How Adhesives Advance Eco-Friendly Food Packaging

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Many everyday foods-bars, fruit snacks, potato chips, and more-come in single-use plastic packaging. Single-use packaging keeps food fresh, safe to eat, and portable. But what happens to the package once the snack is finished?

Although some food packaging is recycled, most wrappers, cups, bags, and bottles end up in landfills, or as uncollected waste/litter. As litter, plastic packaging can degrade over time, but can yield micro- and nano-plastics. Plastic mismanagement impacts ecosystems, food and water supplies, and human health.

People and the planet need an alternative to the current food packaging widely used today that is specifically designed to both preserve its contents and with consideration for disposal not in a landfill or as litter. Thankfully, innovative adhesive solutions can make the entire lifecycle of food packaging more environmentally friendly-from production to shipping, disposal, and reuse.

The environmental impact of food packaging includes the entire lifespan of each product-from manufacturing to disposal to material degradation. Small changes to each stage can have a big impact on the overall sustainability of the food packaging industry (Figure 1).

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Figure 1. Eco-friendly food packaging solutions

Increasing the sustainability of food packaging starts with environmentally friendly manufacturing processes. Choosing methods that use less energy and renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, or hydroelectric power, can decrease the environmental impact. Solvent-free adhesives can be utilized to decrease energy consumption during the lamination process. Unlike solvent-based adhesives, solvent-free adhesives do not release harmful chemicals during laminate packaging production.

Creating food packaging solutions with increased shelf life for the items they contain can also improve sustainability. Less food waste means less organic material ends up in landfills, where it releases methane as it breaks down. According to the International Energy Agency, methane is a greenhouse gas responsible for around 30% of the rise in global temperature.

Other eco-friendly solutions to food packaging include reusable, recyclable, and compostable packaging. Reusing the material from food packaging reduces the amount that gets thrown away. Recyclable packaging would be designed to be collected in a drop off system and successfully recycled. Compostable packaging has a unique chemical composition that can break down in certain circumstances into a healthy, nutrient rich soil.

The terms biodegradable and compostable are often used synonymously to indicate a material that doesn't persist in the environment. The key difference between these terms is that biodegradable is a general idea, whereas compostable is defined by specific, measurable parameters.

Criteria for compostable materials differ based on industrial or home composting. Industrial compositing methods offer greater control over temperature, aeration operations, and other variables than home compositing methods. Industrially compostable criteria include:

At least 90% of the organic carbon must be mineralized to CO₂within 180 days at 58°C in compost media

Packaging must disintegrate into ≤ 2 mm pieces within 84 days at 58°C in compost media

Show minimal adverse effect on plant germination and biomass generation

Contain accepted safe levels of heavy metals and chemicals of interest

A large challenge to creating recyclable and compostable food packaging is that the material most often used to brand products and ensure food remains safe and fresh is made of non-recyclable, non-compostable finished products. Bags used to store food items like chips are made of multiple layers of differing materials (Figure 2).

Differing materials used in multilayer packaging

Figure 2. Example of the differing materials used in multilayer packaging

The outer layer of many food packaging products protects the food inside and provides branding opportunities. Additional layers are used to tune the barrier properties and increase the shelf life of the food.

Each layer can be made of very different polymers (example: polyethylene, polyester, or even a mixture). The materials' complementary chemical properties help food last but make recycling nearly impossible when combined into a single package. Finding new ways to achieve the same product integrity while meeting strict food safety testing guidelines is difficult.

Eco-friendly adhesive solutions in food packaging can help manufacturers achieve more sustainable products and practices. Whether it's choosing adhesives that can cure at lower temperatures or new ways to transport products safely, there are many solutions to make food packaging gentler on the Earth.

Solvent-based adhesives have been around for a long time and are valued for their adhesive strength, fast-drying properties, and durability. However, many solvent-based adhesives are highly flammable, release emissions into the environment, and require large amounts of energy to remove the solvent.

Unlike solvent-based adhesives, solvent-free adhesives release fewer emissions. Water-based adhesives require heat and energy to drive off the water and water is also a greenhouse gas which could affect global warming trends. Water-based adhesives have high durability and fast application speeds and are more environmentally friendly than solvent-based adhesives. Similarly, solvent-free adhesive formulations that include bio-based, renewable materials are more sustainable than traditional laminating adhesives. Solvent-free adhesives also require less energy consumption than both solvent-based and water-based adhesives.

Retort technology is a manufacturing process that preserves food and increases shelf life. Machines may use saturated steam, water immersion, water spray, or steam-air techniques to ensure food reaches safe temperatures. Adhesives used in retort packaging must withstand high heat while maintaining structural integrity and safety. These adhesives undergo rigorous testing to ensure they do not release potentially harmful substances during the sterilization process. Retort adhesive technology enables the production of flexible packaging formats such as pouches, bags, wraps, and rollstocks. These formats not only improve convenience and transportation efficiency but also play a critical role in reducing food spoilage and supporting food security.

Consumer concerns about single use flexible packaging on the environment is growing. As a result, the flexible packaging industry is focused on addressing end-of-life issues, such as recyclability and compostability. Flexible packaging companies are seeking new ways to develop more sustainable products and Good Adhesive compostable adhesives are enabling sustainable packaging to become a reality. In addition to being a more sustainable option versus traditional solvent-based adhesives, benefits of compostable adhesives include:

Minimizes stress on the ecosystem

Reduces costs of waste processing

Keeps manufacturers ahead of regulatory changes

Zhejiang Good Adhesive Co., Ltd.

Zhejiang Good Adhesive Co., Ltd was established in 1996 in China, covers an area of more than 10000 square meters with annual output of 30000tons of environmental friendly hot melt adhesive series products base on EVA, polyolefin, elastomer, polyurethane, PA and animal protein.

Professional team

We have our own lab and R&D team, can provide you technical supports at any time.

Wide application range

The main application industries of hot melt adhesive include book binding, product packaging, filter, furniture, automobile, medical, aerospace, rail transit and other industries.