Bioplastic

Ernesto Amador

· 21 Jul 2021

Bioplastic

#sustainability Bioplastic could replace traditional single-use shrink wrap used on fruits and vegetables.

Australian independent supermarket Drake's Supermarkets partnered with Adelaide-based wholesaler IG Fresh to create compostable fruit and vegetable wrapper. The supermarket chain wanted to stop using polyethylene plastic wrap that is often used in fruits and vegetables sold individually. While there are many biodegradable and compostable packaging options now available, the challenge in this project is to make the new material usable for shrink wrapping.
Compostable wrapping took 12 months to develop with IG Fresh working in partnership with BioBag World Australia. The new material is made from a plant-based resin called Mater-Bi and, in addition to being 100% industrially compostable, it can also be disposed of in recycling and composting bins at home and garden.

The team behind its development sees it as a direct replacement for a wide range of single-use plastics. Countries such as South Africa and Qatar have already expressed interest in heat contracted bioplastic.

The development of compostable wrapping focuses on a shrink-free version that could replace traditional adhesive films.

Other recent composting innovations detected by Springwise include a compost powered bench heater and a garden building made entirely of cork. Font. conscientia.eco #sustainability