The Date Marking Packaging
Especially in the case of foods with a long shelf life, consumers are unsure of what applies once the packaging has been opened. How long are the olives or taco sauce edible? You do not want a chance and maybe get sick. Some do not even taste the contents of the opened jar after just a few days and fully edible food becomes wasted. Here, producers should be able to be more creative and tell how long the product lasts, and encourage consumers to smell and taste the content. A good alternative to the best-before that exists today, for example. Often good after…
For large packages
Half of the households in Sweden consist of one or two people. But the packaging is often adapted to the family with children. Then there will be food leftover in single and couple households. Some are good and take care of leftovers and splashes, but in many cases, the leftovers are thrown away – or left in the fridge until it seems inedible. In other cases, the package size seems to have been capped without the consumer in mind. “A liter will be good.” When in fact it is a pint or 6.5 dl that would be optimal. Large packs are more climate-smart to manufacture and transport compared to, for example, portion packs. But if the larger packaging means that not all food is consumed, wastage is a much bigger problem for the climate. In most cases, the industry allows the different package sizes to bear their costs and this means that large packages are always cheaper.
Hard to get the last one out: This is especially true of dairy products where many consumers feel that it is almost impossible to empty the packaging. If you do not leave the yogurt with the cap down when the package is half empty, 1 dl will be left when you cannot pour out more. can is also difficult to empty. It is possible to whip out the last with water or other liquid, but most people are in a hurry. It must be easy to do the right thing.
There is a lot to do when it comes to the points above. Some are more challenging than others but doable. By 2030, according to the UN, we will halve global food waste. But I’m hopeful!
It is not easy to do the right thing, but according to Helen, you can think like this when choosing to package:
Should I bring a carrier bag from home?
YES. It is better for the climate regardless of material. Whether it is better to use a cloth bag many times or a plastic or paper bag that only lasts a few times, the scholars dispute. But if you get a cloth bag that you like and will use for a long time, then maybe it pays off in terms of climate.
It must not end up in nature or the sea.
But most important for the climate is what you put in the box. The food’s environmental impact far exceeds that of the box.
Plastic cardboard box or tin can for the tomato crusher?
CARDBOARD: The material is lighter than both sheet metal and aluminum and because the packaging is square, they are easier to pack tightly and are climate-smarter in the transports from the manufacturer to the store.
If there is no cardboard aluminum or sheet metal in the bean jar?
ALUMINUM: But it’s hard to say for sure. It depends on how recycling works.
Plastic or not around the cucumber?
PLASTIC: The thin package increases the life of the cucumber by six days. The increased waste in the store is much worse for the climate than the production of that plastic.
Tomatoes in packaging or bulk?
PACKAGING: But that is not obvious. I think it will be a lot of waste if you have a self-pick in the store of cocktail tomatoes. The bigger ones do better. But then maybe you still take a bag so that the tomatoes do not fall around among the other goods you bought.
Plastic bag for the peppers?
YES. Considering what shopping baskets and cash registers sometimes look like, I probably want a bag for my peppers. (This with hygiene has become much more important for customers with covid-19.) A thin plastic bag does not make a big climate impression, even if most of us do not reuse it.
Paper or plastic bag for the apples?
At the same time, it is thicker and heavier to transport to the store. The decisive factor is what happens afterward with the bags. If you can reuse any of them, it is preferable.
Aluminum jar, PET bottle, or glass bottle for beer?
CAN. In Sweden, we have a high recycling rate of aluminum, so the can wins – today. Glass is heavy to transport and if the drink comes a long way, the glass ends up last. But if you buy your beer from a local microbrewery, weight matters less. And it would be even better if you could get a local return system for the glass bottles.
Yogurt in angular cardboard with a screw cap or Arla’s new, more rounded with a full plastic top?
THE EDGE:
There is more plastic in the round one and the interesting thing how easy and difficult the carton is to empty. shaped cardboard without a screw cap is easy to empty.
Their new ones with screw caps are harder and stickier to pry up than the competitors. If you ignore trying to get the last thing out, about a deciliter of yogurt ends up in the garbage.
Juice in a carton or plastic bottle?
CARDBOARD: It is incomprehensible that juices are increasingly packaged in fossil plastic. The carton is better for the climate, both in terms of material and transport.
Cover the bowl with aluminum foil or plastic wrap?
PLASTIC: The production of plastic makes a smaller climate footprint than aluminum. Freezer bag in plastic or aluminum form?
FREEZER BAG: Same here. The production of plastic makes a smaller climate footprint. It is not easy to choose the right one but I think the list from Helen above is clear and helps on the way to more packaging for increased durability. The most important thing is to think holistically.
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