Search Results (254)

The intense demand for alternatives to conventional plastics has increasingly motivated the development of biodegradable packaging. However, the ecological impact of these materials when discarded in natural settings has not yet been evaluated. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of films based on chia mucilage in different aquatic environments. The solubilization time varied according to water type, ranging from 40 min in ultrapure, deionized, and distilled water to 230 min in saline water. After solubilization, all water samples exhibited increased turbidity (from 1.04 to 15.73 NTU in deionized water) and apparent color (from 0 to 44 PCU in deionized water) as well as pH variations depending on ionic strength. Deionized water also showed the highest viscosity increase (>350 Pa·s at 1 s⁻¹). UV–Vis spectra revealed a moderate rise in absorbance between 236 and 260 nm, indicating organic compound release. Regarding phytotoxicity, the solubilized films had no toxic effect and promoted a biostimulating effect on root elongation, with Relative Germination Index values exceeding 140% in most samples. These results reinforce the potential of chia-based films for controlled disposal, particularly in low-salinity environments, while highlighting the importance of evaluating post-solubilization interactions with aquatic systems. Full article

Due to increasing environmental concerns and the constant development of the bottling industry, research into the environmental impact of beverage packaging processes is crucial. The aim of this article is to determine the environmental impact, in selected aspects, of automated beverage bottling and packaging processes using life cycle analysis (LCA). The analysis covers key process stages, such as filling, packaging and internal transport, in the context of raw material consumption, but also energy and waste generation. This work focuses primarily on the impact of changing the raw material used for bottle and shrink film production on the environmental impact of the studied technical facility within the adopted system boundaries and on analyzing scenarios for the management of these post-consumer materials. This research has shown that the stage associated with the greatest negative environmental impact is the shrinking of the film around the bottles. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that recycling plastic film and bottle waste is a more environmentally friendly solution than landfill disposal. The analysis shows that using recycled materials in the tested production line allows for the reduction of harmful emissions and a reduction in the overall environmental footprint of the tested system. Full article

Plastic pollution has been recognized as an emerging risk for the aquatic environment. Shifting from the prevailing linear “take-make-dispose” model to a “circular” economy framework is essential for mitigating the environmental impact of plastics. Microplastics (MPs) in the natural environment are formed when synthetic polymers are fragmented and micronized to a size ≤ 5 mm. MPs are a global environmental problem, particularly within aquatic ecosystems, due to their persistence, accumulation, and uncertain long-term effects. This review examines the degradation pathways of polymers that result in MP formulation, their rate and distribution across ecosystems, and their potential entry into food systems. Key challenges include a lack of standardized detection methods, specifically for nanoparticles; limited evidence of long-term toxicity; and the inefficiency of current waste management frameworks. Emphasis is placed on the cradle-to-grave lifecycle of plastic materials, highlighting how poor design, excessive packaging, and inadequate post-consumer treatment contribute to MP release. The transition from Directive 94/62/EC to the new Regulation (EU) 2025/40 marks a significant policy shift towards stronger preventive measures. In line with the waste hierarchy and reduction in unnecessary packaging and plastic use, effective recycling must be supported by appropriate collection systems, improved separation processes, and citizen education to prevent waste and improve recycling rates to minimize the accumulation of MPs in the environment and reduce health impacts. This review identifies critical gaps in current knowledge and suggests crucial approaches in order to mitigate MP pollution and protect marine biodiversity and public health. Full article

Starch, as a natural, low-cost, and vegan-friendly raw material, aligns well with the growing demand for sustainable, zero-waste, and waterless cosmetic products. Its biodegradability and natural origin allow for minimal environmental impact during production and disposal. Anhydrous lotion body bars, solid and water-free alternatives to traditional moisturizers, offer high concentrations of active ingredients that are more effective and have a longer shelf life. Their solid form enables packaging in paper-based containers, reducing plastic waste. To address formulation challenges such as excessive greasiness, poor absorption, or lack of structural stability, which are often associated with the high oil content of anhydrous body lotion bars, starch may serve as a promising natural additive. The aim of this study was to optimize the formulation of an innovative starch-based anhydrous lotion bar. For this purpose, physicochemical analyses of starches from various botanical sources (corn, rice, tapioca, waxy corn and potato) were performed, along with evaluations of the functional (including commercially acceptable form, hardness sufficient for application, product stability, reduced greasiness and stickiness) and mechanical properties of the resulting bars. Additionally, the rheological behavior was described using the De Kee model. The results indicate that a 2.5% starch addition, regardless of its botanical origin, provides the best balance between viscosity and ease of application. Moreover, starches with a low moisture content and high oil absorption capacity effectively reduce the greasy skin sensation. These findings demonstrate the potential of starch as a natural multifunctional additive in the development of stable, user-friendly anhydrous lotion body bars. Full article

