Sustainable Kitchen Practices with the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa
Paper packaging is a perfect fit not only for the circular economy, but also the kitchen. Apart from the energy consumption of appliances and water use, the environmental footprint of time spent in the kitchen is something we probably don’t think about. Learn how to make your kitchen practices more sustainable with the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa.
Paper & Food Packaging
As the world moves towards more sustainable ways of doing life, it is a good time to consider the impact of the packaging we buy and how we dispose of it.
The reality is that food needs to be protected or preserved in some kind of wrapping. Along with how the ingredients are produced, the production and end-of-life of packaging can have a big influence on your meal’s environmental impact. Paper is fast becoming the substrate of choice in food packaging for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is renewable because it is made from wood fibre from responsibly managed plantations.
Moreover, paper also stores carbon. Trees of all kinds – whether fruit trees or farmed eucalyptus trees – play a vital part in keeping our planet regulated, offsetting greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change. Like the plants we eat, trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the circulating air and water from the ground, and convert this into growth. Oxygen is returned to the atmosphere, while the carbon stays locked up in the wood, and even further in paper products.


Paper is fast becoming the substrate of choice in food packaging.
Shredding the Myths
“It’s for these very reasons that the use of more pulp, paper and paper packaging is not a cause of deforestation or bad for the environment,” Jane Molony, executive director of the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA). She adds that, “Essentially, plantation trees are crops like wheat or corn, grown in rotations, with around 10% of the total tree count being harvested and replenished with new trees annually. This means that there are always trees growing, at different stages of maturity.”
When recycled, the lifespan of the paper fibre is extended even further when converted into new paper and board products, and the carbon stays locked up for longer.
How Can You Make a Difference in Your Kitchen?
Both professional chefs and home cooks have a part to play in reducing the impact that packaging has on the environment by committing to recycling. But simply tossing paper products into the recycle bin is not enough, some consideration needs to go into this to make it viable.
“Recyclable paper such as cardboard boxes and dry food packaging should not get wet or dirty – paper is effectively a natural product, any contact with moisture, such as tea bags, food scraps or liquids, will set off the degradation process,” explains Molony.
Paper packaging is a perfect fit not only for the circular economy, but also the kitchen.
Keeping paper items in recyclable condition is key. Here are three reasons to have a separate bin for recyclable paper and packaging in your kitchen:
- It keeps the paper clean and dry
- Dry paper fibres retain their integrity, which means a better-quality product when the paper is recycled.
- It is easier, cleaner and quicker for waste collectors to retrieve these items.
In most homes, a recycling bin for food packaging will outweigh the bin for food scraps very quickly. This is why it is so important to ensure that you are doing your part in recycling items that can be manufactured into something else and doing your bit to keep the circular economy going.
PAMSA is the packaging partner of the 2022 EatOut Awards.
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