Sustainability has become a hot topic in current society. It also has an important influence on the packaging industry. Nowadays, green packaging has been widely used in various industries. People not only focus on the profits the packaging brings them, but also care about the sustainable development of balancing the economy and environment. No matter from which aspect of packaging, commercial or environmental protection, sustainable packaging will be a good choice. What is sustainable packaging? This concept has evolved from ecologically sustainable development. Sustainable packaging refers that it needs to obey the rules of the sustainability of energy and substance during the packaging process, which needs to ensure the raw material is renewable, the energy consumption of production is low, low environmental pollution and recyclable. In many developed European countries, more and more people have realized the serious problem that packaging brings to the environment, and have taken many positive measures. For example, Germany introduced Packaging Regulations; Belgium promulgated National Ecology Law; EN requires the packaging recycling rate to reach 85%, etc. According to statistics, during the use of a product, the environmental cost has a portion of 80% depending on the packaging. To solve the environmental problem caused by packaging, sustainable packaging has become a good choice. In principle, sustainable packaging needs to meet the profits of the environment, function and economy at the same time. Besides considering packaging structure, market effect, shelf effect, and consumer acceptance, we also need to forecast the environmental influence during the production and use of eco-friendly packaging, as well as the recycling problem of waste packaging. First, the packaging materials of sustainable packaging must be safe for humans, animals and the environment. This requirement is not only while using the packaging, but also embodies the whole circular chain of packaging production, use, and recycling. In addition, sustainable packaging must be low energy consumption. During the production process, we need to reduce the use of packaging materials, energy consumption, and rationally use the transportation and storage space, shorten the degradation time of waste packaging materials. What's more, sustainable packaging also should coincide with circular development. In the fierce market competition, rationally using renewable materials (renewable paper, renewable pulping, etc.) can reduce power consumption and costs and realize the circular development of packaging. With the development of technology, Actually, we can see sustainable packaging everywhere. For example, in 2006, Americans used corn as the raw material to produce drink bottles, socks, etc. These kinds of products are made from plant fiber materials, which are easily recycled and biodegraded. To a certain extent, the packaging produced in pursuit of maximizing commercial interests h...

With the implementation of the “Plastic Ban”, finding alternatives to plastic packaging and plastic straws has become a hot point. The disposable plastic straws disappeared from the national beverage chains. Instead, the use of bioplastic and pulp molded products began to increase. Food containers for fast foods, consumer electronics, cosmetics, etc., play important roles in environmental protection. On the aspect of market scale, according to the data by Global market insights Inc., the global scale of the pulp molded market is 3.4 billion in 2019. And Asia-Pacific is the largest area for the global pulp molded packaging industry with a market share of about 40%. In January 2020, China thoroughly limited the use of non-biodegradable plastic. Some famous chain stores, such as Starbucks, Macdonald’s and HEYTEA, gradually reduced the use of plastic straws, and used paper straws or direct drinking lids to replace them. As an alternative to food packaging, the applications of pulp molded products are highly approved by the market. With the implementation of the detailed requirements of the plastic ban and increasing human environmental protection awareness, paper will become an economical and eco-friendly material to use for packaging. In the future, replacing plastic with paper will become a trend in the packaging industry. Although the market scale of the pulp molding industry is small now in China, it has large development potential. With the implementation of the plastic ban, the permeability of molded pulp will reach 30% in the plastic packaging market in 2025, and the capacity of the pulp molding market will reach 238.8 billion. Whether it is bioplastic or pulp molded packaging, it is important for high performance and safety. For consumers, the safety of food packaging is a key problem they will consider. Nowadays, many pulp molding companies have begun to focus on technology development and product safety, and set up strategic cooperation with clients to promote these kinds of eco-friendly alternatives, such as PFAS-free pulp molded food containers. On the whole, the pulp molding industry is still developing at a rapid rate in China and with large market potential.

