Polish company Biotrem leads the way in waste-free disposables

Polish company Biotrem is paving the way for a new wave in the development of waste-free products with the invention of edible plates and cutlery. Made entirely of vegetable products, such as wheat bran, the dishes are edible and biodegradable in just 30 days.

The news has been welcomed by environmental groups given that conventional petroleum-based plastic plates and cutlery take a minimum of 500 years to degrade.

Biotrem's owner, Jerzy Wysocki, and his family have been millers for over a century, with mills in Giżycko and Zambrów. Bran, a waste product of wheat production, accounts for around a third of the weight of grain and Wysocki wanted to minimise waste. Five years of development later, as well as a €5-million investment, Biotrem was born.

The company's development will take place over two phases. The first will involve experimentation with waste product materials from corn, carrots and even seaweed. The second phase will look at testing and implementing these ideas to ensure that they are continually evolving to be more efficient and environmentally friendly.

The dishes and cutlery are currently used for both hot and cold foods at home, festivals and restaurants, and are even being tested in Polish IKEA outlets. Stored in suitable conditions, the dishes and cutlery can last for approximately three years and cost around €0.50 a dish and €0.14 for cutlery. 

The EU ban on the sale of disposable products is set to come into force from 2021 and has given a boost to companies such as Biotrem, as the industry's ongoing commercialisation brings in new investors.

At present, the industry is estimated to be worth around €12-billion globally. This figure looks certain to increase, with some estimates putting it at double that within a decade. Biotrem is currently largely supported by national and EU investment programmes.

Biotrem CEO Małgorzata Then says that the future for Biotrem technology is bright. “Currently, around 167 million tonnes of wheat bran is produced in the world every year. Theoretically, you can produce about 1.6 trillion pieces of disposable tableware from this. According to loose estimates, this is more than the entire global demand for such products. Thanks to our technology, in principle, we could solve the problem of plastic waste practically overnight,” she said.

Ms Then also said that while Biotrem is primarily exporting to Europe, the company is involved in more than 40 markets worldwide. The company's major production plant is currently located in Zambrów but there are expansion plans in the pipeline including in the Americas, Asia and Australia. There is also some possibility of agreements with other large mills to allow for a wider access to raw-material waste products.

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