RadTech has created a new Degradable Materials Task Force that will work to help manufacturers develop degradable packaging that leaves no trace in the environment. The meeting will take place on Zoom September 18, 2024, from 2:00 to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time. 

Kelly Williams, managing director at Earthfirst Films Laminations Division and a thought leader in sustainable packaging has been appointed to lead the new RadTech Degradable Materials Task Force and develop a coalition involving industry, academia, and NGOs researching and promoting degradability solutions. RadTech is a nonprofit dedicated to advancing ultraviolet and electron beam (UV+EB) technologies.  

"Kelly brings a unique depth of knowledge and passion to our efforts to develop degradable packaging," said Todd Fayne, global R&D leader, PepsiCo, RadTech Board member, and principal advisor to the Task Force. "We believe in a future where packaging leaves no trace in the environment, and this new Task Force is dedicated to helping achieve that goal for all manufacturers. We aim to explore, encourage, and support initiatives to develop products that will naturally degrade — leading to reduced waste, smaller carbon footprints, and the support of soil regeneration."

As discarded consumer packaging continues to disrupt global ecosystems, it is crucial to incorporate both beginning of life (BOL) and end of life (EOL) into product design. "The vastness of pre-packaged consumer good waste spread across more than eight billion people and all seven continents, combined with the system entropy of collection, concentration, and then reprocessing, sets a grim scenario of how we would ever go from the current 9% of single-use plastics being repurposed in some way to being anywhere close to sustainably higher," said Williams.  

The Task Force will take a broad, inclusive view of opportunities to develop degradable UV+EB raw materials, formulations, and processes for coatings, inks, adhesives, composites, and finished products, including food packaging, printed materials, consumer electronics, wearables, and 3D-printed items. 

The Task Force will:

• Identify and engage academic, NGO and industry research efforts
• Create technical resources and databases
• Monitor standards and regulations impacting the development of degradable materials
• Produce periodic webinars and meetings to exchange ideas and advance the knowledge base of degradable materials
• Develop opportunities to support promising research
• Encourage the development of degradable materials and processes

Learn more about RadTech at radtech.org.