Vegan Wrap

The vegan movement is spreading ever further and the term vegan is scarcely unfamiliar to anyone. Forgoing all animal products in your nutrition is becoming ever easier thanks to the use of substitute products like soya milk or tofu sausage and vegan restaurants no longer being a rarity. Even in the clothing sector there are now many alternatives to wool or leather and vegan cosmetics are no longer niche products. But what is the situation here as far as packaging goes? When shopping people often only give a thought to this factor later in the day and yet product packaging is obviously also an aspect to be taken into consideration.

Vegan packaging, zero waste, recycling, sustainability: initially all this sounds very good. But one does not necessarily have anything to do with the other. Not infrequently these terms with a positive connotation among consumers are all thrown into the same pot when it comes to marketing. It is important here that all aspects of the life cycle of a product are taken into consideration. However, this does not mean animal-free packaging is necessarily more sustainable than conventionally produced materials.

But first things first, let’s go back to the beginning. Anyone opting for this lifestyle can nowadays certainly satisfy this need from head to toe. And this is now also starting to extend to packaging. Even if packaging does not immediately suggest animal products there are still hidden factors you have to watch out for as a vegan.

Adhesive, in particular, can come in the form of animal-based gelatine. Often this especially affects the labelling of the goods. “Glutin” (bone glue from animal waste products) or casein are therefore unsuitable as adhesive components for vegan packaging. The rule here is that all materials like dyes, lacquers, adhesives and additives must be guaranteed free of animal compounds. Vegan labels can be produced using synthetic adhesives; but these must also cause no issues for recycling which would drive the price of the products upwards.

Overall, it can be said that the topic of vegan packaging is being taken seriously by many producers but it has still not found a wide customerbase as yet. However, this may change in the coming years as the topic seems to be in fashion, especially among the target group of Generation Y.