University of Twente Student Theses

Login

The future of plastic packaging for the fresh food industry

Horsthuis, E.M.S. (2023) The future of plastic packaging for the fresh food industry.

[img] PDF
8MB
Abstract:The presence of plastic in the design of food containers has grown rapidly the past few years. However, the aversion of customers against the use of plastic has become stronger as well. Many solutions for packaging (materials) are available in the fresh food industry. However, it is not always clear what is a wise choice in terms of rules and regulations, customer acceptance, technical feasibility and environmental impact. The offering organization “Hordijk Verpakkingen Zaandam” is a prominent supplier of plastic packaging solutions for the fresh food industry. Hence, this assignment aims to research the future of PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) as being a material for fresh food packaging. This has been done, based on the wishes of the customer and the outcome of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The boundaries have been set by analyzing the current state of [1] rules and regulations, [2] production processes and [3] waste management and recycling systems of food packaging. By analyzing both the practical as well as theoretical perspective (i.e. consumer analysis and LCA), practical design solutions could be derived that benefit the environmental impact while being accepted by customers. By adding 30 % recycled content (RPET) and changing the shape of food containers from round to rectangular the gap can be bridged between the opinion of customers and true data about sustainability.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Clients:
Hordijk verpakkingsindustrie Zaandam, Zaandam, Nederland
Faculty:ET: Engineering Technology
Subject:01 general works
Programme:Industrial Design Engineering MSc (66955)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/94580
Export this item as:BibTeX
EndNote
HTML Citation
Reference Manager

 

Repository Staff Only: item control page