Nestlé sees bioplastics as future of packaging

In an exclusive interview with news website FoodProductionDaily.com, Dr Anne Roulin, Global Head of Packaging and Design at Nestlé, a worldwide nutrition food company, explained that conventional plastics made from renewable resources could be the industry's next major trend, according to the company's press release on June 21.

Speaking from Nestlé's headquarters in Switzerland, Dr Roulin said that bioplastics made from sugar cane and other plant-based materials are demonstrating the kind of properties that could be used more widely across the company's product portfolio. She went on to point out that a third generation of plastics - made from non-food sources such as algae, cellulose, and waste products - is also in the pipeline.

However, Dr Roulin added such materials are unlikely to be available on the scale required until at least 2015.