5 Zero-Waste Packagings That You Need to Know

The total quantity of generated packaging materials rose by 6.6 million tons from 2007 to 2017 (+9.3%)

Source: Jess Bailey [10]

How often do you shop? Have you ever thought how much plastic is used to package the things
you buy?
The total quantity of generated packaging materials rose by 6.6 million tons from 2007 to 2017
(+9.3%) [1]. While plastic packaging delivers numerous economic benefits, it accounts for
almost half of the global plastic waste since the majority gets thrown away after a single-use [2].
That’s not all. As we all know, plastic takes an average of 450 to 1,000 years to decompose,
breaking down into smaller pieces along the way [3]. These smaller pieces, known as
microplastics, present a great risk not only to the environment, but everything else in it (yes, us
included).
Needless to say, changes are necessary, and we can start by switching to eco-friendly packaging.
Here are some alternative eco-friendly packagings you can try:
 1. Seaweed

Seaweed packaging is an alternative to plastic that is sustainable and biodegradable

Source: Wolfgang Hasselmann [11]

Using bio-based packaging is an excellent way to reduce carbon footprint since it’s made from
renewable materials and can degrade more easily [4]. One example would be using seaweed as
an alternative raw material to plastic.
There are already many packaging products made from seaweed, one of which is Evoware, a
local enterprise whose mission is to provide solutions to end plastic pollution by creating
campaigns and offering a range of sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic items [5].
What’s amazing about seaweed is that its farming and cultivation process curbs carbon dioxide
(CO2) emissions; its cultivation process alone absorbs 20.7 tons of carbon dioxide emissions,
making it a great ally to fight climate change [6]!

2. Bagasse
 Bagasse is widely being used across the catering industry as a substitution for disposables made from
wood, pulp, fibre, petrochemicals and plastics.

Source: Hafisa Rafique [12]

Bagasse is the dry pulpy fibrous residue that remains after sugarcane or sorghum stalks are
crushed to extract their juice. Due to its malleability and stickiness, it can be molded into
packaging suitable for food delivery—similar to polystyrene. Unlike polystyrene, however, it’s
completely biodegradable and compostable [7]!
Read also: Want a Plastic-Free Life? Here Are Our Plastic-Free July Takeaways

3. Cassava
 90% of the pollution floating in the ocean is plastic which accounts for 46,000 pieces of plastic
in every single square mile
Source: James Cameron [13]
Who loves cassava chips? Well, here’s another reason why you should love cassava: as it turns
out, this cheap and common vegetable can be used to make plastic bags and food packaging!
Look at Avani’s cassava-based eco bags! Made from 100% bio-based material, the customizable
bag can be dissolved in a matter of less than 150 days when discarded in water [8]. On top of
that, they’re also compostable!

4. Corn husk
 Corn husk has a suitable fiber for making paper
Source: Cristina Anne Costello [14]
In 2019, Hasyim Asy'ari University's Laboratory of Science and Mechanical Engineering
conducted an experiment using corn husks [9]. Surprisingly, they found out that corn husks can
be processed into paper bags, perhaps due to their high levels of cellulose.
In addition to that, corn husk paper has a biodegradable rate of up to 50% which is easier to
break down in nature.

5. Use your shopping bag

One person using reusable bags over their lifetime would remove more than 22,000 plastic bags
from the environment
Source: Priscilla Du Preez [15]
Bio-based packaging is a great alternative to plastic packaging, but wouldn’t it better if we
stopped using it altogether?
It’s time to reunite with your shopping bags: bring it everywhere you go. By bringing shopping
bags, we can reduce our carbon footprint by reducing waste from packaging while also
minimizing the impact of natural extracts for the manufacture of packaging materials.

