On December 7, Balena, a materials science company aiming to transform the fashion industry, announced the launch of eco-chic BioCir sandals, which are made from its proprietary 100% biodegradable plastic and are designed to help the fashion industry end the unsustainable amount of plastic waste and jumpstart the use of biodegradable plastics in shoes and other apparel. Balena's BioCir is a fully moldable, biodegradable elastomer that offers a viable alternative to the polluting plastic materials currently used by fashion brands for apparel and footwear.

To demonstrate the exciting potential of this unique technology, Balena debuted its fully compostable slippers for men and women, designed and manufactured in Italy and made entirely of BioCir, placing the first thousand pairs in the company's hometown of Tel Aviv. These BioCir slippers - colored and scented with natural cinnamon - have been worn by fashion and comfort lovers throughout the city, putting their feet first in the green future.

As part of its debut, Balena also introduced bio cycling, a full-cycle system that helps process and fully biodegrade its BioCir slippers in an industrial composting environment. Once customers are done using the flip-flops, they can return them to designated recycling sites throughout the city where they are collected and fully biodegraded at a local industrial composting facility, rather than being thrown in the garbage on their way to a landfill. This model, which aims to reduce fashion's contribution to plastic waste, can be replicated around the world.

The world's addiction to fast fashion leads to a staggering amount of apparel and footwear waste each year - it is estimated that 92 million tons of textile waste is generated globally each year, with only 12 percent of apparel materials being recycled. Balena's mission is to change this by creating a fully circular model that relies on the power of composting to reduce the global environmental impact of fashion.

Balena's proprietary BioCir 100 compostable plastic is durable, pliable, soft and smooth, making it the perfect alternative to current contaminating footwear materials while allowing brands to develop footwear that looks and feels like their current products. This biodegradable material can be handled like any other material and used in conventional injection molding processes and 3D printing, all of which offer unlimited manufacturing opportunities. It can be easily integrated into conventional manufacturing processes and replicated on a large scale globally, thereby significantly lowering the barrier to entry for manufacturers. Balena's groundbreaking slippers are the ultimate proof of concept for proving BioCir's durability, practicality and comfort.

"The global fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world. At Balena, our goal is to help turn that around," said David Roubach, founder and CEO of Balena. We are doing this by creating our own viable biodegradable plastic alternatives and fully recyclable systems that can be easily scaled, copied and pasted globally. We want our BioCir footwear to show the world that there is a real choice: fashion can be fabulous, functional and eco-friendly. We are proud to be a company that opens the doors for any fashion brand to start stepping into a more circular future."

On the morning of December 12, the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament held the fourth round of tripartite consultations on the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM, also known as "carbon tariffs"). In the early hours of the 13th, MEPs and the Council reached an interim agreement to establish an EU carbon border adjustment mechanism to address climate change and prevent carbon leakage.

CBAM is one of the core components of the EU's "Fit for 55" emissions reduction program. In July 2021, the EU released a package of emission reduction plans called "Fit for 55", which includes 12 new bills to expand the EU carbon market, stop selling fuel cars, tax aviation fuel, expand the share of renewable energy, establish a carbon border tax, etc. The goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990.

Under this agreement, the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will be established so that the carbon price paid for EU products under the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) will be equal to the carbon price paid for imported goods. This would be achieved by forcing companies importing into the EU to purchase CBAM certificates to cover the difference between the price paid for carbon in the producing country and the price of carbon allowances in the EU ETS.

The European Parliament said the law is intended to provide incentives for non-EU countries to boost their climate ambitions and is fully compliant with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Only countries with the same climate objectives as the EU can export to the EU without purchasing a CBAM certificate, so the new rules will ensure that EU and global climate efforts are not subject to carbon leakage caused by the transfer of production from the EU to other countries.

The bill will apply as of October 1, 2023, subject to a transition period during which the importer's obligations will be limited to reporting.

