Chinese start-up launches biodegradable bamboo-based packaging films
Key takeaways
- BambooOrigin, a Chinese start-up, produces fully biodegradable shipping tapes and packaging films using high-purity cellulose extracted from bamboo.
- The solution offers a green alternative to petroleum-based plastics.
- With fast-growing bamboo harvested locally, the company ensures raw material self-sufficiency and low production costs.
Chinese start-up BambooOrigin is commercializing a line of biodegradable shipping tapes and packaging films derived entirely from bamboo.
Utilizing extraction technology developed at Gannan Normal University, China, the company extracts high-purity cellulose from bamboo and, through a precision extrusion process, produces a transparent film substrate.
The new solution can also be used for anti-static packaging, sterile medical packaging, and mulch films.
Li Xingxing, director of Jiangxi Provincial Engineering Research Center for Bamboo Advanced Materials and Conversion, a research institute at Gannan Normal University, says: “The new solution is fully biodegradable and does not create plastic pollution. Bamboo grows fast and can be harvested sustainably, making it a green alternative to petroleum-based plastics.”
Locally sourced solution
BambooOrigin notes that plastic tapes commonly found in China use PP, which is difficult to degrade. With growing environmental awareness, biodegradable tapes made from plant-based materials are seeing new development opportunities.
The company shares that it has secured complete raw material self-sufficiency by utilizing regional bamboo resources. The localized supply chain can stabilize production while significantly lowering manufacturing costs.
Bamboo is increasingly recognized as an environmentally sustainable material by consumers. Last year, a study revealed that entrepreneurs, farmers, and supermarkets in Ethiopia prefer bamboo boxes over wood or plastic, due to ease of handling, strength, durability, compatibility for vertical stacking, and contribution to environmental sustainability.
Earlier, Japanese nanotechnology company Green Science Alliance launched cosmetic containers made from plant- and bamboo-based materials, also known as biochar. The range includes a nail polish bottle lid, gel nail container, and cosmetic container.
However, a recent study spotlighted the safety concerns around bamboo-based packaging and tableware, suggesting that the bio-based solution may contain potentially harmful chemicals that can move into the food they touch.
