Research: London Bio Packaging

http://www.londonbiopackaging.com/

LBP were responsible for some sustainable packaging 1sts at the 2012 Olympics.

14 Million take away meals were consumed over the course of the Olympic games in London.

Organisers were expecting a waste to landfill size of 8 1/2 thousand tons!

LBP supplied all 120 million pieces of packaging for the olympic games to help the games achieve a a zero waste to landfill policy

The closed loop system they operate means you can use their packaging without generating any waste.There are 5 stages to the closed loop policy these are

1. Supply - 'We will arrange an initial audit of your food/ catering to understand your packaging requirements, waste, infrastructure, volume/ types of waste, access & collection points. A bespoke ‘closed loop’ recycling and/or composting proposal will then be recommended outlining the savings and benefits to you.'
2. Dispose - 'We can assist you in “closing the loop” on all of your packaging and food waste to ensure it is either composted or recycled. There are 3 possible waste streams: Recycling, Composting, General Waste
   The appropriate streams will be selected for your site and clearly labelled as to what can go in them to ensure clarity for users.'
3. Collect - 'LBP arranges your waste collection using either your existing waste contractor or our waste contractor. Collections can be made as often as you require.'
4. Process - 'The contractor ensures that all of the waste is taken to the correct facility where it is either composted or recycled.'
5. Reuse - 'The compost created is used for agriculture to help grow new crops and the recycled material is reprocessed and made into new products.'

Bio Plastics

These are plastics made from plants. The starch contained within the plant is processed to produce a polymer. The bio plastics London Bio Packaging uses most commonly are Ingeo™ PLA (Poly-Lactic Acid) and Mater-Bi®.
Bio-plastics behave in a similar way to conventional plastics and are suitable for most packaging applications. However, unlike finite oil based plastics which take millions of years to form and hundreds of years to degrade, they are annually renewable and suitable for commercial compost

The carbon footprint of Bio-plastic is therefore much lower than traditional petroleum based plastics. Manufacturing Ingeo produces 60 percent less greenhouse gases and uses 50 percent less non-renewable energy than traditional plastics like PET 

Plant Starch

Plant Starch Material (PSM) is a flexible bio based packaging material which has not been refined into a bio-plastic. It is made from renewable crops like corn or potatoes.

Sugar Bagasse

The waste material produced once sugar cane has been harvested for the sugar syrup is called bagasse. This fibrous material is a renewable resource.

Sugar bagasse is turned into packaging products from its raw form using a process of heating, pulping and then pressurised moulding. These are heat resistant, microwaveable and naturally compostible.

Palm Leaf

These products are natural, compostable and biodegradable. They are very stylish, tough and heat resistant.
Wholeleaf products have no pulp, no starch, just a washed and pressed leaf.