Tag Archives: EU

EU approve smart plant based food packaging

EU Bioplastic packaging project that extends the shelf life of food and informs when it is no longer fit to eat has been given the green light by the EU.

EU launched the project four years ago with the aim of developing plant-based bioplastic packaging that not only extends the shelf life of foods, but also contains a sensor that notifies retailers and consumers of when the food inside is really no longer fit to eat.

The Portuguese-based company Logoplaste, in collaboration with SINTEF and other research partners, has developed a blow-moulded bottle, while the Greek project partner Argo has developed a pot designed to hold seafood such as crabs and prawns. Both types of container are covered with an oxygen-proof exterior coating developed by SINTEF.

Åge Larsen at SINTEF is now ready to present the first demonstration packaging, made of PLA (polyactic acid) and bio-PET (polyethylene terephthalate). Larsen told that this development takes plant-based food packaging a couple of steps further with, “the implementation of the smart element and, in addition, the oxygen-proof exterior coating.”

“The packaging is made of biopolymers to which we have added nanoparticle components. This provides the packaging with new and improved food preservation properties.”

Larsen previously said about the packaging: “It is designed mainly to protect the contents from their surroundings and thus extend shelf life. We achieve this by means of improved oxygen barriers. Standard plastic packaging allows the entry of air which places restrictions on shelf life. Moreover, the new approach considerably reduces the carbon footprint,” Larsen explained.

A three-layer coating has been developed consisting of a cellulose-based film sandwiched by two biodegradable biopolymer layers that serve as oxygen barriers. This can be utilised in the same way as the rigid plastic currently used as food bowls.

The fourth prototype produced as part of this project is a blow-moulded film. This is essentially plastic foil similar to that used to make plastic bags and as oxygen-protective coverings for plates containing food.

The researchers have also developed sensors that can detect, for example, whether the temperature of the food has become too high or if a product has soured.

Larsen added that there will always be an issue regarding how the sensors are incorporated into the product. This must be a decision of the manufacturer. Sensors installed on the inside of the packaging and in contact with the food, such as in bottle caps or corks, will have to be approved by the food hygiene authorities.

UK plastics packaging recycling lagging behind EU

UK plastics packaging recycling

UK plastics packaging recycling rate during 2013 was below the EU average, according to the latest data.

Paper and cardboard Packaging recycling rates performed far better, ahead of the EU average, and across all materials the UK ranked 15th out of 28 states.

Figures published via the European Commission’s data website Eurostat show that the UK recorded a plastics packaging recycling rate of 31.6% in 2013, compared to an average of 37.3% across all 28 EU member states.

The UK ranked alongside Estonia, Hungary and Luxembourg, which achieved rates of 28.1%, 30.8% and 32.2% respectively.

Better performing member states such as Sweden and the Netherlands recorded plastics recycling rates of 45.6% and 46.2% respectively.

However, plastics packaging recycling was up more than 6% on 2012 in the UK, the largest single 12-month increase in over a decade.

The figures come as the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) consults on whether to amend the UK’s plastics packaging target for 2016 in the wake of market pressure.

The target currently stands at 52%, and is set to rise to 57% in 2017.

But under the proposals, the current target may fall to 48% – increasing by 1% each year until the end of the decade.

With glass recycling the UK performed far better but still failed to meet the EU average, recycling 68.3% of its glass packaging in 2013 against the EU’s overall total of 72.8%.

And on metals, the country also lagged far behind many of its EU counterparts, recycling 57.4% of packaging compared to an average of 73.9%.

The UK did however recycle more paper and cardboard packaging compared to many EU states, achieving an 89.4% rate compared to an average of 84.7%

Across all material streams, the UK performed somewhat better with 64.6% of packaging recycled – ranking it 15th out of 28 states. This compares to an EU-wide average of 65.3% for the year.

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EU Circular Economy proposals “Packaging singled out”

EU Circular Economy proposals, Dick Searle, chief executive, has criticised the EU, insisting packaging is unfairly singled out for special attention.

He said the focus remains on environmental issues and frequently underestimates or ignores the economic impact of these measures.
He said there is not enough understanding and realism of the impact of EU Circular Economy proposals on EU wealth creation and competitiveness.
He also said there is recognition of wide disparities between EU Member States on the measure of recycling – both in terms of calculation and classification.
Regarding litter and costs of collection, he said he could not find any explicit reference to general litter or the suggestion (as in the previous proposal) that producers should be responsible for litter costs or the costs of collecting used packaging.
The EU stated that targets should be: Clear environmental, economic and social benefits would be derived from further increasing the targets laid down in Directive 94/62/EC for preparation for re-use and recycling of packaging waste.
“I suspect that not everyone would support this statement. In any event, very clearly there has been no attempt to set targets based on achieving the best balance between environmental and economic outcomes but rather “plucking figures out of the air”. In my view, it is likely that a general target achievement of 85% would only be possible at a very substantial environmental cost and a massive economic cost.”