Gen Z and Y consumers want to know they are buying food that is as sustainable, energy and water conscious as possible. Pay attention to food packaging.
In Ukraine, a law has been adopted that, from December 10, 2021, limits the circulation of thin plastic bags. However, at first they will not completely disappear, it will be possible to use ultra-thin plastic bags with a wall thickness of up to 15 micrometers.
And from March 10, 2022, a ban on the use of thin and ultra-thin bags in trade will come into force.
The law also allows the use of biodegradable bags. They are made from potato or corn starch, so that they subsequently decompose into elements of natural origin. By the beginning of 2023, only such packages should remain. But in relation to them, too, not everything is so simple, because without access to oxygen, they emit methane, which destroys the ozone layer. Therefore, if you do not solve the basic problem in Ukraine – waste sorting, this step will not be so effective.
It is still difficult to predict how quickly retailers and consumers will adapt to changes. And the transformation has already begun. Businesses are eyeing plastic recycling as a niche, and innovators are developing solutions for fully biodegradable packaging. According to experts, the potential of the sustainable packaging market is estimated at more than $400 billion by 2027.
Carbon labeling and the development of carbon farming
Consumers are increasingly wondering: what is the cost to the environment of the food that hit the table? Subsequently, the indication of the environmental impact (carbon footprint – carbon footprint) on food packaging will be as common as the indication of the calorie content or the place of production of the product.
The carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of greenhouse gases emitted during the production, use and disposal of products and services. The production stage covers all processes – from the extraction of raw materials to getting the finished product on the store shelf. If the carbon index continues to rise, the climate will change at an even faster rate.
Rising and fluctuating temperatures, declining soil fertility, and desertification all contribute to the development of carbon farming. It provides for the rejection of the use of pesticides, the conservation of biodiversity, the increase in forest areas, the reduction of industrial emissions, the addition of compost to the soil.
In Ukraine, climate change is leading to a decrease in the harvest of grain, berries and fruits in those regions that suffer from summer rainfall, such as this year. And in the spring of 2020, farmers significantly lost their crops of vegetables and fruits due to frost. If we add to this the state of Ukrainian soils and their degradation due to plowing, then carbon farming becomes not such a fantastic prospect.