New Initiative Will Focus on Potential for Food Waste in Biomaterials Applications

Food scraps, surplus food, byproducts and other residuals from farms and food businesses that are currently being disposed of through municipal solid waste, land application or left unharvested have the potential to reshape Michigan’s economy through regenerative design practices that utilize biomaterials and closed loop manufacturing.

With support from the Wege Foundation, Google.org and other partners, Michigan Sustainable Business Forum and international nonprofit research organization Materiom are pursuing a byproduct value chain mapping initiative in Michigan, identifying opportunities to upcycle food waste from local farms, food processors and food and beverage manufacturers into new products, such as compostable packaging.

“Michigan has readily available feedstock for biobased applications in packaging, textiles, durable goods, building products and more,” said Daniel Schoonmaker, Executive Director of Michigan Sustainable Business Forum.  “Coffee grounds and sawdust can be easily remade as coasters and pot stands.  Egg shell paste can be formulated for 3D printing.  Leather substitutes from apple byproducts or banana peals.  We see a great deal of potential here for win-win-win solutions.” 

Michigan Sustainable Business Forum has a strategic goal to create a regenerative economy in Michigan that lowers methane emissions and improves materials management by removing barriers to the removal of 1.2 million tons of food loss and waste per year from the state’s food system, the goal recommended in the MI Healthy Climate Plan and the Forum’s Michigan Food Waste Roadmap. 

Materiom works with local communities to investigate regenerative value chains and the viability of regional, renewable biomass sources. It was founded on a nature-inspired vision of the future – one where materials are made from abundant natural ingredients that are used, broken down, and used again.  Backed by global change agents such as Ellen Macarther Foundation and Google.org, Materiom is working to develop alternatives to petrochemical plastics. 

“Petrochemical plastics run in our blood streams, emit toxic greenhouse gasses throughout their life cycles, and pollute every marine and terrestrial ecosystem on the planet,” said Alysia Garmulewicz, founder & Co-CEO of Materiom.  “Alongside radical reduction, reuse and recycling measures, the world is in critical need of plastic-free material alternatives that regenerate, rather than pollute, the planet.”

For sectors like packaging and textiles, there is immense potential for plastics alternatives that are 100 percent biobased, made from sustainably sourced biomass such as industry byproducts and waste, and the help improve soil ecology at the end-of-life through composting. 

Michigan Sustainable Business Forum will be hosting a webinar on Thursday, October 2 to introduce the initiative. 

Building on Multidisciplinary Research

Materiom has been exploring opportunities in Michigan for several years, with Garmulewicz initially serving as an industry judge for the Wege Prize sustainable design competition in Grand Rapids.  Through the Wege Center for Sustainable Design at Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design, which hosts the competition, she was introduced the Wege Foundation.  The led an initial research study: Biomaterials & Regenerative Agriculture: Linkages & Opportunities.  

The project was the first of its kind to explore how biomaterials – materials that are 100 percent biobased and biodegradable – could be sourced from, and cycled back to support, regenerative agricultural systems.  This approached informs a key principle of the circular economy: the regeneration of natural systems.  The study focused on regenerative agricultural practices in the Great Lakes Region in Michigan.  

Meanwhile, the Forum was developing the Food Waste Roadmap, determining that Michigan disposes of 1.5 to 2 million tons of food waste through its municipal and commercial waste stream each year, the single largest source of material disposed of in the state’s landfills and waste-to-energy facilities. 

Food waste is responsible for an estimated 11.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions and $11.9 billion in lost revenue in the state.  There is enormous economic and environmental value lost to waste within local and regional food systems in Michigan that could be retained with efforts to promote less-wasteful, money-saving practices among farms, manufacturers, retailers, foodservice and other business and institutional stakeholders in the food system, and to retain value through reuse options, donation strategies or secondary markets. 

Developing Solutions for Local Industry and Food Systems

Throughout the next year, the project team will be conducting interviews, hosting small group discussions, and facilitating educational programs on the use of organic byproducts and food waste in biomaterial applications.  

The October 2 webinar is the first in a series of educational and engagement opportunities targeting professionals in industries with organic waste biomass, businesses interested in new materials or packaging solutions, students and educators with interest in material startups, and organizations supporting innovation and circular economy innovation.  

Seeding biomaterials industry in Michigan through organic waste solutions  will accomplish the following objectives: 

• Map available organic industrial byproducts and waste in the Grand Rapids area that can be used for biomaterials production. 
• Seed business interest in compostable biobased plastics in Michigan.  
• Develop a portfolio of compostable biobased materials and share knowledge with local stakeholders across the value chain.

The partnership is seeking potential feedstock and applications for the development of biobased material pilots.
Learn more at misbf.org.