Read also: How to Create a Greener Shopping Experience from Home

In addition to the alternatives previously mentioned, there are many other packaging that are also
environmentally friendly. In fact, Indonesians are actually accustomed to using environmentally
friendly packaging in traditional foods that we often encounter, such as banana leaves or pandan
leaves.
References:
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/10547.pdf
[2] https://www.projectplanetid.com/post/indonesia-and-plastics-a-modern-love-hate-
relationship
[3] https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-long-does-it-take-garbage-to-decompose-2878033
[4] https://www.amcor.com/insights/blogs/more-sustainable-biobased-packaging
[5] https://www.webpackaging.com/en/portals/evoware/
[6] https://www.greenbiz.com/article/edible-packaging-will-make-you-reconsider-seaweed
[7] https://www.disruptorleague.com/blog/2018/07/02/13-plastic-packaging-alternatives/
[8] https://fashnerd.com/2017/09/avani-cassava-ecobags-sustainability/#:~:text=The%20cassava
%2Dbased%20eco%20bags,can%20be%20found%20across%20Indonesia.
[9] https://www.greeners.co/ide-inovasi/kertas-kemasan-dari-ampas-tebu-dan-kulit-jagung/

Photo:
[10] https://unsplash.com/photos/f94JPVrDbnY
[11] https://unsplash.com/photos/vIZjeHFW48E
[12] https://unsplash.com/photos/XfEHT_GnJvo
[13] https://unsplash.com/photos/KENd4EBdqow
[14] https://unsplash.com/photos/K7tjKGxIVeY
[15] https://unsplash.com/photos/urcDzLL0HnI

#bioplastic #packaging #bio-based packaging

 5 Kemasan Nol-Sampah Yang Kalian Perlu Tahu

Jumlah total kemasan yang dihasilkan naik 6,6 juta ton dari 2007 hingga 2017

Sumber: Jess Bailey [10]

Seberapa sering kalian berbelanja? Pernahkah kalian berpikir berapa banyak plastik yang
digunakan untuk mengemas barang yang kalian beli?
Jumlah total kemasan yang dihasilkan naik sebesar 6,6 juta ton dari tahun 2007 hingga 2017 atau
meningkat sebesar 9,3% [1]. Meskipun memberikan manfaat ekonomi dan meningkatkan
produktivitas sumber daya, kemasan menyumbang hampir setengah dari limbah plastik global
karena sebagian besar dibuang setelah sekali pakai [2].
Lebih parahnya lagi, plastik membutuhkan waktu 450-1000 tahun untuk terurai dan plastik akan
terurai menjadi partikel kecil yang dikenal sebagai mikroplastik yang mempunyai dampak
lingkungan yang besar [3].
Tak perlu diragukan, kita perlu membuat perubahan dan perubahan pertama yang kita bisa
lakukan adalah beralih ke kemasan ramah lingkungan. Berikut beberapa kemasan ramah
lingkungan yang kalian bisa coba:
 1. Rumput laut

Kemasan rumput laut merupakan salah satu alternatif pengganti plastik yang berkelanjutan dan lebih
mudah terurai

Sumber: Wolfgang Hasselmann [11]

Menggunakan kemasan berbahan dasar nabati adalah salah satu cara untuk mengurangi jejak
karbon kita karena kemasan berbahan dasar nabati lebih mudah terdegradasi [4].
Produk kemasan berbahan dasar rumput laut sudah banyak beredar, salah satunya kemasan
rumput laut dari Evoware [5]. Misi Evoware adalah untuk menyediakan solusi terhadap polusi
plastik dengan membangun kampanye serta menawarkan alternatif pengganti plastik.
Apa yang membuat rumput laut begitu menakjubkan adalah bahwa proses budidaya rumput laut
dapat menyerap 20,7 ton emisi karbon dioksida, menjadikannya teman yang hebat untuk
melawan perubahan iklim [6]!

2. Ampas tebu
 Ampas tebu banyak digunakan di industri katering sebagai bahan bakar pengganti kayu, serat, dan
plastik.

Sumber: Hafisa Rafique [12]

Ampas tebu adalah residu kering yang tersisa setelah batang tebu atau sorgum dihancurkan untuk
diambil sarinya. Karena sifatnya yang lunak dan lengket, ia dapat dicetak menjadi kemasan yang
sesuai untuk pengiriman makanan — mirip dengan polistiren. Tidak seperti polistiren, ampas
tebu benar-benar dapat terurai dan dapat dibuat kompos [7]!

