The concept of sustainability has been highlighted for the last 20 years. And it's no wonder that the side effects of the indiscriminate use of natural resources and CO2 emissions have colossal negative impacts on the planet.
Based on the problem, we are already seeing advances in sustainable policies within Governments and also in private institutions to mitigate such environmental damage. And the same goes for social problems, where they have always existed but are more prominent in the media and corporations over the past few years.
Alpfilm®, as a company that not only seeks profit, but also has social and environmental concerns, implements solutions to reduce these issues.
Decrease in waste
One of the company's pillars is the attention to reducing food waste in Brazil, which, unfortunately, is still extravagant. This is shown in the report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the British waste organization WRAP, in 2019: 41 thousand tons of food was wasted. This means that 30% of the food produced in the country is wasted.
What's more: the study led by the UN around the world revealed that a large part of the disposal is done inside the homes. Such waste can be avoided through more information for the population on how to better prepare food and also through proper conservation – with the use of plastic film, Alpfilm Protect being superior to others found on the market.
The great potential of Alpfilm Protect transparent plastic® – developed by Alpfilm®, is in the composition: with silver microparticles and silica, such elements are capable of inactivating 79,9% of the new coronavirus within three minutes and 99,99% within 15 minutes.
The plastic was tested and had its efficiency proven by the company QuasarBio, a reference in tests with SARS-Cov-2, which has reports filed by Professor Lucio Holanda Gondim de Freitas, an expert on the subject. The studies were carried out at the Biosafety Level 3 laboratory (NB3), in São Paulo – specialized in the handling of microorganisms with a high degree of pathogens.
The product, which before the pandemic already had antifungal and bactericidal properties, underwent a series of studies to make adjustments and ensure its effectiveness against the new coronavirus. The result is a plastic film that is effective against such pathogens and is safe in contact with food.
With this, the protection of Alpfilm Protect® ensures longer food shelf life for safe consumption. All meals in direct contact with Alpfilm Protect® they last, on average, 15 days longer compared to other clear plastics.
In addition, thinking about reducing unnecessary product disposal, the company developed the Alpfilm Protect Trilho®, which has a plastic cutting system, facilitating food packaging and reducing plastic film waste. In this way, it saves money and time and also avoids the exaggerated and unnecessary use of plastic, which, consequently, reduces the excess of waste dumped into the environment. The product, which is for home use, is available to consumers on supermarket shelves.
When thinking of solutions to help reduce food waste in São Paulo, Alpfilm® donated this year several materials to the NGO Banco de Alimentos, an association that collects food that has already lost its shelf value in commerce, but is still good for consumption, and distributes it to the most needy population in the city.
The donation included sshredded steel (for vegetables and fruits), plastic bags with a capacity of up to 20kg for urban harvesting and stretch film for unitizing packages and transport, which facilitates the correct conservation of food and minimizes waste.
The NGO Banco de Alimentos contributes to feeding more than 20 people every day in the city.
Such control and reduction of unnecessary food disposal is sustainable when it encourages less use of natural resources, such as water and crops for the production of 'new' foods, reducing environmental impacts. And, at the same time, it contributes to the diet of people who do not have a daily meal or lack nutrients in their diet.
Reuse
The reuse of materials in industry is part of the pillars of a sustainable economy. Therefore, Alpfilm is closing a partnership with the Viva Bem cooperative, which recycles or reuses items that would go to waste with a focus on sustainable disposal. Thus, the company will purchase recycled plastic materials fromthe cooperative and implement on the production line. Recycled products will be used in the company's industrial lines and not in the food sector.
The choice of the cooperative was not in vain. The association works with cooperative members, many foreigners, who were in a situation of social vulnerability. In this way, since 2004, the cooperative has offered greater dignity to these people, allowing work and income, which also facilitates the growth of the economy.
Through the partnership, we also help the environment in two moments: 'new' inputs are no longer purchased, reducing the purchase of new raw materials and damage to natural resources, and less waste is also dumped into the environment, work done through recycling and reuse of materials.
But then how do you fit plastic into the environment?
Since the beginning of plastic production, which accounts for around six billion tons of the material we discard, only 600 million tons have been recycled. And while the material has long been discarded without clear sustainable planning since mass production began in 1950, today we can see more ecological alternatives in evidence.
And, as the banning of some types of plastics in several countries as a more ecological and sustainable solution permeates, they see alternatives to replace the material. But are such solutions really good?
Biodegradables are not ecological alternatives
NIn the biodegradable process, waste is degraded by microorganisms – such as bacteria and fungi- in aerobic (industrial) or anaerobic (landfill) environments. At the end of biodegradation, water, carbon dioxide (CO2) and biomass, which is the fertilizer, are generated. The environmental problem is that, in the case of landfill biodegradation, methane gas is also produced, which is extremely harmful to the environment and to us humans.
