Development of new food packaging from Ethiopian crop residues to reduce the impact of plastics pollution on agriculture

About the project

UK-registered Partner: Bangor University – Adam Charlton
Africa-registered Partner: Ethiopian Pulp and Paper S.C – Mitiku Worku

Increasing manufacture and consumption of plastics in Ethiopia produces ~0.5 million tonnes of waste annually, much of which is dumped, buried or burned. This has a negative environmental impact and affects soil fertility and crop yields in the agricultural sector, the country’s major employer.

A 2020 Ethiopian Government ban on single use plastics has been challenging to implement because of limited access to technology and R&I capacity linked to the production of sustainable alternatives. This project will investigate use of Ethiopian agricultural crop residues, for the production of sustainable pulp food packaging, in order to address these environmental issues.

The project will engage with female led farmer groups for biomass supply as a key supply chain partner. This supply chain building will take place through the country’s Integrated Agroindustrial parks (IAIPs), developed by UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organisation), to support agricultural production and research linked to industrial development.