ECOPAK Project number Eco/09/256048-ECOPACK

2010-2013

What is the Eco-innovation programme? first real-scale application or market-replication of

eco-innovative products, processes and services

Programme objectives

• Support first applications and market uptake of eco-innovative products, processes and services

• Bridging the gap between R&D (research and development) and commercialisation

• Remove obstacles to the wide application of eco-innovation

Two main issues: • To build a business plan • To start commercialisation

Quite reserved to private companies

Bio-Tox (www.bio-tox.fr, Coordinator) Institut Pasteur de Lille (www.pasteur-lille.fr) Celabor (www.celabor.be) ITENE (www.itene.com) PENA Environnement (www.pena.fr) Organic Products Cluster (www.biocluster.gr)

Partners

Steering committees

Danone (end-user) Novamont (producer) Papeterie de Raon (producer)

The partners +

The consortium

Which end of life for packaging?

Food packaging waste life cycle

Compost

ECOPACK Quality of packaging’s composts

Reused or

Recycled

Not soiled Reusable

Soiled Not reusable as food packaging

Landfilled or

Incinerated

Compostable packaging? (EN 13432)

No

Yes

Worst way

thickness Preferred way Preferred way

Methanisation

Energy

Soil amendments, soil recovery, CO2 captation

Ressources protection

Ressources consumption

12,7 millions tons of packaging’s waste collected in 2006 64% are recycled 1,8 millions tons of compost produced in 2006 (deposit estimated 5,2 Mt)

Packaging, some figures in France

68%

12%

17%

2% 1%

Green wastes

WWT sludges

Household waste

Recycled materials

Others

Only 2% from recycled materials

What about the remaining 26%

?

Why focussing on the safety?

Why focussing on the safety?

Packaging, continuous crises

Alerts notifications: FCM = 8%

Information requests, FCM = 6%

2006

Rapid Alert system for food and feed (Reg. 178/2002/CE)

News letters

Why focussing on the safety?

Des résidus dans nos assiettes

Continuous crises on Packaging

Aug 4, 2010 From packaging to food: mineral oil migration

Why focussing on the safety at the end of life?

Developments and communication on packaging

Compost Your Compostable Packaging More and more companies are rolling out compostable packaging. Make sure you know the facts.

How About A Burger And Some Renewable-Resource Packaging With Those Fries? (07.25.08)

TreeHugger.com

New Certified Compostable Hot Cup and Lid Introduced Packaging combination is engineered to compost in 60- 90 days in existing facilities (3/10/2009)

New compostable packaging in natural snack food category (4/22/2010)

Biodegradable bags 9/1/2007

Compostable plastic commercialized "Our new polymer demonstrates Eastman Chemical's public commitment to protect the environment" Eastman Chemical, 1998

Eco Pack : Double Wall Coffee Cups - 240ml - 50 Pack : we recommend that the compost bin is their final destination, wherever possible, to ensure that the earth’s mineral cycle continues as efficiently as possible.

But what are the requirements for compostability?

What about inks or coatings?

survey from 40 facilities that accept food waste. motivated by the packaging industry’s confusion as to how composting facilities treat foodservice packaging, because some facilities reject packaging, citing it as a contaminant to their composting process and finished product. Key findings include: •90% of facilities surveyed actively accept compostable packaging. •67.5% require compostable packaging to have some type of standard or certification before allowing it in the front gate. •82.5% want a more universally recognizable label of compostability.

Compostable Packaging Survey Report, 2010

Nothing on safety?

Developments and communication on packaging

What are the standards on biodegradable and

compostable packagings?

Compostable & biodegradable packaging: The standards

European Standard EN13432 on compostable material

o Biodegradability (metabolic conversion into carbon dioxide, according to standard test method EN14046) 90% must be reached in less than 6 months.

o Disintegrability (fragmentation (absence of visual contamination) , according to standard test method EN14045) Below 10% of residual material with dimensions higher than 2 mm

o Absence of negative effects on the composting process.

o Composition (levels of heavy metals)

o Quality of the compost (agronomic value, pH, salinity, volatile solids, N, P, Mg, K)

o Eco-toxicological effects (growth of plants, according to the OECD test 208, modified)

American Society for Testing and Materials (2004) Standard Specification for Compostable Plastics, ASTM Subcommittee D20.96 on Environmentally Degradable Plastics and Biobased Products, 3p.

