Developing a sustainable and biodegradable packaging material from "Maana" plant

Abstract

The packaging industry is a significant contributor to the plastic pollution burdening our environment. One main issue with plastics is that they are designed to be durable, so they persevere in the environment even after they have fulfilled their use. More than 400 million tons of plastic is produced every year worldwide, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10% is recycled. Around the world, one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute, while up to five trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year [1]. Biodegradable packaging is a game-changer, offering a holistic solution to the growing concern over packaging waste. By utilizing materials that naturally break down over time, this packaging option ensures a more sustainable future for the beauty industry and our planet. Primary packaging is the packaging in direct contact with the product itself and is sometimes referred to as a consumer unit. In the cosmetic industry the primary packaging is the crucial packaging type with materials which are a burden to the environment. Creating a solution with widely available materials for the primary cosmetic packaging is done in this study.