This startup wants to make packaging that’s all bark, no bite

Don’t get us wrong, we love takeout.

But once we learned that recycling isn’t the foolproof solution we thought it was, our delivery orders started showing up with something we didn’t order: guilt.

Don’t cry over spilled lo mein just yet — Bpacks, a sustainable packaging startup, is getting closer to an environmentally friendly solution.

Bpacks has created what it says is the world’s first biodegradable bioplastic made from tree bark to replace petroleum-based rigid plastic containers, per AgFunderNews.

Those types of plastics, traditionally used to hold produce, meat, and beauty products, are wreaking havoc on the environment:

• The world produces ~440m tons of plastic waste each year, and global plastic production is estimated to reach 1.2B+ tons by 2050.
• Of that plastic, ~36% is used for packaging. And 85% of single-use plastics for food and beverage packages end up in landfills.

Plus, tree bark from timber production normally goes to waste. An estimated 300m-400m cubic meters is produced annually.

Bpacks takes that leftover bark and combines it with other bio-based materials, like coffee grounds, to create pellets and sheets that can be used to make packages.

The result: 100% bio-based packaging, with 75% of materials coming from production waste. It’s also “100% home-compostable,” able to fully decompose in soil within one or two months — but it can still hold high-moisture content without dissolving.

The whole package

Though Bpacks has its material down, the company, which is still in a pre-seed funding stage, will face a long road ahead to scale its business.

Fortunately, it isn’t the only company trying to solve the plastic-packaging pollution problem (say that 3x fast).

• Ecoroots makes packaging from mushroom mycelium.
• Traceless uses leftovers from agricultural and food production processes to create a plastic alternative.
• Notpla manufactures fully compostable packaging with a coating made from 100% natural seaweed.

The work of these startups, and many more, is fueling the global bioplastics market, which is estimated to reach $46.1B by 2030.

Very good news for the environment and for our Uber Eats orders. Hallelujah.