2007-03 by bioplastics MAGAZINE

ISSN 1862-5258

03 | 2007

bioplastics

magazine

Vol. 2

Special editorial Focus: Films, trays

Show preview | 13 Industrial Composting | 36 Logos, Part 5 | 38

: us t si 7, Vi 0 0 2 K ll 5, B21 Ha nd a St

Don’t worry, the raw material for Ecovio® is renewable.

Ecovio ®, a biodegradable plastic from the PlasticsPlusTM product line, is keeping up with the times when it comes to plastic bags and food packaging. Ecovio ® is made of corn starch, a renewable raw material, and it has properties like HD-PE, which translates into a double plus point for you. Films made of Ecovio ® are water-resistant, very strong and degrade completely in composting facilities within just a few weeks. www.ecovio.com I N N O V AT I O N

RELIABILITY

PA R T N E R S H I P

DIVERSITY

Editorial

dear readers Bottles made from bioplastics, particularly PLA bottles for the beverage and dairy industries, were the main editorial focus of our last issue. And since this special field of application is such a dynamic one, bioplastics MAGAZINE hosted the 1st PLA Bottle Conference in Hamburg in mid September. I must admit, the interest and participation at this conference exceeded our expectations. It was a great success, and you can read our summary report in this issue. One of the points frequently discussed about PLA is its limited market availability. Different courses of action are being taken with the aim of increasing production capacity. However, PLA is not the only bioplastic material. Many people who briefly evaluate the bioplastics scene come to a misleading conclusion: „bioplastics = PLA = not available, hence bioplastics are not available“. And that is clearly wrong. There are a number of different bioplastics available in sufficiently large quantities, including starch based materials or starch blends, cellulose based materials and more.

Another highlight that plastics people (and not only bioplastics people) are looking forward to is the world‘s biggest plastics show – the K‘2007 in Düsseldorf, Germany from October 24 – 31. For those of our readers who are going to the „K“ show we have put together a preview, so that you can easily find your way through this mega event, and see all the exhibitors that are active in the field of bioplastics. And please don‘t forget to see the booth of bioplastics MAGAZINE in Hall 7, booth number C09.

ISSN 1862-5258

So knowing this, the editorial focus of this issue is firmly on films and trays. We are grateful to Stuart Lendrum of Sainsbury‘s in the UK, who gave us the benefit of his experience and Sainsbury‘s philosophy in an interview. Sainsbury‘s announced last year that they were going to replace the packaging material of 500 product lines with biodegradable materials.

Special editorial Focus Films, trays

03 | 2007

Publisher

bioplastics

Michael Thielen

MAGAZINE

Vol. 2

And of course in this issue, you’ll find much more of the latest bioplastics news, updates on materials, applications, politics, basics, opinions, events and much more.

K‘2007 preview | 13 | 36 Industrial Composting Logos, Part 5 | 38

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

Overview of the Current Biopolymers Market Situation

Careful use of terms like “Biodegradable and compostable”

bioplastics MAGAZINE is grateful to real supermarkets for the permission to shoot the cover photo

Cover

bioplastics MAGAZINE tries to use British spelling. However, in articles based on information from the USA, American spelling may also be used.

The fact that product names may not be identified in our editorial as trade marks is not an indication that such names are not registered trade marks.

Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher

bioplastics MAGAZINE is read in more than 80 countries.

bioplastics magazine is published 4 times in 2007 and 6 times a year from 2008. This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (149 Euro for 6 issues).

Biodegradable foam trays for fresh food

bioplastics magazine ISSN 1862-5258

Preview

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Compostable Films and Trays

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Interview with Stuart Lendrum, Sainsbury‘s

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K’2007 preview

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Editorial News Suppliers Guide Events