According to a World Bank study, if the "carbon tariff" is fully implemented, Chinese manufacturers will likely face an average tariff of 26% in the international market, and export volumes could fall by 21% as a result.  For plastic products export enterprises, this is bound to increase production costs, weaken the competitiveness of products, and even some high pollution, high energy consumption enterprises will also be eliminated.

The EU is China's second largest export market, plastic products export enterprises in the future under the background of carbon peak, carbon neutral, should respond properly to the "carbon tariff" as soon as possible, to minimize its adverse impact to ensure the long-term stable development of enterprises.

The agreement also sets a timetable for cutting free quotas for EU companies, starting in 2026 and gradually achieving total elimination by 2034. Specifically, the free quota for these sectors will be eliminated by 2.5% in 2026, 5% in 2027, 10% in 2028, 22.5% in 2029, 48.5% in 2030, 61% in 2031, 73.5% in 2032, 86% in 2033, and 100% in 2034.

In addition, according to the agreement, the combined emissions of the sectors covered by the European carbon trading system will be reduced by 62 percent by 2030 compared to the 2005 plan, one percentage point more than proposed by the Commission. To achieve this reduction, the number of allowances across the EU would be reduced by 90 million tons of CO2-equivalent in 2024 in one go, 27 million tons in 2026, 4.3% per year from 2024-2027, and 4.4% per year from 2028-2030.

The Canadian plastic ban is summed up in nine words: no production, no import, no export.

Starting December 20, 2022, Canada begins to implement the strictest plastic ban. Why is it the strictest? The Canadian plastic ban is summed up in nine words: no production, no import, no export, including.

Starting in late 2022, Canada will officially ban companies from producing or importing single-use plastic bags and take-out containers.

No more sales of single-use plastic products in the territory from the end of 2023.

By the end of 2025, the export of single-use plastic products will be banned.

The ban was previously planned for 2021, but was delayed due to the impact of the Newcastle pneumonia outbreak. The reason why there will be no more sales at the end of 2023 is because the consumption of the previous inventory gives enough time. Canada's goal is to achieve "zero plastic in landfills, beaches, rivers, wetlands, and forests" by 2030, so that plastic disappears in nature.

Scope of the regulation.

The regulation prohibits the production, import and sale of six types of single-use plastic

Shopping bags are designed to carry goods purchased by businesses and are usually provided to customers at retail stores.

Knives including knives, forks, spoons, spoons, chopsticks

The utensils are designed to serve or transport ready-to-eat food and beverages and contain expanded polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam, polyvinyl chloride, carbon black, and an oxo-degradable plastic. The following items only: flip-top containers, containers with lids, boxes, cups, plates, bowls.

Ring brackets are flexible and designed to wrap around beverage containers to carry them together

Stirring bar designed to stir or mix beverages or to prevent beverages from spilling out of the container's lid

Straws include straight drinking straws and flexible straws with a corrugated section that allows the straw to bend, packaged with beverage containers (juice boxes and pouches)

The regulations do not apply to plastic products as waste or in transit in Canada. Any person who manufactures, imports or sells (including providing free of charge) the six types of single-use plastics listed above is subject to the regulation

Ban Schedule

To enable the industry to adapt to these changes, these regulations will be implemented on a staggered schedule

The world's most environmentally friendly spirits bottle is biodegradable in 18 months. Bacardi is replacing crude oil with seed oil and replacing petroleum-based plastics with plant-based "wonder materials" - a winning formula for solving plastic pollution. Bacardi will eliminate at least 3,000 tons of plastic currently produced each year and share new technology with competitors to help the industry advance

In Hamilton, Bermuda, Bacardi, the world's largest spirits giant, announced the launch of a biodegradable polyhydroxy fatty acid ester (PHA) bioplastic bottle within 18 months. The new packaging for the world's most sustainable spirits bottle, scheduled to hit shelves in 2023, is a giant leap forward in its fight against climate change and plastic pollution. The new 100% biodegradable bottles will replace the 80 million plastic bottles - equivalent to 3,000 tons of plastic - currently produced annually by Bacardi's brands.

