Development of regionally sourced, bio based packaging solutions towards the commercialization of agricultural products

Press release: https://www.uni-bonn.de/neues/051-2017

The aim of the project is the development of a sustainable packaging concept including the production of prototypes for marketing of regional products. Fast growing regional grasses serve as raw materials. These grasses are used in material recycling to produce new sustainable paper or polymer packaging. The first step is the creation of product-specific conditions for packages in cooperation with regional companies. Simultaneously, studies are conducted with regional companies and consumers to identify market requirements and potential. These data serve as a basis for market entry strategies in the following. The developed materials are subjected to specific suitability tests. In both (paper / polymer) packages bioactive additives are integrated i.a. to slow down freshness losses and to reduce reject rates. Scale-up experiments are carried out to generate prototypes for pilot studies in regional food chains. Additionally, a life cycle assessment is carried out to assess sustainability.