Waste-free packaging is here, but are consumers ready for it? Via The Guardian.
The packaging industry acknowledges that there’s a psychological barrier to eating packaging, particularly in regards to aesthetics. For example: bits of a membrane stuck between teeth or bits of cup floating in a drink. A combination of not wanting to alienate consumers and food safety regulations means that Loliware’s cups and WikiFood’s yogurt pearls are currently sold in eco-friendly packaging. While Loliware aspires to market its product in edible boxes, WikiFoods’ ambition is to go container-free and for the pearls to be sold a bit like sweets in a pick’n’mix aisle. “It could be a served bar situation, like a gelato bar, or a bulk option in the freezer where consumers can fill their own containers,” adds Freedman.
There’s also the issue of hygiene to be navigated; sceptics are likely to be concerned about possible contamination. WikiFoods believes that this is simply because people aren’t used to seeing certain products that are normally packaged out of their wrapping.
“I would politely ask [any concerned person] what they do with their apples and other produce when they take them home. I assume they wash them. Which is what you can do with a WikiPearl,” explains Freedman. “Or what do they do when they take bagels, scones or muffins from the bakery racks? They use tongs or a piece of wax paper to place it in a container.”
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.