Search Results (5)

In accordance with the Circular Economy Package of the European directive, the Spanish government compels manufacturers of plastic bags to include into their products a minimum of 70% of polyethylene (PE) waste. Following this mandate can be challenging and requires a deep knowledge of the alterations produced by the recycling in the main components of a plastic bag film: lineal low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), the LLDPE recycled post-industry, generated as waste from an industrial process (rLLDPE) and the PE recycled from post-consumer use (rPE), that has been picked up, cleaned, and reprocessed. This study provides insight in the macro and microstructural changes produced by several cycles of recycling in these materials. Specimens in the form of film for supermarket bags formed with these polymers have been subjected to several recycling sequences. The process closely mimics industrial processes. Four cycles have been applied to the samples. The evolution of mechanical properties, including tensile strength, elongation at break, and tear and impact tests, shows an obvious decrease due to degradation that is not an impediment for practical use after the four cycles of recycling according to the main specifications defined by the producer. Colorimetric measurements reveal no significant variations in the color of the films. The results of the FTIR and TGA analysis show degradation phenomena and changes in crystallinity in branching and the apparition of crosslinking that are in consonance with the mechanical data. There is also a difference between both types of recycled PE. In general, rLLDPE is more affected by the recycling than rPE. According to our findings, the limiting property would be the tearing. By comparing these values with bags available in the market, manufactured from 70–80% recycled material, we can infer that while two reprocessing cycles can lead to good results, a maximum of four cycles of recycling is advisable. Full article

Among the insect species reared as alternative protein sources, Hermetia illucens (black soldier Fly, BSF) has shown a huge potential mostly due to its high protein content, its bioconversion rates, and versatility in using different feeding substrates. Insect rearing may use continuous or batch feeding regimes and, among the used substrates, supermarket feedstock waste has gained recent interest under a circular economy perspective, but several uncertainties remain regarding the heterogeneity and the potential effects of the quantity and quality of these substrates on BSF larvae (BSFL) development. In this experimental work, five replicates of a hundred BSFL were fed in a continuous feeding regime, using seven different isolated vegetables as substrates (wheat bran, pumpkin, apple, grape pomace, red onion, red cabbage, and spinach), at three different temperatures (20, 25, and 30 °C) and two substrate moisture conditions (natural and 70% substrate moisture), until 50% of the larvae achieved the prepupal stage. BSFL performance and bioconversion parameters were evaluated. Our results show that some substrates should be avoided when rearing Hermetia illucens on feedstocks. Among these, apple feed led to poorer and slower development performances with more than 100 days of larval stage, while grape pomace and spinach showed higher mortality rates, which may be due to some anti-nutritional compounds. Larvae fed on pumpkin, red cabbage, and red onion presented good bioconversion results with higher values of efficiency of conversion of digested feed between 14.4 and 25. This work delivers relevant results for black soldier fly reared on a continuous feeding system using vegetable feedstock substrates and their potential trade-offs. Full article

The sustainable consumption and integration of digital solutions with respect to sustainable consumption have been encouraged by the new European circular economy action plan. Digital adoption has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic; companies have been challenged to rapidly adapt to the constant evolution of consumer needs and expectations, leading to valuable insights into the advancement of green business practices and a consequent rethinking of their business model. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the major shifts in sustainable consumer behavior on the Romanian retail market within the context of the Green European Deal, and retailers’ priorities in agilely adapting to these significant evolutions. Based on a comprehensive literature review on these major shifts and significant evolutions at the national and international levels, a quantitative study was carried out to evaluate the Romanian retail market and identify the major challenges faced by retailers in dealing with the new set of priorities. The data collection was conducted via a survey used in the retail environment, applied within a Romanian supermarket chain. The Romanian retail sector has a particular configuration, which may have an impact upon the study’s generalizability. Located in Central and Eastern Europe at the crossroads of the EU, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and the Middle East, Romania is a leading destination for foreign direct investment, and it is recognized for the similarities of its distribution and sales channels, the range of its retail outlets, and the local retail market dominance on the Big Box segment by reputed major retailers. A spectacular evolution is recorded in Romania’s e-commerce market, including from the point of view of the long-standing and memorable traditional relationship between Romania and China which was confirmed more recently by Romanian consumers who prefer to buy online from stores in China. Our consumer research provides retailers with deep consumer insights with regard to their priorities in their agile adaptation. According to our research, Romanian consumers are environmentally concerned consumers, displaying an increased awareness about the important role they play with respect to impacting sustainable production and consumption by adopting green purchase behavior. Our study also points to the fact that retailers, although faced with challenges in targeting consumers with customized messages to reinforce their brand perception on sustainability issues, do pay considerable attention to sustainability as a personal value embraced by consumers and are willing to focus on digitizing their business processes to enable new, sustainable business models. Full article

Food waste management plays a central role in the circular economy. To our knowledge, only a few studies have investigated the use of unsold fruit and vegetables from supermarkets as a substitute source for the extraction of natural colorants. Thus, the aim of this paper was to suggest a green, tailored protocol that avoids the use of organic solvents for the recovery of betalains from unsold red beets for use as a food colorant. The recovery of such pigments was carried out by a tailored enzymatic mix, blended considering the polysaccharide composition of the beetroot cell wall; thus, it consisted of: cellulase (37%), xylanase (35%), and pectinase (28%). The enzyme-assisted extraction protocol was optimized, and the most suitable conditions (in terms of pigment yield and color attributes) for the recovery of betalains from unsold beets appeared to be: 25 U/g total dose of enzymatic mix, temperature 25 °C, and processing time 240 min. Full article

The health and wellness food sector grew 98% from 2009 to 2014 in Brazil, the world’s fourth-biggest market. The trend has reached supermarket circulars, which recently started to feature whole sections advertising health and wellness-enhancing foods. This study identified food items advertised in circulars’ specific sections of two Brazilian supermarket chains (one regional, one national) during a 10-week period. Foods were classified according to degree of food processing and presence/type of claims on their front-of-pack (FoP) labels. Comparison between groups of Unprocessed/Minimally Processed foods vs. Ultra-processed foods and presence/type of claims employed Pearson chi-square test. From the 434 alleged health and wellness-enhancing foods advertised, around half (51.4%) were classified as Ultra-processed. Presence of reduced and increased nutrient-content claims was significantly higher in labels of Ultra-processed foods. Most frequent claims addressed sugar and fibre content. Brazilian supermarket circulars were found to be promoting the sale of Ultra-processed foods in their health and wellness sections, leading to a situation that can mislead the consumer and bring negative health outcomes. Full article