Forget Recycling: Here Comes Edible Packaging

Food packaging, especially single serving, is a major contributor to landfill waste. About 76 tons in the US annually. Frequently difficult to recycle, and otherwise not top of mind for people to think of as recyclable, it has seemed like a necessary evil, as people aren’t about to stop consuming such products.

We are on the cusp of that figure being radically reduced.

Monosol and WikiCells are two contenders in the soon-to-emerge edible packaging market. Monosol is closer to market, as it’s already being used in detergent, pesticide and clothing applications, and has begun talks with food companies. However, its method of dispersal is getting wet, which precludes it being used in liquid applications, a sector where much of food packaging waste originates from. WikiCells has no such problem.

Monosol’s materials are biodegradable, but there may be a psychological barrier to overcome, as the example shared in Fast Company shows:

You drop a package of hot chocolate into water, and as the packaging opens the drink is made. Up float bits of plastic looking material that then melt into nothing, becoming part of the drink. For some, this will be a novel, fun experience they’ll relish. For many, it may prove disconcerting.

As branding experts suggested in the article, some paths around this might be invoking nature, the familiar in how the packaging looks, or perhaps adding nutritional aspects will help make Monosol be easier to swallow.
So just what are WikiCells? As they put it,

WikiCells consist of a natural food membrane held together by electrostatic forces and containing a liquid, emulsion, foam, or solid food substance possibly within an edible or biodegradable shell. They can be produced by consumers with a WikiCell Machine in a practically inexhaustible variety of membranes and forms and with a wide range of food and drinks. WikiCells use special membrane technology that permits the fabrication of thin delicious membranes with significant water diffusional resistance and adjoined shells that allow for stability of the WikiCells over long periods of time.

One basic concern that a Twitter follower of mine brought up that WikiCells and Monosol must be sure to address, both in execution and in marketing: Will you be eating packaging that a lot of others have touched? Though unlikely, it’s important to reassure potential consumers that eating its product is safe.

Despite potential hurdles, real or imagined, this is definitely a space to explore, as we cannot continue on the current path, accumulating further waste. Recyclable and upcycleable packaging are certainly a better way, but with edible packaging, you’ll be cutting out energy use to collect, transport, and store or recycle it. Cumulatively, a huge shift.

Readers: Would you eat edible packaging? If not, what would you need to feel comfortable doing so? What other companies are working on edible packaging?

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Paul Smith is a sustainable business innovator, global trend tracker, the founder of GreenSmith Consulting, and has an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco. He creates interest in, conversations about, and business for green (and greening) companies, via social media marketing.

Image credit: Rachel L Weiss