This revolutionary move by Bacardi may stem from its close collaboration with Danimer Scientific, a leading developer and manufacturer of biodegradable products. The petroleum-based plastics currently used by Bacardi will be replaced by Danimer Scientific's Nodax™™

Bacardi (BACARDÍ®) Rum will be the first spirits to use the new bottle, after which the plant-based material will gradually be rolled out to replace the single-use plastic used throughout Bacardi's supply chain and across the company's 200 brands and trademarks, including Bombay Sapphire (BOMBAY SAPPHIRE®) Gin, Grey Goose (GREY GOOSE®) Vodka, PATRÓN® Tequila, Martini® Vermouth and Imperial (DEWAR'S®) Scotch Whisky.

Ned Duggan, Senior Vice President of Rum at Bacardi, said, "Throughout our 158-year history, whether it's sourcing sugar cane sustainably or using water and energy in the production of rum, Bacardi has always believed in respecting the world's natural resources and taking action to fulfill its responsibilities. We are now excited to be the first to use this new biopolymer technology for the benefit of all of Bacardi's brands and the spirits industry as a whole."

In addition to the new 100% biopolymer wine bottle, Bacardi will also create a sustainably sourced paper bottle. By incorporating Nodax™

Jean-Marc Lambert, senior vice president of Bacardi's global business, said, "When we set the goal of being 100 percent plastic-free by 2030, we realized that to achieve our goal, there should be breakthroughs in packaging design, and by partnering with Danimer, we have done just that. "

Thanks to the versatility of this innovative material, the Bacardi packaging development team will also solve a major plastic problem that has long plagued the alcoholic beverage industry - the plastic inner cushion of the bottle cap. It may sound insignificant, but if you add up every single bottle produced in the world, we are dealing with tons and tons of plastic every day," said Jean-Marc. Once we have solved this problem, we will roll out this solution to the entire industry for use. It's not about competitive advantage, it's about doing the right thing for the planet."

Bacardi's announcement today represents a major step toward the company's goal of becoming 100 percent plastic-free in the next 10 years. In addition to launching a new biopolymer wine bottle in 2023, the company has committed to avoiding all unnecessary single-use plastics over the next three years, including all plastic gift box materials and plastic point-of-sale promotional materials.

The University of Georgia (UGA) and the University of Georgia New Materials Institute (NMI) confirmed in a 2018 study that Nodax™ PHA is a truly biodegradable product capable of replacing petrochemical plastics. Danimer Scientific is currently using this material in a variety of applications including thermoformed trays, beverage straws, flexible and multi-layer film packaging, coatings, disposable tableware and more.

Scott Tuten, Chief Marketing and Sustainability Officer at Danimer Scientific, stated."Nodax™ PHA is one of the most promising eco-friendly materials in the world today because it has the biodegradability that consumers want, while not compromising the quality feel of the product compared to traditional plastics. This material combines the best of both worlds and we look forward to working with Bacardi to use PHA in its iconic packaging."

In 2016, Bacardi was at the forefront of the alcoholic beverage industry when it committed to avoiding all single-use plastic straws in its cocktails. Two years ago, the company began a partnership with the Lonely Whale Foundation to advocate for the avoidance of single-use plastic straws in bars and restaurants. In 2018, Danimer Scientific used Nodax™

Carlsberg, the world's fourth largest brewing group, puts together 2 prototype green fiber bottles bearing beer at the C40 Global Mayors Summit in Copenhagen on Oct. 11, 2019.

On July 13, 2020, Johnnie Walker debuted the world's first 100% plastic-free spirit paper bottle made entirely from sustainably sourced wood.

In December 2022, all new gift packs in the Bacardi portfolio - including Bacardi Reserve Ocho Rum, Grey Goose® Vodka®, Bombay Sapphire® Premium, Martini® Vermouth, Patron® Tequila and Dewar's® 12 Year Blend Scotch Whisky - are now 100% plastic-free.

