SUSTAINABLE FOOD PACKAGING: the role of scientific research

Sustainable and Sustainability are not very new words, they have been introduced in common language more than 20 years ago. Obviously they didn’t appear connected to word packaging but to the word development. In 1987 the term Sustainable Development was initially defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development as “the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs… “ which has become the most often-quoted definition of Sustainable Development even if, more recent, and more appropriate definitions try to offer a vision of progress which integrates immediate and longer-term needs, local and global needs, and regards social, economic and environmental needs as inseparable and interdependent components of human progress. Packaging sustainability is just a part of Sustainable Development but it is probably easier to address a concept which refer to specific objects, in specific circumstances, and with relatively short lives than to manage a global idea like Sustainable Development. Moreover, as far as food packaging sustainability is concerned, a clear and unsurpassable limit exists to whatever afterthought of the current achievements; a limit that make easier the analysis of the existing and the evaluation of the new proposals. This limit has been clearly stated more than 10 years ago (J. Kooijman, Journal of Waste Management and Resource Recovery, Vol. 3, Nr. 2, 1996): “If, due to being badly packed, the contents are spoiled, ten times more waste occurs than that generated by the production of appropriate packaging”; i.e. an appropriate packaging saves more waste than it creates. In any case, attaining more sustainable food packages is a goal that can really contribute to reduce the impact of human activities on the environment, so making our development more sustainable. Important steps along the way to achieve sustainable packaging regard the innovation in processing technology, in materials manufacturing, concern the improvement in scientific knowledge, the changes in law and regulation, and also regard the consumers’ feeling and education. Few mentions will be made in the lecture to these points, focusing the attention to the role of scientific research and, mostly, the responsibility of scientists and researchers. Actually in the debate on sustainable packaging, scientists are often missing, being the voices of generalist journalists and generic opinion makers much louder. Related to the vacancy of expert voices in the discussion, two serious risks exist: to forget the most important priority of a food package which is the safety of packaged foods and beverages; to forget the need of guaranteeing the same opportunity of feeding to the largest number of citizens in the world. Food and beverages packages cannot be a matter of niche market; nowadays packaging has huge responsibilities as it serves billions of people, providing functions and services which are by now definitely essential. Therefore, important tasks for food packaging scientists deal with scientific and technological innovations, but also with a correct addressing of the debate and the education in this context. Many often it seems necessary to move the discussion from packaging reduction to packaging optimization. Same or better performance with less material or less environmental impact. There are significant pathways toward an optimized sustainable food packaging, in different main directions and the lecture will give some related examples: a) extending the shelf life because this means the same package for a longer time; b) producing degradable (photo and bio) packaging materials; c) enhancing the performance of traditional bio-based materials like natural biopolymers; d) combining synthetic and natural materials for achieving the best overall performance. According to the experimental work undergoing in our laboratories, the combination of standard plastic films with new coatings produced with natural/edible/bio-based ingredients may be a good solution to improve sustainability, while preserving the required performance and some recent results will be presented