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

扩大化妆品行业生物基和可生物降解包装的生产

• 批准号: 98142
• 金额: $ 31.83万
• 依托单位: SHELLWORKS GROUP LTD
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Collaborative R&D
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=98142
• 关键词: Scaling; up; production; bio; based

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.

2017年全球塑料年产量达到4.38亿公吨（Geyer\_2020）。据估计，每年至少有800万公吨的塑料废物到达我们的海洋，在数百年内缓慢降解，产生有害的微塑料（Jambeck\_et\_al\_2015）。据估计，海洋塑料对海洋生态系统服务的全球损害相当于社会损失至少0.4-1.9万亿英镑/年（Beaumont\_et\_al\_2019），而不考虑对人类健康的潜在负面影响，这一点仍然很难理解。最近的一项研究发现，英国和美国公民每人产生的塑料废物最多，分别为99和105 kg/人/年（Law\_et\_al\_2020）。这相当于每个英国公民每人每年使用1万个塑料瓶，或者每周使用近200个塑料瓶。最近全球塑料危机意识的爆炸性上升，由艾伦·麦克阿瑟基金会在2016年出版的《新塑料经济》引发，该基金会发现，在企业作为通常情况下，到2050年，废塑料的重量将超过海洋中的鱼类-以及2017年蓝色星球II的发布-导致全球寻找生物基和可生物降解的材料，以取代化石燃料衍生的不可生物降解的塑料。The Shellworks由三位帝国理工学院/皇家艺术学院的毕业生于2019年7月创立。我们的目标是用我们的生物基、可生物降解和可堆肥的包装材料颠覆全球塑料市场，这些包装材料是从废弃的农业生物质（一种可再生和丰富的原料）中生产的。我们的创新材料是真正可生物降解和家庭堆肥的，如果到达海洋，在使用寿命结束时会分解成海洋安全的成分。我们已经成功完成了与化妆品行业主要目标客户的小规模产品试验，这些试验已经验证了性能，并准备扩大我们的技术。在这里，在Innovate UK的支持下，并与主要目标客户合作，我们将把生产工艺从实验室规模扩大到中试规模。我们的专有材料配方设计用于使用性能，即使在自然环境中也可生物降解，并可利用现有的制造设施进行大规模生产。该项目支持英国成为可持续包装的世界领导者，应对全球塑料废物和气候危机，与工业战略挑战基金（Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund）紧密合作，实现英国塑料协议的目标。