This important step will enable Bacardi to reduce nearly 275 tons of single-use plastic annually and will be achieved through innovative new designs that remove plastic or replace it with sustainably sourced alternatives.

In addition to using Forest Stewardship Council® certified paperboard, the company also pioneered the use of alternative materials - becoming the first spirits company to use a new bio-based, 100% compostable packaging material in its ABERFELDY® 12-year "Gold Bar" gift pack. Sustainable materials made from potato starch and cellulose fibers replace plastic vacuum packaging.

We are committed to being 100 percent plastic-free by 2030, and removing plastic from gift packaging is an important milestone on that journey," said Rodolfo Nervi, Bacardi's vice president of global safety, quality and sustainability. " We have been a pioneer as a company for more than 160 years, and our efforts to remove plastic are no exception. We will continue to innovate and explore new sustainable plastic alternatives because it's the right thing to do.

As part of its ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) program "Good Spirited", Bacardi has set a series of goals in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is committed to achieving them by 2025. These goals complement the company's commitment to eliminate all plastic point-of-sale materials by 2023 and to be 100% plastic-free by 2030, and include.

A 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

25% reduction in water consumption.

100% sustainable sourcing of key raw materials and packaging.

100% recyclable product packaging.

40% recycled content of product packaging materials.

Zero waste to landfill at all manufacturing sites.

New 100% plastic-free gift bags are available in select markets worldwide throughout the holiday season.

Recently, the Leibniz Institute for New Materials (Germany) announced that it has developed corn-based paint. This new corn-based paint is expected to fill scratches and swirl marks, which usually damage the clear coat of the outer layer of the paint if the vehicle encounters them, and the corn-based paint can be heated to create a flexible coating.

These corn-based lacquers are mainly derived from corn starch, which has what scientists call "nanomolecular" properties and contains cyclodextrin molecules.

The molecules can be threaded on the polymer molecular chain, which allows cyclodextrins to move freely along this chain. At the same time, they are not dislodged by the presence of other molecules. The self-healing ability of cyclodextrins comes from the fact that they cross-link with each other and become active through chemical reactions.

However, since all the molecules that need to work are hot, they need to be done at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Currently, scientists are able to reduce the repair time to one minute, or hours if it is a lower temperature to get the molecules moving.

However, this German company is not the first to enter the "self-healing coating" field. Last year, an Illinois-based company called Feinlab announced one of its self-healing coatings.

It is also formulated to work on painted surfaces and will fill in scratches if something breaks the bond of the coating.

There is no word on how much the German institute plans to charge for this lacquer, but it is working to find partners to commercialize its technology. In the meantime, the process costs about $2,500 at FeinLab.

The Costa Rican bank "BAC" recently launched the first "biodegradable" bank card in Central America. The card is made of an environmentally friendly material that can be processed to make fertilizer, thus having a positive environmental impact.

Costa Rica's "lateja.cr" website reported on December 6 that 82% of the bank card body is made of a non-edible corn-derived material also known as "polylactic acid" (PLA). Compared to plastics, the production of PLA requires 28% less energy and emits 68% less greenhouse gases. In addition, the material can be made into fertilizer and returned to the ecological cycle in just a few months, rather than taking thousands of years to degrade, as is the case with plastics.

The remaining 18% of the card body is other structures such as chips and antennas. The card body pattern was not drawn with solvent-based ink, but with water-based ink to prevent the production of toxic fumes when printing the card. In addition, the envelope used for the card packaging is made from 100% recycled paper. At the end of its useful life, the envelope will likewise be recycled to promote a circular economy.

The first round of negotiations for a global plastics treaty concluded Dec. 2 with countries agreeing to end plastic pollution, but disagreeing on whether the goals and efforts should be global and mandatory, or nationally owned and voluntary.

