Nature and Classification of Green Packaging Materials

Summary: As a packaging material, both green packaging materials and non-green packaging materials should have the properties of protection, processability, appearance, decoration, cost savings and easy recycling, but as a green packaging should also have its own unique performance. Comrades Wu Jun and Li Heping have been engaged in research on green packaging issues for a long time. Special authors have discussed the nature and classification of green packaging materials. The full text is as follows:
The development of packaging materials is constantly evolving and evolving with the development of the packaging industry, the development of science and technology, and the needs of human beings and the overall development of the society. Packaging material is the material basis for the formation of commodity packaging, is the carrier for all functions of commodity packaging, and is the most basic element that constitutes the value of the use of commodity packaging. To study packaging, developing packaging must begin with these most basic elements. Green packaging materials are an inevitable necessity and an inevitable product of human beings entering a highly civilized world economy and entering a highly developed world. It is a response to human demands for maintaining a living environment and the emergence of a green revolution in the world. It is an irreversible and inevitable development. Trend, so serious study of it, master it, develop it, has great significance for the benefit of mankind.
The reason why green packaging can be raised is that with the rapid development of the packaging industry, the packaging materials are rich and colorful, and plastic packaging occupies a considerable proportion. Therefore, there are more and more packaging wastes and garbage, which are difficult to control and pollute. The environment has jeopardized people's health, and a worldwide green revolution broke out. Green Packaging began in 1987, the United Nations Environment and Development Committee's "our common future", it is also known as the Friends of the environment packaging, ecological packaging. It refers to packaging materials that are harmless to the ecological environment and human health, and can be recycled and recycled. In this way, the research and development of green packaging has risen all over the world and has achieved remarkable results in a short period of time. For example, photodegradation, the appearance of biodegradable materials, natural fiber-filled biodegradable materials, and the sequential appearance of biosynthetic materials have further promoted the development of green packaging. The characteristics of this stage are the use of advanced science and technology to combine natural and synthetic raw materials. Together made of packaging materials, this material does not pollute the environment, can be recycled, and can also be naturally weathered and returned to nature, which is completely a product of the high-tech era.
The properties of green packaging materials should be used as packaging materials. Whether they are green packaging materials or non-green packaging materials, they can be said that most of them are common basic properties such as protection, processing operability, and appearance decoration. , cost savings, easy recycling, etc., but as a unique green packaging performance is not harmful to human health and ecological environment, that can be recycled and reused, but also natural weathering return to nature.
1.Protective: It has good protection for the contents, which can not only be moisture-proof, waterproof and corrosion-proof, but also resistant to heat, cold, oil, light and high barrier to prevent deterioration of the contents. The nature and smell. In addition, the material must have a certain degree of mechanical strength to maintain the shape and function of the contents.
2, processing operability: that is mainly refers to the material's easy processing performance, that is, the material's own rigidity, smoothness, heat sealing, toughness, etc. and is very convenient in the packaging, good packaging and sealing performance, and adapt to packaging machinery The operation.
3, the appearance of decorative: that is, whether the material is easy to further change and finishing, that is, in color, shape, decoration can be easily operated and adapted. Such as the printability of materials, gloss and transparency, resistance to dust absorption.
4, cost savings: the material's performance and price ratio is reasonable, can be economically suitable for packaging, and can save manpower, energy and mechanical equipment costs.
5. The quality and lightness of materials means that the materials can be lightweight while performing the functions of protection, transportation, and sales. This saves resources and economy, and also reduces the amount of waste.
6. Recyclability: It means that the material waste is easy to recycle, easy to recycle, save resources and save energy, and it is also conducive to environmental protection.
As the most outstanding performance of economic materials, it is based on easy recycling and regeneration, but also naturally weathered and integrated into nature. What is even more remarkable is that it does not produce environmental pollution from the raw materials to the processing process until the products are all harmless to human health, and there are no potential hazards in the process of packaging, storage and use, and there is no trace contamination of the contents. Do not lose flavor, not bad.
As packaging materials, whether green or non-green, the most fundamental of these properties is the properties of the materials themselves, followed by materials processing technology and equipment. Especially in the process of research and development of green packaging, we can firmly believe that with the rapid development of science and technology, green packaging products will change with each passing day, they will bring more and more perfect special performance, will further improve and enrich packaging materials, meet the commodity The various aspects of packaging.
Classification of Green Packaging Materials From a biological cycle perspective, nature has created natural polymers, and nature has the ability to weather, erode, and decompose them to conserve energy, but nature has not yet synthesized natural synthetic polymers. Decomposition of their enzymes, so that waste continues to flood the world. Among the four pillar materials currently used for packaging, paper is made from natural plant fibers, so it is easily weathered and decomposed. Metal and glass can be recycled. Only ordinary plastics have a certain degree of particularity, it is difficult to weather naturally, and it is difficult to recycle, which is the source of “white pollution”. Therefore, the current global development and research of new types of green packaging materials (degradable materials) are all directed against the source of “white pollution” that is difficult to handle.
Therefore, according to environmental protection requirements and the ownership of materials after the use of green packaging materials can be roughly divided into three categories: First, recyclable materials processed. Second, natural weather can return to natural materials. Third, the quasi-green packaging materials - can be recycled incineration, no pollution of the atmosphere and the amount of renewable materials.
The above three categories of materials can also include different varieties.
I. Recyclable remanufactured materials:
Including paper, cardboard materials, molded pulp materials, metal materials, glass materials, usually linear polymer materials (plastics, fibers), also includes degradable polymer materials.
Second, natural weathering can return to the natural material:
Including: 1. Paper product materials (paper, sheet, molded pulp materials); 2. Degradable materials (photodegradation, biodegradation, oxygen degradation, photo/oxygen degradation, water degradation) and biosynthetic materials, Grass, wheat straw filling, shell filling, natural fiber filling materials, etc.; 3, edible materials.
Third, incineration does not pollute the atmosphere and may be recycled materials:
Including some of the non-recyclable recycling of linear polymers, network polymer materials, some composite materials (plastic - metal), (plastic - plastic), (plastic - paper) and so on.