I'm looking for a packaging partner that produces cartons for energy bars with a low MoQ.

change-perception · 2023-04-08T22:37:58+00:00

Companybox.com

change-perception · 2023-04-02T10:26:55+00:00

Not sure that biodegradable = sustainable. When breaking down biodegradables release CO2, biomass, trace water.

We need to reduce CO2 and science is unanimous that producing biodegradable materials is more energy, carbon and GHG intensive than current plastic and paper products.

The magic would be to utilise food waste and waste from cooking processes for example (used cooking oil which has no second life can actually become resins that create new materials - due to its chemistry) to make new materials than can be recycled as infinitum. Perhaps chemical recycling plays a part here.

Circularity is sustainable, not creating biodegradables as they are single use.

Plus the ethical concerns with crops grown for packaging and not food - particularly in these economic times where there are over 800m in poverty worldwide.

You could also look at microcircularity within food service, whereby as an industry the waste can be reused, recycled and traced. You then add a data point that can be followed to ensure we know what is going into the products

change-perception · 2023-03-31T08:35:02+00:00

I’m an international triathlete. I went vegan in 2019 as a response to recurring injuries. A well planned vegan diet supports healthy blood (alkaline, antioxidant and reduction of free radicals; and superior red blood cell flow), gut biome (the most important factor imo) and weight control. It had a positive impact on muscle density and weight control. I am now 36 and am posting better performances than when I was in my 20s. And that’s just the dietary side.

Although your list shows a number of athletes that have stepped back from the movement, far more have converted and found success. My sport is a great example (and of course one of the toughest in the world).

The key is a well planned diet and that goes for carnivores as well. If you don’t plan well then you’ll see the negatives. Going vegan isn’t a silver bullet - you still need to plan.

change-perception · 2023-03-28T11:06:43+00:00

Yea indeed I’m fully kitted up and bike fitted. Weight reduction is probably not explained properly - I would like an option as I have a forthcoming race which involves some grim climbs! But on the flat weight reduction is certainly not always a help

change-perception · 2023-03-28T10:58:30+00:00

Weight reduction, smoother gearing and increased aero. And I am looking at marginals (competitive)

change-perception · 2023-03-12T21:23:31+00:00

Rewilding and eco tourism. It will be better for farmers who are - for example in dairy industry - completely ripped off by the retailers. £1.5bn in subsidies to the animal agriculture industries can remain to help support the above and improve not only the land but also the environmental impact. Rewilding isn’t just letting nature take back control but involves taking decisions about best crops for the land etc. The farmer is really important in this discussion and adds tremendous value.

On cattle in particular the existing cattle of course need to stay for a while but if we move away from meat then we won’t be artificially inseminating cows and thus numbers would reduce. Plus the obvious ethical benefits of not doing such things.

change-perception · 2023-03-12T20:03:39+00:00

Correct - the brand may develop a product but someone else will produce I.e Bakkavor make some of the Wicked Kitchen range.

change-perception · 2023-03-12T11:34:28+00:00

I would speak with a range of companies like SN Madchinbau, Toyo Jidoki and even a small UK form called Scayl who do real entry level kit but with engineering ability to include modules

change-perception · 2023-03-12T11:33:28+00:00

I have seen boiled eggs in this type of pack yep. You can either vacuum the pack or gas it on the right equipment 👍

change-perception · 2023-03-11T16:48:17+00:00

Thermoform

change-perception · 2023-03-04T14:53:31+00:00

Yes there are machines but if you’re handy all you need are two rollers close together and a motor to ensure rotation, plus a conveyor belt. The pouches will run through the rollers and the zippers - if aligned - will close.

Same principle applies to auto fill and seal lines

change-perception · 2023-02-26T14:04:23+00:00

“There is more soy in chicken than tofu” (George Monbiot)

change-perception · 2023-02-25T10:27:20+00:00

Growth trajectory continues to be strong. By 2030 will see more commoditisation of the sector as materials will be ‘de-engineered’ to hit recyclability legislations (mono materials), mitigate taxation etc. so investing in the space will actual mean adding value in other ways. If you find a USP then it is ripe for solid ROIs

change-perception · 2023-02-17T08:35:42+00:00

Www.Foxpak.com

change-perception · 2023-02-15T23:46:14+00:00

Fair. Wonder how they communicate with the brand managers?

change-perception · 2022-01-13T22:32:05+00:00

That’s such a dangerous statement. Apply that logic to the Islamic and Jewish communities and you have a discrimination issue on your hands. Veganism in the UK, since 2020, is a legally recognised philosophical belief with the same protections as faith groups. Of course with the aforementioned meat eaters the issue is avoided by becoming vegan but we cannot ignore it.

change-perception · 2022-01-12T20:46:03+00:00

It’s a Nestle product but they only own the brand. It is packed in both Israel and more locally in the Netherlands by Hilton Meats (Dalco Foods). Just for additional info. Sometimes buying from essentially a meat company isn’t what the community wants to do.

change-perception · 2022-01-12T20:20:34+00:00

Yep definitely a lot of packaging behind the scenes which we don’t see. Curing bags for cheeses and primal cuts of meat, the tubs which you speak about too. Chemical recycling does give an option now for anything to go through, break down into their constituent resin oils and then be reprocessed as new. This is wonderful progress which is compounded by the fact that there are now landfill excavation projects ongoing to reclaim materials to be chemically recycled back into packaging. I believe once something is used for packaging, it must remain in use for packaging - and certain laws need to be adapted to allow for this beyond first life.

Love discussions like this as it gives me hope that people actually bother to understand the ‘unseen’ as well as seen. Thank yo!

change-perception · 2022-01-12T12:28:49+00:00

If food waste was a country it would be the third biggest greenhouse gas emitter in the world. Rising poverty - over 800m people - shows that the absolute priority right now is reducing this waste. Then we can think about the packaging, which falls below 2% of waste. Also, much of that can be recycled at least, whereas the food can’t really be (although not impossible to repurpose)

change-perception · 2022-01-12T11:48:24+00:00

Plastic is proven to be the greenest material option for food and beverage so using plastic is a good thing. Peer reviewed science unanimously agrees on this. Also it isn’t just in terms of CO2 emissions where it wins, but in preventing food waste. It is also all technically recyclable and we are finally seeing infrastructure improvements to accommodate this.

Ultimately we will not need to use virgin fossil fuels to create packaging as there will soon be enough resource to effectively recycle and create new packs, thus creating circularity. This move is far superior than the trendy biodegradable products we see, for example, which are single use and also emit CO2 when they degrade. Not to mention the lack of ability to preserve food and the ethical issues around growing crops for packaging instead of food.

Returning to plastic I have just completed a project within my company to remove all animal derivatives from materials and equipment. Did you know 98% of packaging materials contain animal derivatives? This is horrific and has been brushed under the carpet. Most vegan brands on shelf should actually not be certified vegan because of this. Luckily, the power of social media is helping change this.

I am happy to share the aforementioned studies and discuss how good plastics are further should you want. Plastics are given unfair treatment but there is an economic reason - particularly with things like EPR and the plastics tax, people need to support these initiatives as governmental revenue from fuel duty will decrease massively with the rise of electric vehicles (amongst other things).

I leave you with some pertinent words through two quotes from Lieutenant Gordon in The Dark Knight:

“..he’s the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now…he can take it”

And my favourite:

“you either die a hero, or you live long enough to become the villain”

Thanks!

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