Day: December 14, 2020

UK-based biotech company, Toraphene, has unveiled what it claims is the world’s “first” truly biodegradable, compostable and commercially viable alternative to plastic packaging, and which contains graphene.

The firm has developed a new material, also called Toraphene, that uses biopolymers that compost naturally and biodegrade without human intervention. These are then combined with Nobel Prize-winning graphene, which is derived from carbon and is stronger than diamond at an atomic level.

While biodegradable plastics currently exist, they rely on commercial composting, which uses energy to heat the compost and can present other logistical challenges. In addition, some bioplastics produce methane gas when they decompose, a compound with a global warming potential 25 times that of CO2.

Toraphene founder and CEO, Gaute Juliussen, says: “Amidst a climate crisis, plastic waste is known to be a huge, global problem and many plastic alternatives now exist, so why don’t we see them everywhere?

“It’s because they need specific manmade conditions to biodegrade, and many degrade into microplastics, which contaminate our oceans and food chain for centuries.”

Julussen believes such bioplastics have “effectively been ‘greenwashed’ and mis-sold to environmentally responsible consumers and companies”.

He adds: “They also tear easily, shorten the shelf-life of the contents they contain and cannot be produced economically at scale.”

Due to the addition of graphene, the company says Toraphene has been shown to be stronger, thinner, and less permeable than alternatives, improving food safety and shelf-life.

More about Toraphene

Juliussen founded Toraphene in 2018 with the initial aim of creating a green alternative to carrier bags and food and drink containers, with such plastics making up 23% of marine waste.

Ahead of the launch of Toraphene, Juliussen has launched an equity crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube.

In addition to this, Toraphene is renting production equipment from plastic bag manufacturers and plugging directly into existing supply chains, with the company in talks with major consumer brands, retailers and food packaging suppliers.

Ultimately, the firm aims to render plastic packaging obsolete and disrupt the $4tn plastics industry. See more here on the Toraphene website: www.toraphene.com

Source: www.nspackaging.com

Greiner Packaging has teamed up with SABIC and Unilever in a pilot project to produce 100% polypropylene (PP) tubs and lids for Knorr bouillon powder using post-consumer recycled plastic material.

SABIC’s “certified circular” PP material uses post-consumer mixed plastic as a feedstock, which is broken down into its molecular building blocks to create what the company describes as “virgin plastics”, which are then used to produce these new recyclable tubs and lids.

The resulting PP polymer is verified and authenticated under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS) scheme, which uses a mass balance approach.

Knorr bouillon powder has now been marketed in the same cardboard-plastic combination for many years. According to Greiner, the outer appearance, functionality, and safety of the new packaging are exactly the same, and the quality is likewise as high as ever.

From the consumer’s perspective, they can still simply remove the cardboard sleeve from the tub itself when the packaging is empty before disposing of the two components as usual.

“By producing some of the tubs from certified circular polypropylene, we want to set a new standard on the market together with our partners and demonstrate what is possible with recycled materials in the food segment. We also want to keep pushing forward with this development.

“Here at Greiner Packaging, we are not only focusing on certified recycled PP – we are also working on our first projects and tests with mechanically recycled PS,” explains Jens Krause, sales director at the Greiner Packaging site in Diepoldsau, Switzerland.

“Our goal is to continue making our packaging more environmentally friendly together with partners like Greiner Packaging and SABIC – especially in the food segment – without consumers having to lower their standards in terms of design, performance, quality, user-friendliness, and food safety.

“We are now testing this using material produced from 100% circular polymer, with the goal of expanding across our portfolio by 2025,” adds Mike Ross, senior packaging manager at Unilever.

Supermarket giant Tesco has revealed it has removed over 20 million pieces of plastic from its Christmas range.

Tesco, which won two awards at this year’s UK Packaging Awards, has made changes to its packaging. Its own label crackers will be sold in cardboard packaging while 312,000 Christmas light will be packaged in recyclable cardboard packs.

It has also removed a layer of plastic in Christmas puddings and sponges, which is said to cut 1.78 million pieces of plastic. Tesco has also stopped using glitter for its single-use products and packaging.

Tesco quality director Sarah Bradbury said: “It is an absolute priority of ours to remove and reduce the amount of plastic in our stores to the minimum and ensure everything we use is recycled and kept out of the environment – Christmas time is no exception and we want to do our bit to help customers have more sustainable celebrations.”

Tesco removes plastic across own label Christmas range