self-packing cheese: biodegradable packaging made of whey & waste decomposes on its own

Biodegradable packaging or plastic made entirely of cheese

Ogilvy Colombia develops a prototype of biodegradable packaging or plastic made of whey and cheese waste that decomposes in 300 days. The project is named Self-Packing Cheese because the cheese is wrapped with bioplastic made of materials taken and recycled from the production process. The design teams, comprising Ogilvy Colombia and Nestlé, use microorganisms controlled in a lab to produce PHA, or polyhydroxyalkanoates, which is a type of bioplastic. They mix it then with organic byproducts from cheese production, specifically the whey, or the water-like liquid produced after the cheese is made. Combining these creates small pellets.

all images courtesy of Ogilvy Colombia

Material that can decompose in 300 days

These small pellets, then, are processed with injected air. This creates the thin, plastic-like film of the biodegradable packaging for Self-Packing Cheese. The design teams say that the prototype can help reduce waste and the use of traditional plastic. They add that typical plastic breaks down after around 900 years. With their biodegradable packaging made of cheese, the plastic can decompose as early as 300 days. Design-wise, the film is translucent and lightweight, although it does have a smoky look to it given the whey.

The company can still print over the cheese’s plastic, hinting at the robustness of the biodegradable packaging. The material represents a potential model for circular packaging. It refers to packaging that can be reused, repurposed, or broken down naturally rather than ending up as waste. The biodegradable packaging or plastic, in this case, actually comes from the cheese itself and eventually returns to the environment without completely polluting it. The project also foresees other potential uses of the wrapper. In this case, companies can adopt the material for different products and purposes, helping reduce the use of plastic.

the cheese is wrapped with bioplastic made of materials taken and recycled from the production proces

the design teams use microorganisms controlled in a lab to produce the bioplastic

the wrapper can decompose as early as 300 days

cheese whey makes up the recycled materials of the wrapper

detailed view of the packaging

the company can still print over the plastic

project info:

name: Self-Packing Cheese

companies: Ogilvy Colombia, Nestlé | @ogilvycolombia, @nestle

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