This meeting in Uruguay is only the first step, and the UN is expected to hold four more global meetings to advance the convention-making process.

On December 2, 2022, the first session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the Development of an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, including in the Marine Environment (hereinafter referred to as the "International Instrument") (hereinafter referred to as "INC-1") was successfully concluded in Punta del Este, Uruguay. The delegates heard and considered the draft report on the work of the first session and the draft decision on the draft provisional agenda for the second session.

With the new crown epidemic still raging, it is not easy to gather more than 2,300 delegates from more than 160 countries to participate through online and offline methods, and it is easy to see that the plastic pollution problem is a common crisis faced by mankind.

During the past five days of negotiating sessions, country representatives and stakeholders have made general presentations, regional breakout groups and other informal consultations on the scope, objectives, structure, core obligations, control measures, voluntary approaches, national action plans, means of implementation (including capacity building, technical assistance and funding), support for monitoring and evaluation of implementation progress and effectiveness, as well as national reporting, stakeholder engagement and action, standard provisions for final provisions, sequencing and suggested further work.

The author notes the innovative format of this negotiating committee, for example.

1. an informal group, in addition to the contact group, was established and tasked by the negotiating committee to focus on stakeholder participation, discussion of the format and procedures for future negotiations, and preparation of preliminary documents.

2. The format of holding stakeholder dialogues during the negotiating plenary sessions was pioneered to allow participating national delegations to listen to multi-stakeholder views, proposals and supporting information to facilitate content discussions for the preparation of international instruments.

The first session did not reach a consensus on many issues, and it was more a matter of each delegation shining a light on its core demands from its own perspective.

Scope: The proposal covers the entire life cycle of plastics, starting from their polymerization to their final recovery and recycling and environmentally sound disposal, including plastics, plastic products, additives, micro- and nano-plastics, and other existing and potential future chemicals related to plastics.

In terms of purpose: some countries and regions suggested focusing on the elimination of all plastic pollution in the environment (both land and sea); some delegates suggested balancing human health and public health; some emphasized that both existing waste and potential unknown sources of future pollution should be taken into account; and others suggested considering economic sustainability and maintaining flexibility of purpose.

Principles: The most mentioned are four principles, including whole life cycle assessment, non-hazardous and non-toxic circular economy, polluter pays and extended producer responsibility.

Structure of the instrument: The vast majority of countries suggested the form of a specific convention or a hybrid mechanism, and suggested a balance with existing conventions, such as the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions.

In terms of potential elements: some remarkable points were also found, for example: some countries proposed to limit and reduce the production of all virgin plastics, which was also opposed by another part of the countries, because it is plastic pollution and not plastic itself that the international instruments want to end, and if restrictions and phase-out are to take place, they should focus on single-use plastic products.

Many countries also emphasized the need to distinguish between the responsibilities of developed and developing countries, and between the responsibilities of plastic producing, consuming and small island countries, given the historical cumulative nature of plastic pollution and the mobility of marine plastic pollution, although plastic pollution is a common challenge for all countries. Many NGOs and interest groups have raised the issue of inclusiveness and called for a just and equitable transformation of international instruments, especially for populations vulnerable to or marginalized by pollution, including women, children, scavengers, indigenous peoples, and others. Other participants suggested segmenting and ranking plastics by category and considering cross-value chain analysis, suggesting more inclusion of private sector participation and advice.

Stakeholder participation: Many delegations stressed the importance of multi-stakeholder action and insisted on diverse stakeholder participation throughout the negotiation process, including written submissions during the intersessional period and the organization of stakeholder forums and dialogues with country representatives.

We were also able to note that the Chinese delegation was active in making presentations during each round of the discussion. The Chinese delegation hopes that the negotiations on the international instrument on plastic pollution will be problem-oriented, focus on plastic products that are prone to leak into the environment, adopt classification and control measures for different types of plastic products, and strengthen recycling and safe disposal. The delegation also believes that in the negotiation process of international instruments, the national conditions and capacities of different countries, especially the needs of developing countries, must be fully taken into account, and the principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities must be upheld. While solving their own plastic pollution problems, developed countries should strengthen their support to developing countries in terms of technology, finance and capacity building.

