Address Key Market Trends With Compostable To-Go Packaging

As you may know, to-go food packaging takes a huge toll on our environment. Single-use food packaging, including the to-go options commonly found in restaurants, contributes to the more than 150 million tons of packaging waste added to landfills each year. Over time, landfills have grown larger as plastics, paper and other packaging materials can take years to decompose.

Therefore, to help reduce the amount of to-go packaging waste, it’s a good idea to consider compostable to-go packaging. Compostable packaging decomposes within a set amount of time, helps to reduce landfill waste and contributes to healthy soil. Compostable packaging is not only sustainable, but it can also help you address key trends within the to-go packaging market overall.

Read on to learn about three of these trends, their associated challenges and how compostable to-go packaging can make it easy to address them.

The Trend

As more consumers rely on restaurant food delivery and carryout services than in the past, it has put more pressure on restaurants with existing services and caused other restaurants to start offering them. Restaurant delivery demands have more than doubled since March 2020, creating an urgent need for more packaging.

The Challenge

This skyrocketing demand means to-go packaging has the potential to add waste to landfills if not manufactured sustainably.It’s also important to consider that even if your to-go packaging is recyclable and considered sustainable, consumers may not know to separate the package components from food waste prior to disposal. This causes it to end up in a landfill, negating its sustainable intent.

The Solution

Fortunately, compostable packaging is designed to break down completely. This means it can help reduce the amount of waste produced by the rise of food delivery and carryout services.Compostable packaging also does not have to be separated from food scraps to decompose completely. This makes it easy for consumers to dispose of their packaging properly.By manufacturing compostable to-go packaging, you can give consumers and companies peace of mind knowing that their waste will not negatively impact the environment and will contribute to the circular economy.

The Trend

A recent study from the FPA found that 79% of surveyed consumers prefer products that are in sustainable packaging. As more consumers become environmentally conscious, many restaurant companies are exploring sustainable to-go packaging options to address this preference. Some companies have even committed to switching to 100% sustainably sourced packaging by 2025.

The Challenge

It can be difficult to truly address this trend because some forms of sustainable packaging are not as “green” as others. For example, biodegradable options do not decompose within a set timeframe; they may still take years to fully degrade. This means that biodegradable products can still exist in landfills for prolonged periods despite appearing environmentally-friendly.

The Solution

On the other hand, compostable packaging has BPI certification, proving that it will fully decompose within a set timeframe. As a result, it can help restaurant companies gain trust from environmentally-conscious consumers and meet their sustainability goals.To easily ensure your packaging materials have BPI certification and are truly compostable, click here. Additionally, several industry publications exist to help manufacturers find compostable materials; use these resources to easily find BPI-certified solutions.

The Trend

Many governments are responding to public concerns by introducing new regulations for packaging waste, particularly single-use packaging. For example, 16 U.S. states have implemented regulations around packaging waste, which target single-use

plastics, shopping bags and increasing recycling goals. As more governments adopt these new regulations, it’s important for you to create sustainable solutions for single-use packaging, like to-go packaging.

The Challenge

As you redesign your to-go packaging to meet these new regulations, it can be challenging to know how to make your options stand out from competing manufacturers.These regulations will require all manufacturers to be more sustainable. To attract more customers, it’s imperative that you offer innovative sustainable options.

The Solution

Compostable packaging is a new technology with growing design options.Until recently, compostable packaging options were limited to certain designs due to few compostable products being available to manufacturers.This made it difficult to achieve BPI certification, because not all of the package’s components could be considered compostable.However, more compostable solutions now exist, including a compostable adhesive, making it easier for to-go packaging to achieve BPI certification. This enables you to meet government regulations for sustainability and stand out from other manufacturers who don’t offer compostable to-go packaging.

Bostik offers the first-ever, BPI-certified, compostable hot melt adhesive, which can help you obtain BPI certification and meet key trends for your to-go packaging options. Request a sample of our compostable adhesive when you contact a Bostik representative today.