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Impressum Content

October 03|2007 03

Materials

05 PHBV from Tianan-Biologic 24

42 Bio-Ethanol based Polyethylene 26

Applications

Trays made from sugarcane 28

New Closures for Beverage Bottles 29

Politics 31

Basics

PHA Bioplastics and how they’re made 34

Industrial Composting: An Introduction 36

Logos Part 5: GreenPla Logo (Japan) 38

Glossary 40

Opinion

Special

News

Clearly much tougher Sukano announces unique impact modifier for transparent PLA applications Highly transparent polylactide (PLA) packaging with significantly enhanced impact resistance is now a reality, thanks to SUKANO® PLA im S550. The special feature of this revolutionary impact modifier, which has been optimised for use with FDA-approved food contact biodegradable PLA, is that it does not impair the transparency or the heat stability of the PLA. At a concentration of just 4% impact resistance is improved by a factor of 10, so preventing cracks and splinters in PLA sheet and film during cutting or stamping. In comparison with competitive products SUKANO® PLA im S550, in addition to its compostability and excellent transparency, is highly cost-effective. In comparison with other products in the market this unique impact modifier is compostable and is above all highly transparent. PLA processors can use the impact modifier in combination with other Sukano PLA masterbatches, such as the PLA dc S511 slip/antiblock concentrate or white and black colour masterbatches, to produce a tailor-made blend with no loss of performance. www.sukano.com

China‘s Livan to build plants in Hungary for 20 million EUR Chinese packaging firm Livan Biodegradable Product Co. Ltd. will set up two plants in Hungary at a combined cost of HUF 5 billion (EUR 19.6 million) , the Hungarian Ministry of Economic Affairs has said. Livan will build plants in Alsózsolca and Edelény (eastern Hungary) in scope of a green-field investment. The deal is the first Chinese investment of this kind in Hungary. The plants, which will create 800 jobs, are to be built by 2009. Initially, it is planned to produce 50,000 metric tonnes a year of environmentally friendly packaging material and double that amount by a later date when Livan adds new capacities to the facility. The company will use corn to make packaging boxes for the food industry.

Impect strength of PLA film Impact strength of PLA film 1.4 1.2

Impact Strength ISO 6603/2 @ RT PLA film 500 µm with 2% SUKANO® PLA dc S511

Total Energy (J)

1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0

4% % S UKANO®PLA im S550

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

News

OnColorTM BIO Colorants and OnCapTM BIO Additives based on sustainable raw materials PolyOne Corporation recently introduced its new OnColor BIO Colorants and OnCap BIO Additives for use in biodegradable polymers such as polylactide (PLA), polyhydroxybutyrate- valerate copolymer (PHBV), polybutylene succinate (PBS), polybutylene adipate- co-terephthalate (PBAT) and starch blends. „We developed these new colorants and additives in direct response to requests from our customers around the world for products based on sustainable materials,“ said John Van Hulle, vice president and general manager, North American Color for PolyOne color and additives products and services. „OnColor BIO Colorants and OnCap BIO Additives enable our customers to manufacture products with low environmental impact.“ OnColor BIO Colorants are available in a wide range of transparent and opaque colors. The OnCap BIO Additives product line includes denesting, antistatic, slip, antiblock, UV protection, blue tone and anti-fog additives. PolyOne also offers OnColor SmartbatchTM BIO masterbatches, which combine OnColor BIO Colorants and OnCap BIO Additives into a single masterbatch. In addition to offering several standard product grades, PolyOne can customize an OnColor BIO Colorant or OnCap BIO Additive to meet a customer‘s specific processing need or end-use application. PolyOne‘s OnColor BIO Colorants and OnColor BIO Additives meet several global industry and composting standards, including EN 13432 (European Union), ASTM D6400 (U.S.A.), BPS GREENPLA (Japan) and DIN CERTCO (Germany). www.polyone.com

PLA based bioplastics from sugar beet and sugarcane residues Bio-On, an Italian start-up company is entering the bioplastics market with a process that produces polylactide based bioplastics (PLA) from sugar beet and sugarcane residues with a claimed efficiency of 95%: Waste streams become valuable resources that can be converted almost in their entirety in a useful product. Sugar beet pulp, one of the prime feedstocks, is usually used as low value animal feed or disposed of at additional cost. Likewise, bagasse and mollases from sugarcane have a relatively low value and are abundantly available. PLA based bioplastics are currently produced almost exclusively from corn and grain starch. But given that prices for these feedstock keep rising because of their use in the production of ethanol, the utilization of new raw materials becomes an attractive proposal. The production of sugar crops, on the contrary, is outstripping demand. Both Brazil and India delivered record crops, and sugar prices have declined in the EU. The production process would reduce energy costs and as it is based on a multi-feedstock strategy, costs for raw materials would be substantially lower than those for traditional PLA production. A first range of products to be developed by Bio-On are a range of biodegradable plastics with natural flame retardants to be used for automotive applications: The planned location of the production plant is quite significant: ‚Plastic Valley‘ in Bologna, the region with a long tradition of developing innovative plastics, with some leading research organisations working on bioproducts. There, Bio-On is creating relations with universities and scientists, and aims to have a production facility ready by 2009. Output would be 10,000 tons.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

