The first aluminum packaging appeared in the late 1950s. The market for metal packaging has grown dramatically over the past 60 years; it now generates over $100 billion in annual output, and by 2020, it is expected to reach $136 billion. One of the most popular types of packaging in numerous sectors, including food and cosmetics, is made up of metal cans and containers. Metal containers have undergone constant development since they first became popular in order to fulfill new regulations and demands, such as extended shelf lives for perishables. Plastic bags and films are one advancement for metal containers used with perishables. These bags and films aid in keeping the containers airtight and sterile. Biodegradable substitutes for plastic packaging have begun to take hold in recent years. The utilization of these biodegradable films and bags has significantly improved in recent years and is expected to continue to grow.
Biodegradable Films' History
In the 1980s, the concept of harnessing naturally occurring polymers to make biodegradable containers was first seriously considered. Since then, over 200,000 patent applications for biodegradable packaging have been made in the U.S. alone. Due to significant shortcomings, biodegradable packaging was hardly ever employed in the 1980s and 1990s. Companies had trouble making them durable, breathable enough/too breathable, and meeting numerous other fundamental needs. Since then, biodegradable packaging has undergone enormous advancements, and usage has expanded in tandem.
Present Use
For perishable commodities, biodegradable packaging techniques have become quite popular. Films that are biodegradable and edible are used to package a variety of fruits and vegetables, including broccoli and plums. Even more recently, they were employed to stop the growth of microorganisms on raw meat. The usage of biodegradable films for cosmetics and other items that need to be sealed from contact with the air is another, frequently under-discussed application. Such products are frequently sealed with biodegradable plastic substitutes and put in tin or metal containers. Future usage of this technology is anticipated to rise as it has started to become more prevalent.
Even with rising use, the amount of biodegradable packaging produced in 2016 was still just about 1% of all plastic packaging. In the same period that 400 million tonnes of plastic are created each year, nearly 4 million tonnes of biodegradable packaging are also created. When compared to the manufacture of plastic, this is a little amount, but it has only been around and in use for a short time—less than 25 years.
Recently occurring events
PVA that dissolves in water was introduced by Bioplastics International in February 2022. The substance was created to serve as a plastics substitute. It can be used to create packing films and PVA bags that are water soluble. Due to the material's biodegradability, biocompatibility, and lack of toxicity, it is employed in the healthcare industry for contact lenses, artificial organs, and drug delivery systems.
TerraVerdae Bioworks Inc. disclosed the acquisition of PolyFerm Canada in January 2022. The goal of the acquisition is to expand the company's PHA technology offerings. The acquisition allowed the business to produce cutting-edge biodegradable bioplastic goods in response to the expanding biodegradable plastics market's desire for environmentally friendly items.
Vikas Ecotech Limited declared an investment in environmentally friendly BioPlastics (PHA) technology in January 2022. Additionally, the business is working together with Aurapha Private Ltd. to produce biodegradable plastics. PHAs will be produced from renewable resources and are naturally biodegradable.
Future trends
It's anticipated that biodegradable packaging will continue to spread throughout society during the next ten years. By 2020, the creation of biodegradable packaging might account for up to 2.5% of all plastic produced, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. This would nearly double the amount of biodegradable packaging produced in 2016 to 6 million tonnes. This is a significant growth in just 4 years. Markets that normally use plastic packaging are predicted to use biodegradable packaging and biopolymers at a rate that is comparable to that of plastic packaging. This is accurate for both perishable goods and cosmetics and medications. It is reasonable to assume that the rising popularity of biodegradable films and bags will parallel the rising trend in the usage of metal containers. In the next years, it's expected that an even greater part of the market will make use of a mix of biodegradable packaging and reusable metal containers.
The use of biodegradable packaging has grown, and so has the quantity of study being done in the area. The number of papers published on food packaging has increased more than seven times in the previous 20 years. Active Packaging is one of the key areas of this study. These are containers that serve purposes beyond only keeping food passively contained. Recent innovations in the subject include the use of essential oils as antibacterial agents and the incorporation of antioxidants into biopolymers to eliminate oxygen from packaging. These are only a handful of the several technologies being studied that are anticipated to hit the market in the approaching years.
Overall, trends for both metal and biodegradable packaging are very encouraging. As biodegradable packaging develops, it might surpass plastic as the material of choice. This is a fantastic technique to enhance food safety and environmental protection.
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