Plastic is overtaking the world. It is one of the greatest threats to planet Earth. Currently in the world 300 million tons of plastic from fossil fuels is made annually and nearly 12.7 million tons ends up in the oceans. It is predicted that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans.We need alternatives now!
Plastic plays a major role in the food supply chain. Almost everything we buy today is whether it’s packed or wrapped in it. The Dutch company Avantium might have the solution. With the backing of big companies such as Coca-Cola, Carlsberg and Danone, it is making a plant-based plastic that could substitute the plastic used in the food supply chain.
Characteristics of the plant-based packaging
The plastic-like material developed at Avantium is made from corn, beet sugar and wheat – ingredients that would completely disintegrate in a composter within a year.
“This plastic has very attractive sustainability credentials because it uses no fossil fuels and can be recycled—but would also degrade in nature much faster than normal plastics do”
Avantium’s chief executive, Tom Van Aken, said to The Guardian.
This packaging has very attractive sustainability data and can be recycled and decomposed in nature much faster than conventional plastics. If these bottles are left outside under normal conditions, they can dissolve in a few years, which can bring a big change in the world.
Read also: Plastic-free tea bags
Myriam Shingleton, Carlsberg’s vice president of group development, stated that the company aims to innovate all of its packaging formats: ”We are pleased with the progress we’ve made on the Green Fiber Bottle so far. While we are not completely there yet, the two prototypes are an important step towards realizing our ultimate ambition of bringing this breakthrough to market.” Packaging progress has been satisfactory and fiber bottles are expected to come to the stores by 2023.
Source: unshootables.com
