According to a recent study conducted by GlobeScan for the Forest Research Council (FSC) of 12,000 participants from 15 countries, climate change was the #2 most concerning global issue.
Not surprisingly, stainability is on consumers’ minds as they make purchasing decisions. In another study of conducted by McKinsey, 55% of U.S. consumers surveyed said they were either extremely or very concerned about how product packaging impacts the environment. Since paper is bio-based, biodegradable, reusable, and recyclable, it’s a popular option for packaging materials.
Though paper offers many pros, it still has some cons.
Paper offers less of a barrier to oxygen, light, and microbes than other packaging materials such as plastic. As a result, the items it stores – food products especially – have shorter shelf lives when stored in mainly paper packaging. (For paper to have better barrier properties, plastic usually needs to be added in plastic layers of laminates.)
Even though paper is very recyclable and reusable, it still fills up landfills. In 2018, paper and paperboard (that is, cardboard) materials made up the largest component of U.S. MSW at 11.8%, or 17.2 million tons.
While paper does have a high biodegradation rate, this happens in aerobic environments, which are environments where paper materials are broken down by the action of oxygen-breathing microorganisms. Conversely, paper has a slow anaerobic (oxygen-absent) biodegradation rate in environments without oxygen, like landfills, because it’s resistant to degeneration when compacted.
Within less than a year of being brought to a landfill, anaerobic conditions get created, no matter what type of MSW has been deposited – including paper. Bacteria then decompose MSW in landfills and produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Paper takes up more space than the same weight of plastic in landfills because it’s less dense than other types of waste. For example, 1 lb. of paper will occupy more space in a landfill than 1 lb. of food waste, glass, or even some plastics.
As we’ve reviewed, paper packaging offers more advantages than disadvantages and is an environmentally friendly and adaptable solution for product packaging. Nonetheless, using paper as your packaging material does depend on its intended usage or application.
So, what packaging material can you use that has the same benefits as regular paper, but overcomes some of its pitfalls?
Consider SmartSolve.
Unlike regular paper packaging materials, SmartSolve’s materials are:
Water soluble. Water soluble paper dissolves quickly when exposed to water back to the natural components it’s made up of.
Readily biodegradable. Several of our materials have passed the international OECD 301B testing method and thus demonstrate that they biodegrade “rapidly and completely” in aquatic environments.
Nontoxic to fish. Most of our materials have passed U.S. EPA Ecological Risk Assessment guidelines and show that they’re not toxic in marine environments.
Flushable. Our 3x15 heat seal printed pouches, for example, have passed several flushability tests including FG501 (Toilet Bowl and Drain-line Clearance Test), FG502 (Slosh Box Disintegration Test, and FG503 (Household Pump Test). This basically means that they’re safe to flush down the drain.
Made of FSC-compliant fiber. SmartSolve Industries meets the FSC Forest Management and Chain of Custody Certification requirements for the production and distribution of labels and paper using the transfer system. You can rest assured that our products come from sustainably managed forests that preserve biological diversity, benefit the lives of local people, and sustain economic viability.
Compostable in 40 days. Our water soluble board stock qualifies as compostable in 40 days because it passed the ASTM D6868-11 testing method. The material contains no hidden or unknown substances that recycled materials – including paper – sometimes carry.
To learn more about SmartSolve’s materials and how you can use them for your specific application, request samples today.
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