Don’t get us wrong, we love takeout.
![A variety of cardboard food-packaging products on a multicolored background.](https://thdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/final_size-Plastics_20240410211401.png)
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.