Bio-based food packaging in Sustainable Development Challenges and opportunities to utilize biomass residues from agriculture and forestry as a feedstock for bio-based food packaging Author: Rubie van Crevel, intern Supervisor: Valeria Khristolyubova, Officer Forest Products Team Forestry Policy and Resources Division February 2016-June 2016 Table of contents Executive summary ......................................................................................................................... 4 1. Bio-based food packaging as a function of sustainable development ....................................... 7 2. Food packaging materials and environmental concerns .......................................................... 10 2.1 Methodology to assess environmental performances of a packaging material ................ 10 Life cycle thinking .................................................................................................................. 10 Life Cycle Assessment ........................................................................................................... 10 Limitations of Life Cycle Assessments .................................................................................. 12 2.2 Bio-based feedstock ............................................................................................................ 13 Defining bio-based products ................................................................................................. 13 Primary versus secondary biomass resources ...................................................................... 13 Bio-based products can be carbon neutral products ........................................................... 13 Environmental considerations for bio-based products ........................................................ 13 Regulations and standards for bio-based materials ............................................................. 14 2.2 End-of-life scenarios: compostable and biodegradable ..................................................... 15 Recycling ............................................................................................................................... 16 Organic recycling ................................................................................................................... 16 Incineration with or without energy recovery ...................................................................... 18 Littering ................................................................................................................................. 18 2.3 Concluding remarks ............................................................................................................ 18 3. Bio-based substitutes for fossil-based materials applied in food packaging ........................... 20 3.1 Bio-based plastics................................................................................................................ 20 3.2 Fibre-based materials ......................................................................................................... 25 3.3 Bio-based food packaging made from biomass residues ................................................... 27 Carton boxes made from tomato plant residues ................................................................. 27 Solanyl ................................................................................................................................... 27 5. A case-in-point: bans on polystyrene foam (EPS) food packaging ........................................... 28 5.1 Extruded Polystyrene (EPS) ................................................................................................. 28 Environmental concerns with EPS ........................................................................................ 29 EPS and high waste management costs ............................................................................... 30 1 EPS and public health concerns ............................................................................................ 31 5.2 Bans on polystyrene foam food packaging ......................................................................... 31 5.3 Bio-based materials for food packaging ............................................................................. 32 Examples of existing sustainable biobased alternative for EPS food packaging .................. 33 5.4 concluding remarks ............................................................................................................. 34 6. Key barriers for substituting fossil-based food packaging products with bio-based food packaging products ....................................................................................................................... 35 6.1 Production cost of bio-based materials for food packaging ............................................... 35 Cost of mobilization biomass residues ................................................................................. 35 Cost for technological innovations requires ......................................................................... 36 Lack of economies-of-scale ................................................................................................... 36 6.2 Poor policy support for bio-based food packaging ............................................................. 37 Inappropriate standards on bio-based materials and food contact..................................... 37 Confusing labels on bio-based food packaging .................................................................... 37 Limited information on sustainable biomass utilization ...................................................... 37 6.3 Lack of appropriate waste management facilities for bio-based packaging materials ...... 38 6.4 concluding remarks ............................................................................................................. 38 7. Enabling policy frameworks for biobased food packaging products ........................................ 39 7.1 Policies to stimulate market demand ................................................................................. 40 Ban fossil-based packaging materials ................................................................................... 40 Tax fossil-based packaging materials .................................................................................... 41 Public procurement policies and certification ...................................................................... 41 7.2 Improve and secure access to sustainable biomass resources .......................................... 42 Facilitate appropriate data collection on biomass residues ................................................. 42 Regulated labels and certification ........................................................................................ 43 Invest in local infrastructures to allow optimal and sustainable utilization of biomass resources ............................................................................................................................... 43 Establish adequate waste management infrastructures for bio-based food packaging ...... 44 7.3 Mobilizing resources for research and development (R&D) for bio-based food packaging materials ................................................................................................................................... 45 7.4 The International Coalition on bio-based and sustainable food packaging ....................... 46 Promote bio-based food packaging as a function of sustainable development .................. 46 2 Establish evidence on how better application of bio-based food packaging reduces food loss in an environmental friendly manner ............................................................................ 46 Design guidelines for sustainable utilization of biomass and biomass residues .................. 47 Provide recommendations on enabling and incentivizing policy frameworks for bio-based food packaging ...................................................................................................................... 47 Communication and awareness raising about benefits of bio-based packaging among wider public and decision makers ................................................................................................... 47 Suggested stakeholders for the international and multi-level coalition on bio-based food packaging .............................................................................................................................. 48 8. Way forward for FAO ................................................................................................................ 52 Appendix A: Bio-based plastics approved for food contact ......................................................... 53 Appendix B: Bans and ordinances for EPS food packages ............................................................ 55 Bans installed in cities in the United States (Adopted from Surf rider Foundation, N.D.) ....... 55 CALIFORNIA - 65 Ordinances that cover restaurants: .......................................................... 55 FLORIDA ................................................................................................................................ 58 MAINE ................................................................................................................................... 58 NEW JERSEY .........................................................................................................................