New York-based Nassau Candy is the latest snack brand to turn to more sustainable packaging in an effort to reduce the environmental harm created by its products — and Nassau is doing it with first-of-its-kind compostable candy packaging, Candy Industry reported.
While some other brands have begun to roll out recyclable bags, or bags made with recycled or partially recycled plastic, Nassau is taking things a step further with a bag that is made of bio-based material that is 100% home compostable. The bags will be used for Nassau's in-house brands such as Clever Candy.
"We've been seeing an ever-increasing demand from consumers and in turn our customers for everything sustainable — from ingredients to packaging," said Lance Stier, head of mergers and acquisitions, business development, and strategy for Nassau Candy.
Another recent advancement in sustainable food packaging includes the British Crisp Co.'s new chip bags, which are made out of paper coated in a plastic alternative and are being billed as completely biodegradable. There's also Pringles' new recyclable chip tubes in England and paper-based packaging for Mars Bars, Snickers, and Milky Ways in Australia.
All these changes are being rolled out only in limited locations as pilot programs — but we can hope that soon these more sustainable practices will become widespread.
The changes to non-recyclable plastic snack food packaging are long overdue, as this type of plastic waste has had an outsized negative impact on our planet. According to one 2020 study: "The packaging industry is the largest and growing consumer of synthetic plastics derived from fossil fuels. Food packaging plastics account for the bulk of plastic waste that are polluting the environment."
If polluting brands are unwilling to change on their own, there is a growing movement calling to force them to change by disincentivizing their polluting ways.
For example, New York state recently filed a lawsuit against snack and beverage giant PepsiCo Inc. for contributing to waterway pollution with so many plastic bottles and bags. The New York attorney general contends that it should fall on PepsiCo to reduce its use of plastic, as the company has promised, and the lawsuit seeks "financial penalties and restitution," according to the Associated Press.
If you are concerned about the amount of plastic pollution produced by a snack food company, you can vote with your wallet and strive to do business with brands that are limiting the amount of environmental pollution they cause.
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