The USABLE PACKAGING project will establish a new value chain for bioplastics. This will be based on low-cost and widely-available feedstock, such as by-products and sidestreams from the food processing industry. It will convert the feedstock into poly-hydroxy-alkanoates (PHA), which can be tuned to specific packaging needs and specifications. This will realise packaging items suitable for replacing fossil-based materials in high-performance packaging while retaining biodegradable characteristics.
As well as its overall objective of developing commercially-viable alternatives to petrochemical-based packaging materials, the USABLE PACKAGING project will:
- Develop environmentally sustainable bio-based packaging suitable for organic recycling.
- Deliver packaging materials capable of biodegradability in different environments, including marine settings.
- Ensure the end-of-life phase is wholly sustainable by creating a fully-circular, vertically-integrated supply chain.
- Create genuinely new and innovative design of packaging and production.