The development of an international instrument with broad coverage and technical difficulty in two years is a long way to go. In the next four rounds of negotiations, the negotiating committee will first determine the content of the three modules of scope, objectives and structure to lay the framework and direction for the international instrument, and more time will be reserved for the discussion and consideration of options for potential elements. It is noted that the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee is scheduled to be held in Paris, France, from May 22 to May 26, 2023.

Apparel brands are in love with a new concept - bio-based.

Carbon neutral and sustainable, giving bio-based fibers two buffs, became a new business for domestic and foreign companies such as DuPont, Asahi Kasei, Kaiser Bio, and Wanhua Chemical.

But are bio-based materials good and how are they produced? Can garment companies afford to use them? What technical problems are still unsolved? This article will answer for you one by one.

Spinning food into thread

The current large-scale use of textiles are cotton, linen, silk and wool, or new pineapple leaves, palm leaf fibers, are natural fibers or direct biological fibers, the production process does not occur at the molecular level of structural changes.

Biobased fibers, on the other hand, are polymeric materials obtained by biosynthesis and bioprocessing from renewable biomass, and they are polymerized with acids, alcohols, esters, and polysaccharides such as lactic acid and 1,3-propanediol of biological origin. Depending on the source of raw materials and processing, they can be divided into three categories: marine bio-based fibers, bioprotein fibers and bio-based synthetic fibers.

Marine bio-based fibers

The two main types of marine bio-based fibers are chitosan fibers and alginate fibers.

The advantages of marine bio-based fibers are environmental protection, flame retardant and good degradability, but high manufacturing cost, poor functional and environmental characteristics, while their good moisture absorption and moisturizing properties are difficult to use in garment making. Therefore, marine bio-based fibers are mainly used in the medical field to make trauma dressings, either blended with cotton or synthetic fibers to improve their properties.

Bioprotein fiber

Bioprotein fiber is a fiber made from protein of biological origin, similar to wool and silk. The common ones include spider protein fibers, soy protein fibers, milk protein fibers, etc. By blending them with polymers such as acrylonitrile, polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose, etc., protein fibers with different properties can be made.

However, natural bioproteins are expensive and too extravagant to be used for spinning yarn for garments. The price of a pound of soy protein is 14 yuan / kg, by the subsequent processing, spinning and other links, the cost of soy protein fiber will be higher, while the average price of secondary cotton in Xinjiang in 2020 is 7.14 yuan / kg.

Bio-based synthetic fibers

Bioprotein fibers instead of cashmere, silk, fur and other luxury fabrics, while the medical use of marine bio-based fibers is much greater than the textile use. And is expected to replace the "six spandex", is a bio-based synthetic fibers.

Bio-based synthetic fibers, which are fibers made from renewable biological resources. Generally, the raw materials of these fibers are natural carbon sources such as glucose, oil and cellulose, which are made into bio-based monomers by microbial fermentation or chemical methods, polymerized to obtain polymer of high molecules, and then selected to be processed into fibers by suitable spinning companies.

Based on the degradability of the material, we can further divide the bio-based synthetic fibers into two categories: biodegradable bio-based synthetic fibers such as PLA, PHA, PCL, PBS, PGLA, etc., and non-degradable bio-based synthetic fibers such as PE, PDT, PTT, PEF and various bio-based polyamides.

Among them, PDT and PTT can be used to replace polyester, bio-based polyamides can replace petroleum-based nylon, and PLA and PHA are similar to some polyester and cotton threads.

The commercialization of bio-based PTT has progressed the fastest. As early as the 1990s, DuPont made bio-based PTT polyester fiber from corn using a biological method and registered a trademark for it, which is now known as Sorona® fabric.

