A European consortium led by flexible packaging company Hatzopoulos (Thessaloniki / Greece; www.hatzopoulos.gr) is developing biodegradable, multi-layered packaging for dried food applications. The two-year project, which is supported by EUR 1.2m of funding from the EU's seventh framework programme, is expected to be completed by September 2015. The consortium is developing the new bio-based packaging, named “BioActiveLayer”, as an alternative to current solutions available for modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). The new cost effective packaging material is expected to provide a shelf-life of up to 24 months.

“A 5% substitution of the materials used in existing MAP applications would reduce the 300,000 t of non-renewable plastic packaging that is currently being disposed of across Europe,” said Lefteris Tourasanidis, project coordinator at Hatzopoulos. “Our aim is to successfully introduce a completely renewable and biodegradable packaging solution that will maintain freshness and cut such high levels of packaging waste.”

The project involves enhancing novel paper-based, bio-degradable, multi-layer structures by increasing the paper moisture barrier – by applying blends of waxes and resins. The main moisture barrier improvement will rely on a composite based on PHA. As PHA currently lacks the barrier required for MAP applications, the consortium plans to develop composites with mineral fillers and oxygen barrier materials to obtain a moisture barrier layer.

Other partners in the project include pigments and additives specialist Nuevas Tecnicas de Coloracion (Barcelona / Spain; www.ntc.cc), packaging films company Skymark Packaging International (Scunthorpe / UK; www.skymark.co.uk), baby food cereals producer Belourthe (Hamoir / Belgium; www.belourthe.com), supermarket chain Plusfresc, (Lleida / Spain; www.plusfresc.cat), Wageningen University (www.wageningenur.nl) in The Netherlands and the UK Materials Technology Research Institute (Melton Mowbray / UK; www.uk-matri.org).