ENS 301.02 : Investigating The Development of Biodegradable Packaging from Agricultural Waste
Celeste Ciaramitaro
Every year, millions of pounds of plastic wastes are produced globally, much of which will end up in landfills and oceans for centuries. As the environmental crisis of plastics in our ecosystems worsens, the needs for innovative and sustainable packaging solutions have never been more urgent. Scientists are looking at the benefits of turning agricultural wastes into biodegradable packaging that will naturally decompose. This could offer a solution to one of the biggest environmental issues in the world, unmanaged and mismanaged plastic wastes (Browning, 2021). Despite the abundance of agricultural waste, limited research explores its application in sustainable packaging solutions. In this proposal we will explore the development of biodegradable packaging, we will also be addressing the effects on the consumers as well as businesses when it comes to the development and use of biodegradable packaging (Maraveas, 2020).
The increasing accumulation of plastic packaging waste has raised significant environmental concern as it has negative effects on our ecosystems (Kumar, 2021). Not only is our climate being affected, but our way of life as we know it as these negatives effects touch our everyday schedules. Plastic pollution is affecting both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (Kumar, 2021). Plastic creates many issues for the environment, such as the transfer of small plastics through to the food chain. In addition, plastic ingestion by organisms blocks breathing pathways, leading to death. A study by Kumar (2021) found that that small plastics are predicted to harm over 600 marine species by 2050 (Kumar, 2021). The disposal of plastic wastes in our environment is occurring at an unprecedented rate, posing significant challenges for waste management, growing populations, and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (Kumar, 2021). According to a study by Maraveas (2020), 400 million tons of synthetic plastics are produced each year globally, and less that 9% of them are recycled (Maraveas, 2020). This rate is expected to increase by the year 2050 as our species continues (Maraveas, 2020). With these negative outcomes in mind, it is important that we must take a comprehensive approach to the plastic waste issue.
The primary goal of packaging is to protect the context or goods from external elements and damages. In 2019, the global production of plastic was at 370 million tons, with only 9% of it being recycled, 12% being incinerated, and the remaining left in the environment or landfills (Browning, 2021). Polymers, which are natural or synthetic substances that are composed of multiple chemical units, are one of the materials most frequently utilized in packaging applications. Polymers are frequently utilized in packaging due to their outstanding physical, mechanical, thermal, chemical, and optical qualities, ease of molding or transformation into goods, low weight, and affordability (Kaushalya, 2019). Synthetic Polymers are the basis of the majority of packaging materials. But negatively, these synthetic polymers cause environmental issues and are difficult for nature to fully decompose after use. Polymers can be produced to be biodegradable with the use of renewable raw materials, micro-organisms, petrochemicals (can be obtained from corn or sugar cane), or combinations of all three (Maraveas, 2020). Biodegradable polymers can be easily degraded by microorganisms within a reasonable period, ensuring that biodegradable polymers and their degraded products have a minimal environmental impact (Maraveas, 2020). All these features allow biodegradable packaging to be considered an environmentally friendly alternative.
The management of food waste production during the processing of fruits and vegetables has become significant due to the rise of the food business and the growing global population (Salunkhe, 2022). Agricultural wastes not only contain nutrients that could contribute positively to our ecosystems, but they also contain bioactive components making them better for the Earth. To explain further, we can extract Poly Lactic acid (PLA) which is generally obtained from rice, potato, and cane sugar and is extracted via fermentation process (Salunkhe, 2022). The use of bioactive components for the creation of biodegradable packaging is a creative use for this waste material. Adapting these strategies now can significantly increase our sustainable activities (Salunkhe, 2022). With further studies, researchers are learning how to generate these wastes into bio-based polymers. Bio-based polymers are biodegradable polymers extracted from plant, animals, or microbial sources (Cywar, 2022). We can make these bio-based polymers with the help of natural resources, such as fruit seeds, fruit peels, coconut shells, potato peels, orange tree pruning, wheat straw, oil palm fibers, corn starch, rice husks, and so many more renewable sources. With the ongoing issue of climate change and the environmental consequences of global plastic pollution, the need to realize bio-based material in replacement of polymers currently being used are the future of plastic production. With bio-based polymers, we can generate more environmentally friendly options (Souza, 2022).
To fix the issue of the mass production of plastics that persist in the environment forever, we will be taking a look at a more relevant issue that has brough more attention to our plastic problem. With the rise of COVID-19, consumer behavior began to change as many were concerned with the safety issues with purchasing foods. Consumer patterns changed to more single use plastics as individuals did not want to leave their homes or catch the virus. Take-out and delivery became the preference for many individuals. According to Souza (2022), “plastic manufacturing has surpassed most other man-made materials, with over 90% being petroleum-based and non-biodegradable.” (Souza, 2022, p. 2.) Plastic packaging, most specifically plastic food packaging, is a leading contributor to urban waste. Since the beginning of plastic industrial production, its global production has increased from 1.5 (from the year 1950) to 367 (the year 2020) million metric tons (Souza, 2021). COVID-19 is not a main issue to our plastic problem, but it is a more relevant issue that has brough more attention to our plastic consumption as humans.
This study aims to investigate how consumer decision-making is affected by the move from plastic packaging to packaging made from agricultural waste. It will specifically look into how consumers decisions when faced with biodegradable packaging are influenced by elements including price sensitivity, perceived quality, and environmental awareness. Understanding these dynamics can provide valuable insight for companies looking to implement sustainable practices while maintaining consumer satisfaction and competitiveness in the market. Thus, my central research question is stated as “How does changing packaging from plastic to agricultural waste influence consumer decision making?” This question is relevant not only because consumers are now paying more and more attention to their packaging options, but they are also becoming more aware of their environmental impact (Herbes, 2018).
As a core theory, Norm Activation Theory (NAT) can be utilized to best explain what impacts human behavior. As a theoretical framework, Norm Activation Theory explains altruistic and environmentally friendly behaviors. It states that personal norms are determined by awareness of consequences and feelings of responsibility for specific behavior. More specifically, individual norm is the cognition of an individual’s responsibility and obligation and is an important factor influencing an individual’s altruistic behavior (Arkofoful, 2023). It is constructed with multiple different constructs in a specific order, starting with the ideas of subjective norm, behavioral belief, normative belief, actual control belief, intention, and attitude.
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