Sustainability has never been more important to consumers and brands. People care more about environmental issues than ever before, not least how their food is packaged. Nobody wants single-use plastics – they want food packaging that’s 100% recyclable or compostable. They want sustainable alternatives.
Remarkably, they are still very hard to find, whether grabbing a cup of coffee or buying fresh produce from a supermarket. This is why we founded 3B Solstar in 2009.
We wanted to combine our vast experience create and bring to market packaging products made from fibres that are organic, compostable, sustainable and by-products of other processes.
Our innovative process – for which we have European and North American patent protection – means we’re able to manufacture and sell bespoke food-contact grade products made from bagasse, a 100% compostable fibre by-product of sugarcane-pressing.
Each product is made to suit your needs and provides the most environmentally-friendly packaging solution for your brand.
Our management team combines more than a century’s worth of experience in the packaging, media, print, marketing and agricultural industries.
Eddie Dickens
Commercial Director
Eddie is experienced in designing/development of printed packing, working with major brands for over 40 years. Has extensive national & international supply chain network for procurement eco-friendly packaging alternatives to plastics.
Ian Barrett
Managing Director
Ian has over thirty five year’s experience of strategic, programme and operational management in the pulp and paper industry across the economies of Europe, USA, Asia, South Africa and the Middle East.
Barry Jones
Technical Director
Barry has delivered packaging innovation and technical management for leading: brand owners, retailers and design groups for over thirty five years, working in: food, beverages toiletries and pharma in thirty eight countries.
Our management team combines more than a century’s worth of experience in the packaging, media, print, marketing and agricultural industries.
Compostable means that a product will break down into natural elements (water, carbon dioxide, and biomass), but only in a in controlled compostable atmosphere. Compostable materials are typically made from organic materials, such as corn starch, sugar beet, bagasse, or plant based plastics. Compostable is not the same as biodegradable, as biodegradable materials are not necessarily compostable.
Sustainable is packaging that reduces its environmental footprint. This can happen in a number of ways such as using 100% recycled or raw materials. By minimising the production process, supply chain and carbon footprint or creating a circular economy around the packaging, by extending its lifecycle and its ability to be re-used. Renewable resource is one that can be used repeatedly and does not run out because it is naturally replaced. Plant based packaging material is considered renewable even though some time or effort must go into its renewal such as wood for paper or sugar cane or beet for moulded trays.
Worldwide testing and certification service company. All materials meet Framework Regulation for food packaging testing and contact materials testing to ensure that products comply with the appropriate regulations for food contact materials. (EC) No 1935/2004.
Materials and products that are considered free of any toxin or dangerous substances and conforms with food safety requirements.
Recycling is the process of converting a used packaging material such as glass, plastic, paper, board or metal into a material that can be re-used for the same or alternative purpose.
CE marking indicates a declaration of conformity to health, safety, and environmental protection standards for products sold within the European Economic Area that have been manufactured to EEA standards. This also applies to products made in third countries, which are sold in the EEA and Turkey.
The US Food & Drug Administration symbol indicates that the material used in the product is considered safe for food contact. This includes food packaging materials applicable to any product intended for direct food contact whether it be made of metal, plastic, paper, board or plastic.
Chain of Custody certification applies to manufacturers, processors and traders of FSC certified forest products. It ensures that FSC materials and products have been checked at every stage of processing, so customers purchasing products sold with FSC claims can be confident that they are genuinely FSC certified.
Products made from crops that do not contain any genetically modified mal. They are plants or microorganisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by natural recombination.
