Recycling in Packaging

Rising environmental pollution, the climate crisis facing the world, and global warming are bringing concepts such as sustainability and recycling to the forefront today. Waste generated by products consumed in human-caused environmental pollution occupies significant space. Waste disposed of in nature can remain in the environment for millions of years, poisoning nature and animals. Among disposed waste, packaging and packaging products occupy a large share. A product's life cycle is formed by the process from the procurement of raw materials used in production through consumption to waste generation. For a product to complete its life cycle correctly and not cause environmental pollution, the use of recyclable products is of great importance. The use of packaging initially began with people's need, particularly to protect and transport food. Early packaging was selected from materials found in nature, such as leaves and tree bark. However, with increasing consumption, technological developments, and the transition to settled life, the need for packaging to be used for longer periods arose. The Industrial Revolution in particular was a turning point in packaging design. The transition to mass production increased the function and value of packaging. Packaging is also a means of communication with consumers and a major factor in consumer purchasing decisions. As environmental pollution increases, research into consumer expectations shows they are turning to recyclable and environmentally friendly products. While packaging stands out through its design, it now also stands out by being environmentally friendly and recyclable. According to data shared in the Nielsen Global Corporate Sustainability Report, 73% of global consumers indicated they would be willing to pay more for sustainable brands and packaging. [1]

Recyclable Packaging

Recycling can be defined as the sorting and collection of used waste according to type, and obtaining raw materials through various physical and chemical processes. Extending the service life of raw materials that take a long time to decompose in nature through recycling reduces the amount of waste accumulating in nature while decreasing the use of such raw materials. When we look at packaging, it can be produced through many methods; those occupying the most space are plastic packaging, metal packaging, glass packaging, paper packaging, and composite packaging. Looking at plastic packaging, it is the most abundant plastic waste found in nature and can only be eliminated from nature 1,000 years after disposal. Additionally, because plastic waste is petroleum-based, it emits carbon dioxide, which accelerates global warming. For this reason, particularly plastic packaging being recyclable is of great importance. Looking at metal packaging waste, approximately 2 million tons of metal waste are collected and recovered annually. Aluminium beverage cans occupy an important place among packaging waste. Aluminium beverage cans are a significant source of energy and raw materials. Most recycling facilities in Turkey operate on paper and cardboard waste. Paper is among the easiest products to recycle. In Turkey, street collectors play a significant role in collecting paper waste. Street collectors who charge per unit of waste collected provide significant contribution to recycling. Reclaiming paper waste for recycling and reusing it is very important for nature because it prevents trees from being cut. The energy consumed to melt recycled glass is less than the energy consumed to produce a new glass bottle. Through recycling glass packaging waste, significant energy savings can be achieved. Because glass can be recycled 100% without any loss of quality, it is among the most suitable materials for recycling. In composite packaging waste, the recycling process is somewhat more complex and difficult. Particularly in Turkey, composite materials cannot be recycled because they cannot be separated from paper waste. One reason why recycling cannot be performed is that only one facility in Turkey provides this service.

Sustainable Packaging Design – Natural Dyes

Another aspect of producing environmentally friendly packaging is utilising natural products. In recent years, environmentally conscious brands have been selecting natural dyes for use on packaging. Consumer preferences and the climate crisis have created the concept of "Sustainable Packaging Design". Here, while focusing on recyclability when producing packaging, factors such as using less material, packaging waste being naturally degradable in the environment, and using less energy resources are also important. At this point, ensuring that dyes used on packaging are environmentally friendly is one of the areas that packaging manufacturers focus on. The reason for this is that chemical dyes used in packaging can harm the environment. The final coat of paint or ink on packaging causes environmental damage. Here, the use of natural dyes can be employed to eliminate this harm. By using paints produced with natural pigments, packaging can become more environmentally friendly. Research and development work on dye use continues through the use of natural pigments in packaging. Particularly in food packaging, work has been conducted in this area regarding the dyes to be used. For example, in the article "Make Your Packaging Colourful and Multifunctional: Molecular Interaction, Properties Characterization of Natural Colourant-Based Films and Their Applications in the Food Industry", 7 natural pigments that can be used in food packaging were evaluated and interpreted. In past years, it was sufficient for packaging only to protect the product from external factors, provide transport convenience, and affect consumers aesthetically. Today, along with ecological concerns, packaging is also expected to be environmentally friendly and recyclable in addition to these features. The main reason for this is that packaging waste occupies the most space in nature. Today, when we go to the store, it is noticeable that most products on the shelves are packaged. After these products are purchased, packaging is thrown away, and waste takes up significant space in nature. At the same time, the proportions of raw materials used for packaging production have increased with the transition to mass production and increased consumption. For this reason, increased energy consumption and depletion of raw material resources are points of attention. Through recycling, significant savings are achieved by reusing the product's raw materials. As in the packaging sector, environmentally friendly paints are coming to the fore in the paint sector. At this point, specially formulated colourants such as paints made with natural pigments and water-based paints are being evaluated in the packaging sector as well. Among the points a company must pay most attention to when producing packaging is consumer expectation. Packaging establishes communication between consumer and product. It has been observed that companies that do not choose packaging that will reflect the product well fail to be preferred by consumers, no matter how good the product is. Consumer expectations also change over time. Today, the negative changes occurring in our nature have created more conscious consumers. Conscious consumers choose products that have the least impact on nature. In this sense, companies' investment in recycling and environmentally friendly packaging will be positively evaluated by consumers.     Sources: 1- Changing Consumer Expectations in Food Packaging Design; Tevfik İnanç İlisulu 2- Sustainability in Packaging Design Through Nature's Inspiration: Biomimicry Approach; Assistant Professor Müge Caferoğlu 3- A General Overview: Natural Dyes; Ozan Deveoğlu, Recep Karadağ 4- https://aged.org.tr/geri-donusebilen-ambalajlar 5- Make your packaging colorful and multifunctional: The molecular interaction and properties characterization of natural colorant-based films and their applications in food industry; Jiayin Huang, Zhiheng Hu, Gaoshang Li, Lingping Hu, Jianchu Chen, Yaqin Hu 6- https://www.shutterstock.com/tr/image-vector/people-using-eco-bagsorting-plastic-2094007552 7- https://pixabay.com/tr/photos/gerid%c3%b6n%c3%bc%c5%9f%c3%bcm-m%c4%b1s%c4%b1r-237874/ 8- https://pixabay.com/tr/photos/plastik-d%c3%b6k%c3%bcnt%c3%bchantal-geri-d%c3%b6n%c3%bc%c5%9f%c3%bcm-4597957/