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Review
. 2020 Nov 6;13(21):4994.
doi: 10.3390/ma13214994.

Environmental Impact of Food Packaging Materials: A Review of Contemporary Development from Conventional Plastics to Polylactic Acid Based Materials

Lindani Koketso Ncube  1 , Albert Uchenna Ude  1 , Enoch Nifise Ogunmuyiwa  2 , Rozli Zulkifli  3 , Isaac Nongwe Beas  4
Affiliations
Review

Environmental Impact of Food Packaging Materials: A Review of Contemporary Development from Conventional Plastics to Polylactic Acid Based Materials

Lindani Koketso Ncube et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

Plastics have remained the material of choice, and after serving their intended purpose, a large proportion ends up in the environment where they persist for centuries. The packaging industry is the largest and growing consumer of synthetic plastics derived from fossil fuels. Food packaging plastics account for the bulk of plastic waste that are polluting the environment. Additionally, given the fact that petroleum reserves are finite and facing depletion, there is a need for the development of alternative materials that can serve the same purpose as conventional plastics. This paper reviews the function of packaging materials and highlights the future potential of the adoption of green materials. Biopolymers have emerged as promising green materials although they still have very low market uptake. Polylactic acid (PLA) has emerged as the most favoured bioplastic. However, it is limited by its high cost and some performance drawbacks. Blending with agricultural waste and natural fillers can result in green composites at low cost, low greenhouse gas emissions, and with improved performance for food packaging applications. The continent of Africa is proposed as a rich source of fibres and fillers that can be sustainably exploited to fabricate green composites in a bid to achieve a circular economy.

Keywords: biodegradable; bioplastics; composites; food packaging; polylactic acid.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
EU Waste Management Hierarchy. Adapted from [18].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Bioplastics material coordinate system. Adapted from [51].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Share of biodegradable and non-biodegradable bioplastics production capacities (2015 to 2019). Data from [64].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Global production capacities of bioplastics in 2019. Adapted from [65].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Mechanical properties of biopolymers and fossil-based polymers [28].
Figure 6
Figure 6
World production capacity for PLA (2010 to 2019). Data from [64].
Figure 7
Figure 7
Lifecycle of PLA bioplastic [83].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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