News

First Commercial Launch of Amcor NaturePlus heat-seal Materbi film for Fresh Produce Major UK retailer Sainsburys and its potato packer Greenvale are the first to commercially launch Amcor NaturePlus’ heat-seal Materbi VFFS film within the fresh produce sector on their JS SO Organic Baby Salad Potatoes, 750g. This launch is part of the environmental plan set out by Sainsbury’s in September 2006, where it vowed to change traditional packaging across its SO organic food lines to use more environmentally friendly compostable packaging. The Amcor NaturePlus heat-seal Materbi VFFS film is manufactured from renewable materials and is fully compostable. The 40 micron co-extruded material is produced at Amcor’s extrusion site in Ilkeston in the UK and is then printed and converted at AF Ledbury – the centre of excellence for Fresh Produce packaging. This novel new extrusion offers a differential heatseal film suitable for VFFS packing of fresh produce. Conventional grades of MaterBi require impulse seals so are not suitable for the majority of VFFS vegetable pacing lines currently used by UK retail packers. This compliments the growing range of environmental films supplied by Amcor Flexibles under the Amcor NaturePlus umbrella and enhances Amcor’s position as a leading supplier in this growing market. www.amcor.com

No mandatory deposit for bottles made from bioplastics German Cabinet Decision to Modify Packaging Ordinance The European Bioplastics industry association appreciates the German Cabinet Decision of Sept. 19, 2007. Within the framework of the 5th amendment to the German Packaging Ordinance beverage bottles made of a minimum of 75% of bioplastics shall be exempted from the mandatory deposit. Another prerequisite is the participation of the packaging producers in an appropriate waste disposal system. The association values this as a clear commitment by the German Government towards the support of innovation leading to a sustainable development. By this exemption, which is limited until 2010, the necessary and cost-intensive buildup of a sorting- and recycling-system for bioplastic bottles, normally obligatory within the mandatory deposit, can be delayed until a later date. Until that time the collection and recycling can be done via the so-called “dual systems”, such as the yellow sacks or yellow bins. “It absolutely makes sense to invest in the development of technology and marketing of bioplastic bottles first, and then later to create the best end of life solution”; says Harald Kaeb, chairman of European Bioplastics.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

Hall 7.1 2 Stand A20/A2

www.fkur.com

News

New Zealand‘s first ever Bio-Bottle

A natural container for natural products

“Try Me, NZ’s first ever Bio-Bottle” reads the swing tag hanging from New Zealand’s first bottled water product made from PLA. After two years of product research and development, ‘good’ was launched in September by The Good Water Company. CEO Grant Hall claims ‘good’ is the world’s most sustainable bottled water package. The Good Water Company will donate 10 cents for every bottle sold to support The Sir Peter Blake Trust. Sir Peter Blake’s famous quote “good water, good life” is being used to market this initiative to reinforce how significant water is in sustaining quality of life and how we must commit to protecting the environment.

Silita, Spanish packaging manufacturer, is working together with a major producer and bottler of edible olive oil to test the behaviour of their product when packed in PLA bottles.

While these bio-bottles cost more to produce, The Good Water Company doesn’t want to penalise the consumer at the retail end for making the right purchasing decision, so ‘good’ will also be competitively priced in relation to non-sustainable plastic rivals. After ‘Biota’ in the US and the UK-based ‘Belu’, Hall says ‘good’ uses that same technology and goes one step further by using a compostable wood pulp label complete with a water-based adhesive. The actual water itself is certified bio-gro organic and comes from a unique silica rich source at the Kauri Springs in Kaiwaka, Northland. The projects biggest challenge has been formulating an end of life plan for the bottles once consumers have used them. Approximately, 14,000 tonnes of plastic bottles go to landfill each year and the rest go to China. The Good Water Company wants to lead the way on the sustainable recycling of bottles in New Zealand and is a foundation partner in Greenplastics Incorporated, the countries first ever product stewardship organisation set up to manage end of life options for bio-polymers. The challenge is that the end of life program for bio-bottles can only work if enough of them are collected, which means the plan needs the support of retail customers in enough volume to make it viable. “It’s up to the public,” says Hall whose sales promotion for good offers purchasers the chance to win a trip to Antarctica. “If enough people support this project then we will be able to recycle the bottle here in New Zealand and that would be a first for any bottled water product in the country.” www.goodwater.org.nz

