I’ve been reading this article since the 70’s.
this post was submitted on 02 Apr 2024
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As an Indian its funny how westerners can't literally think out of a plastic bag. What's not so funny is when India is copying the west.
Most supermarkets here (Germany) are actually optimizing their supply chains to reduce plastic around produce again — this was definitely worse in the late 2000s/early 10s. But you can now often buy packaging-free cucumbers, for example. No doubt though, they still use metric shit tons of single-use paper and plastic everywhere. At least to some degree they are just optimizing for customers to see less of it.
The bags for produce where I am are largely compostable now, which is a start.
It really grinds my gears that the fake meat products are often in single-use plastic. It kinda takes away from the whole "better for the environment" aspect. I'd gladly take fake meat wrapped in butcher paper or similar.
From the article:
What alternatives to plastic are coming?
Here are a few new ideas headed to the produce aisle:
Bags from trees. An Austrian company is using beechwood trees to make biodegradable cellulose net bags to hold produce. Other companies offer similar netting that decomposes within a few weeks.
Film from peels. Orange peels, shrimp shells and other natural waste is being turned into film that can be used like cellophane, or made into bags. An edible coating made from plant-based fatty acids is sprayed on cucumbers, avocados and other produce sold at many major grocery stores. They work in a way similar to the wax coating commonly used on citrus and apples.
Clamshells from cardboard. Plastic clamshells are a $9.1 billion business in the United States, and the number of growers who use them is vast. Replacing them will be an enormous challenge, particularly for more fragile fruits and vegetables. Plenty of designers are trying. Driscoll’s has been working to develop paper containers for use in the United States and Canada. In the meantime, the company is using more recycled plastic in its clamshells in the United States.
Ice that feels like gelatin. Luxin Wang and other scientists at the University of California, Davis, have invented reusable jelly ice. It is lighter than ice and doesn’t melt. It could eliminate the need for plastic ice packs, which can’t be recycled. After about a dozen uses, the jelly ice can be tossed into a garden or the garbage, where it dissolves.
Boxes with atmosphere. Broccoli is usually shipped in wax-coated boxes packed with ice. The soggy cartons can’t be recycled. Iceless broccoli shipping containers use a mix of gases that help preserve the vegetable instead of chilling it with ice, which is heavy to ship and can transmit pathogens when it melts. Other sustainable, lighter shipping cartons are being designed to remove ethylene, a plant hormone that encourages ripening.
Containers from plants. Rice-paddy straw left over after harvests, grasses, sugar cane stalks and even food waste are all being turned into trays and boxes that are either biodegradable or can be composted.
I got myself some reusable produce bags and I generally buy from the farmers market directly. Not a lot of plastic involved, and it's grown locally.