How do we Replace Plastics? Innovation Needed

By: Paul Sloane

With all the concern about plastics polluting our oceans it is time to think seriously about innovating with packaging.

How can we make our packaging environmentally friendly, disposable and fit for the packaging purpose? Let’s consider some solutions from the food industry and one creative idea in particular – edible packaging.

One of the first and most successful examples of edible packaging is the common ice cream cone. Edible cones were patented by two separate Italian entrepreneurs in 1902 and 1903. They were Antonio Valvona, an ice cream merchant from Manchester, UK and Italo Marchiony, an ice cream salesman from New York. The key idea was to roll a waffle into a cone. This novel way of delivering ice cream proved a huge success at the 1904 World Fair in St Louis. Nowadays we just take for granted an innovation which allows us to eat an ice cream and then eat its delivery package.

A start-up company called Skilling Rocks Lab, based at Imperial College, London, has announced an ‘edible water bottle’ named ‘Ooho’. This spherical container is made from seaweed extract and can be swallowed and digested. It is tasteless but flavours can be added to it. This innovative venture has raised over $700,000 in a crowdfunding campaign.

Nigel Gifford is an aeronautical engineer from Somerset, England who has a background in army catering. He has designed a drone that delivers aid to disaster areas which are difficult to reach. The drone itself is edible.

The Pouncer drone is three metres wide and is designed to deliver emergency foods and medical supplies. “We wanted to make something that is the ultimate useable package delivery system for aid and disaster scenarios that could go where traditional methods can’t due to damaged infrastructure, and solves multiple issues that have previously cost lives,” said Gifford. As regards the edible hull he said ‘As long as it is strong enough to make one flight, you increase the food you are delivering. It doesn’t even matter if it breaks up when it lands. It is planned that the largest drone can feed 100 people for a day and can be delivered with an accuracy of within 10 metres of its target.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced a prototype edible plastic film. It is made from the milk protein casein and the film could contain flavours or nutrients. A patent is pending but several commercial firms have expressed an interest in developing the product.

There are issues with edible packaging including cost, hygiene and moisture resistance. Perhaps the biggest obstacle will be changing consumer habits. However, it is generally agreed that current plastic packaging is just too harmful to the environment. Perhaps we all need to learn a lesson from the humble ice cream cone.