the european commission ec seventh framework program fp7 has funded the isapack project which is of &euro3.9 million 5 million. in a threeyear period, european companies and research organizations will work together for developing sustainable packaging in order to improve quality, extend shelf life, and reduce waste for fresh foods. isapack includes the participation of a ukbased sustainable packaging design and development company, biopac. the managing director of biopac, john bright explained to plasticstoday that the isapack project aims at reducing 75 of retailer supply chain wastage of fresh food produce, such as fish, meat, vegetables, and fruit, with the help of shelf life extension. he further stated that in order to make food waste prevention improvements for eu directives, time is running. for the packaging of fresh food produce, the goal of the isapack project focuses on developing a active, flexible, intelligent, and sustainable technology platform. two biopolymer materials will be made through the isapack project, which are the bioplastic stretch wrap films for replacing the conventional pvc stretch film, and the gas barrier sheets and films for manufacturing modified atmosphere packaging map and vacuum packaging. bioplastic will be particularly used by the group, which is a moldable plastic material from chemical compounds derived or synthesized by plants or microbes like bacteria. he added that bioplastics are obtained from renewable resources with biodegradable properties, which are different from traditional petroleumderived plastics. stretch film packaging with high performance protection can solve the problem of packaging produced from microbes feeding on sustainable natural materials. unsaturated polyhydroxybutyrate copolymer materials will be used by the group, which are derived from microbial fermentation of sustainable feedstocks that includes food waste, and low volume cross linkages, for stretch film and gas barrier packaging applications properties demonstration. bright stated that the isapack project resulted hbcopolymer map materials, which are expected to be suitable for the packaging of most conventional map packaging food produce. developing of intelligent indicator systems for direct printing on packaging materials that include time and temperature indicators for observing bacterial growth with freshness indicators are other objectives of the project. a full lifecycle and economic assessment of all the products will be undertaken by isapack. investigating the technological and economic potential for use and exploitation of the packaging applications, the value and market potential, and finding obstacles and barriers to commercialization, like competing technologies or solutions, are included in the responsibilities of biopac. it was stated by biopac that food processors, retailers and consumers are summoned for participation in the functioning of this groundbreaking program. the director of biopac, mark birgden, explained that isapack can potentially reduce wastage and extend shelf life of fresh foods for retailers. fresh food packaging is enhancing through the opportunity of jointly using sustainable materials and creating significant supply chain benefits in shelf life expansion. httpwww.plasticsinfomart.comeuropeanconsortiumtodevelopsustainablepackaging…
