{"id":5347,"date":"2024-07-30T11:02:42","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T08:02:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/?p=5347"},"modified":"2025-06-12T12:16:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T09:16:58","slug":"us-compostable-packaging-systems-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/us-compostable-packaging-systems-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"Contamination Hinders US Compostable Packaging Systems Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United States is facing significant challenges in expanding its compostable packaging infrastructure due to contamination by look-alike single-use plastics. A recent report by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.closedlooppartners.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Closed Loop Partners (CLP)<\/a> has highlighted these issues, emphasizing that misidentification of compostable packaging is setting back the industry&#8217;s environmental goals.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/us-compostable-packaging-systems-growth\/#Environmental_and_Economic_Potential\" >Environmental and Economic Potential<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/us-compostable-packaging-systems-growth\/#Packaging_Contamination\" >Packaging Contamination<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/us-compostable-packaging-systems-growth\/#Compostable_Packaging_Acceptance\" >Compostable Packaging Acceptance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/us-compostable-packaging-systems-growth\/#Inconsistent_Acceptance_and_Consumer_Confusion\" >Inconsistent Acceptance and Consumer Confusion<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/us-compostable-packaging-systems-growth\/#An_Opportunity_for_Everyone\" >An Opportunity for Everyone<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Environmental_and_Economic_Potential\"><\/span><strong>Environmental and Economic Potential<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The report, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.closedlooppartners.com\/research\/unleashing-the-economic-and-environmental-potntial-for-food-waste-composting-in-the-u-s-a-guide-for-investors-policymakers-and-the-compost-industry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Unleashing the Economic and Environmental Potential for Food Waste Composting in the US<\/a>,\u201d characterizes composting as a key solution for preventing waste accumulation in landfills. According to the World Economic Forum, this could unlock a <strong>$ 4.5 trillion growth potential<\/strong> for a circular economy by 2030.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, the report reveals important obstacles, including <strong>contamination<\/strong> and <strong>failures in packaging development<\/strong>, which are hindering the adoption of a composting infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Packaging_Contamination\"><\/span><strong>Packaging Contamination<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Specifically, the report found that roughly <strong>80 % of contamination in industrial composts originates from conventional plastics<\/strong>, causing composters to spend <strong>nearly a quarter<\/strong> of their operational costs on managing this issue.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Paula Luu, senior project director at the Center for the Circular Economy (CLP) emphasized the need for <strong>consistent labeling<\/strong> and <strong>packaging designs<\/strong> that distinguish compostable from non-compostable materials to prevent these problems.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-5335\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Contamination-Hinders-US-Compostable-Packaging-Systems-Growth-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"Contamination Hinders US Compostable Packaging Systems Growth\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Contamination-Hinders-US-Compostable-Packaging-Systems-Growth-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Contamination-Hinders-US-Compostable-Packaging-Systems-Growth-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Contamination-Hinders-US-Compostable-Packaging-Systems-Growth-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Contamination-Hinders-US-Compostable-Packaging-Systems-Growth.jpeg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Compostable_Packaging_Acceptance\"><\/span><strong>Compostable Packaging Acceptance<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite these challenges, the report notes an <strong>increase<\/strong> in the acceptance of compostable packaging by compost facilities. Currently, the US has about <strong>3,000 facilities<\/strong>, but only around <strong>200<\/strong> of them process food waste. Among these, <strong>71 %<\/strong> accept some forms of food-contact compostable packaging, reflecting a <strong>13 % increase<\/strong> from 2018.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This growth was driven by food waste bans and other organics mandates, alongside emerging policies like state-wide extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs that provide funding to support composting infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Inconsistent_Acceptance_and_Consumer_Confusion\"><\/span><strong>Inconsistent Acceptance and Consumer Confusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Acceptance of compostable packaging varies among US facilities. <strong>Food-soiled paper<\/strong> and<strong> pizza boxes<\/strong> are the most commonly accepted items, followed by <strong>certified compostable liner bags<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, the acceptance landscape remains uneven, creating confusion among consumers. An older <a href=\"https:\/\/www.closedlooppartners.com\/research\/us-consumer-perception-of-compostable-packaging\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">study<\/a> by CLP and the <a href=\"https:\/\/bpiworld.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Biodegradable Products Institute<\/a> had found that <strong>28 %<\/strong> of respondents <strong>incorrectly placed<\/strong> compostable packaging in the recycling bin, and many <strong>misinterpreted<\/strong> \u201cmade from plants\u201d labels as indicating compostability.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"An_Opportunity_for_Everyone\"><\/span><strong>An Opportunity for Everyone<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The report concludes that supporting and scaling up food waste composting infrastructures is in the best interest of investors, brands, and packaging manufacturers alike. By aligning composting sites to accept and process compostable materials, the industry can help <strong>prevent climate change<\/strong>, <strong>create end markets for compostable packaging<\/strong> and <strong>produce products beneficial to both the environment and communities<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The United States is facing significant challenges in expanding its compostable packaging infrastructure due to contamination by look-alike single-use plastics. A recent report by Closed Loop Partners (CLP) has highlighted these issues, emphasizing that misidentification of compostable packaging is setting back the industry&#8217;s environmental goals. &nbsp; Environmental and Economic Potential The report, \u201cUnleashing the Economic&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":5336,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,541,542],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-industry-trends-reports-en","category-new-tech-en","category-28","category-541","category-542","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5347"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5348,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5347\/revisions\/5348"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}