Sustainable Communication in the B2C Market—The Impact of Packaging

The purpose of this study was to widen the knowledge about the recycling behaviour of consumers in order to understand their motivations related to the separate collection of household waste. This work encompasses a segmentation analysis revealing discrepancies between the respondents, who were profiled into three clusters: Engaged in green, characterised by high values of pro-environmental attitudes; Indolent adopters, described by respondents revealing moderate attitudes towards sorting waste; and Ecological objectors, who do not appreciate the benefits of recycling. The results showed that regardless of the cluster type, the level of actual knowledge about segregation rules was similar and insufficient, which hinders the correct sorting of household waste. It was also found that special attention should be paid to the quality of the information provided by FMCG packaging. Our study highlighted the need for a mandatory, precise, and coherent system of packaging labelling in order to promote pro-environmental attitudes and enhance the effectiveness of recycling

Sustainable Communication in the B2C Market—The Impact of Packaging

The purpose of this study was to widen the knowledge about the recycling behaviour of consumers in order to understand their motivations related to the separate collection of household waste. This work encompasses a segmentation analysis revealing discrepancies between the respondents, who were profiled into three clusters: Engaged in green, characterised by high values of pro-environmental attitudes; Indolent adopters, described by respondents revealing moderate attitudes towards sorting waste; and Ecological objectors, who do not appreciate the benefits of recycling. The results showed that regardless of the cluster type, the level of actual knowledge about segregation rules was similar and insufficient, which hinders the correct sorting of household waste. It was also found that special attention should be paid to the quality of the information provided by FMCG packaging. Our study highlighted the need for a mandatory, precise, and coherent system of packaging labelling in order to promote pro-environmental attitudes and enhance the effectiveness of recycling

Sustainability design of plastic packaging for the Circular Economy

Przedstawiono współczesne problemy rynku opakowań z tworzyw sztucznych, wynikające ze zmian w ustawodawstwie Unii Europejskiej, wprowadzającym nowe podejście do gospodarki materiałami polimerowymi na każdym etapie ich cyklu życia. Opisano ideę Gospodarki o Obiegu Zamkniętym (GOZ, ang. Circular Economy) oraz rolę opakowań zrównoważonych w tym systemie. Przedstawiono najważniejsze zasady ekoprojektowania opakowań polimerowych w aspekcie ograniczenia powstawania odpadów i przydatności opakowań do odzysku na drodze recyklingu materiałowego. Ekoprojektowanie opakowań z tworzyw sztucznych ujęte w koncepcji Gospodarki o Obiegu Zamkniętym może wkrótce stać się istotnym czynnikiem przewagi konkurencyjnej w branży opakowaniowej.The article presents contemporary problems on the plastic packaging market, resulting from changes in the legislation of the European Union, introducing a new approach to the management of polymer materials at every stage of the life cycle. The idea of a Circular Economy (CE) has been described and issues related to packaging materials. Presented are the most important principles of eco-design of polymer packaging, in the aspect of reducing the formation of packaging waste and the suitability of packaging for recovery through material recycling. The eco-design of plastic packaging included in the Circular Economy concept may soon become a significant competitive advantage in the packaging industry

FILMS LDPE/LLDPE MADE FROM POST - CONSUMER PLASTICS: PROCESSING, STRUCTURE, MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

The paper presents the results of the investigation into the themo-mechanical, rheological and structural properties of films made from recycled polyethylenes in the "foil-to-foil" system, the comparative material were films made from primary raw materials. The films were prepared by melt mixing technique in a single screw extruder. Primary polyethylenes, recyclates and their blends were used. The aim of the research was to determine the quality of the materials derived from the closed process of the recycling of polyethylene film in comparison to virgin plastics. The mechanical properties of the films were measured by tensile test and puncture test. The morphology was studied using polarized light microscopy (POM) and FT-IR measurements. DSC and shrinkage were used to determine thermal behavior and the degree of crystallinity. The results showed that the obtained recycled blends rLDPE/rLLDPE are high-quality material with good processing properties susceptible to the production of thin films. Studies on the mechanical properties of the recycled blends showed an increase in tensile strength and elongation. An increase in the melting temperature and heat of fusion, as determined from DSC, was observed with an increase in the recycled blends. Puncture results demonstrated that the post-consumer recycled film was more strength than the film made from virgin plastics. Thus, these materials may serve as valuable recycled plastics useful for packaging applications

Polysaccharide-Based Nanocomposites for Food Packaging Applications

The article presents a review of the literature on the use of polysaccharide bionanocomposites in the context of their potential use as food packaging materials. Composites of this type consist of at least two phases, of which the outer phase is a polysaccharide, and the inner phase (dispersed phase) is an enhancing agent with a particle size of 1–100 nm in at least one dimension. The literature review was carried out using data from the Web of Science database using VosViewer, free software for scientometric analysis. Source analysis concluded that polysaccharides such as chitosan, cellulose, and starch are widely used in food packaging applications, as are reinforcing agents such as silver nanoparticles and cellulose nanostructures (e.g., cellulose nanocrystals and nanocellulose). The addition of reinforcing agents improves the thermal and mechanical stability of the polysaccharide films and nanocomposites. Here we highlighted the nanocomposites containing silver nanoparticles, which exhibited antimicrobial properties. Finally, it can be concluded that polysaccharide-based nanocomposites have sufficient properties to be tested as food packaging materials in a wide spectrum of applications

Characterization of Biodegradable Food Contact Materials under Gamma-Radiation Treatment

Radiation is an example of one of the techniques used for pasteurization and sterilization in various packaging systems. There is a high demand for the evaluation of the possible degradation of new composites, especially based on natural raw materials. The results of experimental research that evaluated the impact of radiation technology on biodegradable and compostable packaging materials up to 40 kGy have been presented. Two commercially available flexible composite films based on aliphatic–aromatic copolyesters (AA) were selected for the study, including one film with chitosan and starch (AA-CH-S) and the other with thermoplastic starch (AA-S). The materials were subjected to the influence of ionizing radiation from 10 to 40 kGy and then tests were carried out to check their usability as packaging material for the food industry. The results showed that the mechanical properties of AA-S films improved due to the radiation-induced cross-linking processes, while in the case of AA-CH-S films, a considerable decrease in the elongation at break was observed. The results also showed a decrease in the WVTR in the case of AA-S and no changes in barrier properties in the case of AA-CH-S. Both materials revealed no changes in the odor analyzed by sensory analysis. In the case of the AA-S films, the higher the radiation dose, the faster the biodegradation rate. In the case of the AA-CH-S film, the radiation did not affect biodegradation. The performed research enables the evaluation of the materials intended for direct contact with food. AA-CH-S was associated with unsatisfactory parameters (exceeding the overall migration limit and revealing color change during storage) while AA-S showed compliance at the level of tests carried out. The study showed that the AA-CH-S composite did not show a synergistic effect due to the presence of chitosan