Paving the Way for More Sustainable Food Systems Through Packaging Strategies: Are We there yet?

Title: Paving the Way for More Sustainable Food Systems Through Packaging Strategies: Are We there yet?

2-Sentence Summary: This session was motivated by the increasing environmental impact of current food packaging structures. Fast-paced developments, issues, advancements, and the future of more sustainable and circular food packaging solutions will be discussed by the leaders with experience in packaging recycling, sustainability, and regulations.

Description:

Packaging is at the forefront of sustainability efforts in the food industry. Food companies announce packaging sustainability commitments varying from increasing recycling, recycled material content to developing functional bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable packaging. The sustainable packaging implementations increase consumer trust and purchases and improve circularity. In addition to benefits, there are several challenges related to the value chain, responsibilities, widespread adoption, and economic viability. In this roundtable, speakers from the leading organizations in food and packaging will cover the production, recovery, recycling of various packaging materials and forms under the light of the current sustainability perspective.

Key Takeaways:

1. The attendees will be introduced to the current issues and advances in handling, development, and use of recycled, compostable or biobased-biodegradable packaging materials
2. The attendees will learn the perspectives of different value chain stakeholders with discussions from fiber reutilization, recycling processes, safety and regulatory considerations, and sustainability assessment from a broader perspective
3. The session will highlight key pressure points and opportunities when creating sustainability commitments, and strategical communication of sustainability with consumers for the food industry

Event Type: Science FIRST

Format Type: Panel