Scaling up the production of bio-based and biodegradable packaging for the cosmetics industry

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Annual global plastic production reached 438 million metric tonnes in 2017 (Geyer\_2020). Each year, it is estimated that at least 8 million metric tonnes of plastic waste reaches our oceans, where it degrades slowly over hundreds of years to produce harmful microplastics (Jambeck\_et\_al\_2015). The global damage to marine ecosystem services from marine plastic is estimated to be equivalent to a loss to society of at least £0.4-1.9 trillion/year (Beaumont\_et\_al\_2019), without taking into account potential negative impacts on human health, which are still poorly understood.A recent study found that UK and US citizens produce the most plastic waste per person, at 99 and 105 kg/person/year, respectively (Law\_et\_al\_2020). This is equivalent in weight to each UK citizen using 10,000 plastic bottles per person per year, or nearly 200 plastic bottles per week.The recent explosive rise in awareness of the global plastic crisis, triggered by the publication of The New Plastics Economy by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2016 - which found that under a business-as-usual scenario there would be more waste plastic by weight than fish in the sea by 2050 - as well as the release of Blue Planet II in 2017 - has led to a global search for bio-based and biodegradable materials to replace fossil fuel-derived non-biodegradable plastics.In response, The Shellworks was founded in July 2019 by three Imperial College/Royal College of Art graduates. Our ambition is to disrupt the global plastics market with our bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable packaging material produced from waste agricultural biomass, a renewable and plentiful feedstock. Our innovative material is truly biodegradable and home-compostable, breaking down into marine-safe components at the end of life if it reaches the oceans.We have already successfully completed small-scale product trials with key target customers in the cosmetics industry, which have validated performance, and are ready to scale up our technology. Here, with support from Innovate UK and working with key target customers, we will scale up our production process from laboratory- to pilot-scale. Our proprietary material formulations are designed for performance in use, biodegradability even in the natural environment, and manufacturability at scale, using existing manufacturing facilities.This project supports the UK's ambition to become a world leader in sustainable packaging, tackling the global plastic waste and climate crises, in close alignment with the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging and delivering the targets of the UK Plastic Pact.