With the rapid development of technology, there are many new materials that can replace traditional PE plastic, such as PLA, PHAs, PBS, etc. In the past several decades, eco-friendly plastic packaging has been widely used as shopping bags, freshness protection packaging, trays of electronic products and so on. However, in recent years, the new packaging has appeared: pulp molded packaging. With the improvement of environmental awareness of humans and the establishment of carbon targets, plastic reduction and forbidding have become a clear trend of the future, and the pulp molded packaging made from bagasse and bamboo has begun to increase explosively. As products of the current environmental trend, choosing bioplastic packaging or pulp molded packaging has become a problem. For biodegradable performance, both kinds of products are biodegradable, while the biodegradable conditions are different. Bioplastic is essentially a polymer, which is difficult to be biodegraded. This kind of packaging often needs to be recycled first and needs industrial compost under a specific condition. If we throw the bioplastic packaging in the sea or soil directly, it will be difficult to be biodegraded. Compared with bioplastic packaging, pulp molded packaging can be biodegraded into water and carbon-oxygen within 90 days after use, without providing a specific condition, which is eco-friendly for both customers and the environment. From the hardness of packaging, bioplastic packaging features high strength and tensile, which is not easy to bend. Most of the biodegradable cutleries in the market are made from PLA due to their high strength and biodegradable performance, and this kind of packaging has become popular in the catering industry. However, many eco-packaging companies also took action to develop high-strength pulp molded tableware. As the industry-leading sustainable packaging solution provider, YUTOECO has developed a series of pulp molded cutleries with high-strength features, which can easily cut fruits, cakes, etc. This kind of product has the same strength as plastic cutleries, which also can be biodegraded under natural conditions. In the catering industry, waterproof and oilproof performance is also a factor that merchants will consider for catering packaging. To solve the problem, pulp molded packaging companies always add some food-grade waterproof and oil-proofing agents. In addition, there are also other additives to realize the feature of resisting low or high temperatures. Usually, the pulp molded packaging can resist a temperature of -20~200℃, which allows consumers to heat food in a microwave or oven. Although bioplastic packaging is also waterproof and oilproof, this kind of packaging cannot resist high temperatures. Nowadays, many industry-leading retail companies have begun to use biodegradable tableware. For example, Starbucks and Luckin Coffee used PLA coffee cups for their cold drinks. As a transitional packaging product, bioplastic pac...

We may often see two words in our daily life – “Biodegradable” and “Compostable”. These two words are always used by mistake, which causes uncertainty for people who want sustainable shopping. To better create a better life for everyone, the most important thing is to understand the definition of biodegradation and compost, and the difference between them. Biodegradation means that everything can be decomposed and absorbed by microorganisms, which is a spontaneous process. When an object begins to be degraded, it will be degraded into simple components, such as carbon dioxide and water. This process can take place with or without oxygen. But if under the condition of oxygen, the biodegradable process will be shorter. It will take from several days to 500 years or even longer for biodegradation. However, the biodegradable time depends on the components and storage method, as well as temperature, water, light, and oxygen. Most waste landfill sites lack sunlight, air and moisture, which causes a slow biodegradable process. Normally, vegetable peels, eggshells, paper and garden wastes can be biodegraded under natural conditions in a short time. However, plastic and aluminum foil are always regarded as non-biodegradable products because they will take a long time to biodegrade. In other words, most of the “biodegradable products” will actually not be biodegraded under natural conditions. Compostable means that a product is capable of breaking down into natural elements in a compost environment. Because it’s broken down into its natural elements, it causes no harm to the environment. Different products may use different materials, which will cause different compost difficulties. So for compostable products, there are two kinds of types, home compost and industrial compost. Home compost means throwing wastes into waste bins or landfills in someone’s backyard, which can be implemented at home. Due to the limited temperature, some products cannot be decomposed under home conditions. Industrial compost always creates the best conditions, such as temperature, humidity, oxygen and so on. This method can decompose some complex products that home compost cannot decompose. Both two composting methods will produce abundant fertilizer after the end of the process. After knowing the definition of biodegradation and compost, you may still be confused. Although all compostable materials are biodegradable, not all biodegradable materials are compostable. Biodegradation will leave metal substances, while compost only produces biomass, carbon dioxide and water, which is totally eco-friendly to our environment. Therefore, if you want to reduce the impact on the environment, choosing compostable products will be a better choice. YUTOECO is committed to providing sustainable packaging products made from plant fiber and can be 100% biodegraded and composted under natural conditions.

