Issue 02/2019

Thermoforming / Rigid Packaging
Waste becomes
raw material
With the introduction of a new series of paddy straw
trays for fruit and vegetables on the European market,
Bio4Pack (Nordhorn, Gewrmany) once again
introduces a new revolutionary product that can rightly be
called sustainable. The basis for the dishes is waste from
rice plantations in the north of Malaysia. Until recently,
this waste was “cleaned up” by burning it. This not only resulted
in air pollution, but valuable raw material was also
lost. With the development of a, now patented, processing
technique by the Malaysian “Free the Seed” initiative, this
waste is now becoming raw material for high-quality fruit
and vegetable trays that are compostable in accordance
with the EN 13432 standard. The unique sustainable properties
of the product were confirmed by obtaining the silver
Cradle to Cradle certificate, which can be called a unique
achievement.
The rice dishes are offered in various sizes and shapes.
They are suitable for all types of fruit and vegetables and
can optionally be supplied with transparent compostable
lids and cover film.
Free the Seed’s green, circular economy initiative is
implemented in the northern region of Malaysia and
involves 1,300 paddy smallholders. The post-harvesting
waste of paddy straws are purchased directly from the
paddy farmers and converted to biodegradable packaging
products using Free The Seed’s innovative biotechnology
process utilizing protease serene enzymes, delignified
cellulose fibers and enzymatic gratification methods to
produce biodegradable packaging products for the global
market that compost organically in 180 days in compliance
with current sustainable packaging initiatives. As these waste
stockpiles deplete, so does the incidence of open burning
while the readily compostable nature of the end product
ensures no further addition of harmful waste material to
the envrionment. As the project progresses, the sector will
see a stream of direct and indirect benefits in the form of
additional income for the purchase of paddy waste material
and associated pre-processing activities and the introduction
of sustainability and stewardship standards which will lift the
paddy sector overall, as well as reductions of carbon footprint
due to mitigation of open burning of paddy waste.
Bio4Pack has a lot of faith in the paddy straw trays but also
has an eye for the positive impact that the ‘Free The Seed’
initiative has on rice farmers in the area. The product is a
win-win solution for both the environment and the farmers in
Malaysia and therefore fits perfectly with companies that are
committed to a sustainable and circular economy. SB
www.bio4pack.com
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18 bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/19] Vol. 14