Keeping sustainability in every packaging can begin with changing the materials used in its production. Turning into substitute materials is in progress as customers are keener on using safer-to-environment options, and firms are performing extensive research to come up with eco-friendly alternatives. Firms are getting elated with the opportunities presented in this recent transformation of packing their products.
The compostable mailer bags, and all other environment-friendly alternatives, come from algae, potatoes, mushrooms, and leftover rubbish, all present a significant packaging transformation for a safer and more sustainable future.
Cotton insulation with recyclable features
In America, there is a significant problem with clothing waste. Actually, the amount of textile waste brought to landfills is roughly 9%. More couturiers and designers are becoming conscious of the raw materials used for packaging; some prefer cotton waste since this is the closest substitute to expanded polystyrene foam and those cushioned materials used to protect fragile products.
In terms of performance, cotton insulations that are recyclable works similar to expanded polystyrene foam in providing insulation to products. In America, a number of companies produce recyclable cotton in sheets as well as carriers. Hence, any business has easy access to these materials.
Cornstarch-based film
For online retail packaging, plastic-based protective mailers are the most difficult to settle. However, the issue in recycling lies in the majority of consumers and recycling companies. Some manufacturers are working on compostable mailer bags that use a combination of safer materials like polylactic acid and natural ingredients such as corn starch. These are lightweight and capable of securing the safety of the product while in transit.
Biodegradable packaging
Biodegradable packaging manufacturers produce their bio-based items using certain natural ingredients such as plant-based starch. It presents a unique aesthetic distinction between the natural and the processed; the lightweight bio-based foam looks neat and flat and is easily degraded and composted. The production process of the material uses ingredients such as potato starch, water, cellulose fiber, and premixes of proprietary formulations. Its injection molding feature provides the designers with the option to customize different shapes and inlays.
Despite the fact that the carbon footprint and water usage is low during the manufacturing and production process, the outcome is unbelievably lightweight compared to molded fiber. These compostable mailer bags can just quickly go into the recycling bins, which are also easily compostable at cooler environments.
Bagasse
The remnants from the production of sugarcane that are dry and fibrous substances, commonly known as bagasse, can turn into recyclable egg cartons. It works like a natural home of the ordinary table sugar. When mixed with hot water and shaped into something like the conventional molded pulp, these bagasse fibers can actually turn into useful packaging material.
Like other compostable mailer supplies, bagasse is recyclable and can tap into an old agricultural waste stream. Hence, no need for new raw materials. It requires less chemical processing because of the absence of bleach ingredients.
Biodegradable bioplastic
Bioplastic that is biodegradable like polylactic acid uses plant-based starch from corn or cassava. Unlike those obtained from petroleum, biodegradable bioplastic is compostable in places with high temperatures, like in massive facilities for composting. Several structural forms are using such material; it can be a barrier coating or blown into films.
PLA is an excellent alternative to ordinary plastics, given that there is a surge of non-biodegradable wastes in landfills and waterways. There are already biodegradable food containers in the market since they can quickly go with the rubbish during the composting process.