As people's environmentally friendly awareness improves gradually, people begin to be aware of the problems that plastic pollution brings to the environment. In recent years, pulp molded tableware gradually appeared in people's view. This kind of product is made from plant fiber, such as bamboo and bagasse, which can be biodegraded in natural conditions within 90 days without causing pollution to the environment. However, plastic tableware has appeared for decades. Due to its stable structure and excellent tolerance, plastic tableware has become more and more popular nowadays. Compared with traditional plastic tableware, pulp molded tableware is just the beginning. There are so many technical problems that should be solved to make pulp molded tableware replace plastic tableware. 1. Waterproof & oilproof As we all know, paper is a common product in our daily lives, easily leaking and cannot contain water directly. The same goes for pulp molded containers! If we contain water or oil in a pulp molded container without any treatments, the liquid in the container will quickly seep out. For this problem, different companies adopt various measures to solve this problem. One is attaching a plastic film inside the container to realize water and oilproof. The paper cups in the market now are using this solution. While this solution also has plastic. It won't be easy to recycle this kind of product. With the continual development of technology, many companies have begun to explore full biodegradable pulp molded meal boxes. By adding food-grade biodegradable water and oilproof agents to make pulp molded containers realize water and oilproof. 2. High & low temperature resistant Besides water and oil proof, we also need to solve the problem of high & low temperature resistance. When it contains deli, food always has a high temperature. If the meal boxes cannot resist high temperatures, when it contacts with hot food, the quality of the food container will be changed, further affecting the food. For some special applications, such as aviation, we always put it in a microwave or oven for heating, which requires our pulp molded containers to resist an ultra-high temperature over 200℃. Most pulp molded containers in the market with the publicity of high-temperature resistance will become yellow when putting them in ultra-high temperature conditions. We also have a freeze requirement for food, which requires pulp molded containers to be used in low-temperature conditions. 3. PFAS-free We have mentioned above that the pulp molded containers must be oilproof. While do you know that almost all oilproof agents have PFAS, which are harmful to people? Therefore, using PFAS-free oilproof agents is an urgent problem that needs to be solved. As an industry-leading sustainable packaging solution provider, YUTOECO developed a food-grade PFAS-free oilproof formulation in advance, which is eco-friendly and can provide a safer meal experience for customers. 4. High-s...

1. What are the raw materials of disposable biodegradable meal boxes? And what’s the proportion of each material? The common pulp molded meal boxes are made from 70-90% of bagasse and 10-30% of bamboo pulp. Different tableware should adjust the proportion of each material according to the different needs of shape, angle, hardness, or toughness. This kind of product is totally made from plant fiber without adding PP, PET, etc. 2. How do pulp molded containers realize waterproof and oilproof? For pulp molded products, they will always add some food-grade additives to realize waterproof and oil proof, such as 1-2.5% of waterproofing agent and 0.5-0.8% of oil proofing agent. This kind of product can always effectively prevent water and oil from leaking over 30mins. For some special requirements, there are also special solutions to increase the temperature and time. 3. Does biodegradable tableware have PFAS? Most of the oil-proofing agents in the plant fiber tableware on the market have PFAS, while waterproof but no oilproof tableware doesn’t have PFAS. If you want tableware waterproof and oilproof without PFAS, the best alternative solution is filming. PBAT is one of the most popular films in pulp molded tableware. This kind of film can be biodegraded. Products with films can better maintain the temperature, and reduce the stickiness between rice and container, which can, to a large extent, reduce the use of water and oil proofing agents. 4. How long will a pulp molded tableware be totally biodegraded? Under the condition without any industrial measures, it usually takes 45-90 days for pulp molded tableware to be totally biodegraded under natural conditions without releasing harmful substances, which will not cause damage to terrestrial biotas and marine organisms. 5. Can pulp molded containers be used in the microwave and refrigerator? What’s the temperature range? Pulp molded containers are microwave and refrigerator safe, which can resist a temperature of up to 200℃, and frozen to -20℃. 6. What standards should pulp molded containers meet? Pulp molded containers should meet the standard of China Pulp Molded Tableware quality control standards, FDA, LFGB, and any other international standardized inspection standards. 7. Are the raw materials of white biodegradable food containers bleached? What bleach to use? Unbleached plant fiber pulp is yellow due to a small amount of lignin and colored impurities, and the fiber is more solid than bleached one; the semi-bleached pulp molded product is pale yellow because it has lots of pentosane; these kinds of colors are usually called “Natural Color”. The bleached pulp product is white and soft, while the fiber strength is lower than the unbleached one. Normally, we often use hydrogen peroxide to bleach.

Pulp molded packaging and cutlery have a wide market prospect in the global market, and even were regarded as the main method for dealing with “White Pollution” in western countries. Nowadays, America has announced that 8500 restaurants have stopped using PSP meal boxes, which reduced about 10 billion pieces. According to statistics, about 67.39 million people buy various trays and meal boxes during lunch, about 50 billion pieces per year. Furthermore, the fast-food industry and supermarkets consume over 100 billion trays per year in America; even their production capacity is only 20%, and the rest 75% of the trays need to be imported from other countries. Five states of the USA announced that they would use eco-friendly pulp molded food packaging to replace the traditional plastic packaging in 2010. This decision made the sales of the sustainable packaging market increase by 25 billion dollars. The consumption of trays can reach 60 billion in the fast-food industry and supermarkets in Japan; over 50% of the products need to be imported. Whatsmore, the trays consumption is over tens of billions of pieces per year in Korea, Taiwan, and other developed European countries. Southeast Asia would become the ideal area to export packaging. In June 2006, the EU passed a motion that the plastic packaging must be out of the catering market, and replaced with green, harmless pulp molded food packaging. East Asia, such as Japan and Korea, has gradually abandoned plastic food packaging these years. Many industries still use plastic packaging in China, while pulp molded packaging products also get a good development opportunity in recent years. With various policies proclaimed by district governments, many companies began to respond to the policy and used pulp molded packaging instead of plastic packaging. The pulp molded packaging has five classes: catering packaging, external food packaging, skin & health care packaging, Tobacco & Wine & Tea packaging, and consumer electronics packaging. YUTOECO is an eco brand focusing on producing sustainable packaging products, which are biodegradable and compostable. In recent years, pulp molded packaging has developed so fast. We can see biodegradable packaging products, such as compostable bowls, cups, plates, etc. We believe that the pulp molded packaging will be around us soon.

