The increasing amount of plastic waste generated each year, fuelled by the growing consumption of single-use plastics in food packaging applications, threatens the integrity of our ecosystems while creating an unprecedented waste management crisis.

The biodegradable properties of some bioplastics have been identified as a promising solution to divert food and food packaging waste from landfill while avoiding plastic leaking into the environment. However, such bio-based biodegradable alternatives may not necessarily provide an improvement in overall environmental impact, especially when considering their efficacy at preventing food waste. A study published in The Journal of Cleaner Production conducts a critical review of the relationship between food packaging and food waste, based on conventional and biodegradable plastic food packaging life-cycle assessments (LCAs).

It focuses on the trade-offs that may occur between food packaging production, end-of-life management and food waste prevention across the entire food packaging lifecycle.

Furthermore, when judging end-of-waste status, the following detailed criteria are also taken into consideration to ensure a high level of protection of the environment and human health and facilitate the prudent and rational utilisation of natural resources.

These include:

(a) permissible waste input material for the recovery operation;

(b) allowed treatment processes and techniques;

(c) quality criteria for end-of-waste materials resulting from the recovery operation in line with the applicable product standards, including limit values for pollutants where necessary;

(d) requirements for management systems to demonstrate compliance with the end-of-waste criteria, including for quality control and self-monitoring, and accreditation, where appropriate; and

(e) a requirement for a statement of conformity.

[1] European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/framework/end_of_waste.html