CORAL:Compostable Foams from Renewable Algae Sources: development and identification of strategies for their implementation

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A system that reduces the impact of plastic packaging waste by keeping materials in the economy is urgently needed. Around 47 Mt of plastic packaging waste leaked from collection systems and polluted our environment in 2019. This figure is continuously increasing worldwide due to the booming of new lifestyles, such as express delivery services. Therefore, coordinated action between the entire plastics value chain is required to redesign the plastic systems, from capital investment for research in bioplastics development to international cohesion in waste management standardisation or implementation of measures to increase consumer awareness. CORAL aims to develop a family of upscalable algae-based and compostable foams as a sustainable alternative for packaging foams for delivery (e.g., expanded polystyrene, polyethylene and polyurethane) and to investigate their applicability and acceptability within the waste management system to identify strategies for their successful implementation. CORAL uses algae-based feedstocks as an alternative to other biobased material sources that compete with food production to manufacture foams by combining mechanical foaming and sol-gel transition of the biopolymer blend. In addition, this project uses an eco-design approach for formulation and processing development, considering the environmental impact of the foams by integrating Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) during the development stage and compliance with home-composting certification schemes. CORAL acknowledges that sustainable materials research is only a small niche for a circular economy. Thus, the project explores the attitudes toward CORAL's foams, along with bioplastics in general, from a broad stakeholders' perspective to understand the challenges associated with their implementation and end-of-life to influence the development of coherent policy and effective waste management systems