AIMPLAS, the Technological Institute of Plastics in Valencia, Spain, has developed new biodegradable and compostable nets for citrus fruits, potatoes, onions and shellfish products.
Developed through research carried out by AIMPLAS in the framework of the EU-funded ECOBIONET project, the new packaging is described as having the same properties and the same appearance as nets made with conventional materials, but it adds only €0.01 per kilo to the cost of the final packaged product.
“This means that five kilos of potatoes packaged in the biodegradable net would cost five cents more than five kilos of potatoes packaged in traditional netting, which keeps the price within an acceptable range for the food industry,” AIMPLAS says.
Unlike conventional packaging, the new AIMPLAS netting does not need to be separated from organic waste in order to be recycled.
In developing the new biodegradable and compostable netting, AIMPLAS worked in conjunction with Spanish companies ECOPLAS and Cristóbal Meseguer, Tecnaro from Germany and OWS from Belgium.
According to the company, the netting complies with all of the functional requirements in order to package potatoes, garlic and onions, shellfish products and citrus fruits and vegetables.
It can be manufactured in all variations present in the market: oriented (which retain their original shape with the product inside (for eg garlic and shellfish products); non-oriented (for citrus fruits, potatoes and a large variety of fruit and vegetables); and combined, designed to allow visibility and let the product breathe, but prevent waste and dust from falling out of the packaging.