CPI Working to Cut Plastic Waste Packaging Pollution
10 Dec 2018
CPI is collaborating on a project to cut plastic pollution by driving forward the development of food packaging that is less damaging to the environment.
Working alongside industry partners, CPI is using its polymer chemistry research and materials processing and characterisation capability to support the development of alternatives to commonly used fossil-based polymers, which cannot be consumed by nature and have resulted in the continued pollution of land and seas when leaked to the natural environment.
Plastic packaging delivers a number of benefits, such as reducing food waste and enabling globalised distribution, however, waste mismanagement has resulted in rising global pollution, particularly in the world’s oceans.
The project will develop next generation packaging that continue to prolong the shelf-life of foodstuffs, such as meats and salads, but, crucially, they will be made from biodegradable materials designed to degrade in a natural environment.
The project has received funding from the Innovate UK programme, Plastics Innovation: Towards Zero Waste, which promotes the development of new polymers, processes and recycling regimes to reduce the environmental impact of plastics while increasing UK productivity and economic growth.
CPI, working alongside Gateshead-based SME iPac Packaging Innovations, Avondale Foods, Cranswick Plc and their customers, will use its formulation and industrial biotechnology capability to develop new biodegradable packaging with better end-of-life options, such as composting and anaerobic digestion. If leaked to the environment, this packaging is intended to bio-degrade quickly using Earth’s natural biological eco-systems.
![The project will develop next generation packaging that continues to prolong the shelf-life of foodstuffs, such as meats and salads, but it will be made from biodegradable materials The project will develop next generation packaging that continues to prolong the shelf-life of foodstuffs, such as meats and salads, but it will be made from biodegradable materials](https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/plastic-waste-iiii.jpg?w=1920&h=1080&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1559216499&s=66db53f045a25d2d8c5ede85626baa4d 1920w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/plastic-waste-iiii.jpg?w=1120&h=630&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1559216499&s=75fa0f70967550175fa456b51bb0bb3e 1120w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/plastic-waste-iiii.jpg?w=2240&h=1260&q=45&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1559216499&s=7dc093d8f411126b43779e72216ef835 2240w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/plastic-waste-iiii.jpg?w=800&h=450&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1559216499&s=7a3d372f5b0156dfd4aa053c9f7b300b 800w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/plastic-waste-iiii.jpg?w=1600&h=900&q=45&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1559216499&s=15b845d1fdb1ba5518293e6b6a9d5bb2 1600w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/plastic-waste-iiii.jpg?w=480&h=270&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1559216499&s=e1390fcaa85e56e599c2404d4a65d934 480w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/plastic-waste-iiii.jpg?w=960&h=540&q=45&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1559216499&s=2a06c7ad90470882bf2f649f38f50ba2 960w)
Dan Noakes, Business Manager at CPI, said: “We need to adopt new thinking if we are to overcome the pressing issue of plastics-persistence in our natural environment.
“This project tackles the issue head-on. We hope to positively impact the sustainability of the food industry and influence environmentally-conscious purchasing decisions made by the consumer.”
Harry Reed, Managing Director at iPac Packaging Innovations, said: “Currently, traditional polymers such as PET offer the most effective medium for food packaging, while their stable physical properties allow for recycling and re-use.
“However, mismanagement of waste streams too frequently results in plastic pollution. Now is the time to analyse the way in which we use packaging materials and explore options that will give the minimum negative impact if leaked into the environment.
“We are delighted to be working with CPI, Avondale Foods and Cranswick Plc on this project.”
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