Packaging Gateway

Daily Newsletter

07 August 2023

Daily Newsletter

Researchers develop new biobased plastic solution

The research and affiliated experiments were supported by the US Department of Agriculture.

A team of researchers from the Michigan State University (MSU) School of Packaging have developed a new method to make sustainable petroleum-based plastics more biodegradable.

The research was published in the ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering journal. It was led by MSU professor and Amcor-endowed chair in Packaging Sustainability Rafael Auras.

The team has created a biobased polymer blend that can be composted both at home and in industrial settings.

To conduct this research, the team worked on polylactic acid (PLA), which is derived from plant sugars and not petroleum. PLA is a widely used component in sustainable packaging.

The team said PLA’s waste by-products, if managed properly, are all natural materials such as water, carbon dioxide, and lactic acid.

However, to biodegrade optimally, PLA requires industrial composters, which provide higher temperatures and more conducive conditions for the PLA to break down, unlike in-home composters.

Auras and his team carried out experiments to demonstrate that the PLA can remain for approximately 20 days before microbes start digesting it within an industrial composting environment.

The experiments were supported by the US Department of Agriculture and MSU AgBioResearch.

To reduce this 20-day wait, the team integrated a carbohydrate-derived material, referred to as 'thermoplastic starch', into the PLA.

This starch was found to be an easily compostable addition for microbes while the PLA degraded.

Laboratory doctoral student Pooja Mayekar said: “When we talk about the addition of starch, that doesn’t mean we just keep dumping starch in the PLA matrix. This was about trying to find a sweet spot with starch, so the PLA degrades better without compromising its other properties.”

The team observed how different PLA films broke down during the composting process in different conditions.

The results showed that 'completely compostable biobased plastic packaging is possible', though Auras said that its commercial adoption cannot be guaranteed at this point simply on the basis of this study.

Generative AI remains an untapped potential across the consumer industry

GlobalData estimates the total AI market will be worth $909 billion in 2030, growing at a CAGR of 35.2% between 2022 and 2030. The consumer goods, foodservice, and packaging sectors are undergoing digital transformation, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and changing consumer preferences. AI can help companies operating in these sectors by significantly reducing costs and production times. In Nestlé's 2022 full-year results, the company announced a renewed focus on digitalization to drive growth. Financial and reputational pressures associated with supply chain disruptions and sustainability concerns are also driving interest in the digitalization of supply chains. Data science and ML are strong investments across all areas. However, the sectors cannot stop at AI-powered data analytics applications. They must also explore computer vision (CV), smart robots, AI sensors that automate manufacturing and distribution logistics, and generative AI tools that increase efficiency across corporate departments and customer service operations and enable innovation in product design. For the most part, the consumer goods, foodservice, and packaging sectors will not play a significant role in creating and developing AI hardware or platforms. Instead, these sectors will help scale up the adoption of AI technologies, such as CV, conversational platforms, and smart robots. This adoption will be driven by the financial benefits and potential cost savings AI automation delivers across global supply chains.