Many of us who live in towns and cities inclusive of a landfill site are aware of the damage that waste is doing to our environment. In recent years industry regulators have begun to knuckle down on environmental waste to try and curb our disposable lifestyle habits. We know from recent statistics that in 2013, the grocery sector alone produced approximately 6.5 megatonnes of waste, including 1.2 megatonnes of packaging.

The solution lies not within replacing food and drink packaging totally, as the need for protective and robust casing will always remain strong, however changes can be made without having to sacrifice quality and wastage. Food manufacturers worldwide are increasingly looking to create aesthetically-pleasing, ecologically-sound packaging that will both appeal to the consumer and protect the environment. Food packaging supplier Sovereign has put forward ten examples that adhere to these ethical guidelines.

1. Modified Atmosphere Packaging is a practice that replaces the normal air inside a package with a special blend of oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. This compound extends the shelf life of the food.