provoked the food packaging debate with some, using the crisis to hammer the message that plastic is vital for protecting food from germs and extending its shelf life, while others stressed that the pandemic highlights the facts that disposable plastic is unsustainable and a carrier of harmful bacteria.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the circular economy and role of plastic packaging use for food in this pandemic phase.
Key Words
Circular Economy, Food Packaging, Recycling, COVID-19.
* Corresponding author (Email: pinaki.chem@uflexltd.com).
** www.uflexltd.com
Introduction
Flexible packaging, in general, has an essential role in our daily lives, protecting the goods and items we all use every day. Within this, the pandemic has highlighted the critical role that plastics play in protecting people from infection and the spread of the disease. The role of packaging is as follows:
Environmental: Temperature, Moisture, Light, Gases, Volatile Matters.
Mechanical Protection: Compression, Vibration, Impact.
Biological: Microbiological, Other Infestations, Humans.
The recyclability of food packaging materials is being affected. Recyclability is fundamentally relevant to achieving a circular economy. In addition, we review material-specific chemical contamination, impacting on the safe use of recycled food contact materials (FCMs). Recycling practices are exemplified for the different materials, along with decontamination options for removing chemicals of concern. The reduction of material input, one major goal of the circular economy, has been proposed for reducing the total amount of food packaging (Allwood, 2014; Winans et al., 2017). Reuse of packaging is recommended to accomplish the goals of the circular economy (EC, 2015; European Parliament, 2017), but for food packaging, reuse is commercially only feasible for refillable and cleanable containers (e.g., glass bottles, stainless-steel containers). Recycling has been implemented for different packaging materials in many countries to reduce the quantity of waste and its related environmental impact (Ghisellini et al., 2016).
Nevertheless, focusing on chemical safety within the circular economy will add a new level of complexity during the assessment and may identify additional conflicting goals, e.g., between reduced environmental impacts and protection of human health. Sustainable food packaging in the circular economy may only be achieved by combining such efforts, considering any conflicting goals and involving all stakeholders, including food and packaging manufacturers, recyclers, decision makers, civil society and consumers. [1-4]
Its hygienic and protective properties are vital benefits for the packaging of all types of healthcare, medical and pharmaceutical products - and these benefits are equally important in helping to maintain an effective food supply chain.
The linear economy “take, make, dispose of” production model is no longer useful and a fundamental shift is needed towards a more circular and low-carbon model. The circular economy is a key element in the transition to a more sustainable economy. Its goal is to promote eco-friendlier and more conscious consumption and production and encourage the repair, reuse and recycling of products. To make this vision a reality, companies need to be convinced of the future path towards eco-friendly production by using waste as a resource.
As per EuPIA, the Circular Economy as a guide to three underlying principles:
• Preserve and enhance natural capital by controlling finite feed stocks and balancing renewable resource flows.
• Optimize resource yields by circulating products, components and materials and ensure they are employed at the highest utility levels at all times in both technical and biological cycles.
• Foster system effectiveness by revealing and designing out negative externalities which may hinder the above.
The Circular Economy of food packaging is important to distinguish between the biosphere and technosphere. In the biosphere, circularity for packaging focuses on decomposition; in the technosphere, the focus is on recycling. By making these distinctions, the industry can more effectively understand the impacts that different recycling loops have on the natural world, whether these be open loop, closed loop or simply down cycling.
Current efforts to resolve the plastics crisis are ineffective and misleading, warns the European Academies of Science (EASAC), which is proposing a seven-step response. The findings of an 18-month investigation by leading scientists from 28 different countries will help EU policymakers ‘transform the system’. The seven recommendations detailed in ‘Packaging Plastics in the Circular Economy’ are:
• Ban exports of plastic waste.
• Extend producer responsibility schemes,
• Minimize production and consumption of single-use products (which will help minimize landfill).
• Develop advanced recycling and reprocessing technology.
• Limit additives and types of resin to improve recyclability.
• Enforce price regulations and quotas for recycled content.
• End misleading narratives about bio-based alternatives.
