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Biobased plastic tableware for in the oven

We all know them: plastic plates, trays, and cups on airplanes, in canteens, or at festivals. Convenient, lightweight, and affordable. But they’re made from fossil oil, a polluting and finite resource. There is another way. And there has to be. The solution: biobased, oven-safe tableware.

The Challenge

We’ve all seen them: the plastic plates, trays and cups on planes, in canteens or at festivals. Handy, lightweight and affordable. However, they are made from fossil fuels, a polluting and finite resource. There is another way. And things must change.

The solution: biobased, oven-safe tableware

UBITE and Rodenburg Biopolymers are joining forces to tackle this challenge. In collaboration with Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Rodenburg is developing a biobased PLA compound with a unique crystal structure that can withstand extreme temperatures — from freezer to oven. The feedstock? Agricultural side streams. UBITE then processes this compound into reusable, heat-resistant tableware for the catering industry. The result: sustainable tableware that can go straight into the oven, without compromising on performance.

De keten van landbouw-afval tot hittebestendig biobased tafelgerei
The journey from agricultural waste to heat-resistant bio-based tableware

 

This project marks a new step towards sustainable, circular and practical tableware for the catering industry. By replacing fossil-based materials with materials derived from renewable waste streams, the carbon footprint of tableware is significantly reduced. Over the next 10 years, the target reduction is as much as 95% compared to current fossil-based tableware.

 

From lab to practice

The project partners have developed and validated prototypes of the renewable tableware at laboratory scale, receiving positive feedback from the aviation and catering sectors. In this project, the product and production process will be further developed by scaling up the compounding and injection moulding processes to produce pilot batches for end-users in the catering sector.

Prototypes of biobased, heat-resistant tableware by UBITE and RB Biobased Institute

 

In the summer of 2025, InnoFunding successfully secured a DEI+ pilot project grant for UBITE and Rodenburg Biopolymers. This grant will enable the technology to be validated at pilot scale, the production process to be optimised, and the tableware to be tested in real-world settings. The results will form the basis for further upscaling and commercial application.

Partners

Rodenburg Bioplastics
Ubite
Wageningen University & Research

 

Would you like more information about this project?

Please contact Rodenburg Biopolymers (Rick Hagenaars: rick.hagenaars@rodenburg.com) or UBITE (Thomas Tesink: thomastesink@ubite.com).

Or check: https://ubite.com/work