After four years of collaboration in bioplastics smart packaging, the European initiative “Dibbiopack” has presented its results. The EUR 7.8m project, of which the European Commission provided EUR 5.7m, comprised 19 companies and research centres from 10 countries who looked into the formulation and manufacturing of smart packaging and materials in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food sectors. Their objective was to go beyond the regulatory, technological, market and environmental milestones and provide solutions by using nanomaterials, biodegradable films and sensors.

Research gathered from more than 100 people has yielded packaging with properties that enhance product preservation and is able to report on the product’s condition inside. By using nanomaterials, bioplastic packaging has been developed with mechanical and durability properties similar to those found in conventional plastics.

Products that have resulted from the “Dibbiopack” project include: compostable and biodegradable materials with enhanced properties; bio-based and biodegradable films with antimicrobial or enhanced barrier properties; biodegradable bottles and labels for pharmaceutical use with an oxygen-absorbing effect on the cap; cosmetics packaging with biodegradable labels that can be used either on the inside or outside; and trays for keeping processed food in an oxygen-free atmosphere. These trays also have an integrated oxygen sensor that provides users with details on content and its condition.

The bioplastics market is said to be poised to grow by at least 20% per year over the next few years. Current projections indicate that by 2019, 80% of bioplastics will be made in Asia (for an overview of the bioplastics market, see Plasteurope.com of 23.10.2015).

Coordinated by Spain’s Aitiip Technology Centre (Zaragoza; www.aitiip.com), the project was part of the European Commission’s Seventh European Framework Agreement and came under proposals for a circular economy. In December 2015, the EU Commission proposed an ambitious packaging of new measures on the circular economy which will help close the loop on a product’s life-cycle thanks to a higher reuse and recycling rate (see Plasteurope.com of 07.12.2015).