Thomas Oris

Director of Purchasing, Baptista's Bakery

Industry: Food

Location: Franklin, WI, United States

Role: Packager

I am going to say it. Sorry to offend some people and sorry others may just disagree with me, but I am going to say it anyway.

I DO NOT LIKE PLA!!!!!

There.... I said it. I feel so much better, as if a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. For a long time I have kept my mouth shut, and for those who know me, that is a feat in itself. However, I just can’t take it any more. Using plants for packaging, in my opinion, is just a huge mistake! This is what I have read, what I have been told and thus what I believe. I am sure, and I hope, I will get some great feedback and education on this.

What I really don’t like about PLA is that you take food and convert it to packaging. Corn is already higher than it has been. The US Government is pushing to increase ethanol in gasoline from 10% to 15%. Simple supply and demand economics applied, this will increase the cost of corn. But there is more! Farmers around the country, perhaps around the world, will be more tempted to plant corn because they will be able to make a larger profit. As such, some growers may switch from Wheat or Soybean to Corn. Now, wheat and soybean supply is down. Again, apply simple economics, and the prices of wheat and soybean also go up. BUT WAIT, THERE IS MORE! Today, sugar prices are at or near 30 year high levels. What does this have to do with PLA? Corn? Brazil makes fuel from sugar, but with costs so high, corn based ethanol becomes more attractive. As such, demand for ethanol (corn) grows MORE! The United States, just recently, became and net EXPORTER of ethanol. With such demand, MORE MONEY! When you look at wheat, soybean and corn, the impact on almost all foods could be astonishing! Can you imagine cost of food going up 10%, 20%, 40%? It is projected that ethenol will consumer roughly 37% of all US Corn, which is a record high amount that will probably only increase in 2012.

I don’t buy into the theory that PLA is compostable. Don’t get me wrong, it is, I know that. BUT, too many Americans simply cannot compost, even if they want to. Additionally, there are few facilities nationwide that support communities with composting. Thus, a very large portion of the American public cannot compost. As such, PLA ends up in traditional waste streams. In a landfill, this material doesn’t compost, it basically functions the same as traditional packaging. In a landfill, this packaging is preserved, it does not compost!

As much as I don’t like the current state of packaging, with little emphasis on the environment, I just don’t view PLA is a viable, sound direction going forward. My opinion, their should be more focus on recycling! As a nation, the US is horrible in this area. While Europe recycles almost 50% of their waste (packaging is part of the overall figure), the US is less than 10%! Less than 25% of PET water bottles are recycled! Emphasis on the recycling infrastructure, the use of post consumer resins, even the use of state government beverage container deposits on packaging are all things that should be pursued (see success in NY: http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/email.html?id=1288709876 ). Their is no national policy related to waste, because it is a very challenging subject and as such, people would rather ignore it. It's time to wake up, smell the landfill and start to lay a foundation for overall waste reduction!!

I DO NOT LIKE PLA! Agree or disagree, you are entitled to your opinion. But I just don’t like it!