ALBERTA, CANADA - At this year’s Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) Convention and Trade Show, The Star Group is issuing a challenge to industry attendees: Be the change. The grower and supplier is advocating for the reduction of single-use plastics and is calling on the fresh produce industry to conduct trials with next-generation bioplastics.
“Recycling of lower-grade plastics—such as berry clamshells—simply has not become a reality. The vast majority of plastics thrown into our blue recycling bins are sent to landfills or incinerated. Very little of it is actually recycled,” says Star Group Chief Executive Officer David Karwacki. “While some ‘compostable’ plastic alternatives promised a potential solution, this first wave, notably PLA, only composts in ideal, industrial-grade conditions, and most of these facilities reject the material anyway. So, many of these materials are no better than conventional plastics. But there is hope!”
The hope that David speaks of is a new wave of bioplastics that are backyard compostable and break down in a wide variety of conditions. In fact, they will even decompose in a landfill, leaving behind no microplastics.
To support the implementation of these options, The Star Group has partnered with Canadian-based bioplastic manufacturer CTK Bio. The company makes several types of plastic replacing materials that are not only backyard-compostable, but also use waste byproducts in their formulation. This works to divert waste from landfills and ensure carbon neutrality or better.
“This material is very promising as a plastic alternative. We believe the next step is a wide-scale commercial trial to test its overall viability and start to achieve some economies of scale, but we can’t do it alone!” adds David. “This is why we are challenging others in the produce industry to sign our Un-Plastic Pledge and conduct their own commercial trials with their products.”
With enough critical mass, The Star Group believes the pledge can help the industry innovate faster, scale costs more efficiently, and begin to address the serious problem presented by single-use plastic.
To learn more about how you can help be the change, stop by The Star Group’s booth, #329, on the show floor.
