Advancing Snack Sustainability

According to research from the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), 82% of U.S. consumers think we live in a wasteful society: 71% feel that the amount of waste on land, such as plastic, landfills and litter, has gotten worse since the 1970s, and 77% feel the amount of waste in oceans, including plastics, trash and oil, has worsened during this period. This has instilled a sense of urgency: 75% of consumers believe we need to immediately address about the amount of plastic accumulating in our oceans (as reported by Steve French, managing partner, NMI, in the Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery article “Sustainable and responsible”).

Consumer demand for greater eco-consciousness is influencing packaging decisions. “With a strong push for more-sustainable design — and an emphasis on substrates that are compostable, biodegradable, light-weighted, recyclable or made with recycled material — CPG manufacturers face new challenges in handling bags that often are thinner or more delicate than their predecessors,” said Jorge Izquierdo, vice president, market development, PMMI, in a recent Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery magazine article (see “Sustainability trends in packaging materials and equipment”).