Status quo and sector readiness for (bio)plastic food and beverage packaging in the 4IR

Single-use plastics emanating from the food and beverage industry are polluting the environment, and there is increasing public pressure to find 'green' solutions to plastic pollution. The introduction of more bio-based and biodegradable plastics (possibly manufactured by disruptive techno...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSouth African Journal of Science Vol. 118; no. 7; pp. 1 - 9
Main Authors Welz, Pamela J., Linganiso, Linda Z., Murray, Patrick, Authur, Georgina D., Collins, Catherine, Bakare, Babatunde F.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Pretoria Academy of Science for South Africa (ASSAf) 01.07.2022
Academy of Science of South Africa
Subjects
Beverage industry
Beverages
bio-based
bio-based, biodegradable, feedstock, polymer
Biodegradable
Biodegradation
Bioplastics
Degradation
Feedstock
Food
Food industry
Food packaging
Fossil fuels
Low density polyethylenes
Manufacturing
Packaging
Plastic pollution
Plastics
Plastics recycling
Pollution
Polyesters
Polyethylene terephthalate
Polymer
Polymers
Polyvinyl chloride
Qualitative analysis
Raw materials
Recycling
South Africa
Europe
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Summary:Single-use plastics emanating from the food and beverage industry are polluting the environment, and there is increasing public pressure to find 'green' solutions to plastic pollution. The introduction of more bio-based and biodegradable plastics (possibly manufactured by disruptive technologies), increased plastic recycling, and enhanced degradation of plastics (micro, meso, and macro) in the environment can holistically contribute to solving the problem for future generations. In order to inform future research, it is imperative that robust background data and information are available. This review provides details about the volumes and categories of food and beverage packaging manufactured and recycled, and available data (qualitative and quantitative) on environmental plastic pollution in South Africa, and to a lesser extent, in Europe and globally. In addition, current and future trends and technologies for recycling, enhanced degradation, and manufacturing of plastics are discussed, with an emphasis on the manufacture of bioplastics.
ISSN:0038-2353
1996-7489
DOI:10.17159/sajs.2022/9748