Top #SustainablePackaging News Roundup

Welcome to?Sustainable Packaging Industry News, our bi-monthly newsletter of key #SustainablePackaging news curated for our global community. Highlights include some?exciting materials innovation and more action the world of green packaging funding and acquisitions.

FUNDING??

Californian sustainable packaging grocery startup?Zero?secured $11.8 million seed funding?to continue its recent ‘two hour eco delivery’ expansion across the United States. The company delivers a wide range of groceries in plastic-free containers, and claims to provide the fastest service of its kind in the country.

B2B marketplace?Novi?raised $40 million?from?Tiger,?Defy?and?Greylock?to extend its platform for sustainable, innovative ingredients and packaging, designed to help its customers bring more sustainable products to market.

Paris-based?Uzaje?raised €4 million?to extend its service, which washes and returns reusable packaging from restaurants and supermarkets, throughout France.

HP Inc.?has acquired?Choose Packaging, the inventor of the world’s only commercially available zero-plastic paper bottle, demonstrating its commitment to sustainable packaging solutions.

Xampla?and?Croda International?are joining forces to develop?microplastic-free seed coatings?for the agricultural sector, through a ￡640,000 project trial backed by the UK government and the?National Institute of Agricultural Botany.??

The new?Dairy Packaging Innovation Grant?program in the Northeast US will?provide grants of up to $350,000?to projects that decrease the environmental impacts of dairy product and supply chain packaging.

INNOVATION HIGHLIGHTS?

Scientists at the?Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology?have, in partnership with?Lidl Switzerland, engineered a food waste-fighting?plant-based cellulose coating?which prolongs the shelf life of produce.?

New York-based startup?Ecovative’s?mycelium-based sustainable packaging solution?could be a viable replacement for single-use plastic packaging, particularly in the wake of the state’s polystyrene ban.

Check out the Stamp Egg, a sustainable protective packaging for eggs inspired by stamps and made from highly compostable?PaperFoam?material.

Loop’s reusable packaging pilot with?Burger King?has now been?rolled out to five New Jersey locations, marking its first in-restaurant launch and third global QSR launch.

Swedish plant-based meat company?Oumph!?is phasing out plastic packaging and?replacing it with recycled cardboard packaging, which also makes the products easier to stack and takes up less freezer space.

Beauty brand?BYBI?launched the?world’s first carbon negative skincare product. The negative carbon emissions also relate to its packaging, a home-compostable cap and nozzle, plus bottle and carton made from 100% recyclable carbon-negative sugarcane.

The latest innovation in wine bottles will soon be hitting shelves: a?flask made from recycled plastic?from?Packamama. They might account for a lower carbon footprint than glass but are still hugely controversial!

HEALTH?

A study by researchers at the?University of Cardiff, Wales, has found toxic ‘forever chemicals’ PFAs from non-stick saucepans and food packaging?in otters across England and Wales, and claims this is indicative of pollution levels in the environment.?

A new analysis of popular branded products showed that?nearly 75% of items labelled ‘water-resistant’?or ‘stain-resistant’ contain toxic ‘forever chemicals’ PFA, highlighting how widely they’re used in everyday products.

Scientists at the?University of Sydney?have found that?fish grow slower?when exposed to higher temperatures and industrial chemical BPA, commonly used in plastic packaging and frequently found in waterways.

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR & TRENDS?

Want to know more about what to expect in sustainability marketing in 2022??Check out what agency leaders are saying?on how the industry will approach climate issues this year.

New data from?Amcor?shows that many European consumers have upped their plant-based eating and shifted their attitudes?towards sustainable packaging?in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

REGULATIONS???

A poster by?Lipton Ice Tea?has been censured by the?Advertising Standards Agency?in the UK?over a ‘100% recycled’ bottle claim, which misleadingly implied that the pack’s cap and label were made from rPET.

Public groups are petitioning the US?Food & Drug Administration?to?restrict BPA in food packaging?after alarming new health findings, which suggest the chemical can damage human health at levels 10,000 lower than previously thought.

BONUS READS |?Here are six ways?to make your shipping process more sustainable, plus a?handy guide?to creating a memorable unboxing experience while maintaining sustainability.

EXPLAINER |?Packaging startups are proving to be open to regenerative materials and excited by the opportunity to develop something new. This is why seaweed is having an undeniable moment right now, so?here are 10 seaweed packaging startups?you need to know.

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PS- Not sure why plastic waste?and ocean conservation are so deeply linked??Join our?webinar with Gary Stokes of OceansAsia?to find out.?RSVP now

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