Sustainable Package Print
It is the development of packaging to reduce its environmental footprint.
Overview
Sustainable packaging, also known as "eco-packing," is one of the highly discussed areas of graphic communications. It is the notion of producing 100% biodegradable and recyclable materials in order to limit its impact on the environment. The graphic communication industry has adopted sustainable packaging in their packaging segment to match the increasing demand for companies to operate sustainably.
Description
For many production segments in the communications industry, the incorporation of sustainability principles into their business practices is a one of the vital elements to their success. In the sustainable packaging industry, there are many materials that contains biodegradable properties such as corrugated boxes, paper bags etc. However, with the non-biodegradable properties in plastic, the call for a green innovation is required to transform plastic packaging into something more sustainable. Various sustainable materials include starch-based biomaterial packaging and mushroom-based packaging.
Starch-Based BioMaterial
Starch-based biomaterial derives from corn and is one of the most promising natural polymers due to its inherent biodegradability. According to Bulk Bag Reclamation, cornstarch-based has garnered a huge interest over the last decade due to increasing eco-logical awareness among companies and consumers. Corn is an abundant source and is also very sustainable and biodegradable therefore starch-based biomaterial is preferable to most companies due to its low production costs.
Environmental Benefits
In the graphic communications, the packaging industry has adopted this packaging material to reduce the use of plastic applications. Starch-based biomaterial also provides a variety of environmental benefits. To name a few, starch can be used to reduce the environmental impact of traditional resin since it can replace petroleum-based polymers with natural ones according to Green Dot Bio plastics. An empirical study reported that “starch blends are expected to account for the largest share in the market from 2015 to 2020”. In essence, starch-based biomaterial will continue to see a large surge due to the nature of its biodegradable properties.