Rethinking sustainability in food packaging by prioritising durability and reducing food waste

iKrafts is a company operating in the food packaging industry, focused on developing solutions that improve the performance and effectiveness of packaging in real-world conditions. Managing Director Joe Sizeland is a leading voice in challenging conventional thinking around sustainable packaging design.

Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a bit about your role and your organisation.

“My name is Joe Sizeland and I am managing director at iKrafts, a high-quality packaging specialist built on a legacy of more than a century of packaging expertise.

As managing director, I lead the company’s strategic direction, oversee daily activities and drive commercial performance.

iKrafts supplies a range of food packaging solutions, tailored to meet the needs of various sectors, from fresh bakery produce to takeaway food.”

“My name is Joe Sizeland and I am managing director at iKrafts, a high-quality packaging specialist built on a legacy of more than a century of packaging expertise.”

Why is food waste such a critical issue when discussing sustainable packaging?

“The environmental impact of wasting food, due to poor packaging, is far higher than the environmental impact of the packaging itself.

Although cutting back on plastic is crucial for sustainability, material reduction can quickly affect the durability and thermal protection of packaging, significantly reducing the shelf-life of food.”

“The environmental impact of wasting food, due to poor packaging, is far higher than the environmental impact of the packaging itself.”

How has the sustainability conversation around food packaging been misdirected?

“The conversation surrounding sustainability and food packaging has commonly been related to material science, specifically how composable, biodegradable and recyclable food packaging is.

But unfortunately this fails to address how well the packaging prevents food spoilage.

This has led to people relying on marketing claims about food packaging, such as ‘recyclable’ or ‘compostable’ labels, without questioning the underlying issue of food waste.”

“This has led to people relying on marketing claims about food packaging, such as ‘recyclable’ or ‘compostable’ labels, without questioning the underlying issue of food waste.”

Why can biodegradable or compostable packaging sometimes be less sustainable?

“Biodegradable or compostable packaging, although sustainable from a material standpoint, often fails to keep food fresh due to poor durability, weak structural integrity and bad thermal performance.

This results in food spoilage at a much quicker rate than expected.

Instead of focusing on what happens to the packaging, it’s more important that we consider whether the food ever gets consumed at all.

This is especially important when taking into account how many people actually recycle their packaging, as you have to completely rely on the individual buying the food product to recycle it to have any sustainable benefit.”

“Instead of focusing on what happens to the packaging, it’s more important that we consider whether the food ever gets consumed at all.”

What role do durability and performance play in sustainable packaging design?

“The better the structural integrity and thermal performance of packaging is, the more effective it is for reducing food waste.

When food is crushed in transit or spoils easily due to poor storage conditions, it significantly reduces its lifespan and contributes to food waste.”

“The better the structural integrity and thermal performance of packaging is, the more effective it is for reducing food waste.”

What is the true environmental cost of food waste in the UK?

“Food waste accounts for around one third of all greenhouse gas emissions, making it a significant environmental problem.

Households alone contribute 17 million pounds worth of edible food waste, which is around 1,000 pounds per year for a family of four.”

“Food waste accounts for around one third of all greenhouse gas emissions, making it a significant environmental problem.”

How does food waste compare to packaging in terms of emissions?

“Food waste makes up around 34% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, and this rises to 66% when imports are included.

This is a direct and unrecoverable environmental loss that is having a significant impact on the planet.

But interestingly enough food packaging only makes up 3% of the food sector’s emissions in the UK, having a much lower overall impact.”

“Food packaging only makes up 3% of the food sector’s emissions in the UK, having a much lower overall impact.”

Can you put the environmental impact of food waste versus packaging into perspective?

“When you’re wasting food, you’re not only wasting the item itself, but all of the other processes that went into making it, including farming, processing and manufacturing, transport and refrigeration, and retail storage.

The environmental cost of this is completely unrecoverable as you can’t reuse any of these processes.

By contrast, the food packaging on its own represents a much smaller amount of total emissions within the food product’s lifecycle.”

“The environmental cost of this is completely unrecoverable as you can’t reuse any of these processes.”

What changes are needed in how the industry approaches sustainable packaging?

“Sustainable food packaging production needs to move towards a more well-rounded approach that doesn’t just focus on ‘labels’ and greenwashing, but on durability and performance to protect food.

The environmental impact of food packaging that keeps food fresh for longer, reducing food waste, is far more beneficial than solely focusing on packaging that can be recycled after use.”

“The environmental impact of food packaging that keeps food fresh for longer, reducing food waste, is far more beneficial than solely focusing on packaging that can be recycled after use.”