At Plastika Skaza, we constantly strive to follow the latest trends in the plastics sector and use cutting-edge technology. Therefore, we invest our resources heavily in joint R&D projects with universities and other industries, incorporating the project results into our development and production. Our vision is to be a company known for setting new sustainable trends in the plastics industry. Therefore, all our R&D projects are focused on developing sustainable solutions to minimize the negative impact of plastics on the environment. Below we present three of our most interesting R&D projects that focus on sustainable development and have become a part of our sustainable portfolio.
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Sustainable Portfolio Project #1: Development of Green Materials and Products for Food Contact Applications Based on Waste Biomass (BioSeedPack)
The production and use of conventional fossil-based plastics currently present a significant environmental burden due to the depletion of non-renewable resources, greenhouse gas and other emissions. In addition, some plastic products, such as packaging, often end up in the environment, where they pose a major problem to fauna and flora.
Biomass is a promising renewable resource that can be used for the production of environmentally friendly plastics. In recent years, considerable efforts have been made to develop bio-based and biodegradable plastics based on biomass. However, a large proportion of these bioplastics are produced from biomass, e.g., from edible plants that can also be used as food, while there is still a large proportion of biomass that is currently not used and thus accumulates as waste.
The BioSeedPack project in our sustainable portfolio aims to develop green plastics by using biomass treated as waste to produce green composites. Specifically, the aim is to incorporate non-germinating seeds into various bio-based and biodegradable plastics. The incorporation of waste seeds will lead to better mechanical properties, better ecological food pressure and an interesting visual effect.
The materials developed will be used to manufacture cutlery products, which presents an additional challenge as the products must meet stringent migration requirements for food contact applications.
Sustainable Portfolio Project #2: Development of Transparent Recycled Polycarbonate (RTPSOS)
Polycarbonate (PC) is a thermoplastic polymer, ideally suited for manufacturing plastic products where transparency combined with excellent mechanical and thermal properties are required. PC is manufactured from fossil resources and therefore represents a significant environmental burden that can be reduced by recycling PC products.
However, there are many challenges in mechanically recycling a transparent PC. Any contaminants that enter the recycling process will be visible in the final material. In addition, PC will begin to degrade during the recycling process, resulting in yellowing of the material and degradation of the mechanical properties.
We addressed this challenge in our sustainable portfolio by developing a state-of-the-art automated PC waste sorting line that uses a machine vision system, employing artificial intelligence algorithms to detect contaminated waste material and separate it from the rest of the material.
The second challenge was to prevent the degradation of the material during the recycling process, which we addressed by developing a formulation of additives (to preserve transparency) that are integrated into the recycling process.
Sustainable Portfolio Project #3: Development and Demonstration of IT Solutions for Effective and Transparent Production (EcoTrail)
Modern information technologies (IT) promise to completely transform the manufacturing industry, so much so that experts say we are at the dawn of the fourth industrial revolution. Technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data analytics will enable greater automation and production efficiency. At the same time, blockchain solutions promise seamless value transfer, smart contracts and supply chain transparency.
Through the EcoTrail project, a part of our sustainable portfolio, we aim to implement these modern technologies with two main objectives.
First, the project aims to develop a system for accurately assessing the environmental impact of our products and communicate it to our customers clearly and transparently. The environmental impact of our products will be assessed by an independent institution using Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and the data will be stored in a tamper-proof blockchain system that will ensure the authenticity of the results. The results are communicated to customers in a clear and easy-to-understand way in a custom mobile application.
Secondly, the project aims to develop and implement a whole range of Industry 4.0 IT solutions that will enable us to increase manufacturing productivity and efficiency.
Find out more about how we incorporate sustainable materials into our production process. Fill in the form and download the e-book with educational content.
