The Amazing Future of Waste-Free Food Packaging

Food waste is a huge issue in the United States. About 40 percent of edible food gets thrown in the trash every year, leading to massive waste problems (not to mention it perpetuates hunger problems). But there is another massive factor in the food waste issue, the waste that can be contributed to the food packaging. Just think about it: how many items do you pack for lunch that require a package? A plastic bag for the sandwich and snacks, water bottle, or juice box, individually wrapped granola bars. It’s a little crazy.

The EPA estimates that every year the waste accumulated from one student’s lunch trash equals out to about 67 pounds. And the majority of this trash ends up in landfills.

Luckily, the Swedish design studio, Tomorrow Machine, has created an awesome solution to this food packaging waste problem – biodegradable food packaging. The line of this ingenious packaging is called “This Too Shall Pass” (clever, huh?), featuring completely waste-free alternatives to our everyday food packaging methods.

The bowl is made of 100 percent bio-based material. When hot water is added to the package, it activates a mechano-active ingredient in the bowl and it expands into a serving dish…

…that looks like this. Science is awesome, right?!

Tomorrow Machine’s juice box is derived from agar and water. Agar is an algae-based substance that is a bit like gelatin.

As you drink the contents of the box, it begins to shrink down to a small size. The box takes about a month to break down completely.

The company has even developed waste-free packaging for dry goods like pasta and rice. 

This little guy is made of treated wax, and can be peeled away just like an orange peel.

If you thought that was cool…just see what they’ve replaced plastic oil containers with.

This pod is made of caramelized sugar that will crack just like an egg shell. Once it is empty, the shell can be dissolved in water!