Baca juga: Ingin Hidup Bebas Plastik? Baca Apa yang Kita Pelajari dari Plastic Free July

3. Singkong
 90% dari polusi yang mengapung di laut adalah plastik yang menghasilkan 46.000 potongan
plastik di setiap mil persegi
Sumber: James Cameron [13]
Siapa yang suka singkong? Ada satu alasan tambahan kenapa kalian harus menyukai singkong.
Ternyata, singkong juga bisa digunakan sebagai bahan dasar untuk memproduksi kemasan ramah
lingkungan.
Avani memproduksi kemasan yang terbuat dari singkong dapat terurai dalam waktu kurang dari
150 hari dalam air [8]. Selain itu, kemasan tersebut bisa digunakan sebagai bahan dasar kompos!

4. Kertas dari kulit jagung

 Kulit jagung memiliki serat yang cocok untuk pembuatan kertas
Sumber: Cristina Anne Costello [14]
Pada tahun 2019, Laboratorium Sains dan Teknik Mesin Universitas Hasyim Asy'ari melakukan
percobaan dengan kulit jagung [9]. Limbah yang tidak terpakai ini ternyata bisa diolah menjadi
kertas untuk bahan pengemas seperti kantong kertas. Kulit jagung memiliki kadar selulosa yang
tinggi dan dapat digunakan sebagai bahan pembuatan kertas. Selain itu, kertas ini juga memiliki
tingkat keteruraian hingga 50% dan membuatnya lebih mudah terurai di alam.

5. Gunakan tas belanja kalian

 Satu orang yang menggunakan tas yang dapat digunakan kembali selama hidupnya akan
mengurangi lebih dari 22.000 kantong plastik
Sumber: Priscilla Du Preez [15]
Kemasan berbahan dasar nabati tentu merupakan alternatif pengganti yang baik, tetapi bukankah
lebih baik apabila kita berhenti menggunakan kemasan?
Ini adalah waktu yang tepat untuk kembali pada tas belanja kalian dan membawanya setiap kali
kalian bepergian. Dengan begitu, kita bisa berkontribusi dalam mengurangi limbah dari kemasan
sekali pakai sekaligus meminimalkan dampak ekstraksi alam untuk pembuatan kemasan.

Selain alternatif-alternatif yang telah disebutkan sebelumnya, masih banyak kemasan lain yang
juga ramah lingkungan. Bahkan, masyarakat Indonesia sebenarnya sudah terbiasa menggunakan
kemasan ramah lingkungan pada makanan tradisional yang sering kita jumpai, seperti daun
pisang atau daun pandan.

Baca juga: Cara Membuat Pengalaman Belanja dari Rumah Lebih Ramah Lingkungan
Sumber:
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/10547.pdf
[2] https://www.projectplanetid.com/post/indonesia-and-plastics-a-modern-love-hate-
relationship
[3] https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-long-does-it-take-garbage-to-decompose-2878033
[4] https://www.amcor.com/insights/blogs/more-sustainable-biobased-packaging
[5] https://www.webpackaging.com/en/portals/evoware/
[6] https://www.greenbiz.com/article/edible-packaging-will-make-you-reconsider-seaweed
[7] https://www.disruptorleague.com/blog/2018/07/02/13-plastic-packaging-alternatives/
[8] https://fashnerd.com/2017/09/avani-cassava-ecobags-sustainability/#:~:text=The%20cassava
%2Dbased%20eco%20bags,can%20be%20found%20across%20Indonesia.
[9] https://www.greeners.co/ide-inovasi/kertas-kemasan-dari-ampas-tebu-dan-kulit-jagung/

Foto:
[10] https://unsplash.com/photos/f94JPVrDbnY
[11] https://unsplash.com/photos/vIZjeHFW48E
[12] https://unsplash.com/photos/XfEHT_GnJvo
[13] https://unsplash.com/photos/KENd4EBdqow
[14] https://unsplash.com/photos/K7tjKGxIVeY
[15] https://unsplash.com/photos/urcDzLL0HnI

#plastikalami #pengemasan #pengemasanberbasisalam