A new biodegradable bioplastic has been manufactured to counter plastic waste in the produce aisle. The ideal application is to use it for fruit punnets, baskets commonly used for berries and smaller produce.
Researchers at the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia have designed a biodegradable packaging material made from bacteria-derived polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) mixed with the wood fibers of Radiata pine sawdust.
The resulting material is biodegradable in multiple natural environments, including fresh water, salt water, industrial composting centers, and soil.
This project was created with support from the Centre for Advanced Materials Processing and Manufacturing and was created over three years by UQ’s School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering. This project was funded to specifically tackle the negative environmental impact of single-use plastic punnets in produce, which are made of petroleum.
The design incorporated input from the Queensland Strawberry Growers Association in order to match the needs of the growers and distributors, as well as from manufacturer SDI Plastics and Queensland biotech company Uluu. An original trial tested 200 strawberry punnets of the new material to provide proof of concept and has shown that it can withstand real-world usage and degrade as intended.
Australia, with a population of just over 27 million, uses 580 million plastic punnets every year, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. With the population approaching 350 million in the U.S. alone, the amount of single-use plastic manufactured for produce is astounding.
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Production companies favor plastic for its low costs and ease of access. However, plastic is made from fossil fuels, which takes hundreds of years to degrade and ends up as micro- and nanoplastics in our waterways instead. Around the world, 430 million tons of plastic are manufactured every year for everything from produce to toys.
When engineers and companies choose sustainability over ease, it makes a big impact on all consumers. If this biodegradable punnet received funding to replace plastic punnets just in Australia, it could save 1 billion plastic containers from entering landfills in less than two years.
If you’re interested in shopping more sustainably, consider brands that have upgraded to plastic-free packaging, like Kouvolan Lakritsi candy company, or to other eco-friendly materials, like Sea to Summit did with their camping gear.
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