In a Life Cycle Inventory study comparing the overall system requirements for EarthShell and polystyrene packaging production, Franklin Associates Ltd. It also consumes 60% less energy in manufacture, as EarthShell packages are formed by simply evaporating water in a common baking process. The company says it is sturdier and retains heat better than traditional polystyrene, plastic or paper containers. The material is protected by more than 100 patents. Humans can even eat the EarthShell containers without being harmed the material has proven to pass through the human body without causing problems. They will dissolve in water in an hour, and if put in a garden slugs will eat them in a matter of weeks. The ingredients are baked in a mold to produce an airy honeycombed structure that is lightweight and insulating.Īccording to officials at EarthShell, the containers are 100% biodegradable. Water and natural fibers are also used to create the non-toxic material. Natural starches from potatoes, corn or rice serve as binders gluing the limestone particles together. The hamburger boxes, which are edible, are made entirely of natural and biodegradable materials, consisting mostly of limestone. The EarthShell containers are expected to be in McDonald's restaurants by the first quarter of next year, officials at EarthShell said. Three new production lines have been built to produce the containers, which will be manufactured at Sweetheart Cup's Owings Mills, MD, facility.
McDonald's is also planning cups, plates, bowls and trays from the same material.ĮarthShell containers, which consist of limestone, corn, other starch binders, natural fibers, water and potato, will be used to contain McDonald's Big Mac sandwiches starting next year.īy using a non-plastic, non-paper material that decomposes on land and dissolves rapidly in water, McDonald's hopes to reduce fastfood container litter. (Santa Barbara, CA), in cooperation with McDonald's. The containers were developed by E Khashoggi Industries (EKI), the parent corporation of EarthShell Corp. The hamburger giant's main packaging supplier, Perseco, will be purchasing at least 1.8 billion Big Mac boxes from container manufacturer Sweetheart Cup Co. Starting early next year, McDonald's will begin using biodegradable containers made partly from potatoes for its Big Mac sandwiches.
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