When inhaled by humans, the substance can cause fainting, suffocation, cardiac arrest, among other health problems. Furthermore, in the case of the environment, it accelerates the greenhouse effect – the earth's thermal heating – with an impact 20 times greater than that of carbon dioxide (CO2), thus contributing to global warming.
Another factor is that the name 'biodegradable' alone does not measure the time that such degradation occurs. Furthermore, the process does not eliminate the need to introduce substances that are harmful to the soil and the atmosphere for degradation to occur, such as the aforementioned methane gas.
Furthermore, degradable materials are not a solution to the urban solid waste problem, as even the degradable ones continue to occupy places in landfills, since the rate of biodegradation is not so fast.
Another problem is to encourage the population to throw biodegradable waste directly into nature, as the simple fact that it is biodegradable makes you think that the waste will quickly degrade and “disappear”, which is not a reality.
And, when the biodegradable waste goes to rivers, it contributes to the increase of oxygen in the water, unbalancing the availability of this component in marine life. I can mention the Tietê River, deteriorated due to organic waste – naturally biodegradable.
Furthermore, environmental degradation is twofold. Since there was an environmental loss for the manufacture of the material, there is again a loss at the time of composting, with the need for water and more chemical elements in this second industrial process. There does not seem to be a circular and sustainable economy in this cycle.
Replace is not relevant either.
It is not appropriate to convert plastic packaging to one that is not efficient enough, at a time when disposable materials are the most efficient solutions in hygiene and disease control. We can analyze the scenario more than a year ago, in which the pandemic forced the population to have more control over their health. Time in which hospitals and the civilian population most used and still use masks, as well as catheters and other disposable materials in hospital environments, ensuring health and quality of life.
Furthermore, citing plastic film, the material is ideal for packaging and preserving food for much longer, compared to other products such as paper. Since PVC plastic completely seals the food or bowl, preventing the entry of pathogens: which prevents possible food poisoning and also food waste.
In addition to protecting against the invasion of external agents, plastic film is specially developed to preserve all the flavors and aromas of food, unlike other materials that do not guarantee the storage of food with such quality.
Another point is that in order to sanitize all reusable products on a daily basis, more water is needed, a natural resource that requires rational use, in addition to the increase in electricity bills and time that the team wastes to completely sanitize all products.
There is a lack of evidence from regulatory bodies
Many natural-based products that are being put in place to replace plastic do not have sanitary proof from regulatory bodies, potentially putting the population at risk.
For natural-based products to achieve the same performance as thermoplastics for the same function, they need to receive additives and, as they are recent, they do not have sanitary proof and regulations, unlike thermoplastics, which already follow such sanitary specifications.
This is indicated by the Consumer and User Organization (OCU), a Spanish consumer protection association, which found more than 50 harmful compounds in materials made from sugarcane bagasse and paper: plastic substitutes. The entity has detected perfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS), chloropropanols, aluminum and primary aromatic amines in proportions that exceed the reference values established by other countries such as the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR ), an entity specialized in food safety.
In addition, this year, Germany's Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) indicated to several associations that products made from bamboo or bamboo flour are not suitable for contact with food. Supervisory and customs authorities have already taken steps to withdraw cups, cutlery and similar products from the market to prevent entry into the region.
So what's the alternative?
The solution is to use the right and certified products for each routine demand. In this case, the plastic film guarantees health – being that it is more hygienic and has certification to come into contact with food, with the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) as the Brazilian regulatory body. In addition to ensuring greater durability – avoiding wasting food and money.
Another key point is to undertake actions to avoid excess and waste of materials, thus avoiding the unnecessary accumulation of waste on the planet, in addition to recycling and reusing the material, such as partnership actions with cooperatives - I exemplify the action of Alpfilm® with the Cooperativa Viva Bem, mentioned above.
And as a final suggestion, I bring the idea of a test in the establishment: through a professional nutritionist and the specialist who measures the breakage, calculate the reduction of food waste using the plastic film Alpfilm Protect®. I guarantee that, with the use of the material, the durability of the food will be superior compared to today, which guarantees greater profit, since there was no degradation of the food. In this way, it will be possible to have the full profit, on top of the original price of the product and the most important: guaranteeing food security.
Source:
https://www.trade-e-bility.com/news/details/article/bamboo-not-suitable-for-foodstuffs/
https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/vert-fut-52926914
https://www.sincovaga.com.br/os-efeitos-do-desperdicio-chocante-de-alimentos-no-mundo/
http://www.plastivida.org.br/images/temas/parecer-CETEA-22junho2007.pdf