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

• Published in: Materials Vol. 13; no. 21; p. 4994
• Main Authors: Ncube, Lindani Koketso, Ude, Albert Uchenna, Ogunmuyiwa, Enoch Nifise, Zulkifli, Rozli, Beas, Isaac Nongwe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 06.11.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Agricultural wastes; Biodegradable materials; Biodegradation; Biopolymers; Chemical synthesis; Composite materials; Consumption; Depletion; Environmental conditions; Environmental impact; Fillers; Food packaging; Food packaging industry; Food waste; Fossil fuels; Greenhouse gases; High density polyethylenes; Package design; Packaging industry; Plastics; Polyethylene terephthalate; Polylactic acid; Polymers; Review; composites; biodegradable; polylactic acid; food packaging; bioplastics

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...