Carmen Fernández Ayuso, Head of Coordination and R&D Management at CETEC, explores how innovative company PHAntastic’s bio-based solutions are helping to create healther soils and a cleaner agricultural industry.
Microplastics can be found all over the planet – even in some of our most remote areas – so it’s not surprising that plastics are also deeply embedded in agricultural practices.
Conventional farming practices are heavily reliant on synthetic agrochemicals and fossil-based plastics and contribute to soil degradation, water contamination, biodiversity loss, and growing public health concerns.
Agrochemicals – including fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides – have also long been essential tools for boosting crop yields and ensuring food security.
The agricultural industry’s plastic problem
While plastics have become a staple in modern farming, their widespread use comes with serious environmental and social consequences.
Small plastic residues often end up in our soil and water, disrupting natural ecosystems and entering the food chain, with potential risks to human health.
To tackle some of these issues, the agricultural industry has introduced solutions like controlled-release fertilisers and pesticide products with special coatings designed to release chemicals more efficiently and in smaller amounts.
But here’s the catch: most of these coatings are made from fossil fuel-based plastics that don’t break down naturally. As a result, they add to the growing problem of plastic waste in our environment.
It’s not just about fertilisers and pesticides. Plastics are everywhere on farms, from mulch films used to control weeds and retain soil moisture to growth foams that can help protect young trees from diseases, pests and harsh environmental conditions.
The problem is that many of these plastics aren’t biodegradable or made from sustainable materials.
Over time, they contribute to lasting plastic pollution and create mounting responsibilities for farmers and communities tasked with cleaning up and disposing of this waste.
As agriculture works to become more sustainable, finding alternatives to these persistent plastics is crucial. Not only will this help protect the environment but also to ensure the long-term health of our food systems and the people who rely on them.
Now, a new EU-funded initiative, PHAntastic, is stepping in to tackle these challenges head-on by offering bio-based, biodegradable solutions designed to protect crops while safeguarding the environment.
PHAntastic’s innovative agricultural solutions
PHAntastic’s goal is to develop and demonstrate innovative agricultural solutions using polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) – a family of bio-based, biodegradable polymers naturally produced by microbial fermentation of renewable resources.
To put it simply, these are a type of natural, eco-friendly plastics made by tiny microorganisms. These microbes produce PHAs as part of their natural process when they feed on renewable materials.
Notably, PHAs can be produced through the fermentation of a wide range of feedstocks, including organic waste streams such as agrifood residues like fruits and sugar wastes.
This not only offers a route to valorise waste materials, transforming them into valuable products but also contributes to a more circular economy by reducing reliance on fossil fuel-based resources for plastic production.
What makes PHAs special is that they’re made from natural, renewable resources and have excellent biodegradation properties in the real environment, they can degrade in soil, water, or compost without leaving harmful waste behind.
In short, PHAs are a type of plastic made by nature, designed to safely return to nature.
This offers a promising alternative to fossil-based plastics. Fully biodegradable in soil and marine environments, they break down into water, and carbon dioxide (or methane in anaerobic conditions) without leaving behind harmful residues or microplastics.
Recognised for their versatility, PHAs can be engineered for a range of applications, including films, coatings, and foams – making them an ideal candidate for agricultural innovations.
PHAntastic’s approach goes beyond simply replacing conventional plastics with biobased and biodegradable alternatives. The project focuses on creating bioactive delivery systems that combine eco-friendly materials with functional agricultural inputs.
PHAntastic replaces common farming plastics made from synthetic materials with eco-friendly, biodegradable alternatives. These are made from natural materials containing active compounds that help plants grow, reducing the need for chemical products.
For instance, PHA-based controlled-release systems incorporate natural active substances like biostimulants, amino acids, and microelements, to enhance plant nutrition and resilience while minimising chemical inputs.
When the mulch films and the growth foams biodegrade, the active substances are released improving soil health.
The project is also working on new mulch films and plant-growing foams made from PHA. These products are designed to replace the conventional plastic versions used on farms today.
While there are already some so-called ‘biodegradable’ plastics on the market, many of them don’t fully break down in soil. As a result, microplastics can linger in the environment for years.
This is a big concern because microplastics can build up in the soil, harm beneficial organisms, and potentially enter the food chain. The new PHA-based materials, however, are designed to fully biodegrade under real farming conditions, leaving no harmful microplastics behind.
This also means farmers wouldn’t have to deal with the hassle and environmental costs of removing and disposing of old plastic films after harvest.
A key strength of the PHAntastic project lies in its commitment to real-world validation. The project is conducting demonstration trials on both horticultural crops and plant nurseries in the Netherlands and Spain.
This geographic diversity ensures the solutions are tested under varying soil types, climates, and farming practices and provides robust data on biodegradability, agronomic performance, and environmental benefits.
Beyond its climate ambitions, this initiative contributes to the broader EU agenda of enhancing the sustainability, autonomy, and competitiveness of the European agricultural sector.
By advancing domestic capabilities in bio-based polymer production and bioactive agricultural inputs, the project supports the development of circular, low-carbon industries and reduces reliance on imported fossil-based materials.
As Europe seeks to reconcile food production with environmental protection, initiatives like PHAntastic demonstrate how innovative, science-based solutions can drive systemic change.
By replacing agrochemicals and fossil-based plastics with biobased and biodegradable alternatives, we can look forward to a future with healthier soils, cleaner ecosystems, and more sustainable farming practices.
