Quantis’ role in the NEWPACK project is to provide expertise and guidance on the environmental performance of packaging materials through life cycle assessment.
Current food packaging systems are associated with significant negative environmental impacts such as plastic pollution and resource depletion. A Horizon 2020 project, NEWPACK draws together expertise in the food packaging and biomaterial sectors to address these issues. Namely, it aims to develop two novel biobased packaging materials with improved environmental performance and compatible with circular economy principles.
Project Objectives
- Produce and validate two novel bio-plastic films for food packaging applications, based on blends of biodegradable polymers (PHA-PLA)
- Demonstrate opportunities for the creation of a circular economy value chain in manufacturing biodegradable bio-plastic films made from agro-food waste
- Extend food shelf life and reduce the associated carbon footprint by at least 10% compared to petroleum-based alternatives, through the use of natural additives and advanced chemical methods in film production
Quantis’ Solutions
- Inform and guide the design of NEWPACK products towards sustainable and environmentally sound solutions, by conducting comprehensive environmental performance assessments
- Conduct a Life Cycle Assessment of NEWPACK’s new bio-plastic solutions to evaluate environmental impacts and performance, including their potential to reduce food waste by improving shelf life through the integration of natural extracts with antioxidants and antimicrobial agents into the new packaging
- Compare the novel bio-based materials with conventional plastic films for selected food applications
NEWPACK: A multi-sectorial international consortium
Quantis’ role in the NEWPACK project is to provide expertise and guidance on the environmental performance of packaging materials through life cycle assessment.
“Driving sustainability is at the very core of NEWPACK’s vision. Through close collaboration with experts from the industry and academia and the use of sound research methods, the project consortium aims to deliver a new generation of high-quality bio-plastics that will present a viable and sustainable alternative to petrochemical-based packaging.”
Niina Halonen, Project Coodinator
University of UOULU
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