NEWS & FACTS

Practical application of bio-based compostable product

USABLE PACKAGING project reaches new milestone with first practical application of bio-based compostable product. Spanish family enjoys meals using re-usable plates made from new PHA compound material. A family in Spain has been the first to use a new bio-based, re-usable and compostable plate manufactured as an outcome of the USABLE PACKAGING project – an EU-funded project launched last June as part of the Horizon2020 innovation programme. Governed by the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (under Read more…

By USABLE PACKAGING, ago

Don’t scrap the waste:

The need for broader system boundaries in bioplastic food packaging life-cycle assessment The increasing amount of plastic waste generated each year, fuelled by the growing consumption of single-use plastics in food packaging applications, threatens the integrity of our ecosystems while creating an unprecedented waste management crisis. The biodegradable properties of some bioplastics have been identified as a promising solution to divert food and food packaging waste from landfill while avoiding plastic leaking into the environment. Read more…

By USABLE PACKAGING, ago

Breaking the plastic wave

In recent years, an increasing number of studies and reports have advanced the global understanding of the challenge posed by ocean plastic pollution. But most leaders across industry, government, and civil society have noted a critical gap: an evidence-based roadmap to describe the pathways available and to foster convergent action. As a step towards building that roadmap, The Pew Charitable Trusts partnered with SYSTEMIQ to build on previous research and create this first-of-its-kind model of Read more…

By USABLE PACKAGING, ago

Compostable Cutlery

COMPOSTABLE STRAWS UNVEILED AS FIRST OUTCOME OF THE USABLE PACKAGING PROJECT After unveiling compostable straws as the first outcome of the USABLE PACKAGING project, Spanish project partners Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) and stakeholders OCENIC RESINS, also based in Spain, have announced the production of compostable cutlery as the project’s second demonstrator in disposable packaging components made of Poly-Hydroxy-Alkanoates (PHA) polymer. The USABLE PACKAGING project seeks to reduce the use of environmentally harmful fossil-fuel-based Read more…

By USABLE PACKAGING, ago

Compostable Straws

COMPOSTABLE STRAWS UNVEILED AS FIRST OUTCOME OF THE USABLE PACKAGING PROJECT The first demonstrator developed as an outcome of the USABLE PACKAGING project into disposable packaging components has been unveiled as a compostable straw made of a PHA polymer material. The solution was developed by project partner Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) and stakeholder OCENIC RESINS, both based in Spain. The USABLE PACKAGING project seeks to reduce the use of environmentally harmful fossil-fuel-based packaging Read more…

By USABLE PACKAGING, ago

USABLE PACKAGING on Spanish TV

On 3rd February 2020, the Usable Packaging project featured on the Valencia television channel À Punt, with a TV crew visiting Usable Packaging partner Bioinicia and interviewing Usable Packaging Project Co-ordinator and BioInicia founder Prof Jose Maria Lagarón, as well as Pablo Calvo, CEO of Ocenic Resins.  The report explains how Bioinicia manufactures a fully compostable packaging material from various organic residues, which can be used to replace the fossil-based plastic containers. It highlights the Read more…

By USABLE PACKAGING, ago

A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy

In 2018, the EU published a strategy to address the issues around plastics for up to the year 2030, saying that: „Too often the way plastics are currently produced, used and discarded fails to capture the economic benefits of a more ‚circular‘ approach and harms the environment. There is an urgent need to tackle the environmental problems that today cast a long shadow over the production, use and consumption of plastics. Rethinking and improving the Read more…

By USABLE PACKAGING, ago

End of waste criteria for biodegradable packaging

There are four criteria required for a waste material to obtain end-of-waste status:[1] the substance or object is commonly used for specific purposes; there is an existing market or demand for the substance or object; the use is lawful (the substance or object fulfils the technical requirements for the specific purposes and meets the existing legislation and standards applicable to products); the use will not lead to overall adverse environmental or human health impacts. Furthermore, Read more…

By USABLE PACKAGING, ago

Top 10 emerging technologies for 2019

Great news for all USABLE PACKAGING partners: A new report by the World  Economic Forum has listed “Bioplastics for a circular economy” No 1 in a list of the Top Ten emerging technologies of 2019.  An international Steering Committee of leading technology experts worked to identify some of the breakthrough innovations that are expected to radically impact the global social and economic order. “Biodegradable plastics can ease the problem of plastic debris killing wildlife, releasing Read more…

By USABLE PACKAGING, ago