Green packaging and organic food

Green packaging is currently the most demanding packaging. Organic foods are currently the most demanding safety and health products. Both are consistent from the perspective of health and environmental protection. The characteristics of organic food safety, environmental protection, and harmony determine that its packaging can't affect human health and sustainable development of the environment. In many countries, organic product certification standards have clearly defined the environmental protection requirements for packaging. Therefore, using green packaging becomes the first choice for organic food producers. This article will talk about green packaging, introduce how organic foods can be green packaged, and put forward some suggestions on the export of organic food packaging, hoping to help organic practitioners.

Packaging allows goods to be distributed and exchanged, allowing goods to reach the hands of consumers safely and easily. However, the unrecoverable packaging also imposes a heavy burden on the ecological environment. The improper selection of packaging materials also threatens human health. In addition, the domestic and international warming of the green consumer boom is also urgently requiring companies to use green packaging.

1. The concept and development history of green packaging

Green packaging is a moderate packaging that can be recycled, reused, or degraded, and that does not cause harm to the human body and the environment throughout the product's life cycle. Its basic characteristics are: under the condition of having a packaging function, the least used materials are used, and the packaging waste is the least; the packaging products are harmless to human health; the waste does not pollute the environment; and the waste burns to generate new energy without generating secondary pollution. Packaging materials can be reused or recycled, or they can be degraded and purified under natural conditions.

On June 5, 1972, the United Nations convened the Human Environment Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, and issued the "Declaration of the Human Environment." This triggered a worldwide green packaging revolution. In the past 30 years, green packaging has developed rapidly. In 1975, Germany took the lead in responding to the "Declaration of the Human Environment," and called for the introduction of a green packaging, the DER GR NE PUNKT. Subsequently, Britain, Canada, Japan, the United States, the European Community and other countries and regions have also launched green packaging, setting off a worldwide green boom. On January 1, 1999, the international green environmental protection label (including packaging marks) was implemented globally, accelerating the process of green packaging.

In order to adapt to this trend, a voluntary “Pressure Packaging Materials China Safety and Environmental Protection Certification” press conference was held on April 20, 2005 in Beijing by the successful bid center (formerly China Energy Conservation Product Certification Center). At present, the State Certification and Accreditation Administration has included plastic bags and plastic lunch boxes for food packaging as key tasks for compulsory certification this year. The State "Regulations for the Administration of Food Packaging Product Certification" will also be issued soon. By then, all food packaging materials must pass national certification before they can be put on the market.

2. The necessity of developing green packaging

Taking China as an example, the output of packaging products in China is now over 30 million tons per year, and the recycling of packaging products is better than that of cartons, beer bottles and plastic turnover containers. The recovery rate of other products is quite low, and the recycling rate of the entire packaging products is very low. It also failed to reach the 20-cut work% of the total output. According to this calculation, there are more than 25 million tons of packaging waste generated each year. As there is less and less land available for landfilling, it is impossible to eliminate so many packaging wastes, and many urban waste accumulations are very serious. However, those packaging wastes that cannot be degraded in the environment cannot be disposed of in a timely manner, and people’s environmental awareness is not strong, resulting in serious waste loss. The environmental pollution caused by packaging waste has seriously affected the sustainable development of the social economy. Therefore, the full promotion of green packaging and reducing the pollution of packaging waste has become a public concern.

(2) Requirements for sustainable development

Taking plastic as an example, the traditional production of petroleum-based plastics is subject to the supply of oil. The rapid economic development of China has accelerated the consumption rate of petroleum. China's oil production can no longer meet its own needs, and it has now become the world’s second largest oil importer. The world’s oil reserves are expected to be exhausted after about 60 years. At the same time, the turbulent Middle East situation has seriously affected the supply of oil. Therefore, the search for alternative substances has become the top priority for the development of the packaging industry.

(3) Dealing with Green Barriers and Developing Foreign Trade Requirements

The forms of green trade barriers are various and include: green tariff system, green technology standard system, green environmental labeling system, green packaging system, green subsidy system, and green health quarantine system. Among them, the green packaging system means that developed countries have formulated higher and more comprehensive standards for packaging materials, including recycling, reuse, and recycling of waste, in order to prevent packaging materials and the resulting packaging waste from causing damage to the environment. Harmful, or improperly structured packaging containers may damage the user's health and take environmental protection measures. However, some overly strict green packaging systems may hinder the foreign trade of developing countries and trigger trade disputes.

More and more people are realizing that promoting green packaging and keeping up with the trend of international green packaging are the only way to meet the development needs of domestic and foreign trade. According to the statistics of the United Nations Statistics Department, 90% of Americans, 89% of Germans and 84% of Dutch people consider the environmental standards of their products when they purchase goods. Governments have also adopted corresponding measures in adapting to the green consumption boom: The EU has promoted the use of renewable and non-renewable packaging products from the market since 2000, in order to promote the use of renewable and recycled packaging products; Canada, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the Philippines, Brazil and other countries have also formulated packaging laws and regulations. According to the World Packaging Organization Council, the United States, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and European countries have completely banned the use of PVC packaging materials. In addition, Denmark also prohibits the use of disposable beer and beverage containers, and also prohibits the import of such container-packed beer and beverages. Connecticut, United States of America

The bill of B51917 stipulates that starting from 1995, the use of non-recoverable substances in the packaging of consumer products is prohibited. Green packaging has become a barrier for Western developed countries to hinder the entry of developing country goods into the international market. Therefore, the development of green packaging to promote the export of our products has become an important part of China's economic development.

Second, organic food and green packaging

l, organic products should use green packaging

Organic foods are packed in plastic bags (such as food, vegetables, etc.). According to experts, some plastics add plasticizers and anti-aging agents to improve performance. These additives are often toxic. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is also a commonly used plastic. Additives are used in its production. Foods packaged with this material may cause chronic lead poisoning. In addition, a large number of whitened papers are used in foods for packaging (like carton milk, etc.), and most papers are treated with fluorescent whitening agents in order to improve the whiteness during the production process. Fluorescent whitening agent is a chemical substance with strong carcinogenic activity. Although it can play a role in bleaching, it has a great toxic effect on humans and animals. There are many high-grade food packaging that uses tin foil. It is understood that lead content in 60% of tin foil exceeds the allowable health index, and lead is recognized as the “culprit” causing acute and chronic heavy metal poisoning, showing that the safety of organic food packaging cannot be ignored.

Organic foods refer to organic agricultural production systems or wild ecosystems, which are produced and processed according to the organic certification standards, and have acquired qualified agricultural products, wild products and other processed products certified by certification bodies. It is currently the most demanding safety and health food, reflecting the organic concept of safety, environmental protection and harmony. The corresponding packaging should also reflect this principle, be safe, environmentally friendly, simple, and harmonious, and these are precisely the concept of green packaging. So how do you do green packaging? It is generally based on a full grasp of the market and material information, put forward a green packaging design program, including: the concept, determine the design parameters, such as packaged goods volume and measurement values, reserve capacity or allowable deviation parameters (including pre-packaged, Transport packaging and sales packaging, etc.); design performance, including form, structure of the style, graphics, text, color, etc. to meet the aesthetic needs of green products. Here are the two main points:

(1) Package design.

Packaging design is based on the basic needs of consumers, consumption methods, and the environment. If possible, use the following methods or recommendations.

A. Considering the easy-recovery performance of packaged products, the structure and material design can facilitate the disassembly and classification of the package after use. For example, a package designed with creases can not only reduce the occupied space, but after tearing the bottom, people can easily flatten the container and facilitate recycling. The production cost of this kind of packaging is also very low.

B, use less packaging materials. Chaplin, a professor at the University of Great Britain, developed a formula that can save wrapping paper: (2L+2H{+x)×(B+2H), where L is the length of the gift, H is the height, and B is the width. x is the overlapping length of the wrapping paper. The result of the formula is that the area of ​​the wrapper, ie, the length of the gift and the height of the gift, are multiplied by 2, and then they are added, and the overlapping part to be reserved is added. The sum of the three is multiplied by the width of the gift and The sum of the gifts is twice the height, so the answer is the minimum amount of wrapping paper needed to wrap the gift. Other similar packaging can be calculated this way.

C. Reduce pollution to the environment and food through the design of manufacturing processes. Current research results show that the environmental load within each unit of measure is directly proportional to the processing time, and the successful design strategy is how to shorten the processing time. In addition, the contamination of food with ink cannot be ignored.

The characteristics of materials often determine the effectiveness of materials in the production process and use. Green packaging materials should be based on the concept of product design and image design, should be selected non-toxic, less pollution, low energy consumption, low cost, easy to handle, recyclable materials, and the selected materials should also be in the process of dyeing or Less pollution. Specific requirements are as follows:

A. Environmental safety. It is necessary to consider whether the selected materials are soluble in water, oil, and other solvents; whether the selected excipients contain toxic metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, and whether hazardous materials are emitted during the material recycling process.

B. Save resources and energy. Use low-density packaging materials as much as possible; try to select materials with low total energy consumption in the material life cycle; use recyclable materials as much as possible; minimize the types and quantities of materials.

C. Functionality of packaging materials. The selected materials shall have the function of effectively protecting the goods, ensure the strength of the packaging materials and the sealing of the packaging, prevent the loss of the contents of the packaging during transportation, storage and use, and cause environmental pollution.

D. Recycling of packaging waste. Try to use materials that are currently mature in recycling technology;

Try to use plastics that can be degraded and can be used as raw materials for composting; try to use packages that can be reused after simple handling; try to choose a single material. If the Swedish people invented Tetra Pak, it would be good. The milk, juice and beverages used for packaging can be stored at room temperature for 6 months without refrigeration, which saves a lot of energy that is consumed for refrigeration. At the same time, this kind of paper packaging can be recycled to make "colored board" furniture, flooring, toys, audio equipment and so on.

In addition, more attention should be paid to the packaging of export products. In order to protect their own resources and ecological environment, many countries have banned the use of traditional natural packaging materials such as wood, rice straw, and old sacks, or require sanitation and animal and plant quarantine on certain natural material packaging to prevent the transmission of animal and plant pests and diseases. . As stipulated by the Australian People’s Liberation Prevention and Quarantine Bureau, where imported goods are packaged in wooden boxes, a fumigation certificate must be provided; in the United States, straw must not be used for imported goods, otherwise it will be forcibly destroyed.

2. Waste from organic food production can be used as green packaging material

In recent years, many countries in the world have stepped up the development and utilization of deep processing of agricultural and sideline products in order to improve the overall efficiency of agriculture. The use of agricultural and sideline products to produce environmentally friendly packaging materials