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

The company, which specialises in manufacturing PET containers, has produced its first bottles with this new material and is conducting storage trials with different products, including oils, water, juices and dairy products. The NatureWorks PLA material was supplied by Safiplast S.L. , who also helped to co-ordinate the project. Safiplast S.L., (Barcelona, Spain) has been supplying machinery and services to produce bottles and drums using a range of technologies and materials for over 40 years. This project shows its interest in implementing projects for bottles made with the new bioplastic materials. www.safiplast.com

Event Review

1st PLA Bottle Conference The 1st PLA Bottle Conference hosted by bioplastics MAGAZINE (September 12-13, Hamburg, Germany) attracted over 100 experts from more than 25 countries. Delegates from the beverage industry as well as bioplastics experts came from all over Europe, North America and countries as far away as Hawaii, Australia, South Africa and even Bhutan in the Himalayas. In the first session speakers from Uhde Inventa Fischer and NatureWorks introduced the basics of PLA. How is starch (e.g. from corn) converted into lactic acid and then into PLA? What properties of PLA lead to which applications, including stretch blow moulded bottles? Husky and SIG Corpoplast, being the machine suppliers for the first commercially available PLA preforms and bottles, covered the issues surrounding the particular processing characteristics of PLA.

„prospects“, a presentation from Purac showed the possibilities to enhance the heat resistance of PLA by applying a stereocomplexation of PLA with PDLA. The presentation by SIG Pasmax on the other hand focussed on the prospects of improving the barrier properties of PLA by applying a thin glass-like (SiOx) layer on the inside of the bottle. This method exhibited barrier improvement factors (BIF) of about 90 for oxygen and of 4.5 for water vapour. The presentations were rounded off with talks by Polyone and Colormatrix about processing and colour additives. Erwin Vink of NatureWorks addressed the important issue of life cycle analyses and the possibilities to further reduce the environmental footprint of PLA.

The presentations about possibilities and challenges were rounded off by a presentation by Bernd Merzenich about the successful market launch of the German „Vitamore“ bottle. Bill Horner of Naturally Iowa commented on his experience with PLA milk bottles in a series of video clips.

The conference ended with a panel discussion about possible „end of life options“. A clear conclusion to the question for the best option could of course not be found at this stage. However, the opinion that composting is not the best option was widely agreed. And as long as the (at present) limited amounts of PLA do not reach a critical mass for sorting and recycling, incineration with energy recovery seems to be a good solution. The technologies for sorting (e.g. via NIR = Near Infrared) and recycling, mechanical as well as chemical, are available. It is only a question of reaching the critical mass.

Distilling all of the experiences discussed, it can be stated, that until now the most significant limitations to the use of PLA as a bottle material are its low heat resistance and the poor barrier against water vapour and gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide.

After the conference the delegates were invited to visit the SIG Corpoplast and SIG Plasmax plant in Hamburg. Here the companies demonstrated the stretch blow moulding of PLA on a laboratory machine as well as the plasma coating of bottles.

However, „until now“ is an important phrase, which Mike Gamble of Coca-Cola also stressed in his presentation on „a brand owners perspective“. „A few year ago we might have been sitting here together and discussing the same questions about PET,“ he said.

As the conference was considered by many – delegates as well as speakers, and by the organisers – as a great success, the second PLA Bottle Conference is definitely planned for 2008. However, date and place are still to be chosen.

Caps and labels made from bioplastics were the subject of the next session with contributions from Novamont, Netstal and Wiedmer.