The disposable tableware, which was made with EPS, has been used since 1984, and quickly became popular in every corner of our country. According to statistics, about 10 billion disposable items are used per year, and most of them are plastic tableware, and increased by 25% year by year. While the EPS is difficult to be degraded and recycled, which brings inconvenience for dealing with the disposable tableware. With the fast development of pulp molded technology, our country has developed various sustainable food containers, including molded pulp bowls, pulp plates, pulp cups, etc., which can contain both cold and hot meals and drinks. In addition, this kind of biodegradable product can also be used in supermarkets. With the features of waterproof and anti-oil, this pulp molding tableware can effectively meet people’s daily use. The molded pulp tableware is mainly made with bagasse, bamboo, etc., which will experience a series of processes, including pulping, grinding, pulp formulation & supply, initial forming, dewaterization, heat-press, edge cutting and so on. This kind of product is totally made with natural materials and renewable. Advantages of pulp molding tableware: 1. The ingredients are from nature, including bagasse, bamboo, etc. 2. Without producing industrial wastewater, eco-friendly for the environment. 3. Waterproof and anti-oil. 4. Supports air-conditioners and microwaves. 5. The pulp molding tableware supports home compost. It only takes 45-90 days to be biodegraded without polluting the environment. 6. Without producing static electricity. Besides the molded pulp tableware, you may also see some other biodegradable tableware that is made of PLA plastic. Compared with the molded pulp products, the PLA products usually needs an industrial condition to realize the degradation. Nowadays, the molded pulp industry is still increasing, and gradually becoming scale and industrialization. We believe that the pulp molding products may instead of the traditional products in the future.

With the “Plastic Limit Order” execution, many supermarkets and chain stores have begun to use degradable packaging. As we all know, producing and using disposable plastic tableware without limitation will cause global issues. There are 2 methods our country pointed out to solve this problem, including using pulp molding tableware and degradable plastic tableware. So what are pulp molding tableware and degradable plastic tableware? What’s the difference between these two kinds of products? The pulp molding tableware is mainly made with plant fiber, while the biodegradable plastic tableware can be divided into three types, including light degradation, biodegrade and starch degradation. For the degradable plastic tableware, it usually takes 6 months for degrading under the industrial compost condition to degrade. The industrial compost condition requires a temperature between 50℃-60℃. In addition, it also needs special flora and special oxygen to reach the industrial compost condition, which is difficult to reach these conditions in the natural environment. In 2010, the Agricultural University of Athens experimented with the biodegradation of PLA biodegradable plastic in Mediterranean soil. After 11 months, only parts of the PLA biodegradable plastic occur physical disintegration and fragmentation. In 2014, the Central South University of Forestry and Technology simulated natural soil to do the PLA plastic biodegrade experiment, and the quality lost only by 0.23% after 12 months, which was almost no degradation. In 2017, the German University of Meloit also did an experiment; the PLA plastic can be biodegraded after 400 days under the industrial compost condition, while it can’t be degraded in water and ocean, which lose only 0.5% of the quality. Therefore, we can know that the requirements of biodegradation for PLA plastic tableware are very strict. For the pulp molding tableware, an institute researched the degradation of pulp molding meal boxes. It only took 60 days for 100% biodegradation of pulp molding meal boxes. Because the pulp molding tableware is totally produced with natural ingredients, such as bamboo pulp and bagasse, it can be 100% degradation, and has less influence on the environment than PLA plastic tableware. The advantages of pulp molding tableware: 1. Environmentally friendly and harmless. 2. Available to contact 120℃ oil and 100℃ hot water without shape-changing and leakage. 3. Supports microwave oven and refrigerator. 4. Biodegradable and recyclable YUTOECO mainly focuses on sustainable packaging products, including pulp molding bowls, plates, cups, trays, etc., which are recyclable and support 100% biodegradable. We are committed to providing our clients with environmentally friendly packaging products and creating value for our clients.