A German company makes biodegradable fruit and vegetable net packaging.

Plastic packaging is still ubiquitous in most supermarkets, and trying to reduce it should be a key priority, environmental activists say. A German firm has developed net packaging based on corn starch as a sustainable alternative. — Photos: KLAUS-DIETMAR GABBERT/dpa

STEP into a supermarket and you will likely see plenty of plastic net packaging, conveniently bagging together onions, oranges, limes or lemons.

That might not be ideal for the environment but it is good business for Thomas Hartung, managing director of Mesh Pack in the town of Kusey in Germany.