Bio-based compostable plastics cannot compete with multi-layer packaging films made from many different materials in terms of their ability to protect food and other sensitive packaged goods. This innovation is a fully bio-based and compostable version of a multi-material film used in everyday packaging such as granola bar wrappers, laundry detergent pouches, and crisp bags. After use, full-cycle bioplastics packaging can be composted even with any uneaten food inside it.
Full-Cycle Bioplastics (FCBs) is an innovative organization that makes a marine-degradable, bio-based plastic alternative. It is called Polyhydroxyalkanoates or PHAs, the ingredients in FCBs are naturally occurring polymers. When bacteria “eat” organic waste, turn it into “fats” that can be used in place of oil-based plastics. And since it is natural, it becomes harmless at the end of life.
What precisely is bioplastic? What’s more, how could it be made?
In full-cycle bioplastics, the material is made from renewable biological resources and degrades harmlessly at the end of life. In that sense, it is both “bio-based” and “biodegradable,” which represents the best of both worlds when talking about bioplastics.
Specifically, we produce Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a family of naturally occurring polymers made by bacteria. Our non-GMO bacteria eat various organic waste (such as non-recyclable food waste), turning it into PHA. They store internally and consume energy when they have other food to eat.
A few groups call it “nature’s plastic” since you can separate PHA and use it as an option in contrast to numerous ordinary oil-based plastics. But because it is formed naturally and is already part of Earth’s existing biome, it has desirable degradation properties at the end of life. An assortment of PHAs has been confirmed as biodegradable in anaerobic, soil, freshwater, and marine conditions, just as compostable in homegrown and industrial composting facilities.
Unlike most oil-based alternatives, PHA at least “does no harm” after its useful life is over. On account of Full Cycle’s innovation, that finish-of-life advantage goes above and beyond: PHA itself is an organic material. If you return it to a recycling center after use (for example, as part of an organic waste recycling system), they can then use it as a raw material to make virgin PHA – a spherical, regenerative material solution. Furthermore, plastic manufacturing companies offer bioplastics materials as an alternative to traditional oil-based plastics.
Why is plastic such a big problem, and what are your composting alternatives?
Regular plastics are ubiquitous – it’s practically difficult to envision everyday existence without them, and there’s a justification that plastic is efficient. Its functional properties loan it to a broad scope of uses, such as PET products by plastic bottle manufacturers. Be that as it may, lamentably, oil-based plastics were not planned considering end-of-life use. The development of the plastics industry has not seen a corresponding increase in systems for reuse or recycling. Plastic is difficult to recycle, rapidly increasing in quantity and leaking into the environment and our oceans at a tremendous rate. Many people still don’t understand that we cannot recycle our way out of the current problem. A new and better system is needed.
There are always some plastic products that are either technically impossible or not economically viable to recycle. Many of those products are also frequently contaminated with organic material (such as many types of food packaging). This is one part of the market that would benefit from alternative materials and be less harmful if they were part of the compostable and organics recycling loop.
Organic waste recycling infrastructure is increasingly recognized as an essential component of the holistic, sustainable materials systems we are a big supporter of. Furthermore, we accept that our innovation—which makes high-esteem PHA bioplastics from low-esteem natural waste information sources—could be a significant piece of catalyzing that framework speculation.
Full-cycle bioplastics are part of a growing movement towards a “circular economy.” What does this mean, and why is it an essential part of the fight against climate change?
For us, the circular economy is about the efficient use and reuse of materials, whether technological or biological and the systems designed to circulate the material. It’s about changing our attitude to stop thinking of materials like waste and start thinking of all materials as resources. As an example, bioplastics, although still expensive, is a big start towards a more eco-friendly future. The plant-based material allows a wide variety of plastic designs, just like the traditional plastic materials.
What is not a circular economy is a continuation of the straight “take-make-squander” worldview that has supported development in the customer economy over the past 50+ years. Food and plastic waste add to ozone-depleting substance discharges, environmental change, and contamination of our biological systems and are among the greatest ecological difficulties confronting the planet.
The business model of the Full Cycle is also unique. The technology is effectively reduced, enabling field deployment and demonstration of economically viable solutions that are less capital intensive than many alternative waste conversion technologies. Licensing allows rapid technology adoption by leveraging the financial strength of licensees and project finance partners, rather than relying on the organic development of owner-operator, self-financed facilities.
