CNH is supporting the scientific development of the first viable compostable net wrap for bales in agriculture. The investment in Canadian start-up Nature’s Net Wrap aims to accelerate their mission to eliminate waste from the process of collecting and storing crops.
Shifting to compostable net wraps has the potential to significantly benefit farmers. It will reduce landfill use, haulage and disposal costs, eliminate soil contamination, improve animal safety, and reduce the risk of water contamination, resulting in a reduction of approximately 2.5 million tons of plastic waste per year. High growth in this market is propelled by the general demand for chemical- and plastic-free solutions.
Today, bales are held together with twine, wire, netting, or plastic wrap, all of which eventually end up in landfills or incinerators. Farmers are limited in the reuse or recycling of plastic wraps or nets, negatively impacting their environmental footprint.
The Nature’s Net Wrap solution uses biopolymer material made from renewable resources. It holds up structurally and can either naturally break down in the earth’s soil or be composted. The investment of CNH in this company is supporting the testing and validation of the solution. Balers from CNH brands Case IH and New Holland Agriculture are producing all the bales in this testing phase. Initial product launch is expected this year.