Consumer acceptance of compostable packaging is a bigger barrier than the actual supply of material, according to American biopolymer manufacturer Mirel.
Speaking at K2007 in Düsseldorf, Mirel business development director Daniel Galliland said that, despite rapidly growing interest, there were still concerns that biopolymers were taking land away from food production.
But he said that not only were these concerns misplaced, there was an abundance of land available to grow crops for biopolymers.
However, in the US and Europe there were farmers receiving subsidies to keep their land fallow. "Growing crops for biopolymers or biofuels is not real competition for food," he added.
His view was echoed by Chris Pandis, head of marketing for packaging at chemical manufacturer Clariant Masterbatches, who pointed to high-yielding sugar crops in Latin America. "The answer to the question 'Are you stealing food?' is a resounding 'No'," he said.
Source: packagingnews
Speaking at K2007 in Düsseldorf, Mirel business development director Daniel Galliland said that, despite rapidly growing interest, there were still concerns that biopolymers were taking land away from food production.
But he said that not only were these concerns misplaced, there was an abundance of land available to grow crops for biopolymers.
However, in the US and Europe there were farmers receiving subsidies to keep their land fallow. "Growing crops for biopolymers or biofuels is not real competition for food," he added.
His view was echoed by Chris Pandis, head of marketing for packaging at chemical manufacturer Clariant Masterbatches, who pointed to high-yielding sugar crops in Latin America. "The answer to the question 'Are you stealing food?' is a resounding 'No'," he said.
Source: packagingnews
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