REDYSIGN

CHALLENGE

The world is facing an unprecedented pollution crisis: the mixture of synthetic chemicals, particularly plastics, in hundreds of everyday products is putting human health and wildlife at risk. One particularly large share of the problem is assigned to the enormous amount of plastic-based packaging waste generated and its limited recycling rate, which globally only accounts for 40%. The European Union is tackling this reality by implementing wide-range legislative actions.

SOLUTION

REDYSIGN will work on creating a completely biobased, smart, and recyclable fresh meat packaging for which every intermediate product – the tray, the barrier coating, the absorbent pad and the transparent film – will be made almost exclusively of wood constituents. In addition, the packaging solution will incorporate two sensors to prevent food spoilage: one to detect early rotting, one to detect breaks in the cold chain during meat distribution and storing. The project will also implement two innovations to enhance the recycling efficiency.

IMPACTS

By replacing fossil-based with biobased packaging, REDYSIGN aims to have a triple impact: environmental impact, contributing to the EU’s 2050 long-term strategy for a climate-neutral Europe; economic impact, paving the way for the marketability of highly demanded new sustainable packaging products in the fresh meat market and beyond, and social impact, expanding the market share for the fibre-based packaging and, therefore, creating new jobs in the forestry value chain and the biobased industries.