AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre and the Spanish company BANDESUR (Jaén) work together in a project funded by the national programme for research Retos - Colaboración 2015, which will make possible the launch of two new ranges of products: on the one hand, an innovative polypropylene tray resistant to microwave heating; on the other hand, a biodegradable and compostable foamed PLA tray.

With a duration of 24 months, the project aims to increase the competitiveness of BANDESUR, a company located in Alcalá la Real (Jaén) specialized in the manufacture of polystyrene foamed trays for the food packaging sector. The development of a new generation of high-performance polypropylene foamed trays resistant to microwave heating will allow BANDESUR to enter the fourth and fifth range food market. Besides, this product improves the performance of the existing provision in the market by means of sustainability, since it is a foamed material much lighter than conventional solid PP trays.

Furthermore, the project attempts the development of sustainable trays for fresh food with packages manufactured from foamed PLA, so apart from reducing the weight of other existing products it will achieve a biodegradable and compostable packaging, allowing BANDESUR to diversify its business geographically.