LIFE Project: Towards plastic-free agricultural soil management practices

Global agricultural plastic consumption, primarily low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polyethylene (PE), amounts to 6.5 million tons per year. In Europe, 3.3% of plastics are used for agricultural applications (0.3 million tons). The main agricultural applications are mulching (427,059 ha), greenhouses (111,550 ha), polytunnels (68,991 ha), and direct coverings (61,800 ha).

In mulching, cultivated soil is mechanically covered with thin plastic films (20–50 µm), which protect young plants and contribute to increased yield and quality, weed and soil erosion control, and efficient use of water and pesticides. The two European countries with the largest mulching areas are Spain (120,039 ha) and France (100,000 ha).

Plastics have helped farmers increase agricultural production in the EU thanks to their low cost, good workability, and high strength. However, the widespread use of plastic is also causing significant environmental impacts, such as the generation of large volumes of waste that are very difficult to recycle and the potential contamination of soil, air, and water. Recently, alternatives to bioplastics have been increasingly used for crop mulching. These offer a clear advantage in terms of sustainability, but come with disadvantages in terms of performance. Bioplastics degrade more quickly, and at the end of the crop cycle, the material is no longer effective, while bioplastics fragment into small particles that remain in the environment and make their recovery difficult. In 2017, SMURFIT KAPPA began searching for alternatives to plastic for mulching, relying on a new type of paper with very promising R&D results.