Plant-based meats typically have a lower environmental impact than animal products, but when one shopper unpacked a box of burgers from Impossible Foods, it raised questions about that claim, at least in terms of the packaging.
What happened?
The original poster shared a photo in the r/Anticonsumption subreddit of Impossible burger patties that came individually wrapped in plastic casings and bags.
"More plastic please!" the original poster titled their post.
"All of this plastic packaging for 8 burgers!" they added.
"Write to their customer service department to complain!" one person suggested in the comments.
"Couldn't these just be vacuum-packed?" another user asked. "Or have cardboard dividers between the individual patties?"
"You can buy them in 6 packs and they have less packaging that way, just a single bag," someone else noted.
Why is plastic waste concerning?
While the company is certainly helping reduce the environmental impact of food production, as plant-based foods require far fewer resources compared to animal products, it could use a packaging material other than plastic.
As the United Nations Environment Programme put it, "plastic — not so fantastic." Since the 1950s, when plastic was first produced on a mass scale, the world has manufactured over 10 billion tons of the material, of which nearly 8 billion have entered landfills and the environment as waste. We now produce and use more than 470 million tons of plastic per year, nearly 70% of which is disposable products that are tossed almost immediately.
All of this plastic waste is bad for the economy, human health, and ecosystems. The UNEP reported that the United States incurs costs of roughly $300 billion to $600 billion annually to clean up plastic pollution and address health issues related to plastic exposure. When plastics break down in landfills, they leach hazardous chemicals into the environment and release potent planet-warming gases such as methane.
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Yes 💯 Plastics have also become a major threat to aquatic animals and ecosystems, as roughly 21 million to 25 million tons of the material enter waterways annually, putting thousands of species at risk of entanglement or choking on stray plastics if they mistake them for food.
Is Impossible Foods doing anything about this?
According to Impossible's website, the company's main mission is to reduce the environmental impact of food production itself.
That said, it focuses on designing packaging with minimal waste by using as much postconsumer recycled content as possible and sourcing sustainable paper-based packaging for select products.
Additionally, the plastic trays are made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and are also recyclable. Another one of its packaging strategies is to prioritize keeping food from spoiling, which can lead to food waste, which has an even larger environmental footprint than plastic.
It's also worth noting that, "when measured by the amount of resources required to produce them, the environmental footprint of food products is far bigger than that of packaging," the company stated, citing a 2022 study by consulting firm WSP Canada that found Impossible burgers require 92% less water and 96% less land as well as produce 91% less heat-trapping pollution compared to beef burgers.
What are other companies doing to reduce plastic waste?
Major companies, such as McDonald's, Aldi, and Coca-Cola, have made a dent in plastic pollution by introducing recyclable packaging and paper-based alternatives to plastic cutlery.
As a consumer, one of the easiest ways to cut back on plastic is to buy a reusable water bottle instead of disposable ones, which can save tons of money as well. You can also swap plastic grocery bags for totes made from canvas or recycled PET, or look for refillable beauty products at stores like Whole Foods.
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