Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Design framework for circular and sustainable packaging design

Researchers developed a novel packaging design framework integrating circularity and sustainability (C&S) criteria using literature review, expert brainstorming, and field visits. The framework addresses conflicts between sustainability and functional requirements and provides practical iterative strategies for packaging designers.

2025 Proceedings of the Design Society
Article Tier 2

An Integrated Analysis of Plastic Packaging Value Chain: Identifying Barriers and Enablers for a Circular Economy

Researchers analyzed the full plastic packaging value chain to identify barriers and enablers for transitioning to a circular economy, tracing the evolution of circular economy concepts and quantifying the environmental impacts associated with exponential plastic waste growth. The study provides an integrated framework mapping opportunities for intervention across production, use, collection, and recycling stages.

2025 Journal of Green Economy and Low-Carbon Development
Article Tier 2

Life cycle assessment and circular economy in conjunction with treatment methodologies: Presentation and critical comparison between different food industry waste

This review applies life cycle assessment and circular economy principles to multiple food industry sectors to evaluate environmental trade-offs in processing and packaging. While not focused on microplastics specifically, it provides analytical tools applicable to assessing plastic packaging impacts across food supply chains.

2020 GSC Advanced Research and Reviews 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Smart Material Choice: The Importance of Circular Design Strategy Applications for Bio-Based Food Packaging Preproduction and End-of-Life Life Cycle Stages

This review examined circular design strategies for bio-based food packaging materials, finding that integrating lifecycle thinking into material selection and packaging design significantly reduces environmental impact, and that bio-based plastics can contribute to a circular economy if end-of-life infrastructure supports proper composting or recycling.

2022 Sustainability 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable food packaging: An updated definition following a holistic approach

Researchers proposed an updated, holistic definition for sustainable food packaging by analyzing 38 related terms across the food systems domain. The study found that the lack of a commonly accepted definition has led to uninformed packaging choices by stakeholders throughout the value chain, and the work aims to help producers, distributors, practitioners, and consumers make better decisions about sustainable food packaging alternatives.

2023 Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 67 citations
Review Tier 2

Packaging Waste in the Supply Chain: A Systematic Literature Review

This systematic literature review examines packaging waste throughout the supply chain, documenting the environmental impact of growing packaging use and the push to reduce packaging waste across sectors. The review identifies strategies and knowledge gaps relevant to sustainable packaging design and waste management.

2023 Highlights in Business Economics and Management 2 citations
Article Tier 2

System innovation and life cycle thinking in packaging value chain: the circularity of plastics.

This paper examines the role of circular economy principles in reducing plastic packaging waste, noting that despite existing recycling systems, plastics remain pervasive environmental contaminants. The authors argue that redesigning packaging systems for recyclability and reducing over-packaging are essential steps to address microplastic pollution at its source.

2020 AMS Dottorato Institutional Doctoral Theses Repository (University of Bologna) 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Life cycle assessment and circular economy in conjunction with treatment methodologies: Presentation and critical comparison between different food industry waste

This review applies life cycle assessment (LCA) principles and circular economy thinking to evaluate environmental impacts across several food industry sectors including dairy, meat, and packaging. While not focused on microplastics, it provides methodological tools relevant to assessing the full environmental cost of plastic food packaging.

2020 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

An Overview of Plastic Waste Generation and Management in Food Packaging Industries

This review provides an overview of plastic waste generation and management practices in the food packaging industry globally. Researchers found that packaging accounts for approximately half of all plastic waste, with demand continuing to rise alongside population growth. The study evaluates current disposal methods, recycling challenges, and regulatory approaches while highlighting the need for sustainable alternatives to reduce plastic packaging waste entering the environment.

2021 Recycling 544 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential Routes to the Sustainability of the Food Packaging Industry

This study investigates sustainability challenges in the food plastic packaging industry, examining how a Polish manufacturer navigates compliance with sustainability requirements and identifying practical barriers to reducing plastic use and improving end-of-life outcomes.

2022 Sustainability 21 citations
Review Tier 2

A Systematic Literature Review on Environmental Sustainability Issues of Flexible Packaging: Potential Pathways for Academic Research and Managerial Practice

This systematic review identified key environmental sustainability challenges in flexible packaging, including plastic waste accumulation, microplastic generation, and recycling barriers, while mapping research gaps and calling for integrated lifecycle approaches to reduce its ecological burden.

