Almost half (8.2 million tons) of the plastic used for packaging in Europe (20.5 million tons) is used to pack food, according to a new ING report: ‘Plastic packaging in the food sector - Six ways to tackle the plastic puzzle in the food sector’.
While plastic is an indispensable material for food manufacturers and supermarkets, the downside is clear: plastic used for food and drink packaging often has a short, single-use life cycle and forms a significantly large part of the total amount of plastic waste.
In the eyes of European consumers, plastic waste is one of the most pressing environmental problems, which is urging food and beverages producers and retailers to look for ways to reduce or improve their plastic packaging.