As packaging manufacturers around the world rapidly abandon the use of virgin plastics, the demand for fiber-based solutions is booming. However, industry associations, producers and consumers can seriously overlook an environmental hazard in paper and pulp use - moisture loss.
The pulp and paper (P&P) industry is currently one of the most water-intensive sectors of the industrial economy, requiring an average of 54 cubic meters of water per metric ton of finished product. While certification programs such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) are designed to ensure sustainable water use, only 17% of the global supply meets these standards.
The people involved revealed that if left unattended, water use in the fiber industry could lead to a crisis in the near future. However, he says there is a simple solution: use agricultural residues from the food industry.
"The main agricultural wastes suitable for packaging are wheat straw, barley straw and sugarcane bagasse. Hemp has excellent fiber length, but is not available in large quantities of the first three. All four are waste products after the edible portion has been removed to make high-quality pulp for paper and molding," he explains.
"A huge advantage of non-tree fibers is the amount of water used in the process - 70-99% less than wood pulp, depending on the raw material."
Fiber-based mania
Last year, Innova Market Insights labeled "fiber-based mania" as a top packaging trend, noting that stricter regulations such as the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive are driving the transition from single-use plastics to fiber-based alternatives.
According to market researchers, the majority of consumers worldwide consider paper packaging to be "somewhat environmentally sustainable" (37%) (plastic packaging (31%)) or "very environmentally friendly" (35%) (plastic packaging (15%)).
Moving away from fossil fuel-based materials inadvertently raises new environmental issues that are largely invisible to policymakers.
Foulkes-Arellano says increased investment could improve the availability of agricultural waste to reduce waste associated with tree-based fibers.
"The government can provide financial incentives for farmers and create a favorable investment environment. The EU has been slow on non-tree fiber and the UK government has slowed growth due to ignorance," he said.
"The main challenge is investment, as pulping and molding technologies have made dramatic advances in the last five to 10 years. As brands are interested in life cycle assessment, we are also starting to see investment flowing into agricultural waste."
In addition, he noted that the price of wood pulp is "skyrocketing," which makes practicality a serious issue.
"Equally challenging is education. Most people who specify packaging don't think non-tree fibers have enough scale, and that's been true until now."
This year, agricultural waste fiber technology specialist Papyrus Australia launched the "world's first" flip-top based entirely on banana fiber, produced at its molded fiber packaging facility in Sharqiah, Egypt.
