For various types of packaging, there are now suitable alternatives to plastic. Cardboard stands out here, as it is considered one of the sustainable alternatives to plastic, both as product packaging and as a shipping and transport medium.

However, not everything can be immediately packaged in cardboard, for example in the food sector or in medical technology, where it is important to initially package products individually due to sterility, hygiene, or to protect perishable goods.

They are only sold as a set or in larger quantities in cardboard boxes. Here, it becomes more challenging to find alternatives to plastic. Nevertheless, various bio-materials and sustainable alternatives to plastic are already available.

Plastic Alternatives – What Bio-Materials Are Available?

Biological packaging as alternatives to plastic is particularly interesting for retail, businesses, or restaurants that can significantly reduce their CO₂ footprint without plastics and with recyclable raw materials.

Instead of straws, plastic dishes, and cutlery, there are much more interesting and environmentally friendly materials as alternatives to plastic. Some examples are:

• Grass – excellent bowls or even bags can be made from grass fiber pulp, which can later be disposed of in waste paper.
• Wood – used as an attractive raw material for the production of disposable tableware.
• Cardboard – in the form of boxes or even cups and bowls
• Plant fibers (bagasse) – surprisingly robust bowls can be made from the shredded sugarcane plant fibers.
• Polylactic acid (PLA) – this is a bio-plastic made from fermented corn starch, from which environmentally friendly packaging can be made.
• Recycled plastic (rPET) – recycled polyethylene terephthalate, for example from deposit bottles, can be turned into new dishes.

Other interesting alternatives to plastic are found in the food sector. Examples include:

• edible packaging (based on the principle of ice cream cones)
• feathers (a by-product of the poultry industry) as thermal packaging
• straw for climate-neutral insulated packaging, as a replacement for styrofoam
• packaging made from algae in the form of paper or jelly-like cups
• packaging in palm leaves (for take-away products)

Alternative Packaging to Plastic – Advantages

The above-mentioned alternatives to plastic are especially good for the environment. Additionally, they offer the following advantages:

• Sustainability
• Renewable raw materials, ideally available regionally
• Natural products like grass or plant fibers are usually by-products and therefore cheaply available.
• They are lightweight, robust, safe, and can be biologically degraded and composted.
• The alternatives to plastic are food-safe and taste-neutral.
• They can be easily disposed of through household waste / waste separation.

Best Alternative to Plastic for Shipping: The Cardboard

Not suitable as an alternative to plastic for all occasions, but optimal as a shipping medium: the cardboard.

Cardboard Properties

The cardboard is particularly versatile as it is available in all possible sizes and shapes. Moreover, it is made from a renewable raw material, ideally sourced regionally and processed without the addition of chemical substances or bleaches.

Cardboards as an alternative to plastic are both reusable and recyclable. They are robust and stable and biodegradable once they are removed from the recycling cycle.

Cardboard Applications

It can be used for all possible purposes, especially for take-away food or as a pizza box and of course for all shipping purposes in industry and trade, provided the type of goods does not require other packaging.

Cardboard and Its Usage Advantages:

• Cardboards are easy to procure and handle. In the industry, it is easy to integrate them into filling or transport systems. Transport companies can easily process them in sorting machines, and mail carriers can carry them well.
• Although packaging licenses are required for companies, the costs for cardboards are comparatively lower than for other materials.
• Cardboard can also be disposed of in a space-saving manner by the end consumer when torn and shredded into the paper bin.