"Csuhé": How to turn an agricultural by-product into raw material suitable for packaging and storage

Due to the sustainability of paper packaging materials and thus their increasing popularity, my goal was to develop a cellulose that consists of raw materials locally available in Hungary. I decided in favour of the by-product of corn because due to the versatile use of the plant, it is one of the most popular and most widely grown crops, whose by-product is available in large quantities in Hungary. With this project, I hope to reduce our ecological footprint and to help provide a sustainable solution for packaging and storage.

Packaging waste has become a global problem in consumer society, resulting in efforts to reduce the burden on the environment. In Hungary, like in other countries, packaging-free shops have become increasingly popular, but historical and social research of the topic has shown that packaging also has functions essential in today’s consumer culture. These are protection, transport, communication and hygiene. These considerations are also requirements in packaging-free stores and hypermarkets, but we must find ecologically sustainable solutions to save the planet. Packaging made from alternative, degradable and rapidly renewable raw materials, such as bamboo and sugarcane products, are already on the market, but a global problem cannot be solved by a single region (Asia). Europe needs European solutions. In the spirit of ""Think globally, act locally,"" it is recommended to research local plant-based materials which are suitable for producing packaging cellulose, thereby minimising their ecological footprint and the risks to the environment resulting from waste.