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Food Innovation Centre offers sustainable packaging advice

12 March 2021

Reform of the UK packaging EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) system is likely to be introduced in 2023, along with a Plastic Packaging Tax. Food and drink manufacturers in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire can now take advantage of free advice about the latest developments in sustainable packaging ahead of the new regulations which are expected to come into force in two years. 

The Food Innovation Centre, based at the University of Nottingham, has drafted a fact sheet on the subject to help food and drink manufacturers in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire choose the sustainable packaging that best suits their products.

“Packaging offers many essential functions such as protection, containment, preservation, information and branding,” explained Dr Daniele D’Agostino, research fellow at the Food Innovation Centre.“It is an essential part of modern retailing. Without packaging, goods' choice could be reduced, as could quality, freshness, shelf-life, and convenience. 

“However, the total volume of packaging in the UK economy has grown enormously, representing a significant proportion of the domestic waste stream. Consumers have become aware of the issues surrounding waste, single-use packaging, and plastic pollutions and are demanding more sustainable solutions. Hence, packaging manufacturers and retailers face the challenge of preserving and enhancing packaging functionality while reducing its volume, increasing the amount reused or reprocessed, and developing more sustainable products.”

The Food Innovation Centre has worked with a range of SMEs in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire to offer advice on ways to introduce sustainable packaging. “Consumers are asking for a reduction in packaging and more sustainable options, so it makes good business sense to cut the environmental impact of packaging, as well as being the ethical thing to do,” said D’Agostino,.   

A fact sheet drafted by the Food Innovation Centre outlines the pros and cons of some of the key packaging materials used by the food and drink sector, such as glass, metal, paper and cardboard, plastic, composite and bio-plastic.

Experts at the centre can elaborate on the options available and their suitability for different food and drink. It is offering free bespoke sustainable packaging advice and support to eligible SMEs under the Driving Research and Innovation project – a three-year project that runs until the end of December 2022. Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) via the D2N2 LEP, the project is run by the Food Innovation Centre at the University of Nottingham School of Biosciences, in conjunction with the Chemistry Innovation Laboratory in the School of Chemistry and Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and in association with the Midlands Engine. 

For more information about the Food Innovation Centre go to: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/biosciences/facilities/food-innovation-centre.aspx


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