Developing insecticidal coatings to help preventing the spread of pests in freight transport
The Bio-Vectors project will help develop a functional coating with insecticidal and repellent properties against flies and mosquitos for cardboard containers and packaging suitable for food contact.
There are currently 5,200 container ships working in world freight transport and the number continues to grow. According to the United Nations, global freight transport activity is expected to increase by up to 4.3% by 2050. For this reason, control of vectors (disease-carrying organisms) at entry points is important to ensure invasive species do not settle in the local environment and to prevent local vector species spreading to other countries by land, air and maritime transport.
This issue is specifically connected to freight transport of horticultural products and ornamental plants because these products may carry eggs, larvae and adult insects that can spread through international freight transport. Moreover, packaged goods must be stored in enclosed spaces, rather than open spaces that encourage the spread of pests.
Developing a functional coating with insecticidal and repellent properties
The Bio-Vectors project has been launched by Laurentia, Pectro-FlexoColor, Smurfit Kappa and Aimplas to stop the spread of vectors in freight transport. The participation of these companies is supposed to guarantee coverage of the entire value chain with the aim of developing a functional coating with insecticidal and repellent properties against flies and mosquitos for cardboard containers and packaging suitable for food contact.
Image source: Pixabay.
