REPLACING PLASTIC WITH BIODEGRADABLE PACKGING IN FOOD SERVICE

This proposal follows the DLA SBIR Phase 1 Contract SP4701-21-P-0075. It seeks resources to move to Phase 2 so that the lessons learned and data developed in Phase 1 will further expand on the solution, including the field demonstration for replacing the plastic packaging in food service with the biodegradable Cellulosic Bio-Polymer (CBP) packaging to address military needs. Phase 1 was a great learning lesson because of the extraordinarily active engagement of the DLA Project Management Team. The DLA team availed expertise from various food-service related resources within the military, including firsthand knowledge about difficulties encountered by the military in the European Union (EU) arising from the ban on waste plastic disposal in landfills. It was very clear from their visits to the EU that the U.S. businesses were losing the edge rapidly to foreign competition because of the slow transition from plastic to biodegradable packaging.  The approach proposed by Biomass Energy System Inc. (BESI) of combining biodegradable packaging with its onsite reuse to generate renewable energy by generating hot water was highlighted as the most attractive option for this transition. This avoided sending biodegradable packaging to the landfill where it would have emitted methane, the most potent of the greenhouse gases. All objectives and goals for Phase 1 were achieved.  These included the demonstration of the seamless transition of plastic to CBP in food packaging without affecting its taste, freshness, delivery, distribution, and storage.  Phase 1 verified the complete biodegradability of the CBP packaging and demonstrated its capability for reuse as renewable energy in a circular economy. Phase 2 will demonstrate a complete solution for the replacement of plastics with CBP packaging in food service at a scale commensurate with a small military installation located Outside of the Continental United States (OCONUS) that also includes the conversion of spent CBP packaging into renewable energy, thereby avoiding its disposal into the landfills. This includes manufacturing the CBP packaging for specific food items that are commonly supplied and consumed by the military; acceptance testing of this alternative packaging by the vendor and by the military; demonstration of how this packaging would revert to the circular economy in the form of renewable energy; plan for complete transitioning of plastic packaging to CBP packaging for all food items supplied and consumed by the military; and planning for making this complete solution commercially available to the military quickly.   The Phase 2 team includes manufacturers of CBP packaging, turnkey technology providers, the academic institution having significant influence in research, development, and marketing, as well as military agencies to facilitate not only the demonstrations for the benefit of the military but also assist in transitioning the products and the technologies into the military installations.