Huhtamaki has launched a range of biodegradable and compostable packaging known as BioWare, all made from various renewable resources.
The new Bioware product range is completely functional without the raw appearance that is often associated with other biodegradeable products, such as plates made from palm leaves and corn starch.
The range includes fresh produce containers, cold drink cups and tumblers, knives and forks, and Chinet pressed-paper plates and bowls, all of which have a high-quality look and feel.
Gone is the rough-to-the-touch grainy appearance of recycled and biodegradable paper cups and plates.
The fresh produce containers and cold drink cups and tumblers are made from polylactic acid (PLA) resin, produced from a by-product of extracting sugars from corn.
Bacteria are used to ferment this and lactic acid is produced as a result.
This is then polymerised into PLA.
Some of the cutlery in the BioWare range is made from Mater-Bi, a raw material that is a blend of PLA and other compostable materials.
Post-industrial waste reclaimed fibre and paper pulped from pre-consumer waste is used to make the Chinet bowls and plates.
The BioWare suite of products is all biodegradable and will compost to European and US composting standards – simply, the products will decompose within a maximum of 12 weeks in a composting facility.
Consumer trust
BioWare is already widely used in Europe and supermarkets such as Tesco, the UK’s largest food retailer, package some of their food products in BioWare.
Although Huhtamaki would like to see BioWare used by Australian supermarkets, it is keen that any BioWare used to package goods in supermarkets would be identifiable as such to the consumer.
The company believes that this is necessary to build consumer understanding and trust that Bioware products are compostable and biodegradeable.
This is particularly important because the BioWare does not look particularly biodegradable or compostable.
At present, BioWare’s biggest users will in be the food service markets, such as large catering companies and quick-serve restaurants.
The range will be used by venues such as football stadia and concert halls, as well as at other events such as festivals, examples of which are the upcoming Kings Cross Food and Wine Show and the Mother’s Day Run in Sydney, both of which will serve food and drink in BioWare.
Disposal
The BioWare range is optimally biodegradable under certain conditions (temperature, moisture, etc) and Huhtamaki expects that it will be composted and, to this end, have developed a partnership with a waste disposal company to create a full product lifecycle.
As an example, if BioWare was used by event organisers at festivals or sporting events, the consumer could dispose of their cup or plate into bins and after the event the waste disposal company would separate the waste and take it to their composting facility where it would be handled optimally and converted into compost for use in gardens.
This composting process would take around twelve weeks.
Environment
The PLA used for the cups and produce containers is produced from Natureworks PLA resin.
Corn needed for the set of reactions that produces PLA is grown in the US.
The corn is also used for other food applications and contributes to a reduction in greenhouse gases during its growth.
Huhtamaki Sales and Marketing manager Chris Lambrou, said it was important to remember that although the basic unit for BioWare comes from the US, there is also transport involved in producing non-biodegradable packaging and there is no additional transport involved in BioWare than there is for other forms of packaging.
Although BioWare does not reduce the environmental costs involved in transport, it aims to be a carbon zero product through the release of oxygen into the atmosphere and the consumption of carbon dioxide by the corn crops, and through Huhtamaki’s continuing sponsorship of Rainforest Rescue, an organisation that works for the good of the Daintree rainforest in Queensland.
A launch was held for BioWare in March at the restaurant in the Sydney Botanical Gardens.
Since then, the response has been ‘really positive’ according to Huhtamaki, whose clients are said to be ‘very excited’.
Huhtamaki sponsored Rainforest Rescue to save a tree in the Daintree for each person who attended the launch.