[{"command":"add_css","data":[{"rel":"stylesheet","media":"all","href":"\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_-kTcRwkqPhQLsqEvdSSyU2XZ3CV5VEleXoE3_xZi2cg.css?delta=0\u0026language=lt\u0026theme=hm_theme\u0026include=eJxLzi9K1U8pKi1IzNErSa0oSSxKTdQtSi3OrEoFAJQ3Cqw"}]},{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/lt\/article\/modal\/6889\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea resize-vertical ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EChicken plastic and wine leather \u2013 giving waste new life\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFood waste isn\u2019t just the result of groceries that have gone off or uneaten meals. As food is processed for consumption, huge amounts of waste are generated. The European poultry industry, for example, generated about 3.1 million tons of discarded feathers in 2014. And during wine production, around \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/261212837_The_Market_Potential_of_Grape_Waste_Alternatives\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E25% of the weight of grapes\u003C\/a\u003E, such as the skins and seeds, are wasted.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese byproducts could soon be given a second life, as scientists work out how to transform them into new materials.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The idea of unlimited resources is not valid anymore so it is necessary to look for alternative sources of raw materials,\u2019 said Sarah Montes, research scientist with Spanish company Cidetec. She coordinates a project called KARMA2020, which is looking at how to transform unwanted feathers into biodegradable plastics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EChicken feather waste, which is generated almost all over the world in large amounts, is typically incinerated or ends up in landfills or as low grade animal feed. But it has the potential to be a valuable resource.\u0026nbsp;Feathers are made up of about 90% keratin \u2013 the same fibrous protein that gives hair, hoofs and horns their toughness.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Most of the waste is a profitable material,\u2019 said Montes. Due to its high keratin content, feathers are likely to produce plastics that are stronger and more tear-resistant compared to those using modified starch or plant proteins, for example.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, there are challenges involved in using feathers as a raw material. First and foremost, they need to be sanitised before processing to remove any pathogens. Since feathers are very light, it can also be hard to get them to flow through machinery, says Carsten Niermann from German bioplastics company FKuR, one of the project engineers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003E\u0026#039;Most of the waste is a profitable material.\u0026#039;\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003ESarah Montes, Scientific Researcher, Cidetec\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne-and-a-half years into the three-year project, the KARMA2020 team has so far figured out how to pre-treat feathers so that they are clean and safe to handle, and how to turn them into a raw material. They have also created samples of feather-based materials that could be used for packaging, using a process where heated material is injected into a mould to shape it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEconomic feasibility\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe next challenge is to scale up their production process for industrial manufacturing and test how well feather-based raw materials work in particular end products. At the moment, the researchers are primarily looking at how to make food packaging from feathers, although they are also developing\u0026nbsp;other applications such as slow-release fertilisers, composite materials and flame-retardant coatings, depending on economic and technical feasibility.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Chicken feathers can be used as raw material for composites (left) or for moulded plastic alternatives (right). Image credit - Cidetec\u0022 height=\u00221050\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/Karma2020.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Chicken feathers can be used as raw material for composites (left) or for moulded plastic alternatives (right). Image credit - Cidetec\u0022 width=\u00222385\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022italic mb-4\u0022\u003EChicken feathers can be used as raw material for composites (left) or for moulded plastic alternatives (right). Image credit - Cidetec\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDemand for products from the circular economy \u2013 where byproducts from one industry are used as the raw materials for another \u2013 could benefit from a phenomenon known as conscious consumerism. A 2017 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.unilever.com\/news\/press-releases\/2017\/report-shows-a-third-of-consumers-prefer-sustainable-brands.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ereport from Unilever\u003C\/a\u003E showed that a third of consumers prefer sustainable brands. And this is likely to grow, as a company\u2019s environmental credentials are \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nielsen.com\/eu\/en\/insights\/news\/2015\/green-generation-millennials-say-sustainability-is-a-shopping-priority.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eincreasingly important\u003C\/a\u003E among young people.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EItalian company Vegea, is counting on this trend to help them compete with existing players in their field \u2013 leather production. Both animal and synthetic leather production are well-established, but Vegea believes that a bio-leather made from grape waste could help build up their own market niche if they demonstrate that their process is cost-effective and eco-friendly.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough a project called WineLeather, Vegea is producing their bio-leather using grape marc \u2013 the solid parts of grapes that are waste products from wine production. The team has been focusing on the development of natural textiles to satisfy the demand for sustainable alternatives in the clothing and apparel industry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018After looking at several potential feedstocks, grape marc was selected because it contains both oil and lignocellulose, two components that are optimal for the creation of bio-based textiles with our technology,\u2019 said Marco Bernardi, Vegea\u2019s research and development manager.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo make their fabric, leftover grapes are first dried in order to preserve them so that the raw material is available year-round and not just during wine-making season. Then the feedstock is processed in different ways depending on its end use.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It is refined with specific treatments to obtain different grades of weight, width, elasticity, embossing and colour,\u2019 said Bernardi. The end product is then spread to form a textile.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFashion collection\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey have already produced sample products using their material for apparel company H\u0026amp;M that were showcased in an exhibition last year. \u2018We prepared an entire fashion collection for them, with dresses, shoes and bags made with our wine-based material,\u2019 said Bernardi.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe WineLeather project is now scaling up their production capacity so they can move from prototype stage to a commercial venture.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough the production method makes use of existing technologies, the team has come up with greener alternatives to the toxic and environmentally harmful chemicals that are typically used. Their production process is considered to be zero impact since they are solely using waste as their raw material, don\u2019t use chemical reagents or additional water and don\u2019t produce any byproducts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBernadi thinks their material could eventually be used as a substitute for any leather product. However, although there has been considerable interest from the automotive industry and furniture manufacturers, producing a suitable fabric for use beyond clothing is more of a challenge.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe recipe for their material and the process must be tweaked to meet the requirements of each application. \u2018The specs are way more stringent than what we are used to in fashion,\u2019 said Bernardi.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. 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