Forewarned is Forearmed: Aret manz papier!

Pa Manz Papier! You might be wondering who eats paper? Knowingly or unknowingly, many of us regularly consume paper, and yet nothing about it is being done. This is why Explast wants to raise awareness on why we should not only buy eco-friendly products but also be consuming food from safe packaging.
The trend of paper packaging has received a real boost over the past years. Many parties have developed an environmental conscience in front of a growing concern – the widespread use of harmful packages, notably plastic. However, many businesses were not preoccupied or wouldn’t even think of replacing their existing packages for a less harmful one – their bad! You probably have heard about the government’s new law; the importation, manufacture, possession, sale, supply, and use of some non-biodegradable single-use plastic products have been banned. Among the different plastic-based packages, the following is now prohibited: lids of plastic containers, disposable (take-away) containers, single-use plastic among others…
Let’s face the reality, this new regulation has impacted many businesses, and some have really been struggling especially those who were making use of plastic packages, and couldn’t think ahead. But this is not the same song anymore! Today more than ever, businesses need to rethink sustainable alternatives – and those alternatives need to be of good quality, and environmentally friendly – what a challenge!
In front of the pressing need to substitute the use of plastic packaging, many businesses have turned to paper packaging as they are eco-friendly and approved by the government – the perfect combo! Consumers’ eating habits have also evolved, and with the apparition of the Covid-19 life has been disturbed, more and more consumers are opting for takeaway facilities when ordering instead of the eat-in option. It is undeniable that today there is a huge demand for paper packaging on the market – it seems like this piece of paper does wonders!
Yes, paper packaging is good- we all got it. However, you need to know that not all food paper packages are safe. Yes! For example, not all paper containers have their place in a microwave – it’s literally dangerous. Remember that time when you kept a portion of your delicious fried noodles in the fridge at night in its takeaway so that you can enjoy it tomorrow, and the next day, bam your noodles are glued with that paper takeaway, how appetite is that?! ‘Hey mo p manz papier’ kind of feeling, right?! Well, this is a perfect example of how paper packaging can be unsafe for our health.
But how can you differentiate between a safe paper packaging and a harmful one? Well, let’s make it clear, with safe paper packaging, it’s impossible to ‘manz papier’.
When we speak of food paper packaging, there are various types of packaging, some safe ones and some not appropriate for the food itself. Let’s dig a little deeper here. Paper packaging can be made from different food-based materials such as parchment paper. On the other side, carton board is commonly used for e.g. liquid and dry foods, frozen foods, and fast food. Corrugated boards are commonly used in direct contact with food (e.g. pizza boxes) and act as secondary packaging.
There are various food packaging types: Boxes, Takeaways, Trays among others… At Explast we believe that not only the outer surface of the packaging is important, what’s in the inner surface is also very important. Our food-based packaging boxes, takeaways, and more are coated. This acts as a protective barrier through a thin layer of coating inside which makes food safe to consume. We will give you more details about the coating part of our packaging in another article for you to better understand its importance.