Why compostable snack-to-go disposable packaging?
We see a lot of litter in verges along roads and cycle paths. This is a major social problem. Events, festivals, holiday parks, petrol stations, and takeaway restaurants use disposable packaging to a large extent, but how sustainable is this to-go disposable packaging? Compostable, plastic-free to-go packaging from PaperWise is a sustainable alternative.
We are seeing increasing social awareness regarding the use of environmentally friendly packaging. Growing demand from producers and consumers for sustainable disposable packaging has reached a tipping point. PaperWise is the sustainable solution for environmentally friendly compostable snack, to-go, and disposable packaging. By choosing PaperWise, you reduce your ecological footprint and help combat plastic pollution. Bye bye plastic, hello compost!
Customers ask us many questions about the waste phase of disposable packaging. Which snack-to-go packaging is recyclable? And which disposable packaging is compostable? We advise customers to consider the waste phase as early as the design stage of the disposable packaging. PaperWise paper and paperboard is certified for composting, both for the industrial EN13432 standard and the DIN CERTCO HOME COMPOSTING STANDARD. In addition, PaperWise paper and paperboard can also be excellently recycled via waste paper streams. Whether composting or recycling of the snack, to-go, and disposable packaging is possible depends on the conditions of use and any coating, laminate, or barrier applied to the PaperWise paper and paperboard. The inks used for printing also influence this. To meet composting standards, PaperWise paper and paperboard has been tested on 4 key environmental points:
• Disintegration (transformation into compost)
• Biodegradability
• Ecotoxicity (effect on plant growth and earthworms)
• Chemical analysis (demonstrating environmental safety)
Composting is only possible with the right temperature, amount of moisture, and bacteria that essentially eat and digest the product. The main difference between industrial composting according to the EN13432 standard and the HOME COMPOSTING STANDARD FROM DIN CERTCO is the temperature during the test. The test for industrial composting according to the EN13432 standard takes place at a temperature between 60°C and 75°C for a period of at least one week, and above 40°C for a period of at least 4 weeks. The entire test period lasts 26 weeks. Meanwhile, the certification test for home composting from DIN CERTCO takes place at a normal outdoor temperature of 28°C ± 2°C.
PaperWise paper and paperboard for sustainable disposable packaging passed the industrial EN13432 composting test and the DIN CERTCO home composting test with flying colors and is certified for both. PaperWise paper and paperboard largely composts within just 4 weeks, and after 13 weeks, the PaperWise paper and paperboard is completely disintegrated (decayed into compost). And that is even at the low temperature of the DIN CERTCO home composting standard!
Various PaperWise customers have already made the sustainable choice to give agricultural waste a second life as a valuable raw material for environmentally friendly compostable packaging. This includes Landal GreenParks, where sustainability is an absolute priority. This holiday park operator has approximately 15,000 holiday accommodations across 90 holiday parks throughout Europe in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Great Britain, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. For Landal GreenParks, PaperWise Natural Grease Resistant is processed into sustainable to-go packaging for fries and snacks. The sustainable PaperWise disposable packaging for Landal GreenParks is recyclable, compostable, and free from fossil plastics. Due to food residues, it is not desirable for the paper recycling industry to recycle the packaging. It is possible to have the sustainable PaperWise disposable packaging fermented and composted. This produces green gas and compost. This is not yet happening because some chain partners need to implement adjustments for this innovation. As soon as closing the biological cycle becomes a priority, we at PaperWise stand ready to help bring this innovation to the market for Landal GreenParks. For now, we are making gains at the material level, so there is still room for improvement in the waste phase.
Since 2005, Tomorrowland has grown into the largest Belgian outdoor dance event with more than 400,000 visitors. Tomorrowland also helps give agricultural waste a second life in the form of PaperWise paper and paperboard. Since 2018, the sustainable disposable snack packaging for Tomorrowland has been made from PaperWise Natural Grease Resistant. The choice for these plastic-free fries and snack packaging significantly reduces the environmental impact after the festival.
The Swiss company Pacovis AG has developed a complete sustainable line of disposable tableware and to-go food packaging under the name Naturesse. These sustainable disposable packages are available throughout Europe. For the extensive range of environmentally friendly disposables, various PaperWise types of paper and paperboard are used: PaperWise Natural Moisture Resistant for sustainable compostable salad packaging, PaperWise Natural Grease Resistant for environmentally friendly disposable snack-to-go packaging, and PaperWise Natural Machine Glazed for sustainable snack and baguette bags. Products from the Naturesse series are bio-based, compostable, and recyclable. By choosing PaperWise, plant residues (agricultural waste) that would normally be burned are given a new life in the form of food packaging. In doing so, Pacovis AG and PaperWise reduce dependence on fossil sources and harmful CO2 emissions, contributing to the reduction of the plastic waste problem. Wise With Waste!
All these developments and customer cases do not mean that PaperWise is the ultimate solution to litter, but they do mean that sustainable PaperWise to-go packaging is among the best alternative options for environmentally friendly disposable packaging. Would you like advice on how PaperWise disposable to-go packaging can be composted or recycled? Please contact us and we will be happy to assist you.