And, as the third subtitle of the conference was www.pla-bottle-conference.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

News

show preview

Oct. 24-31, 2007 Düsseldorf, Germany

At K‘2007, the world’s No. 1 plastics and rubber fair, to be staged from 24 to 31 October 2007 in Düsseldorf, Germany, more than 3,000 companies will showcase their latest developments for all industry segments. Among them quite a few companies that are busy in the field of bioplastics. In this K-show prview bioplastics MAGAZINE gives an overview of what visitors can expect in terms of bioplastics.

Biodegradable plastics and plastics based on renewable raw materials are a constant part of BASF’s research and development activities. After the market introduction of Ecovio® LBX 8145 at the beginning of 2006, the first lab samples of the new Ecovio® L Foam will be available in October 2007. The material is designed for foamed food trays and fast-food boxes. Like its predecessor the new Ecovio® L Foam consists of Ecoflex®, BASF’s biodegradable polyester, and the renewable raw material polylactide (PLA). BASF (Hall 5 - Booth B21) www.basf.com

Biopolymers and natural fibrereinforced plastics M-Base is a leading supplier of material information systems and thus of course also engaged in the relatively new group of biopolymers and natural fibre materials. Unfortunately, only very little qualified information about these materials is available. M-Base is involved in a series of projects in this field which are to be presented at K‘2007:  www.N-FibreBase.net, is an information portal about natural fibre reinforced plastics including a database for polymers and fibres.  NF-Guidelines is a research project for the development of design catalogues and style guides for natural fibre reinforced plastics.  A campaign to industrially establish polypropylene-natural fibre injection moulding (PP-NF) and wood-plasticcomposites (WPC)  A biopolymer database (first public presentation at the exhibition). These projects are carried out in cooperation with a network of institutions such as Nova Institut Hürth, Faserinstitut Bremen, TU Clausthal, Fachhochschule Hannover. M-Base‘s goal is to create structures for the new materials so that information will be available equal to conventional materials. M-Base (Hall 5 - Booth F04) www.m-base.de

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

Photo: Clariant

Foams from the fields

All-natural colour and additive masterbatches provide earth-friendly option for biopolymers A new family of all-natural colorants and additives from Clariant Masterbatches complements the environmentally friendly biopolymers that are becoming popular in “green” packaging and consumer goods applications. Based on natural materials such as flowers, the new RENOL®-natur colour masterbatches and CESA®-natur additive masterbatches are biodegradable and renewable, making them ideal for marketers who emphasize conservation and sustainability. Additional details on the new products can be expected to be announced at K2007 in October. Clariant Masterbatches Division (Hall 8A - Booth J11) www.clariant.masterbatches.com

Masterbatches based on biodegradable polymers A. Schulman a global leader in masterbatches, compounds and distribution/trading offers a wide range of products. In response to market trends the range also includes masterbatches which are based on biodegradable polymers. In addition various oxy- and photodegradable formulations for applications in polyolefins are available. Detailed information upon request. A. Schulman is an independent manufacturer thus tailor-made solutions can be discussed! A. Schulman GmbH (Hall 8a - Booth D12) www.polybatch.net

News

Biopolymer line adds injection molding, paper coating grades Telles, Lowell, MA, USA, bioplastics production joint venture between Metabolix Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA, and Archer Daniels Midland Co., Decatur, IL, USA, introduces three grades of Mirel semi-crystalline, biobased polyester: Mirel P1001, Mirel P1002 for injection molding applications; Mirel P2001 for paper coating. Mirel P1001 replaces styrenics, exhibits high modulus, high gloss, heat resistance. Mirel P1002 substitutes for polyolefins, offers higher flow, medium stiffness, heat resistance. Mirel P2001 provides an alternative to petroleum-based paper coatings, enables production of fully biodegradable coated paper cups, food packaging such as ice cream cartons. Attributes include heat sealability, good barrier properties, good printability, adhesion to substrates. Telles (Metabolix/ADM) (Hall 5 - Booth G19-9) www.metabolix.com

DuPont‘s sustainable presence Highlights of the DuPont exhibit of the will include the latest developments in terms of polymer production from renewable sources. One of the early proponents of bio-sourced materials, DuPont is already processing corn grain to make Bio-PDO™ at a facility constructed with Tate & Lyle, which was officially opened in June 2007. DuPont is now exploring the refining of other cellulosic materials, such as corn stover – the residual from the plant that remains after the corn is harvested – to sugars for processing into value-added chemicals such as Bio-PDO™. In 2008, the company is expected to participate in the construction and operation of a pilot cellulosic biorefinery for ethanol. “With the growing demand for sugars for industrial intermediates and biofuels, cellulosic conversion is an essential step in a biorefinery concept,” comments Dr. Nandan Rao, technology director for DuPont Performance Materials. DuPont (Hall 6 - Booth D27) www.dupont.com

