Towards a green and sustainable development path - burden of delivery packaging to be reduced
Under the rapid emergence of the e-commerce industry and continuous changes in the business environment, consumer’s demographics and marketing channels, a “packaging revolution” triggered by the “consumption transformation” is taking place quietly. According to figures of the National Bureau of Statistics, the quantity of courier packages in China has topped the world ranking for consecutive years and increased more than twentyfold over the past decade. Behind the rapid growth, however, is a shocking waste of packaging materials, which are usually non-degradable. At the same time, the total recycling rate of packaging waste materials in China is less than 20%, which is disappointing. How to protect the nature while developing the economy and reduce the burden of logistics packaging on the environment has been a public concern in recent years.
Hubei Guanghe Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is a major player in an environmental protection campaign of Alibaba Group. The exhibitor will display a fully biodegradable material, GH7-1-360, and a bio-based material with a biogenic carbon content of almost 20%, JH330-D16A, which were developed in collaboration with the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The materials, designed for courier bags and bubble courier bags, have passed the European DIN CERTCO’s certification for fully biodegradable and bio-based products.
The bio-based and compostable material of Suzhou Hanfeng New Material Co., Ltd. has changed the situation of traditional plastics being difficult to degrade and combustion producing harmful gases. With the technology for blending PLA and PBAT, customers' various requirements for the physical properties of products and cost control can be satisfied, and the softness and environmental friendliness of products will be enhanced.
Users can opt for such degradable and non-toxic packaging with higher quality when purchasing products in the future. The material can be used to manufacture green courier bags, disposable lunch boxes, bowls, cups, supermarket shopping bags, bags on a roll, flat-top bags and so on. Chinaplas 2019 will also feature a “Recycling Technology Zone”, a “Recycled Plastics Zone” and a “Bioplastics Zone” to address the industry’s need for green and circular solutions.
Packaging innovations meeting consumers’ needs for freshness, taste and aesthetics
Consumers care about the freshness and taste of their food and drinks. They think that the packaging should not spoil or alter the taste, but retain nutrients in a product. Concerning the loss of taste and nutrients of food and drinks upon exposure to light and air, innovative packaging solutions can keep products fresh without adding preservatives.
NatureWorks LLC will showcase a new generation of tea and coffee bags made of Ingeo PLA-based biopolymer, which is not only compostable but also helps improve consumer experience in terms of flavor and aroma with better organoleptic properties. The product is applicable to various fields.
Epseal thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) of HEXPOL TPE are custom-made liner sealing compounds for the food and beverage industry. They are PVC free and conform to FDA and EU regulations. They offer consistent short, medium and long term opening torques, which provides consumer-friendly functionality, making it easier for children and senior citizens to open the bottles. Each individual sealing packaging system has extraordinary sealing property, great elasticity, and necessary flexibility and is shown in an organoleptic evaluation with the capability to preserve the original taste. The solution can be used for carbonated soft drinks, beer, wine, juice and milk-based beverages, and still performs satisfactorily after cold fill, hot fill, pasteurization or sterilization processes.
Let people see it’s fresh! Transparent packaging is popular among consumers. Millad NXTM 8000 polypropylene clarifying agent of Milliken Enterprise Management (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. allows products with higher thickness to be as crystal clear as glass or amorphous polymer materials, which is now no longer a privilege of high-end thin-film products. Millad NXTM 8000 can replace expensive transparent materials with limited functionalities and improve the aesthetics of current polypropylene materials.