Compostable & biodegradable packaging: The standards

�Chemical content: Heavy metals Organic substances: carbamates, aromatic amines, phthalates Ecotoxicity testing : • Inhibition of the growth of plants • Acute toxicity on earthworms • Inhibition of the growth of algae population Biodegradation & Compostability Comparison with cellulose, 2 of the 3 following tests • aquatic (sturm) : 90% relative in 6 months • soil test : 70% relative in 12 months • controlled composting test : 90% relative in 6 months

The French NFU 52-001 for mulching films

• Flux and limits in contaminants (8 metals + 3 PAH)

• Limits on microbial content (4 microbials)

• Limits on inert components and impurities

• Agronomic value (levels of nutrients)

• Agronomic efficiency (i.e. kinetic of mineralization C/N)

• Granulometry

The French NFU 44-051 for fertilizers, organic amendment and composts

Compostable & biodegradable packaging: The standards

Compostable & biodegradable packaging: existing labels

OK Compost Home : Private label based on EN 13432 with little more endpoints

OK Compost : Label stating conformity to NF EN 13432

OK Biodegradable Water - Soil : Label close to NF U 52001

European Label on Bioplastics : Label stating conformity to NF EN 13432

DIN 54900 : Private label on biodegradability

In summary

A strengh ask/questionning from consumers, regulators and industrials (both producers and end-users)

A reject by composting plants

Some European and French standards

Some labels delivered by private companies

A growing market

But, packaging are the main source of alerts in Europe and there is: • No or little knowledge on emerging contaminants? • No knowledge on the toxicity of compost ? • Little knowledge on the ecotoxicity of compost?

Compostable & biodegradable packaging vs Safety

Our objectives

To develop a testing scheme applicable on : 1. Raw materials (the packaging) 2. Compost issued form these raw materials To develop a practical safety assessment procedure for compostable materials that focus on the end of life : the compost and/or the agricultural fields (in complement of existing standards) To develop a label based on this procedure

Scope of Ecopack: the science

The work program

WP2 (controls) dead-line Dec. 2012

Analyses Chemistry Ecotoxicity

Génotoxicity

Composting Définition of conditions

3 raw materials • paper and board • bio-plastic • Soiled cardboard

Analyses Chemistry Ecotoxicity Génotoxicity EN 13432 tests NFU 44-051 tests

WP3 dead-line Dec. 2012

Composts from the 3 raw materials

Ecopack testing schedule : the first steps

WP5 dead-line Sep. 2013

Selection & composting of 9 commercial products (food contact materials, ustensils, mulching films...)

Simplified analyses Chemistry; Ecotoxicity; Genotoxicity EN 13432 tests; NFU 44-051 tests

drafting of the EcoPack® certification and testing scheme

Simplification of the procedure (decision tree)

WP4 dead-line April 2013

Cost-benefit analysis Life cycle analyses

Ecopack testing schedule : the following steps

Packaging material

Grinding

Sieving

Leaching Testing

Sample preparation for Tox and chemistry

Compost

Sieving

Leaching Testing

Chemical analyses plan (WP2 & WP3)

• Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr, Mo, Se, As, F…

• N, NH3, P, Mg and K

EN 13432

NFU 44-051

• Aluminum • Bis-Dimethylaminobenzophenone; • Bis-Diethylaminobenzophenone; • Carbamates • primary aromatic amines, • pentachorophenol; • Phthalates (REACH candidate list), • Bisphenol A, PFOS, • PCBs, PAH, Dioxins (WHO Teq),

Contaminants

In Vitro toxicological analyses (WP2 & 3)

Ames test on Salmonella bacteria

Micronucleus assay on mouse lymphoma cells

Genototoxicity

Endocrine disruption Calux battery (ER, AR, TR … receptors)

In vivo ecotoxicological analyses (WP2 & 3)

Acute toxicity: mortality

Chronic toxicity:

- Reproduction

- Biomarkers of effect: comet assay

- Biomarkers of exposure: Protein / Cholinesterase activity / MDA / NADPH cytochrome reductase activity / - Catalase activity / Glutathion reductase activity / Glutathion S-transferase activity

Comportmental toxicity: Avoidance test

Chronic toxicity

Worms

Plants

Fish

Bacteria

Daphnid

Alga

acute lethal toxicity

Light inhibition

inhibition of the mobility

growth inhibition

Our needs

In WP5, the battery will be validated by testing 9 materials.

We are looking for manufacturers or end-users willing to take part in the project by providing us with material for the validation phase (80-90 kg are needed). We are particularly interested in : • Active biodegradable/compostable material • Composite (i.e. paper/bioplastics cups) • Soiled materials (i.e. pizza boxes, hamburger boxes …) • Fertilizers • …

Call for interest

The tests and analyses results will be available. We commit ourselves not to communicate any information about the origin of these materials.

The participation in such an European program will reinforce the environmental liability of the sponsors. The results collected on the material will put it in a pole position for the Ecopack certification.

Our commitment