Photo: Telles

Biodegradable bags with Roll-o-Matic equipment In the past few years the plastic industry has experienced considerable product development – and naturally Roll-o-Matic has been a part of it. Today the market demands for converting equipment are higher as there is a need for innovative solutions that are both on the cutting edge of technology and also live up to new environmental standards. Roll-o-Matic too have noticed the bio-trend and applied the bio-principles to their converting equipment. The result is the Delta Line that can produce biodegradable bags on roll as well as plastic bags from standard material. At K-2007 Roll-o-Matic will exhibit a state-of-the-art Delta Line in order to demonstrate the equipment’s flexible design, running capacity, technological innovation and not least its ability to produce bags of various types. www.roll-o-matic.com Roll-o-Matic (Hall 3 - Booth D06)

“Creative Solutions” for value-added plastics At K 2007 Sukano Products Ltd.is presenting its full range of functional and visually enhancing masterbatches. The spotlight will be on the latest product developments. Besides additives and masterbatches for “traditional“ plastics one highlight will be a transparent impact modifier for PLA. On the stand there will be full details of the well-established and successful range of slip/antiblock concentrates, matting agents, mould release agents and melt flow enhancers, antistatic agents, UV blockers, colours including black and white, optical brighteners, nucleating concentrates, and flame retardants, plus information on new applications. The main focus is on PET, PETG, PC and PLA applications. A particular highlight will be the PLA slip/antiblock masterbatch for use in biodegradable applications. In recognition of this development Sukano was selected as a finalist in the “Best Innovation in Bioplastics” competition at the 28th Bioplastics Conference in Frankfurt, December 2006. Sukano (Hall 8A - Booth H28) www.sukano.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

News

Masterbatches for biodegradable plastics The Grafe Group has developed biodegradable colour masterbatches available in the same brilliant colors and with the same technical characteristics as the „classic“ masterbatches. With these newly developed products, Grafe meets the challenges of increased environmental awareness and ever stricter environmental legislation. With immediate effect the Grafe Group will offer masterbatches for colouring biodegradable plastics under the brand name “Biocolen“. Plastics made from renewable raw materials pave the way for using closed recycling loops.

Photo: Grafe

GRAFE Advanced Polymers GmbH (Hall 7.1 - Booth C/25) www.grafe.com

Compostability of bioplastic products containing inorganic mineral pigments or organic synthetic dyes is reduced. However, products made with Biocolen masterbatches, which are produced with vegetable dyes, are completely biodegradable. “Stricter environmental legislation governing the use of plastics is bound to come - the political powers will see to that. Even today, we are already supplying the necessary raw materials to the plastics processing industry“, said Matthias Grafe, Manager of the Grafe Group.

Nanostarch: the highlight of the year Novamont, leading company in the area of biodegradable polymers driven by its vision of “Living Chemistry for Quality of Life” and winner of the award “European Inventor of the Year 2007”, will announce a further highlight at the K2007 show in Düsseldorf. Novamont has achieved a further significant technological breakthrough with Mater-Bi® nanostarch, a range of products engineered to substantially improve the end-use performances of Mater-Bi grades containing starch, while maintaining its certified biodegradability even in home composting conditions. Nanostarch technology, patented by Novamont, will be a very powerful tool to produce super tough materials even in conditions of very low humidity, definitively overcoming the limitations of starch-based materials. Several applications will benefit of these new breakthrough of Novamont technologies to be announced at the K2007 show. Novamont is increasing its industrial capacity due to the new Biorefinery integrated in the territory NOVAMONT S.p.A. (Hall 6 - Booth E09) www.novamont.com

show preview Oct. 24-31, 2007 Düsseldorf, Germany

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

Plastics - made by Nature!®

Photo: FKuR

FKuR together with Fraunhofer UMSICHT present their competence in the area of biodegradable films and compounds. “One of many highlights“ says Patrick Zimmermann of FKuR, “is a translucent film similar to HDPE“. Other examples include a wide range of biodegradable plastics primarily made of renewable raw material, e.g.: Bio-Flex® (PLA/co-polyester-blends), Biograde® (cellulose ester blends) or Fibrolon® (Plastic-Wood-Compounds). Application examples are mulch films, waste bags, bottles made from PLA-blends and numerous injection moulded applications. FKuR Kunststoff GmbH (Hall 7-level 1 - Booth A20/A22) www.fkur.com , www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de

