Sara Edrisova
Country: Italy
The Hand-O-Bag
Responsible Innovation Projects
Plastics are one of the major global wastes that has a negative impact on our environment. In 2016, this was 12% of all municipal solid waste, 242 million tonnes to be exact. To reduce plastic waste, biodegradable plastics have been formed and used in many products as an alternative to produce a more circular economy. This can be done in several ways, such as recycling organic waste. This report aims to understand the production of biodegradable plastic, using a polymer (gelatine) , a plasticiser (glycerine) and a solvent (water) and organic waste (olive pomace/orujo) and how it is developed into a designed product and promoted into the market industry. We decided to develop a minimalist and multifunctional bag using organic waste, orujo; gelatine recipe; and natural rope. Apart from the fact that our group is not comprised by scientists and we have no access to a proffessional laboratory, our project was succesfull and we reached our goal: to develop a biodegradable material, which today could be called bioleather. The quality of the bag can be improved by finding sustainable materials to preserve the bag for a longer period of time – as our waste is organic, the material changes its properities due to the impact of oxygen. Another improvement needed is reducing the humidity of the material to reduce the weight of the bag.