In recent years, PLA, PHA and bio-based polyamide have become hot research topics.

PLA and PHA benefit from the trend of plastic restriction and plastic ban because of their good biodegradability. Both have good physical and mechanical properties, thermal stability and thermoplasticity, as well as good biocompatibility, and their fibers are used in a wide range of textile applications.

But overall, there are still many bottlenecks in the bio-based fiber industry.

There are still technology gaps in some bio-based synthetic fibers with excellent performance in China.

Another issue is how to control the production cost of bio-based fibers.

Although bio-based fibers have renewable raw materials and low energy consumption in production, for investors and customers do not care about their environmental value, "If it saves cost, it has value; if it does not save cost, it has no value." Some investors told the shell hard technology, "Want to reduce emissions can go to engage in carbon capture technology well."

Also plagued by cost issues are PLA and PHA.

In addition to cost reduction and efficiency improvement, the competitiveness of bio-based fibers lies in suitable selection and raw material innovation.

Prospects

In terms of product selection, products in high demand are more advantageous, such as bio-based nylon and other alternatives to the "Big Five".

Among them, polyester is the world's largest production, the most widely used varieties of synthetic fibers, polyester currently accounts for more than 60% of the world's synthetic fiber production.

Therefore, bio-based alternatives to polyester are relatively more promising, such as PDT and PEF.

With the implementation of the concept of sustainable development, public awareness of environmental protection, people's demand for environmentally friendly products in a significant increase.

This also urges companies to gradually reduce their dependence on non-renewable resources in their production processes. To reduce the overall carbon footprint, bio-based materials are increasing in packaging use year by year.

Organoid, a package made of natural plants and alpine hay

In line with this growth, brands can draw inspiration from agricultural waste and other industry tributaries. Bio-based materials, on the other hand, play a key role in future development as an alternative to non-renewable materials that can produce aesthetically pleasing products and enhance environmental potential.

Notpla

Tree Free Fiber

Reducing the paper industry's reliance on wood, tree-free fibers are becoming more prominent and plant-based materials, including agricultural fertilizers and industrial byproducts, are emerging as leading players. With global consumption of paper and paperboard totaling 408 million tons last year, there is an urgent need to source paper-based materials from plant waste, residues and by-products to replace traditional wood fibers.

British packaging manufacturer DS Smith is testing a new paper packaging production process that uses agricultural waste and annual plants such as straw, hemp and manzanita to reduce pressure on forests. Similarly, Austrian company Organoid uses untreated natural plants, such as alpine hay and mint stems, to create luxury packaging materials.

DS Smith launches paper products made from agricultural waste such as rice straw, hemp and manzanita

French fashion brand Chanel has released a limited edition molded blister pack made of 60% FSC certified bamboo and 40% bagasse fiber. Bagasse fiber is a by-product of the sugarcane industry, a material known as an ecological material that is both recyclable and biodegradable.

Chanel

Food waste

Houbly, a French company, uses cocoa pods, a residue from the chocolate production process, and beer waste grains from the beer brewing process to create bio-based packaging. Looking to China, startup Mi Terro has established a partnership with Budweiser in China to create a biodegradable film from the grain left over from the beer production process.

Discarding food waste in large quantities can have a negative impact on the environment, the economy and future food security. Instead, we reuse it as a resource and turn it into a valuable resource with great potential, why not.

Mi Terro, a biodegradable film made from grains used in the beer-making process

Bio-based Barrier Materials

Through innovations in material properties, bio-based barrier coatings are gradually reaching new levels of technological performance that are comparable to traditional petrochemical alternatives.

For example, CelluloTech, a Canadian materials science company, has developed a chemical reaction process that makes paper and other bio-based materials such as starch and minerals superhydrophobic while maintaining their recyclability. This results in a single bio-based material with high performance and long-lasting barrier properties.

More and more new environmentally friendly materials are emerging, and innovation in materials science will shape a better and broader future for the industry.