How much do you think about what happens to that package that holds your afternoon snack? Probably not that much. Maybe only enough to toss it into the trash or recycle bin.
According to the EPA, only 13.6 percent of plastic containers and packaging ended up at a recycling center in 2018. Although that totals almost 2 million tons, it’s not nearly enough to significantly decrease the amount of plastic package waste in our environment right now.
It’s time to do better and make an impact that changes the way we package everything. As IMPACT COLLECTIVE brings together forward-thinking businesses already concerned about their environmental footprint in order to provide access to change, the packaging industry as a whole should start thinking outside the box.
Shifting packing to compostable/biodegradable options
As companies take stock in all their processes, searching for ways to improve them and create strategies that are more environmentally-friendly, packaging is taking center stage. Companies are making pledges to become zero waste or 100 percent reusable, recyclable or compostable, which means saying good-bye to plastic as it is today.
Those who see a longer road ahead to reach these lofty goals are focusing on offsetting their plastic use for the time being. This means working with organizations who are taking the plastic waste out of our environment while research continues on alternative sources.
With an increasing awareness in plastics recycling, alternatives such as paper, plant-based material, biopolymers, compostable materials and those that are biodegradable are finding their way into everyday products more and more.
The difference between compostable and biodegradable
While you may see the words compostable and biodegradable often grouped together in reference to packaging, they’re actually not the same thing. Both provide an eco-friendly alternative to plastic, and both involve decomposing a material into an organic state, but the processes are very different.
Compostable materials need everything to be just right to break down. When that happens, the process takes place pretty quickly. The trick is getting the materials to an actual compost facility or at-home setup rather than a landfill.
Biodegradable materials naturally break down into their component parts at whatever speed nature deems best. There’s no time limit to complete the process, so biodegradable packaging could still take a very long time to break down. Even if the end result is good for the environment, we don’t necessarily have 50 years to wait.
Both options ultimately take plastic out of the environment and put something back in that will eventually leave no footprint behind, but both require some extra effort and patience.
Looking at compostable plastic
The newest packaging contender on the scene is compostable plastic. This material breaks down because it’s made from things like corn, potato, cellulose and even soy protein. In the right conditions, compostable plastic decomposes into carbon dioxide, water and biomass. Not only that, but manufacturing this type of plastic uses less energy and emits fewer greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.
Compostable plastic functions the same as regular plastic, but it doesn’t linger in our landfills and pollute our oceans. As long as it gets to a commercial composting facility, it breaks down, sometimes in as soon as six months.
Another bonus is that you can recycle compostable plastic even when it has food on it. Right now, regular plastic that gets soiled by food goes into the trash, but because compostable plastic gets composted, the food remnants are welcomed into the process.
Even with the need to get the materials to a specific facility to break down, this alternative plastic is ticking a lot of positive boxes when it comes to our environment.
IMPACT partners leading the charge
With these developments in packaging, and breakthroughs in alternative materials, it’s no wonder many of our members of IMPACT COLLECTIVE are working to offset their plastic footprint. These innovators are leading the charge and setting the example for other businesses.
Carlson, Romer Skincare, MASAMI, Talty Bar, and Happy Campers are all offsetting their plastic footprint or have gone plastic neutral, while incrEDIBLE and HOLISTIK Wellness operate as plastic-negative companies!
Each partner is taking a unique approach to plastic usage, whether it’s in using only recyclable packaging or in focusing offsetting efforts to getting plastic out of the oceans. We hope our actions at IMPACT will make a difference that inspires others.