Potential climate benefits of reusable packaging in food delivery services. A Chinese case study

A review on takeaway packaging waste: Types, ecological impact, and disposal route

Rapid economic growth and urbanization have led to significant changes in the world's consumption patterns. Accelerated urbanization, the spread of the mobile Internet, and the increasing pace of work globally have all contributed to the demand for the food takeaway industry. The rapid development of the takeaway industry inevitably brings convenience to life, and with it comes great environmental pressure from waste packaging materials. While maintaining the convenience of people's lives, further reducing the environmental pollution caused by takeaway packaging materials and promoting the recycling and reuse of takeaway packaging waste need to attract the attention and concern of the whole society. This review systematically and comprehensively introduces common takeaway food types and commonly used packaging materials, analyzes the impacts of discarded takeaway packaging materials on human health and the ecological environment, summarizes the formulation and implementation of relevant policies and regulations, proposes treatment methods and resourceful reuse pathways for discarded takeaway packaging, and also provides an outlook on the development of green takeaway packaging. Currently, only 20% of waste packaging materials are recycled worldwide, and there is still a need to develop more green takeaway packaging materials and continuously improve relevant policies and regulations to promote the sustainable development of the takeaway industry. The review is conducive to further optimizing the takeaway packaging management system, alleviating the environmental pollution problem, and providing feasible solutions and technical guidance for further optimizing takeaway food packaging materials and comprehensive utilization of resources.

Evaluating the waste and CO2 reduction potential of packaging by reuse model in supermarkets in Taiwan

Consumption of single-use packaging has been increasing globally and the waste produced causes negative impacts on both human and the environment. Retailers, such as supermarkets, developed quickly in recent years to provide for the modern lifestyle, using a lot of packaging in the process of distribution and sales. This research evaluates the packaging waste and CO₂ reduction potential of 10 different products sold in supermarkets in Taiwan when adopting different reuse strategies of Reduce, Return and Refill. In the suggested reuse strategies, a total of 8 kilotons of packaging waste and 30 kilotons of packaging CO₂ can be reduced, accounting for 50.8% and 59.8% reduction of the current situation, respectively. Retailers are suggested to provide different reuse strategies and experiential activities to increase consumers familiarity with new consumption methods. Significant impacts are made with a slight change in the small proportion investigated, which suggests considerable benefits if the scope is expanded.

Decision on single-use and reusable food packaging: searching for the optimal solution using a fuzzy mathematical approach

BACKGROUND

In modern food supply chains it is becoming increasingly important for companies to have sustainable product packaging systems. Deciding the protection, marketing, and logistical function of packaging, at optimal cost, is a very complex matter for professionals. The decision is usually between disposable (single-use) and reusable (returnable) packaging solutions and their special characteristics. In practice, the focus of this decision is based on historical experience and traditions, taking a cost-based and/or a criteria-based approach. This considers a wide range of cost factors. Packaging cost is an important factor, but not the only one, in determining the optimal solution.

RESULTS

This study presents a three-dimensional fuzzy signature model with a fuzzy method that can be applied to the packaging decision problem to investigate the interconnections among factors that affect the final results, beyond simple binary logic. Two types of food packaging, beverage glass and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, were chosen to validate the usability of the model.

CONCLUSION

Fuzzy signatures can model the subjectivity of human definitions and criteria using the knowledge of professionals - human knowledge, which is experienced under real conditions and is used in practice in the food-packaging decision process. Food-packaging decision components and the final decision can be determined by fuzzy algorithms using membership functions on aggregation and weighted values. © 2022 The Author. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Research and policy for the food-delivery revolution

Implications for nutrition, environment, and work may be considerable.

Smart Material Choice: The Importance of Circular Design Strategy Applications for Bio-Based Food Packaging Preproduction and End-of-Life Life Cycle Stages

This article provides a systematic literature review on the integrated approach of bio-based plastic food packaging in a circular economy. It focuses on the following key areas: (1) the role of bio-based plastic food packaging in a circular product design strategy and material choice in the preproduction life cycle stage; (2) the role of bio-based plastic food packaging in circular resource management systems and the product disposal life cycle stage; and (3) an optimal bio-based plastic food packaging application in regard to prioritising end-of-life treatment. While there are dedicated publications on the role of packaging in a circular economy, circular packaging design, packaging waste management, and bio-origin plastic applications in food packaging, this article aims to provide an integrated review and recommendations on the best bio-based plastic food packaging material selection, applications based on a circular economy, and scenarios on waste/resource management that prioritise end-of-life treatment. Three of the current most popular bio-based plastic materials in the flexible and rigid food packaging categories were selected: starch blends, bio-PE, and PLA for flexible food packaging and PLA, bio-PET, and bio-PE for rigid packaging. This article highlights the fact that a smart material choice in the circular design strategy is a key factor that has a direct impact on the last packaging life cycle stage (disposal), and concludes that bio-based plastic materials are a way to close the food packaging loop, either by re-use or recycling. This article also provides recommendations on the best bio-based plastic food packaging material selection, and applications based on the circular economy and waste management that prioritise end-of-life treatment. The research results indicate a research niche for the application of re-usable biodegradable materials in food packaging. The findings of this research allow product designers and packaging companies to advance the understanding of the most efficient bio-based plastic food packaging integration into the circular economy via decision making of product material choice and end-of-life treatment. Based on the results of this article, scholars can develop new themes for further research.

Consumer Cognition and Management Perspective on Express Packaging Pollution

Consumer awareness of environmental protection is getting stronger. However, with the development of the logistics industry, the environmental pollution caused by express packaging has become increasingly severe. Therefore, it is of great importance to know consumer cognition and willingness about how to reduce the express packaging pollution. In this study, through the analysis of 561 questionnaires, we analyze the impact of consumer evaluation of recyclable express packaging and green express packaging on responsibility awareness of government, logistics enterprises, and e-commerce corporates, and analyze whether there is a positive correlation between consumer evaluation and reducing environmental pressure. We find that consumers are willing to use recyclable express packaging and green express packaging, especially the latter. Moreover, the government is supposed to play a central role in solving environmental pollution problems caused by express packaging. It is recommended that the government proposes some corresponding solutions, such as introducing a packaging tax policy, setting up an environmental fund, and developing environment-friendly packaging materials. Meanwhile, consumers expect logistics enterprises and e-commerce companies to cooperate with the government actively and switch to using environment-friendly express packaging in a timely manner.