Leading the way to less food waste

Smart packaging and biodegradable films: these are two of the many solutions in the SISTERS project aimed at reducing food waste in Europe.

When it started in 2021, the EU-funded SISTERS project joined the fight to reduce food waste in the European Union, where more than 59 million tonnes of food waste is generated every year, equivalent to 132 kg per inhabitant. In order to tackle this problem, SISTERS has been developing solutions aimed at reducing food loss and waste throughout the supply chain. Now, three years into the project, SISTERS’ partner, the Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Exporters of the Region of Murcia (Proexport) in Spain, is helping researchers understand how the fruit and vegetable sector works. To do so, it is sharing with them the perspective of all stakeholders in the fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain – growers, handlers, packers and suppliers – and trying to adapt the proposed solutions to their daily lives. “Our participation in the SISTERS project has taught us that details are everything when it comes to translating ethical principles into real life,” comments Proexport’s technical director, Abelardo Hernández, in a news item published in “HortiDaily”. He adds: “Sometimes they can prevent a great idea from reaching a real dimension and achieving tangible results.

Smart containers for vegetables

Proexport ha participado en las pruebas de contenedores innovadores para el transporte de hortalizas frescas. Estos contenedores, diseñados en el marco del proyecto SISTERS y probados en condiciones reales de trabajo, miden parámetros de frescura como el CO2, la humedad y la temperatura, e informan del estado del producto, lo cual permite tomar medidas preventivas. «No nos engañemos —señala Hernández—. Las soluciones técnicas propuestas son complejas y no basta con que funcionen y reduzcan los residuos en un eslabón que ya está bastante afinado. Implantarlas a nivel industrial requerirá evaluar otros aspectos, como el espacio que ocupan los contenedores o la relación coste-beneficio».

Beyond containers

In addition to its smart containers, the SISTERS team employs other innovations in its fight against food waste. These include online platforms that help farmers sell their discarded produce, as well as novel bio-based packaging solutions, such as the biodegradable films being developed by Croatian project partner Bio-Mi. As part of the project, Bio-Mi has been working on expanding the production of bio-based, biodegradable films made mostly from polylactic acid (PLA). To improve biodegradability, the company has incorporated the CARBIOS Active additive into the film production process, which allows the PLA-rich film to completely disintegrate and biodegrade, even at room temperature, without leaving toxic residues or microplastics. The inclusion of CARBIOS Active improves the mechanical properties of the film, in particular its ability to stretch before reaching the breaking point. It also has the added benefit of reducing wrinkles in certain films, making it possible to produce thinner films, thereby reducing both material usage and costs. The SISTERS team (Systemic Innovations for a SusTainable reduction of the EuRopean food waStage)is not only developing films, but also other bio-based packaging solutions such as trays, baskets and flow packs, which could help reduce food waste. The project ends in 2026.

More information: CORDIS.