Use of recycled plastics in food packaging

Abstract

Demand for sustainable solutions has led to interest in recycling plastics to use as food packaging. Identification of barriers to recycle plastics in the food packaging industry is undertaken in this study, examining factors including safety and environmental aspects, regulatory challenges, technological innovation and more. The research also highlights risks to food quality and consumer health due to the migration of chemicals from recycled plastics, raising serious safety concerns. Results show that recycled plastics have important ecological advantages including conserving resources and reducing greenhouse gases emissions, but sharing food packaging with recycled plastics is prevented by the safety and quality associated concerns. It is necessary to prevent chemical migration through advanced recycling technologies like chemical and hybrid recycling, together with stringent regulation standards, to achieve food safety. Additionally, consumer perception and market acceptance are big issues, because consumers are not yet convinced of recycled packaging materials' safety and quality. The study says recycled plastics can have a critical role to contribute to the development of sustainable food packaging solutions in a circular economy context if there are continuous innovations in technology, development and education of safety protocols, and demand driven by the consumers.