according to pike research, by 2014, sustainable packaging will cover nearly a third of the packaging market. this equates to approximately a 170billion industry. if compared this figure with 2009, this growth is major. in 2009, sustainable packaging had just a 21 market share. the fastest expanding area with regard to the material will be plastics, the material that supplement producers rely on to house their products. plastic, along with paper, which is also carefully embraced in the natural products business, will have the biggest market share in the packaging field. given this, wholefoods check in with a few sustainable packaging professionals to discuss regarding what&rsquos coming down the pike that could influence the natural products industry. historically, sustainable packagers have embraced corrugated cardboard and paper for their rigidity, renewability, recyclability, and biodegradability. however, paper has few limitations, too, particularly in regards to housing liquids. in this situation, coatings have been used that has made some items impossible or difficult to recycle. here, innovation comes into the picture. ecologic brands has created a new biolayered can for liquids like laundry detergent or milk. the outer layer is made from corrugated cardboard, which is twisted to form the bottles. this section can be composted or rerecycled. the inner liner is made up of bpafree, nongmo 4 plastic commonly known as polyethylene, which contains 70 less plastic than rigid plastic alternatives, mentions cris genovese, who is chief marketing officer at ecologic brands that is located in oakland, ca. this inner piece can be detached from the outer shell, with the cap, and recycled with 4 plastic. genovese states, this way, consumers get all the same functionality they are used to, along with the eco benefits. genovese further said, by keeping the paper and plastic in their natural states rather than laminating them together, they are promoting recyclability. in place of expensive and heavy glass, plastics can be utilized for nutritional supplements. earth renewable technologies ert, which is located at charleston, sc, has been working on rigid plastic cans that have the same strength, moisture barrier capacity and heat proof to petroleumbased polymers. however, the 100 natural packaging has a great advantage. craig cameron is the company&rsquos chairman and ceo. craig mentioned that, at the end of the product&rsquos life cycle, product can be composted with the plastic vanishing within 120 days, or it can be utilized as a feed resource for anaerobic wastetoenergy plants to give back energy to the electrical grid. he further adds, ert polymers offer the safety of glass with the weight and ease of traditional plastics.the company is using a same kind of technology for new flexible packaging materials which can be used, for example, to produce plastic and garbage bags. according to cameron, these bags can be disposed of safely at marine and are extremely strong.on the other hand, aseptic carton packaging from tetra pak, located in vernon hills, il, is helping to improvise products in another way eradicating the need for refrigeration of some products while preserving nutritional content and taste. ed klein is the firm&rsquos vice president of environmental affairs. ed says, in the aseptic process, product is flash heated and cooled, averting extensive heat degradation of nutrients and ingredients. ed further added both food as well as packaging materials is free of dangerous bacteria at the time food is packaged, driving the extensive shelf life of the products. the six layers of tetra pak carton are responsible for keeping light, impurities, and oxygen out. it means that dairy and milk products, which are notorious for requiring refrigeration, can be shelf stable when they are packaged in tetra pak cartons and processed with ultrahigh temperatures. the resource of the trees is vital to the company, as well. klein says they are committed to using raw supplies that come only from forests that are responsibly managed where new trees are replaced with harvested ones, provide habitats for wildlife, transform co2 to oxygen, and produce raw materials for all types of essential products. companies creating natural packaging for growing categories like, kids&rsquo foods, baby products and singleserve items, cameron says, where the particular attributes of natural packaging facilitate it to be price competitive with usual polymers, where the packaging complements the products natural cleaners for example and where ecofriendly polymers are the only available option to use a plastic. while companies are trying to make packaging disappear into thin air, they are also constantly working to improvise their other practices. a part of it is ensuring their processes are as green as possible. klein says producers need to be conscious about the carbon footprint of their packaging throughout the lifecycle of their packaging, from primary sourcing to beyond the enduser. for this cause, cameron says, ert uses a procedure to manufacture its polymers with a less carbon footprint than traditional plastics. along with this, tetra pak is constantly working to lessen its carbon emissions. in 2009, the company reduced emissions by 12 than its 2005 levels at the same time, increased packaging production by 32. in addition to that, in brazil, the company is experimenting on the utilization of highdensity polyethylene from renewable feedstock, which according to klein, represents a revolutionary move toward using green polyethylene in the industry of carton packaging. however, for sustainability to become the standard, retailers must also support it. cameron says key industry players which also include whole foods market need to even more assertively support the necessity of ecofriendly packaging and clearly inform their suppliers that this is what customers are demanding like never before. he further adds that this would facilitate to drive innovation in other materials for example, using sugar cane waste as a root material in natural polymers as an alternative of corn and help lessen the cost of raw materials because of huge demand. this point is vital. everyone must do their part because it is only through the mutual efforts of packaging specialists, retailers, and raw materials suppliers that sustainable packaging can grow. source of information httpwww.wholefoodsmagazine.comnewsgreennewssustainablepackaginginnovations
