Event - Bio-based coatings and food contact materials: PRESERVE’s research and regulatory insights
Biopolymer-based and recyclable materials are currently of high interest due to stricter legal requirements and consumer demand for more sustainable food packaging. At the moment, many multilayer packaging materials are not commercially recyclable and are often not biodegradable or bio-based.
After 2 years of project implementation, the PRESERVE consortium is organizing the first webinar on preliminary results: Bio-based coatings and food contact materials: PRESERVE’s research and regulatory insights
This webinar will present sustainable packaging solutions developed by the EU Funded H2020 project PRESERVE. Moreover, it will focus on European Food Contact Materials regulations and discuss customer perception of bio-based packaging products and upcycling options.
The webinar will take place online on 19 June 2023 from 11 to 12.30.
Registrations are open here.
This is the agenda:
11:00 Introduction to Preserve
Kristina Eißenberger, Albstadt-Sigmaringen University
Bio-based plastics, derived from renewable resources, are mostly used in packaging, but reducing plastic waste conflicts with protecting sensitive products. The EU-funded PRESERVE project promotes circular use of bio-based packaging, enhancing primary food packaging performance and creating upcycling options for high-performance secondary use. The project aims to produce at least 10 packaging demonstrators and benefit the European plastic packaging market by creating jobs and growth.
11:10 Crowdhelix Platform, Circular Plastic Helix for Impact Acceleration and Future Collaboration
Cais Jurgens, Crowdhelix
Crowdhelix, as an impact accelerator partner, has established the Circular Plastic Helix—a stakeholder community focused on driving continuous development within the project. The community plays a crucial role in showcasing project outcomes to optimize the project's overall impact potential.
11:20 Customer perception for bio-based packaging products and upcycling options
Daniele Spinelli, Next Technology Tecnotessile
Social benefits of implementing new packaging products will be collected by online surveys in order to map the potential areas of concerns from a social perspective with respect to the use of an innovative packaging for food and cosmetics; to provide insights on the expectation of different social categories affected by a variable degree of impact (with respect to the use of plastic “traditional” packaging); to gather the potential social benefits deriving by the introduction of new packaging in the food and cosmetic industries; to map the level of risk attributed to the use/production of plastic packaging.
11:30 Whey protein-based oxygen barrier coatings and modifications at lab and pilot
Max Sturm, Albstadt-Sigmaringen University
Biopolymer-based and recyclable materials are currently of high interest due to stricter legal requirements and consumer demand for more sustainable food packaging. However, many multilayer packaging materials are not commercially recyclable and are often not biodegradable or bio-based. Within the Horizon 2020 Project PRESERVE, whey protein coatings are being developed to produce among other things a bio-based and biodegradable oxygen barrier layer. This barrier coating based on whey protein isolate is additionally used as a separation layer for multilayer structures. Whey protein-based coatings have been successfully applied on multiple polymer films on a laboratory and pilot scale. This development will help address the demand for more sustainable food packaging by creating a biodegradable and recyclable oxygen barrier layer.
12:00 Evaluation of compliance with European Food Contact Materials Regulations
Maria Monedero Prieto, ITENE
The aim of the European Food Law is to ensure a high level of protection of human life and consumers’ interests regarding food. As a consequence, there is a need to assess the compliance with applicable regulations to food contact materials in Europe. In this sense, legislation applicable to the developments resulting from the project and so that, to different types of food contact materials will be identified and the specific legal requirements to assess compliance will be described.
12:20 Closing remarks
PRESERVE is a European research project that develops solutions to improve the recyclability of food packaging. The 4-year project started in January 2021 and is committed to developing bio-based food packaging by enhancing bio-coatings in order to improve packaging recyclability. At the same time, PRESERVE makes sure that these materials can be upcycled into new containers and textiles for non-food applications. The project will work to develop 10 common packaging items that are based on renewable resources with a minimal environmental impact and improved recyclability in order to easily reintroduce the materials in a circular economy.
