At present, most of the materials used to package foods and medicines in almost all countries of the world are plastic products, but it is worrying that, under certain media environment and temperature conditions, polymer monomers and additives in plastics will Dissolution, and very little transfer to food and drugs, causing acute or chronic poisoning, severe and even teratogenic cancer. At the same time, because many plastic products are consumed every year in the world, people are thrown away after use. Because plastics are very difficult to rot, this also leaves the environmental protection industry in trouble. Japan has achieved great results in this regard, especially as many business people operating foods have gradually abandoned plastic packaging.
In Japan, food packaging is not only good looking and practical, but environmental protection has also become an important factor for the packaging industry. Today's Japanese businessmen try to use non-polluting raw materials such as paper bags instead of plastic containers when packaging food, which reduces the cost and technical difficulties of collecting used packaging into factory recycling. Packaging design also played a big role in this regard.
Ninety percent of Japan's milk is sold in crumpled paper packaging, which is a good education. Children can be exposed and used environmentally friendly "green" products from childhood. The easy-to-squash packaging not only has a lower production cost, but also can reduce the occupied space, facilitate the recirculation, and reduce the transportation cost. Japan's most common drink, Yakutt Health Drinks, also uses a bottom tearable cup-shaped container. After tearing the bottom, one can easily flatten the container for recycling.
Every year in Tokyo, Japan, a packaging design competition is held. An award-winning beverage package called EcoPac is widely used. The package consists of a 100% recyclable cardboard box and a bag inside the box for holding the beverage, also known as a Bagincarton/box. The main purpose is to allow people to easily separate the carton from the bag and it is easier to handle when it is sent to the circulation. At present, most of the alcoholic beverages on the market in Japan use such packaging. Another new packaging design that is beginning to be accepted by Japanese consumers is the standing bag (pouch). Since opening the bag is more likely to spill the internal liquid than opening the bottle, the opening of the bag is specifically designed to facilitate opening. This kind of bag packaging is mainly to replace plastic bottles. To compare the two, the former uses only 1/5 of the plastics. In addition to beverages, many of the edible oils sold in Japan are sold in composite paper. Greatly reduces the use of plastics.
The packaging of Japanese dish cleaners can also take care of environmental protection needs. After the consumer has used the detergent for the first time, he can buy the detergent sold in the vertical bag on the market, and then pour the detergent into the original plastic container to continue using it so that the plastic container does not need to be discarded.
These are just some of the excellent designs of several environmentally-friendly packaging that are commonly used in Japan. Most of them can reduce the package size and weight, reduce the waste of resources and difficulties in recycling, and more importantly, they are conducive to the maintenance of human health.
Although paper containers have replaced plastic containers, the waste generated from packaging is still a problem that cannot be ignored. If calculated by weight, they account for 20%-30% of the total waste, and 50%-60% of the total waste if calculated by volume. In response to this situation, Japanese experts suggest that many foods can completely abandon packaging. Taking vegetables and fruits as an example, a survey conducted by the Japan Chain Store Chamber of Commerce showed that except for tomatoes, peaches, and strawberries, 90% of vegetables and fruits do not need sales packaging, which helps maintain the nutrition and freshness of vegetables and fruits. If it is packaging, special plastic wrap should be used to prevent moisture from penetrating. If moisture is infiltrated into the packaging, it will speed up the spoilage of vegetables and fruits, causing unnecessary waste and harm to the body.
The reason why Japanese food traders are able to take care of environmental protection requirements is that, in addition to the strong support of various government departments, it is also necessary to avoid the decline in the quality of products and packaging caused by fierce competition in the domestic market. Japan's environmental packaging for food is worth Countries around the world draw on.