Until novel coronavirus started its spread across the globe, 2020 appeared to be a year when meaningful plastic use restriction would finally take hold. The virus plays right into the industries’ strong suit: Disposability and hygiene that could increase plastic packaging intensity, despite being petroleum-based non-biodegradable and difficult to recycle, would require five times the amount of energy to manufacture and use more water in the process. [5-10]
Many governments around the world have put their populations on lockdown, causing a severe slow-down in international trade and food supply chains. Panic buying by people going into confinement has already demonstrated the fragility of supply chains as supermarket shelves have emptied in many countries. Food packaging demand is expected to soar. Buyers are expected to favor plastic-wrapped food driven by hygiene concerns, and because of the widespread use of polyolefin in packaging cleaning and hygiene products. It is too early to know for sure that COVID-19 is affecting plastic demand overall. If demand increases, it is likely to be temporary and industry revenues would be flat and there would be no significant impact on either plastic demand or circular economy goal.
The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening lives and economies around the world. In other ways, this virus is changing the environment due to lockdown like:
• Improvement in air quality.
• Greenhouse gas emission.
• Mountains of waste.
Since it is a new strain, there is no specific vaccine/medicine that can cure it. However, according to different journals, news channels and WHO’s bulletin, “many of the symptoms can be treated and therefore treatment is based on the patient’s clinical condition.” So far some information available for curing of COVID-19 pandemic but not confirmed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), USA is:
• Hydroxychloroquine.
• Anti-parasitic like Ivermectin.
• Plasma transfusion.
• BCG vaccine.
• Alcohol.
• Sunlight.
• Steam.
• Vitamin C.
• Ayurvedic remedies.
• Social distancing-keeping at least two meters from others.
As per the FDA, there is no conclusive evidence for the foodborne transmission of coronavirus, as this virus predominantly affects the respiratory system and is spread from human to human via droplets while sneezing, coughing, contaminated hands and surfaces.
Worries are mounting that prolonged quarantines, lockdown, complete or partial shutdown of manufacturing units, supply chain disruptions, sharp reductions in tourism and business travel could weaken the global economy or even cause a recession.
Conclusion
For industry, a key for success is not to limit actions banning single-use plastic but to promote market-driven solutions. Packaging plastic needs a value making it attractive to collect and recycle so that a market for secondary materials can emerge. In the present situation of food contact materials across the globe may seem like a crisis, solving it may also serve to achieve solutions or avert a crisis in other areas. For instance, the resource problem may be averted by encouraging a circular approach; the economy may be boosted through higher consumer confidence and innovation; finally, harmonization may benefit all actors by creating a level playing field and making things easier for both industry and enforcement agents. Concerning the circular economy, world leaders pointed out that while the national legislation/EU provides targets for recycling packaging, there are no controls concerning the chemicals that are used in the packaging. Worried about a loophole in the circular economy process, recycling is encouraged but not controlled. Our commitment to transforming business the model spans everything from how we source to how we design, deliver, recover, repair and reuse our products and solutions.
Currently, there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with the transmission of COVID-19 pandemic. Cleaning and sanitizing the surface is a better use of resources than testing to see if the virus is present. To step forward from the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic is by saving lives in the immediate present, as there is a struggle between life and livelihood which is highly distressing and due to which the world economy is going to shrink and a massive recession will be seen. The challenge, of course, is to try and ensure the efforts to save ourselves from such a big economic crisis so that we do not lose control over our livelihoods.
Reference
1. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-during-emergencies/food-safety-and-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19
2. https://www.foodpackagingforum.org/news/packaging-could-be-involved-in-spreading-novel-coronavirus
3.https://www.packaginglaw.com/news/covid-19-update-keller-and-heckman-llp
4. https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2020/04/01/Plastic-packaging-Hero-or-villain-in-the-coronavirus-era
5. https://recyclinginternational.com/plastics/the-best-path-to-a-circular-plastics-industry/29823/
6. Food packaging in the circular economy: Overview of chemical safety aspects for commonly used materials Birgit Geueke* , Ksenia Groh, Jane Muncke Food Packaging Forum Foundation, Staffelstrasse 8, 8045 Zurich, Switzerland ; Elsevier ; Journal of Cleaner Production 193 (2018) 491-505.
7. EC, 2015. Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council Amending Directive 94/62/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste.
8.http://eurlex.europa.eu/legal- content/EN/TXT/CELEX:52015PC0596. (Accessed 20 November 2017).
9. EC, 2017. Circular Economy. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/ index_en.htm. (Accessed 18 September 2017).
10. EuPIA-Environmental Impact of Printing ink (2013-03-05).
Disclaimer: The views expressed are solely the corresponding author’s personal opinion. Uflex Ltd will not accept any liability for any loss or damage that may occur from the use of this information nor do we offer a warranty against patent infringement.
