Removing plastic packaging from fresh produce – what’s the impact?

White, Alex; Lockyer, S.

doi:10.1111/nbu.12420

Cited by 67 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Polymer foam insulators, for example, have improved the energy efficiency of buildings by a factor of 200 [7] . In the food sector, plastic packaging increased the shelf life of products without using preservatives [8] . Yet it looks like mankind‘s long‐term romance with plastics is starting to decline.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodegradable Plastics: Standards, Policies, and Impacts

2020

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Plastics are ubiquitous in our society. They are in our phones, clothes, bottles, and cars. Yet having improved our lives considerably, they now threaten our environment and our health. The associated carbon emissions and persistency of plastics challenge the fragile balance of many ecosystems. One solution is using biodegradable plastics. Ideally, such plastics are easily assimilated by microorganisms and disappear from our environment. This can help reduce the problems of climate change, microplastics, and littering. However, biodegradable plastics are still only a tiny portion of the global plastics market and require further efforts in research and commercialization. Here, a critical overview of the state of the art of biodegradable plastics is given. Using a material flow analysis, the challenges of the plastic market are highlighted, and with it the large market potential of biodegradable plastics. The environmental and socioeconomic impact of plastics, government policies, standards and certifications, physico-chemical properties, and analytical techniques are covered. The Review concludes with a personal outlook on the future of bioplastics, based on our own experience with their development and commercialization.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodegradable Plastics: Standards, Policies, and Impacts

2020

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“…Traditionally, loose fruit consumers have received fruit information orally when asking grocery sellers, or in writing in texts added to labels on shelves together with prices, or in fixtures or posters in supermarkets [ 11 ]. However, while supermarkets have gained ground compared to small groceries, packaged fruit has gained ground over loose fruit, and written information has become the main channel to inform consumers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumer Information Needs and Sensory Label Design for Fresh Fruit Packaging. An Exploratory Study in Spain

Fernández-Serrano

Tarancón

Besada

2020

Foods

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In recent decades, packaged fruit has gained market ground over loose fruit, and fruit containers have become a source of information for consumers. This study approaches three objectives related to consumer information needs for decision making when purchasing fruit: (1) Determine if consumers’ choice of packaged fruit rather than loose fruit is motivated by their interest in the information provided on packaging; (2) identify information gaps on fruit packaging labels; (3) identify those sensory attributes that consumers consider to be of major interest to be included in sensory labels of different fruit types. The study was based on an online questionnaire answered by 394 fruit consumers. Ninety percent of the participants stated having an interest in receiving information when purchasing fruit, but their choice between packaged or loose fruit was not conditioned by their information needs. Moreover, a gap between information interest and information use was detected as their final purchase decisions were not always based on the provided information. ‘Harvest date’, ‘production method’, ‘percentage of the price received by the farmer’, ‘applied treatments’, ‘sensory characteristics’, and ‘environmental information’ were identified as the major information gaps, as these labels were unavailable for a high percentage of consumers, who stated their interest in them. According to consumers, sensory labels should include information about ‘sweetness’ and ‘flavor intensity’ irrespectively of fruit type. ‘Sourness’ and ‘juiciness’ attributes were particularly interesting for citrus, as ‘sourness’ and ‘firmness’ were for kiwi. Information about texture properties was required for pome and stone fruit. Other attributes, such as easiness to peel, were important only for citrus fruit.

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“…For instance, the complete abolishment of plastic packages would result in much more foods being wasted, which would generate a large negative environmental impact. Hence the potential impacts of such a measure should be always carefully assessed in advance [White & Lockyer 2020]. Alternatively a shift from plastic packages to paper & board based packages can also result in higher emissions of greenhouse gases [Abejón et al, 2020;Green Alliance, 2020] and could potentially create new food safety concerns that have to be assessed and managed [Pivnenko et al 2015;Koster et al 2020].…”

Section: Plastic Packages In Multiple Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although it is possible to reduce the use of plastic packages in all households to some extent, packages cannot be removed away from our lives, not for multiple consumer articles and not for fresh produce packages [White & Lockyer, 2020]. A complete swap from plastic packages to glass, metal and paper & board will create very large additional carbon dioxide emissions due to the much larger packaging weights [Brandt & Pilz, 2011;Voulvoulis et al, 2020].…”

Section: A New Norwegian Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeking circularity : Finding sustainable packaging solutions for fresh products

Velzen

2020

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In deze studie is onderzocht wat de mogelijkheden zijn om verpakkingen voor verse levensmiddelen te verduurzamen en hen recyclebaar of zelfs circulair recyclebaar te maken. Deze verkenning is uitgevoerd voor twee verse levensmiddelen: snoeptomaten en kippenvlees. Hieruit blijkt dat er mogelijkheden zijn om de verpakkingen recyclebaar te maken en ook om de milieueffecten van de totale levensmiddel-product-combinatie te beperken. Geen enkele verpakking is echter circulair recyclebaar en ook zal geen enkele verpakking in potentie niet bijdragen aan de vorming van zwerfafval. Wel kunnen in de toekomst bestaande verpakkingsvormen circulair recyclebaar worden als de benodigde recyclingtechnologie wordt ontwikkeld. Bij het streven naar meer circulair recyclebare verpakkingen kwamen meerdere dilemma's aan het licht. Enkele van die dilemma's blijken heel algemeen van aard en kunnen ook niet door alleen het verpakkende bedrijf worden opgelost. Het streven naar circulariteit kan alleen welslagen met de betrokkenheid van alle belanghebbenden, inclusief de burgers. Verpakkende bedrijven kunnen meerdere verduurzamingsstrategieën nastreven (beperken voedselverspilling, verlaging totale milieudruk product-verpakkingssysteem, recyclebaar maken verpakkingen, circulair maken verpakkingen, beperken negatieve gevolgen van zwerfafval) en al deze strategieën leveren andere verpakkingsontwerpen op.

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Removing plastic packaging from fresh produce – what’s the impact?

Cited by 67 publications

References 26 publications

Biodegradable Plastics: Standards, Policies, and Impacts

Biodegradable Plastics: Standards, Policies, and Impacts

Consumer Information Needs and Sensory Label Design for Fresh Fruit Packaging. An Exploratory Study in Spain

Seeking circularity : Finding sustainable packaging solutions for fresh products

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