2022 Sustainability 28 citations
Article Tier 2

A systems thinking approach to understanding the challenges of achieving the circular economy

This paper used a systems thinking approach to identify the challenges blocking implementation of circular economy principles, going beyond the commonly discussed benefits to analyze the structural and societal barriers. It found that complex interdependencies between economic actors, infrastructure, regulation, and consumer behavior collectively obstruct circular economy transitions.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 272 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-based and Sustainable Food Packaging Technology: Relevance, Challenges and Prospects

A review assessed bio-based and sustainable food packaging technologies, evaluating their relevance as replacements for conventional plastic packaging that generates microplastic pollution. The study identifies the most promising materials and the barriers to scaling up plastic-free food packaging.

2025 Journal of Biomaterials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Polymers in Circular Economy: A Comprehensive Approach to Sustainability. An overview.

This review examines the role of polymers within the circular economy framework, analyzing strategies for reducing plastic consumption, improving recyclability, and transitioning toward more sustainable production and waste management models. The authors discuss the importance of government regulation and industry standards in driving circular economy adoption, while acknowledging barriers including economic inertia, upfront investment costs, and resistance to systemic change.

2023 Journal of the Chilean Chemical Society 5 citations
Review Tier 2

Current state and research directions for disposable versus reusable packaging: A systematic literature review of comparative studies

This systematic review of 91 studies compares disposable and reusable packaging for food, beverages, and e-commerce, finding that sustainability outcomes depend heavily on context and that no single packaging type is universally superior.

2023 Packaging Technology and Science 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Barriers to the Circularity of Single-Use Plastic Food Packaging in the European Union

This thesis examines the barriers preventing single-use plastic food packaging from achieving true circularity within the EU, focusing on mechanical recycling challenges and the regulatory hurdles around using recycled plastics in food contact materials. Through literature review and stakeholder interviews, the study finds that polyolefins face particular barriers due to strict food safety regulations that currently prevent their recycling back into food-grade applications.

2024 Trepo - Institutional Repository of Tampere University
Article Tier 2

Reviving the milk man: Consumers’ evaluations of circular reusable packaging offers

Researchers tested whether consumers would adopt returnable, reusable packaging for everyday consumer products, finding that familiarity and clear environmental benefits influenced acceptance. Expanding reusable packaging systems is a key strategy for reducing single-use plastic waste that eventually breaks down into microplastics.

2021 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Food Safety, Plastics and Sustainability

This book covers the use of plastics in food safety applications, including migration of substances from packaging into food, microplastic impacts on humans and the environment, regulations, testing methods, food packaging materials, and identification and recycling approaches.

2023 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating sustainability tensions and resolution strategies in the plastic food packaging industry—A paradox theory approach

This study investigates the sustainability tensions faced by plastic food packaging companies as they try to balance business goals with environmental responsibility. Using paradox theory, researchers found that companies navigate competing demands around food waste reduction, resource use, and climate impact through various resolution strategies.

2023 Business Strategy and the Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Food Packaging Impact to the Reduction of Transport Costs

Researchers examined the relationship between sustainable food packaging design and freight transportation cost reduction through theoretical analysis and biometric literature review. They found that optimizing packaging materials and dimensions for sustainability simultaneously reduces CO2 emissions and transport costs, with packaging weight and volume identified as key factors linking sustainability goals to logistics efficiency.

2024 Journal of Management
Article Tier 2

A new approach to food packaging, a recycling assessment using in vitro strategies

This study assessed sustainable food packaging materials using in vitro strategies to evaluate recycling potential and microplastic release, within the framework of the European strategy for reducing plastic in packaging. Results provided data on whether recycled packaging materials release microplastics and how circularity approaches affect plastic particle contamination of food.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

A Review on Replacing Food Packaging Plastics with Nature-Inspired Bio-Based Materials

Researchers reviewed bio-based materials inspired by nature as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based food packaging plastics. The study highlights that while conventional plastic packaging is effective for food preservation, its environmental impact has driven research into biodegradable and compostable alternatives that could reduce plastic waste and microplastic generation.

2025 Foods 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Current Trends of Food Analysis, Safety, and Packaging

This review examined current trends in food analysis, safety, and packaging, covering topics from food oxidation and browning reactions to emerging contaminants and sustainable packaging alternatives to reduce environmental pollution from conventional plastics.

2021 International Journal of Food Science 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Safety of packaging material in insect feed

This study examines the safety of packaging materials used in insect feed production, assessing potential contamination risks including microplastic transfer within insect rearing systems that use food-grade packaging as part of circular waste-stream initiatives.

2025 Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling