Sona Dadhania, Senior Know-how Analyst at market intelligence agency IDTechEx seems to be at the place PFAS has been utilized in meals packaging, latest laws mandating its removing, and various supplies being explored.
Making a round financial system is an important sustainability goal for quite a few stakeholders within the provide chain: governments, manufacturers, suppliers, and shoppers. A key aspect of that is lowering plastic waste; the OECD estimated that over 350 million metric tonnes of plastic waste was generated globally in 2019. Addressing plastic waste technology requires options from each sector, particularly the plastics packaging sector, which makes use of about one-third of annual plastics manufacturing. Single-use plastic packaging, from cling movies to versatile chip luggage to take-out containers, is generated in big volumes however shortly leads to municipal waste streams.
The problems that single-use plastic packaging presents are compelling legislative and regulatory our bodies worldwide to cross mandates and tips aimed toward growing the sustainability of single-use packaging. For instance, the European Fee not too long ago handed the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which mandates that each one packaging be recyclable and include a minimal recycled content material proportion for plastic packaging, amongst different provisions. Previous to the passage of the PPWR, the European Union handed the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD), which banned some single-use plastic objects for which non-plastic options can be found, similar to cutlery, plates, straws, and expanded polystyrene meals containers. In the USA, the place 47% of plastic waste comes from single-use merchandise and packaging, totally different states and municipalities are introducing bans on sure single-use plastic objects, like luggage and straws.
Thanks to those laws, many corporations are switching to paper-based and fiber-based packaging, similar to molded fiber packaging and recycled paper packaging. Nevertheless, this swap presents some points given the historic utilization of PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) in food-contact functions, notably on paper and molded fiber packaging.
The intersection of sustainable packaging and PFAS is totally mentioned in IDTechEx’s new report “Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) 2024: Emerging Applications, Alternatives, Regulations”.
Typical utilization of PFAS in meals packaging
PFAS has been traditionally used for the reason that Fifties in food-contact packaging functions, notably on paper and compostable molded fiber packaging, in coatings that impart oil and grease repellence.
Such coatings may very well be present in:
- Take out containers (i.e., pizza containers) and clam shells
- Baking paper and muffin cups
- Take out cups
- French fries and microwave popcorn packaging
- Quick-food paper wrappers
The first perform of PFAS is as a barrier or repellent towards grease, stains, and water. This barrier will restrict the migration of grease and water from the meals to the packaging in the course of the meals’s transport, storage, and consumption. Beforehand, long-chain PFAS similar to PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) had been utilized in food-contact functions. With rising issues over long-chain PFAS, many producers of PFAS for food-contact functions switched to short-chain PFAS, similar to 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (FTOH).
Growing regulatory actions on PFAS in meals packaging
Till not too long ago, the utilization of PFAS in food-contact functions was allowed in lots of main markets, together with the US and the EU. Nevertheless, growing issues over human publicity to PFAS led to elevated regulatory actions particularly focusing on PFAS in food-contact functions; most of those laws have been handed up to now 5-6 years. For instance, in 2020, the US Meals and Drug Administration introduced a voluntary phase-out of 6:2 FTOH in meals packaging functions by 2023. Denmark banned PFAS coatings merchandise for paper and cardboard-based meals packaging the identical yr. Most not too long ago, in 2024, the EU’s PPWR banned all food-contact packaging containing PFAS above a sure focus.
Discovering options for PFAS in sustainable meals packaging
The concurrent developments of phasing out each single-use plastic packaging and PFAS coatings for packaging is creating an fascinating problem and alternative. The transfer away from single-use plastic packaging is encouraging elevated utilization of paper-based and fiber-based packaging, which traditionally used PFAS-based coatings that at the moment are starting to be banned in main markets. This creates a possibility for packaging and coating corporations alike to develop non-plastic packaging options that don’t include PFAS.
Some historic producers of PFAS for meals packaging functions, similar to Daikin America, have already developed polymeric non-PFAS coatings for paper-based and fiber-based packaging. Nevertheless, a key problem for polymeric coatings in meals packaging functions is their affect on recyclability. One other concern with PFAS-based coatings, unrelated to their well being results, was that they negatively impacted the recyclability of packaging utilizing them; polymer-coated paper and laminates are continuously landfilled for that reason.
As such, options are required that each substitute PFAS in coatings whereas additionally sustaining the recyclability of paper and fiber-based packaging. Mentioned in additional element in IDTechEx’s new report, rising options that try to deal with these necessities embrace biowax and nanocellulose coatings for barrier property enhancements and components that improve the efficiency of paper for meals packaging functions. As extra areas and international locations cross laws impacting each single-use plastic packaging and PFAS in meals packaging, extra numerous approaches to addressing PFAS in sustainable meals packaging might emerge as extra corporations look to deal with this key whitespace.
To search out out extra about this IDTechEx report, together with downloadable pattern pages, go to www.IDTechEx.com/PFAS.
