Eco-fish box (FS093)

Project Outcome:

Sustainable packaging and reducing carbon emissions are key agendas for the fish and seafood industry. Continued use of Expanded Polystyrene Foam boxes and other plastics packaging for e-commerce home delivery of chilled food creates a waste of valuable non-renewable fossil resource, on account of lack of recycling infrastructure, and generates carbon emissions from incineration. A circular economy for packaging offers wide-ranging benefits, particularly with regard to keeping resources in closed loops and reducing carbon emissions. Through the design and development of Eco-fish Box biobased foam packaging, we aim to shift the perception within the e-commerce chilled fish and seafood industry that the use of renewable biobased foam materials can offer a realistic and viable alternative to Expanded Polystyrene Foam, other conventional foamed plastics and costlier eco-innovative packaging alternatives.

The project explored e-commerce fisheries’ and consumers’ valued packaging characteristics; studied the thermal performance of packaging types and distribution chains currently used for e-commerce fish delivery. In addition, the project team co-created distinctly innovative biomaterial thermal insulation packaging propositions with novel structural design features; conducted a life cycle analysis contrasting the carbon footprint for the candidate biofoam material versus Expanded Polystyrene Foam; measured the thermal conductivities of a wide range of fish box materials and evaluated the physical properties of a compostable candidate biofoam for a fish box application. A critical objective is to maintain fish under chill conditions, so safety and quality parameters are protected. e-commerce fisheries are welcome to collaborate with Emagine Packaging and its partners in progressing development of our circular economy Eco-fish Box.