I’ve been in packaging since 1978, when I trained as a packaging technologist with the Co-op. At that time, I was moving everything in all the factories – from biscuits to margarine to drinks – to plastic. We were moving away frommaterials like cellulose and paper. Plastics were the new solution – they were cheaper and they provided a barrier for foods. All these years later, we’re nowmoving out of plastics and into some of those same natural materials, and some new ones. I’ve worked in packaging all around the world over those 44 years. I was at Iceland three years ago, when they became the first retailer to announce they were going plastic-free – by 2023. It caught the public imagination, and it was all over the press and TV. It sent a message to all the other retailers, and all the other brands around the world, that, we have to do something; we have to turn the plastic tap down. It has since become a much bigger subject. It is about ensuring we have the infrastructure not just to turn the plastic tap down, with alternatives, refills, reducing consumption, but also it’s about looking at the newmaterials, like algae or seaweed, to replace that plastic. Some of them are ready now, some are not. Across all the products in our supermarkets, everything is being looked at – to either replace the plastics, or reduce it as much as possible. If that’s not possible, then it’s about making sure it is part of the circular economy, and it can be recycled, reused. We don’t want it to be turned into benches or tables, we want it to be used again. We certainly don’t want to burn it, and we definitely don’t want to send it to landfill, or overseas. Not only are consumers wanting change, we also have legislation. We’ve got a plastics tax coming to the UKwhich companies will have to pay if there is not a percentage of recycledmaterials – collected at kerbside fromour houses – in our plastics. On hard plastics, likemilk bottles, that’s okay – we are going to be able to do that; on soft plastics, we will not be ready, so all packaging suppliers will be payingmore tax. WIDE-RANGING CONSEQUENCES The shift from plastics has an effect in every area – food service, restaurants, stores. We now have avocado straws instead of plastic; paper bagsat the checkout; Amazon have changed their packaging to be nothing but paper. This has a massive knock-on effect away from plastics – is there enough paper capacity? Even though three trees are being planted for every one coming out around the world, even though it is being made sustainable, because the demand is moving so quickly, we are struggling to get paper and board. That’s why recycling all that paper and board is important across retail, food service, online. Consumers understand that, and do it easily, but when it comes to plastics, it’s a whole different ballgame, with lots of added complications. There will be questions about bioproducts – products that are biodegradable, but there is no kerbside collection for those compostable materials. You might be able to put them in industrial composters, or back in the land, but there is no council collection. Also, if you put bio-products in with plastics, it contaminates the waste. We’re trying to get the circular economy working, to recycle, and that cannot be done if you put bio-products in with it. There are undoubtedly challenges ahead, but just look at the progress in the last five years. Efforts are continuing to ensure businesses big and small are cutting out unrecyclable plastics from their supply chains – as we have been doing at Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses – and there is sure to be innovation and improvement in the next five years and beyond. 24 | Ian Schofield is a packaging technologist with more than 40 years of experience in the food packaging industry. He works with Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses on developing their packaging options. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Mining, Materials and Minerals and is a visiting lecturer at two universities.
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