Eco-Friendly Alternative to Traditional Plastic
Food wrappers provides an innovative solution to reduce plastic waste. With growing consumer awareness about sustainability, many companies are exploring plant-based and edible materials that can serve as wrappers or containers. Food wrappers is made from ingredients that are safe for human consumption like fruits, vegetables, seeds, and leaves. When disposed, it simply gets incorporated into the food cycle instead of polluting landfills like plastic. Some popular plants used in food wrappers include seaweeds, grapes, sugarcane, and mushrooms.
Seaweed-Based Packaging
Seaweeds are emerging as a viable option for wrapping snacks, chocolates, biscuits etc. Being 100% organic and biodegradable, seaweed has properties similar to plastic films and can be molded into flexible packaging sheets or rigid containers. It protects products from air, moisture while allowing consumers to eat the wrapper. Companies like Notpla in the UK and Evoware in Indonesia offer seaweed-based films and coatings. The packaging dissolves in water within weeks, leaving no microplastic residue. With abundant availability of seaweeds, this could scale up production of edible alternatives to single-use plastics.
Fruit and Vegetable Based Wrappers
Fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste can be transformed into breathable wrappers. Banana leaves, pineapple fibers, and grape skins have natural barrier properties and are being utilized by brands instead of plastic lids, bags or overwraps. The leaves and fibers are sometimes blended with binding agents like gums, starches or waxes that don't impact digestibility. Once consumed, the wrappers get composted along with other food scraps. This creative upcycling approach offers a sustainable outlet for agricultural waste and byproducts.
Seed-Based Containers and Cups
The coatings of seeds from plants like okra, flax, and tapioca can form edible substitutes for rigid Edible Packaging. Ground into a gel or powder, these coats coalesce into flexible films or sturdy cups when hydrated. Seed-based formulations are customizable according to product requirements. For instance, containers can be shaped for nuts or ice cream while lids can be made from rice paper or corn husk films. Being highly nutritious, seed-rich Edible Packaging aims to give supplementary nutrition along with the packaged food.
Cereal-And Lentil-Based Alternatives
Grains like wheat, rice, oats and lentils contain proteins and fibers that impart structure to food wrappers items when processed. These grains undergo extrusion, compression molding or thermoforming to shape flexible wrappers, clamshell containers and blister packs. They excel at maintaining product shelf life without toxins like BPA or phthalates found in plastic. Companies partner with cereal growers to scale up production based on demand. The containers break down completely inside the digestive system, doubling up as a nutrient source.
Future Prospects and Challenges
While the concept holds promise, Edible Packaging solutions need refinements to match conventional plastics on performance metrics like moisture resistance, strength and shelf stability. Research is ongoing to extend the shelf life of food without extra preservatives. Production costs also require optimization through industrial scale-up. However, with expanding sustainable food brands and stricter plastic bans, the industry seems poised for growth. Major players foresee the reaching $7 billion by 2027. Government support through subsidies and tax exemptions can boost adoption among food producers and retailers. Standardization of testing protocols will help allay concerns over safety and functionality. Overall, food wrappers presents a commercially viable as well as ecologically wise response to plastic pollution crisis facing the planet. With continued R&D focus, it could truly serve as the sustainable packaging of future.