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Thousands of chemicals have been licensed in food contact products in most countries, including plastic trays for chocolates. These compounds can also be found in food packaging, containers, kitchenware, and food processing facilities.
Many of these chemicals found in can linings, phthalates in plastic food wrappers, and PFASs used in greaseproof wrappers are hormone disruptors that can leak into food and enter human bodies.
Swapping your products' plastic trays for candy pads is a great choice. They are made of glassine paper. Candy pads are also an eco-friendly option and are 100% recyclable. A win-win situation!
Paper Replacing Plastic: Challenges & Solutions
That's not to mean it's a simple transition for companies. There is a boatload of issues to consider when switching from plastic to paper packaging.
It must be free of impurities and strong enough to prevent outside factors from spoiling the items inside, just like any other food packaging. There is, of course, light on the horizon; brands simply need to be a little more inventive!
Young people appear to be at the frontline of this trend, usually responding to poll questions in favor of more environmentally-friendly regulations.
However, customers, in general, are getting more environmentally conscious.
According to a YouGov survey, 69 percent of respondents believe corporations should be compelled by law to adopt eco-friendly packaging, even if it means paying more for the products. Meanwhile, according to the same survey, 46 percent of individuals feel bad about the quantity of plastic they now buy.
Plastic Packaging Pollution
Plastics are a creation of human ingenuity since they are lightweight, resilient, rot-resistant, cheap, and moldable. Sadly, this advancement comes at a cost.
Plastic packaging is incredibly wasteful and negatively influences the Earth's ecosystems, on which we rely. Most plastic garbage is transferred to landfills or disposed of in the ecosystem due to poor item design and a lack of political framework.
Because plastic is not biodegradable, every plastic item produced is still present on Earth. Plastic discarded or washed into the waters is consumed by aquatic species, whether it decomposes into microplastics.
Businesses are selling single-use plastic to the world's constantly rising populations. Every day, 8 million plastic trash items make their way into the ocean. Plastic garbage is disposed of in landfills or the sea in 79 percent of cases, while only 9 percent is recycled and 12 percent is burnt.
Our oceans are littered with 25 trillion macroplastics and 51 trillion microplastics—two hundred sixty-nine thousand tonnes floating on the top.
Harmful Chemicals in Plastic Food Packaging
You've probably heard about long-standing issues about a plastic chemical known as bisphenol A. (BPA).
It used to be in most clear plastic bottles, including those used to feed babies. BPA has also been found in stews, beans, and other nonperishable foodstuffs container linings. The issue is that some of the BPA in the plastic can seep into the food.
That is especially true when heated. BPA works in our bodies similar to the hormone estrogen. Concerns arose in the 1990s after a study revealed that low-dose BPA given to pregnant mice created issues in their male offspring.
Bisphenols are not the only concern when it comes to plastics and food.
Phthalates (or ortho-phthalates) are chemicals that leach into food from plastic tubing, lids, cooking gloves, and food packaging. Phthalates increase the flexibility of polyvinyl chloride and other polymers.
Phthalates have been discovered in both food and humans. They've also been connected to a higher incidence of infertility, particularly in men. Conclusively, a diverse brew of chemical agents used in food processing, packing, and preparation is present in our food and bodies.
Constant exposure to small levels of these chemicals may accumulate over time and cause health problems in complex, difficult ways to pinpoint.
These chemicals, according to experts, may have a role in several concerning health concerns, including higher infertility, obesity, diabetes, ADHD, and possibly autism. While there is no way to completely avoid these chemicals, limiting your plastic production and usage can help.
Replace Plastic With Paper Packaging: Alternatives!
There is currently a wide range of sustainable packaging alternatives at a number of pricing points and serve many functions as protective packaging.
Take a look at them below:
No #01: Paper Cushion Pad Replaces Bubble Mailer
Paper cushion pad mailers are made from two or more sheets of paper, fluted and lined with each other. You can strengthen these sheets to make a cardboard or thinner to create a more elastic paper sheet.
A cushion pad makes an excellent partition wall or shockproof bottom in a box.
Commercial interposers are composed of three, five, or seven layers of food-grade adhesive and paper. The product's wafer structure provides a shock-absorbing impact. It is composed of 100% recyclable materials and is reusable. It's also relatively renewable because it's created from a fast-growing product; glassine.
Paper cushion pad mailers can then be repurposed into more packaging. You can customize the paper cushion pad with something like a print or color of your preference. Moreover, the cushion reduces the effects of bumps in transit.
No #02: Candy Pads Replaces Plastic Trays
Paper usage could benefit brands that are slow on the draw. Smaller companies with higher-end products typically have higher prices and hence a bigger profit range to develop and implement sustainable packaging solutions.
Businesses may profit from the association if they move to paper packaging and invite comparison with these high-quality brands - but at a reduced price level.
Extra details, such as custom cushion pads, can prove to buyers that the quality of your brand has not decreased. On the other hand, cushion pads boost that luxurious picture even more: they're an upgraded touch to unbox, increasing the excitement.
Feel free to contact us if you'd like to consult your paper packaging needs for chocolate products such as custom candy pads or paper cushion pad