Did you know that food packaging is the top contributor to food waste? In the growing market of food and beverages, this has been a major problem.
Now, a newcomer in the packaging industry – Israel’s TIPA, has come up with a solution.
Being established by Tal Neuman and Daphna Nissenbaum in April 2010, TIPA has developed a 100% compostable and biodegradable solution for packaging food. This solution will especially benefit flexible packaging, which is used for various food products such as frozen food, baked goods, snacks, and fresh produce. With the flexible packaging industry estimated to be worth $65 billion, TIPA’s solution can pave the way for eco-friendly flexible packaging. Many thought this to be impossible until Nissenbaum and Neuman came up with their series of compounds, packaging films and laminates that take just 180 days to break down into smaller pieces and merge with the landfill.
Is Sustainable Food Packaging the Way Forward?
A recent study has shown that 89% of consumers prefer to buy products in packages that they can recycle. As the demand for sustainable food packaging grows, green space is becoming increasingly competitive.
TIPA’s team took five years to come up with its eco-friendly flexible packaging solution. It’s interesting to note that the less traveled green path towards sustainable food packaging has increasingly become crowded, with several other players in the market vying for their share of the pie.
Polysack based in Israel is a name to reckon with, in the domain of flexible packaging, since 1974. Its focus is limited to beverage labels and candy wrappers though.
Tadbik, with its operations spread across the globe, is another flexible packaging producer. Though it utilises socially responsible materials, they aren’t 100% recyclable.
NatureWorks’ Ingeo-based solutions are also worth mentioning. These were created to decrease the noise levels that have provoked criticism in the past over compostable options, like the biodegradable snack bags of Pepsi, considered to be extremely noisy.
The road to environment-friendly flexible packaging isn’t devoid of obstacles. It comes at a high cost, which many believe to be a big challenge in going green. For instance, compared to the cost of regular plastic, TIPA’s food packaging solution costs two to three times more.
Though this is due to the present economies of scale and the price is expected to come down in a few years, some are sceptical about how the market will accept it. So, we have to wait and watch the market’s reaction once TIPA’s flexible packaging is launched in the market.
TIPA and Amcor PartnershipTIPA and Amcor Partnership in Food Packaging
We are all aware of how serious the issue of plastic pollution is. Every year, tons of plastic waste end up in our landfills and oceans, where it does serious damage to the environment. And while we’ve been making some progress in recent years in terms of reducing our reliance on plastic, there’s still a long way to go.
Fortunately, many companies are working and innovating to solve this plastic problem. One of them is Amcor, which has just struck a deal with Israeli tech company Tipa. TIPA’s compostable packaging can be used like conventional plastic. But the laminates and films decompose after 180 days of exposure to elements, which is significantly shorter than the 1000 years compostable period for some plastics.
In exclusive cooperation with TIPA, Amcor will produce, provide, and distribute fresh produce and baked goods. The collaboration enables the removal of conventional plastic bags and packaging from the waste stream.
According to Simon Roy, vice-president of Amcor Flexibles Australia, the bags are a “breakthrough” that could help to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. And because they can be used for food waste as well as garden waste, they could also help to improve soil quality for farmers.
So far, the bags are being trialed in a few local councils, but the hope is that they will eventually be available across Australia. So next time you’re doing your spring cleaning, or trimming your hedge, consider using one of these bags instead of sending your waste to the landfill. It’s good for the environment, and it might just help your garden grow!
TIPA Obtains Another Investment
An Israeli company that makes compostable packaging has received a $70 million investment. Tipa develops packaging solutions that are made from materials that can break down into compost. The company announced the investment on Sunday.
The money will be used to expand Tipa’s operations and product line. The company’s products are currently available in Europe, North America, and Israel. Tipa’s packaging is made from plant-based materials such as corn starch and flexible cellulose. The company says its products are strong and durable and can be used for a variety of applications including food flexible packaging, retail bags, and product labels.
Tipa Corp is a company that plans to reduce the wastefulness of the flexible plastic packaging industry. The market for consumer goods is projected to reach about $200 billion by 2025, but a majority of the flexible plastic packaging used will be thrown away and end up in landfills or burned.
Tipa’s compostable packaging alternative will hopefully reduce the amount of waste generated by this market, as it will biodegrade into nourishing compost instead of remaining in the environment as harmful microplastics. The company’s long-term objective is to make its packaging solution function as a component of a circular economy. If successful, Tipa Corp could help to alleviate one of the environmental harms caused by the growing consumer market.
