The environmental impacts caused by packaging industry are
raising serious concerns. On average, every citizen in Europe
generates 164 kg of packaging waste in 2008 (Eurostat, 2011) and
food packaging is approximately 50% by weight of total packaging
sales (Marsh and Bugusu, 2007). Due to the fact that food packaging
has short lifetime, the amount of food packaging waste approximately
equals the amount of food packaging in the market.
However, packaging is a fundamental element of almost every food
product. The principal functions of food packaging are to protect
the content against the external environment, maintain product
quality during the storage, and extend its shelf life. In addition, the
retardation of product deterioration due to the packaging means
a reduction in food waste, which implies a significant benefit in the
food supply chain that must be taken into account (Marsh and
Bugusu, 2007). Packaging that reduces food waste can be an
important tool to decrease the total environmental impact