To mitigate the serious environmental impact caused by the persistent accumulation of plastics, replacing conventional plastics with paper-based alternatives has emerged as a promising trend. In response to the environmental and health concerns associated with petrochemical-based plastic meal boxes and fluorinated water- and oil-repellent agents, this study proposes a sustainable, fluorine-free coating technology based on chitosan to enhance the water and oil resistance of molded-paper pulp meal boxes. By adjusting the degree of deacetylation and the solution concentration of chitosan, coated meal boxes were fabricated via a spraying method. The results demonstrate that coatings prepared with highly deacetylated (>95%) and concentrated (4% w/v) chitosan significantly improve barrier properties, achieving a water contact angle of 114.9° ± 3°, the highest oil-resistance rating (12/12) according to TAPPI standards, and stable resistance to 95 °C hot oil for up to 30 min without leakage. In addition, the coated samples exhibit enhanced mechanical strength (21.26 MPa) and excellent biodegradability. This work provides a cost-efficient and eco-friendly disposable food packaging solution, facilitating the sustainable substitution of petrochemical-based plastics. Full article

With the rapid development of e-commerce in China, carbon emissions from express packaging have become increasingly prominent, and the division of inter-regional emission responsibilities has emerged as a key research focus. Based on the principle of shared responsibility between producers and consumers, this study integrates life cycle assessment (LCA) and spatial decomposition analysis to quantify the full-life-cycle carbon footprint of China’s e-commerce express packaging across the raw material, production, and disposal stages and calculates the inter-provincial embodied carbon transfer. The findings show that: (1) in 2022, total emissions reached 41.209 million t CO₂e, exhibiting a “more in the east, less in the west” spatial pattern, with Guangdong Province as the largest source; (2) plastic packaging generates roughly twice the upstream emissions of paper packaging, while paper packaging surpasses plastic during disposal; and (3) significant inter-provincial disparities exist in embodied carbon transfer, with seven southeastern coastal provinces as net exporters and a net-import pattern of “more in the east, less in the west; more in the south, less in the north,” accounting for 40 % of the total transfer. Based on this, it is recommended that the government attach great importance to the issue of responsibility allocation arising from the embodied carbon transfer of e-commerce express packaging. Full article

The Ganga River, a lifeline for millions and a critical freshwater ecosystem, is under threat from escalating plastic pollution driven by widespread usage and inadequate disposal practices. While marine ecosystems have garnered extensive research attention, freshwater systems—particularly in the Global South—remain underexplored, leaving critical gaps in understanding plastic pollution’s sources and pathways. Addressing these gaps, the study documents the prevalence and typology of plastic debris in urban and underexplored rural communities along the Ganga River, India, aiming to suggest mechanisms for a reduction in source-based pollution. A stratified random sampling approach was used to select survey sites and plastic debris was quantified and categorised through transect surveys. A total of 37,730 debris items were retrieved, dominated by packaging debris (52.46%), fragments (23.38%), tobacco-related debris (5.03%), and disposables (single-use plastic cutleries) (4.73%) along the surveyed segments with varying abundance trends. Floodplains displayed litter densities nearly 28 times higher than river shorelines (6.95 items/m² vs. 0.25 items/m²), with minor variations between high- and low-population-density areas (7.14 items/m vs. 6.7 items/m²). No significant difference was found between rural and urban areas (V = 41, p = 0.19), with mean densities of 0.87 items/m² and 0.81 items/m², respectively. Seasonal variations were insignificant (V = 13, p = 0.30), but treatment sites displayed significant variance (Chi² = 10.667, p = 0.004) due to flood impacts. The findings underscore the urgent need for tailored waste management strategies integrating industrial reforms, decentralised governance, and community-driven efforts. Enhanced baseline information and coordinated multi-sectoral efforts, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), are crucial for mitigating plastic pollution and protecting freshwater ecosystems, given rivers’ significant contribution to ocean pollution. Full article

