Sustainability: A New Buzz in Food Packaging

Aaron L. Brody

October 1, 2006

For those who have been following the impending adoptions of nanotechnology, radio-frequency identification, super barrier, active components, intelligence, sensing of specific pathogenic microorganisms, and the like intruding into our universe of food packaging, welcome to another innovation: sustainable packaging.

Completely compostable and biodegradable packaging for kiwifruit is being marketed by Wal-Mart in the U.S. The Oppenheimer Group asked Earthcycle Packaging, both of Vancouver, Canada, to design the package, which consists of three components—tray, film, and label—that are completely biodegradable in compost in 90 days. The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (www.sustainablepackaging.org) consists of organizations from the entire spectrum of packaging, including converters of package materials and stru…