The biobased industry is thriving, driven by market demands and policies that seek innovative solutions to address sustainability challenges posed by plastic. Joining forces, B’ZEOS and MOSES PRODUCTOS are collaborating on a groundbreaking sustainable packaging initiative: SeaweedPack.
SeaweedPack's goal is to create and bring to market cutting-edge, flexible, and fully home compostable and biodegradable packaging, derived from seaweed extracts. These materials will replace traditional single-use plastic films in food-contact applications, like food trays or sealing films, contributing to a substantial reduction in the use of non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle plastic materials. The shift to seaweed materials is estimated to reduce 2 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year for each ton of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) replaced.
Despite the European Union's aim to achieve a 55% recycling rate for plastic products by 2030, the scale and complexities of recycling multi-layer materials, while meeting food contact requirements pose significant challenges to meet this target. Nevertheless, SeaweedPack's technology has the potential to alleviate these challenges by acting as a viable alternative to combat plastic pollution.
The environmental challenges of conventional plastic are widely known. Conventional fossil-based materials, such as PE or PP, not only demand substantial energy in their production but, if not properly recycled, accumulate in landfills and pollute water streams. While other emerging bioplastics exist, choosing the right one is crucial as many are not as sustainable as they seem. Many bioplastics may promote themselves as "biodegradable", however several of these materials require specific industrial conditions to fully break down. Additionally, most home-compostable materials are derived from land-based plants, posing sustainability concerns due to freshwater, fertilizer, and pesticide use. However, SeaweedPack technology uses a third-generation biomass, which does not require finite resources to grow and is 100% biodegradable and home-compostable. It also does not incorporate waxes or oils, setting it apart from other seaweed-based solutions and improving its compostability and environmental impact.
The SeaweedPack project commenced in October 2022 and is set to conclude by the end of 2024. Collaboratively, B’ZEOS and MOSES have already achieved promising results, developing innovative products and formulations for seaweed- based laminates and coatings. These formulations are currently undergoing optimization and testing to ensure they meet market-ready standards.
Stay tuned for further developments regarding this project via LinkedIn! B'ZEOS on linkedin - MOSES on linkedin
The SeaweedPack project commenced in October 2022 and is set to conclude by the end of 2024. Collaboratively, B’ZEOS and MOSES have already achieved promising results, developing innovative products and formulations for seaweed- based laminates and coatings. These formulations are currently undergoing optimization and testing to ensure they meet market-ready standards.
Stay tuned for further developments regarding this project via LinkedIn! B'ZEOS on linkedin - MOSES en linkedin