Polylactic acid (PLA) exhibits remarkable biocompatibility and biodegradability, rendering it a highly promising material for applications in packaging and disposable products. However, its inherent brittleness, low melt strength, and slow crystallization rate significantly restrict its practical uses. Our previous studies have shown that incorporating the ADR chain extender can yield chitosan–polylactic acid–ADR (CS/PLA-ADR) composites with outstanding antibacterial properties, enhanced biodegradability, and the capability to effectively block water vapor and oxygen. However, the low elongation at break (less than 10%) limits its application in scenarios that require high ductility. To enhance the toughness of the CS/PLA-ADR composites, the flexible biodegradable polybutylene succinate (PBS) is innovatively introduced. The mechanical properties of PBS can be compared with polyethylene and polypropylene, providing high strength and toughness. The mechanism of introducing PBS is to construct a good, toughened structure through the flexible structure of PBS in collaboration with ADR toughening agent, achieving a balance between strength and toughness in CS/PLA-ADR-PBS composites. The incorporation of PBS is anticipated to improve the ductility of CS/PLA-ADR composites. This study systematically investigates the effects of varying PBS content (0–30%) on the properties of CS/PLA-ADR-PBS composites, aiming to determine the optimal PBS content and elucidate the mechanism by which PBS enhances the overall performance of the composites. The results indicate that when the PBS content is 20%, the composites exhibit optimal overall properties. This research provides a theoretical foundation and technical support for the development of environmentally friendly and sustainable packaging materials, offering significant research value and broad application prospects. Full article

Starch was plasticized with epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) modified by reaction with cinnamic acid (CA), and films were prepared using solvent casting from water/ethanol solutions. They exhibited good hydrophobicity, reduced water sensitivity, and showed the same transparency as glycerol-plasticized counterparts, but with less flexibility. Interestingly, modified ESO enhanced gelatinization and hindered retrogradation of the biopolymer. ESO was reacted with CA without the use of catalysts to obtain a β-hydroxyester; in order to optimize the synthesis process, different reaction conditions were explored, varying the stoichiometry and the heating cycles. Products were fully characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and the different reactions following the opening of the oxirane ring were discussed. The properties of the novel starch-based films prepared with modified ESO highlight their use in food packaging, disposable devices, and agricultural mulching films. Full article

The global plastic pollution control process has put forward higher requirements for waste plastic reduction and recycling. This study evaluated the plastic demands by 2030 and 2050 in China based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, identified the four consumption terminals, and put forward countermeasures for the sustainable development of the plastics industry. The results show that based on the analysis of China’s low-carbon transition and global plastic pollution control policies, the reasonable demands for plastic will reach 118 and 110 million tons by 2030 and 2050, respectively. The packaging, construction and decoration, electronics and appliance, and automobile areas are the four major terminals of plastic consumption in China, accounting for more than 80% of the total plastic consumption. The enhanced implementation of the policy of banning and restricting plastic bags will lead to a significant drop in the consumption of disposable packaging plastics, while the low-carbon transformation of the whole society will promote the realization of low-energy consumption in the field of construction, the automobile industry toward lightweight materials, and electronics and appliance products toward high quality, thus further stimulating the related plastics demand. Finally, countermeasures for the sustainable development of plastic are proposed. Full article

The mathematical model for photometric stereo makes several restricting assumptions, which are often not fulfilled in real-life applications. Specifically, an object surface does not always satisfies Lambert’s cosine law, leading to reflection issues. Moreover, the camera and the light source, in some situations, have to be placed at a close distance from the target, rather than at infinite distance from it. When studying algorithms for these complex situations, it is extremely useful to have at disposal synthetic datasets with known exact solutions, to assert the accuracy of a solution method. The aim of this paper is to present a Matlab package which constructs such datasets on the basis of a chosen exact solution, providing a tool for simulating various real camera/light configurations. This package, starting from the mathematical expression of a surface, or from a discrete sampling, allows the user to build a set of images matching a particular light configuration. Setting various parameters makes it possible to simulate different scenarios, which can be used to investigate the performance of reconstruction algorithms in several situations and test their response to lack of ideality in data. The ability to construct large datasets is particularly useful to train machine learning based algorithms. Full article