News

New PHB formulation Biomer from Krailing, Germany introduce a new PHB formulation “with mechanical properties at least as good as polypropylene, if not better“, as Urs Hänggi of Biomer puts it. PHB is made of renewable resources, totally biodegradable (anaerobic and aerobic). Biomer‘s PHB compounds are free of catalysts, neither thrombogenic nor immunogenic. They offer a good creep resistance, faster cycle times and thinner walls, thus more complex structures become possible. The compounds are best for injection moulded technical applications. Biomer (Hall 7-Level 2 - Booth B30) www.biomer.de

Polyethylene from bio-ethanol At the company’s Technology and Innovation Center the Brazilian company Braskem has developed the first internationally certified (ASTM D6866) polyethylene made from 100% sugarcane based ethanol. The “green polymer“ developed by Braskem – a high-density polyethylene, one of the resins most widely used in flexible packaging – is the result of a research and development project in which already around 5 million US$ have been invested. To find out more, read the detailed article in this issue or meet Braskem at their Booth in Düsseldorf. Braskem (Hall 6 - Booth E80) www.braskem.com.br

Other companies exhibiting at K‘2007, that are involved in bioplastics but unfortunately did not provide us with detailed information in time for this issue are: Biotec Distribution, www.biotec-distribution.eu Hall 5 - Booth B13-3 and Hall 7-level 2 Booth E45 CONSTAB Polyolefin Additives GmbH, www.constab.com Hall 7-level 1 - Booth C20 Kaneka Belgium N.V., www.kaneka.be Hall 7a - Booth D32 Kuraray Europe GmbH, www.kuraray.eu Hall 7a - Booth D06 Marubeni Europe Plc, www.europe.marubeni.com Hall 7a - Booth D02 SpecialChem, www.specialchem.com Hall 5 - Booth B41 Technamation Technical Europe GmbH, www.technamation.com Hall 8b - Booth F8 Toray Industries, Inc., www.toray.com Hall 7a - Booth D32 Vanetti S.r.l. - Masterbatch, www.vanettimaster.com Hall 7-level 1 - Booth C03 VTT Technical Research, Centre of Finland, www.vtt.fi Hall 11 - Booth C70 Wells Plastics Limited, www.wellsplastics.com Hall 5 - Booth B40

New masterbatches PolyOne will introduce a range of new additive masterbatches designed to enhance the performance of biopolymers. Among these are  Enhanced impact & ductility of PLA sheet while maintaining transparency  Increase anti-fog properties for PLA film Besides the new masterbatches PolyOne will show the earlier developed color and additive masterbatches. The color masterbatches are especially designed to comply with the strict EN 13432 norm. The additive masterbatches offer improved processing and enhanced application performance PolyOne (Hall 8b - Booth G46) www.polyone.com

Photo: European Plastics News

Special

“Make the difference” reusable carrier bags (Photo: Sainsbury’s)

Interview with Stuart Lendrum, Sainsbury‘s

“S

ainsbury‘s stands for great products at fair prices. Our objective is simple; to serve customers well. We continually improve and develop our product ranges, and work hard to give customers an ever improving shopping experience. We also aim to fulfil our responsibilities to the communities and environments in which we operate.” (Soruce: www.jsainsburys.co.uk) bioplastics MAGAZINE spoke to Stuart Lendrum, Print and Packaging Manager of Sainsbury‘s Supermarkt Ltd.

bpM: Mr. Lendrum, when did you start looking into bioplastics packaging materials? When did you actually start with your first products packed in biopackaging and which were these ? Stuart Lendrum: We first launched compostable packaging in 2002, certainly we were working on it some time before that. Predominatly that would have been trays based on palm leaves. bpM: What were the main reasons for you (for Sainsbury‘s) to introduce biodegradable packaging?

