Catering and street fast food paper cups, plates and containers. Eco-friendly food packaging on white background with copy space. Flat lay. Top view. Carering of nature and recycling concept.

Plastic packaging has been a major concern worldwide. While plastic packaging is considered not environmentally friendly, a demand strikes for different sustainable packaging solutions in the food and beverage industry. Food and beverage companies are getting on board to invest in sustainable packaging solutions to improve the management of paper and plastic waste, moving from linear to a circular economy and extending shelf-life to ensure food quality and reduce food waste.

MYFOODTECH 2021 provides demanding access for F&B manufacturing companies to explore the solutions and reach potential technology investors all over the world. What’s trending on Sustainable Packaging?

• Demand for plant-based packaging

Bio-based plastics from organic polymers, paper and pulp are becoming an important alternative material to petroleum-based packaging in the Food & Beverage sector.

The plant-based material category is suitable for use in coatings for fresh food packaging to increase the product shelf-life.

• Active & Smart Packaging Improving Sustainability

Smart packaging is considered a valid move to sustainability issues in food consumption and diminishing the environmental footprint of the packaging industry. Active and smart packaging such as QR-codes, real-time quality sensors etc is used to increase the product shelf-life and reduce food waste.

• The Rise of E-Commerce

There is a rapid change in purchasing habits among consumers and preferences are the main drivers of the shifts in packaging requirements, especially in online stores and e-commerce. E-commerce has become a major platform, therefore food packaging companies and manufacturers are now developing packaging for direct customer shipments.