The environmental impact of laundry detergents is a growing concern due to their chemical composition, production processes, disposal methods, and packaging waste. Understanding consumer preferences for sustainable detergents is essential to promoting environmentally responsible choices while ensuring product quality. This study explores European consumers’ willingness to pay for sustainable detergent using a Choice Experiment (CE) framework, integrating attributes such as packaging materials, surfactant composition, washing temperature, efficiency, and price. A survey of 304 respondents across Europe revealed a preference for sustainability-related features, particularly reduced plastic packaging and renewable surfactants, over attributes like washing temperature and efficiency. Generational, socioeconomic, and regional differences influenced willingness to pay (WTP), with Spanish consumers, Baby Boomers, and higher-income groups showing the highest WTP. Despite positive attitudes towards sustainability, the study highlighted an attitude–behavior gap, where stated preferences did not always align with purchasing behavior, suggesting that performance and cost remain key factors. The findings highlight the need to align technological advancements with consumer expectations, balancing sustainability, performance, and affordability to drive the adoption of eco-friendly detergents. These insights provide valuable guidance for researchers and industry in advancing efforts that enhance market acceptance of environmentally sustainable laundry products across Europe. Full article

In recent years, non-degradable petroleum-based polymer packaging has generated serious disposal, pollution, and ecological issues. The application of biodegradable food packaging for common purposes could overcome these problems. Bio-based hydrogel films are interesting materials as potential alternatives to non-biodegradable commercial food packaging due to biodegradability, biocompatibility, ease of processability, low cost of production, and the absorption ability of food exudates. The rising need to provide additional functionality for food packaging has led scientists to design approaches extending the shelf life of food products by incorporating antimicrobial and antioxidant agents and sensing the accurate moment of food spoilage. In this review, we thoroughly discuss recent hydrogel-based film applications such as active, intelligent packaging, as well as a combination of these approaches. We highlight their potential as food packaging but also indicate the drawbacks, especially poor barrier and mechanical properties, that need to be improved in the future. We emphasize discussions on the mechanical properties of currently studied hydrogels and compare them with current commercial food packaging. Finally, the future directions of these types of approaches are described. Full article

When it comes to the disposal of paperboard and cardboard packaging waste to reduce their environmental impact, recycling is one of the most desirable options. With innovations and development of biopolymer coatings and their application in packaging materials, new paper-based packaging solutions are expected on the market. Besides evaluating their mechanical and barrier properties, it is essential to assess their environmental impact. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) polymer coating, as well as PCL modified with SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and ZnO nanoparticles, on the recycling behavior of paperboard. The coating samples were prepared by dissolving PCL polymer in ethyl acetate and nanoparticle dispersion. Paperboard (230 g/m²) was printed by offset printing process and then coated with PCL and PCL nanocomposite coatings. Recycling was performed under controlled laboratory conditions following a standardized method. Deinkability was assessed by evaluating the optical properties and using an image analysis system. From the obtained results, it can be concluded that the use of PCL coatings and PCL coating modified with SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and ZnO nanoparticles do not significantly impact the optical properties of the recycled pulp, thereby not restricting the implementation in paperboard production and waste management. Full article

Japan’s toy market is the third largest in the world. However, the actual status of use and environmental impact of toys have not been fully studied. This study analyzes the environmental effects of wooden and plastic toys, considering their lifespan and disposal methods. A web-based survey of 1000 parents was conducted to determine the average lifespan and disposal method of toys. Additionally, a life cycle assessment was utilized to evaluate the environmental impact of common wooden and plastic toy cars across 14 environmental impact categories. Results showed that the average lifespans of wooden and plastic toys were estimated at 7.29 and 6.17 years, respectively; wooden toys had a slightly longer lifespan. Wooden toy cars had a smaller environmental impact than plastic toy cars in nine impact categories. Specifically, replacing plastic toy cars with wooden toy cars could reduce greenhouse gas emissions per toy car by 77%. However, wooden toy cars had a greater environmental impact than plastic toy cars in five categories. In a bid toward sustainable toy manufacturing by reducing environmental impact, it is important to use wooden materials made of logs from sustainably managed forests and decrease the utilization of plastic and metal parts and packaging materials. Full article