Papier ist schädlicher als Plastik bei Lebensmittelverpackungen

Pascal Derungs / 24.09.2023

McDonald’s and paper producers engage in massive lobbying to greenwash disposable paper. Food packaging made of paper is at the center of the European waste crisis. That is the conclusion of a new study by the independent research organization Profundo on behalf of a coalition of environmental NGOs (see box). Paper packaging for food is marketed as a sustainable alternative to plastics, even though they are usually combined with plastics or other chemical coatings themselves. In addition, they contribute to global deforestation and industrial water consumption and rarely contain recycled content.

In detail, the analysis found that paper-based packaging is the largest source of packaging waste in the EU (41.1%). With a total of 32.7 million tons in 2020, paper-based waste exceeds the sum of the next largest materials: plastic (19.4%) and glass (19.1%). The food and beverage industry accounts for two-thirds of the entire packaging market in Europe. Worldwide, paper and cardboard-based food packaging accounts for 37 percent of all food packaging. The report exposes paper-based packaging as one of the main causes of deforestation in Europe and around the world. Approximately 90 percent of paper pulp is made from wood, and paper production is responsible for about 35 percent of all trees felled.

Potato bags made of paper at Coop Chemicals hinder recycling and pose health risks. The report highlights the limitations of recycling for paper-based food and beverage packaging. Food and beverage packaging is almost always combined with plastics or chemicals to make them waterproof or grease-resistant. This severely hinders the recycling process. It means that food packaging is often burned or deposited in practice. Recycling alone will definitely not be sufficient to reduce the growing demand for fresh fibers from the packaging industry. The combination of paper with plastics and chemicals also undermines the credibility of paper packaging in terms of consumer safety. Dorota Napierska, circular economy expert at the NGO Zero Waste Europe, writes: „Repeated laboratory tests show that dangerous chemicals, including those that can cause cancer and disrupt our hormones, such as PFAS, are present in food packaging made of paper and cardboard and that they migrate from the packaging material and enter the consumer’s body.“

„Öko-Line“ bags without aluminum, but with other coatings. Paper packaging promotes the waste of forests and water. The report reveals that Brazil is Europe’s largest supplier of pulp and paper, supplying more than the region’s largest producers – Sweden and Finland. Brazil has tripled its pulp production in the past two decades and now uses an area of 7.2 million hectares, or twice the size of Belgium. Eucalyptus and pine plantations in Brazil exacerbate water scarcity, promote forest fires, and lead to the loss of biodiversity. Within Europe, Finnish forests have become net emitters of carbon dioxide due to overlogging. 76 percent of Finnish forest habitats are classified as threatened.

Disposable materials cannot be a solution to the waste flood. Marco Musso, Senior Policy Officer for Circular Economy at the European Environmental Bureau, writes: „This study sounds the alarm about the wrong solution of replacing one disposable material with another. The public and policymakers are being misled about the sustainability and circularity of paper-based food packaging. To credibly avoid waste, EU decision-makers must focus on limiting avoidable packaging while promoting efficient and convenient reuse systems. This is particularly important in the food and beverage sector, which accounts for two-thirds of the entire packaging market in Europe.“ Sergio Baffoni, Campaign Coordinator of the Environmental Paper Network, explains: „On average, three billion trees are cut down each year worldwide for paper packaging – and the trend is rising. The European Commission proposes to ban all disposable packaging in restaurants. This is a good starting point for reducing pressure on forests. To curb the growing demand for pulp, the EU should also phase out takeaway paper-based disposable packaging.“

EU reviews regulations. The EU is currently revising its regulations to counter the uncontrolled growth of packaging waste. The cited analysis examines whether disposable paper can be a credible solution to the growing waste crisis in Europe – an argument that is regularly put forward in expensive and far-reaching lobbying campaigns by packaging manufacturers and fast-food brands. The study by the independent research organization Profundo is commissioned by a coalition of NGOs including the European Environmental Bureau, Zero Waste Europe, Fern, the Environmental Paper Network, and the „Rethink Plastic Alliance

Original Artikel Teaser

Bei Lebensmittelverpackungen ist Papier schädlicher als Plastik

Pascal Derungs / 24.09.2023  McDonald’s und Papierproduzenten betreiben massives Lobbying, um Einwegpapier grünzuwaschen. Lebensmittelverpackungen aus Papier stehen im Zentrum der europäischen Abfallkrise. Das jedenfalls ist das Fazit einer neuen Studie der unabhängigen Forschungsorganisation Profundo im Auftrag einer Koalition von Umwelt-NGOs (siehe Kasten). Papierverpackungen für Lebensmittel würden als nachhaltige Alternative zu Kunststoffen vermarktet, obwohl sie in der Regel selber mit Kunststoffen oder anderen chemischen Beschichtungen kombiniert würden. Zudem würden sie die globale Entwaldung und den industriellen Wasserverbrauch vorantreiben und nur selten rezyklierte Inhalte aufweisen.  Im Detail ergab die Analyse, dass papierbasierte Verpackungen die grösste Quelle für Verpackungsabfälle in der EU sind (41,1 %). Mit insgesamt 32,7 Millionen Tonnen im Jahr 2020 übersteigen papierbasierte Abfälle die Summe der nächstgrössten Materialien: Kunststoff (19,4 %) und Glas (19,1

Details zu Bei Lebensmittelverpackungen ist Papier schädlicher als Plastik