Photo: Sainsbury’s

Stuart Lendrum: The main reason for introducing biodegradable packaging was to make customers lives easier, we have a set of packaging brand standards; and the aim of our packaging brand standards, which is something that we apply across all our products is that we want to reduce the amount of packaging we use and make that packaging we do use, either reusable, home compostable or recyclable. So obviously different products are differently made and offer different opportunities but one of the big key strands is to introduce and to use home compostable packaging. bpM: How did the introduction start and progress? Stuart Lendrum: The first step to bring such products to the market, learn about them and get customers used to them was through our SO organic produce range. We see that the opportunity for home copostable packaging is much bigger than just SO organic produce for example ready meals. Last year we also launched the world‘s first compostable easter egg holder. That is a kind of a clamshell made of Plantic material. Concerning the progress: We have a large number of organic products across, we have the easter egg and we‘re

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Photo: Sainsbury’s

Special

just about to pack a whole chicken on a sugarcane tray and we are still working towards introducing the ready meal packaging. We are really happy with the progress we have made so far in terms of the introduction across our organic produce area and the other things we are doing. It is very challenging bringing new materials to the market place and putting them on the shelves, but we are committed to moving forward with these materials. bpM: Last year Sainsbury‘s announced the conversion of 500 product lines or 3,550 tons respectively into biopackaging. How far are you at this point in time? Stuart Lendrum: The rollout in the ready meals category is taking longer than anticipated but we are pleased with our progress to date. bpM: What kind of biopackaging are you currently offering to your customers? Stuart Lendrum: We currently use sugarcane based materials, Natureflex – cellulose based films, Mater-Bi – starch based materials, Plantic – starch based water soluble materials and combinations of these with compostable labels. The only material that we do not use is PLA because we won‘t use any material where we can‘t guarantee that it is from non-GM sources. And we only want to offer our customers home compostable materials – PLA is not home compostable.

bpM: With which partners did or do you cooperate? Did or do you get a good support from them? How does such support look like? Stuart Lendrum: We cooperate with companies like Innovia, Novamont, Plantic, natura, Amcor, Telrol or Paragon Flexibles and of course our product suppliers. And yes, we do get support from all of them. We feel that everybody is motivated to try and make these developments. We do a lot of testing on products, trying to improve the performance. And it is only possible if all of us work together to make these improvements. The key thing is the commitment of the people involved. bpM: What is more important from your point of view: A) biobased packaging, i.e. made from renewable resources or B) compostable packaging ? Could you tell us why? Stuart Lendrum: The most important thing for us is to reduce the amount of packaging we use and make our packaging reusable, home compostable or recyclable. What we want to do is do all of that in a sustainable way. bpM: What future plans do you have? In short term (next 365 days) – in long term (next few years)?

Stuart Lendrum: Yes. We‘ve done a lot and there‘s a lot more to do.

Stuart Lendrum: We want to continue to introduce more compostable packaging and try to move forward the quality of what we do. All within the context of making our customer‘s life easier. Both short term and long term we want to reduce the amount af packaging we use, regardless of what hat material is – that would be the absolute goal.

bpM: What are your consumers responses? Do they accept it well? Do they ask for more?

bpM: What are you (is Sainsbury‘s) particularly proud of (in terms of this overall topic)?

Stuart Lendrum: Certainly all the customer‘s feedback we get on compostable packaging is that they do like it and yes they do want more. But they want the packaging to perform as well as the existing packaging formats. That‘s the challenge for us: We know that materials do have limitations and do not always perform as per current materials and how customers would like them to.

Stuart Lendrum: What we are particularly proud of is that we are continually improving our customer offer to make our customer‘s life easier by offering them packaging that they can compost at home as opposed to send to landfills.

bpM: Are you satisfied so far with the conversion to biopackaging?

bpM: Thank you very much.

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Compostable Films and Trays The revolution in the food packaging sector. Article contributed by Stefano Facco, New Business Development Manager Novamont S.p.A., Novara, Italy

he development of compostable polymers in the trays and films sector has enjoyed a dramatic boost in recent years. We may describe it mainly based on two aspects. The first aspect is the technical improvement in terms of performance and processing: lately we have seen more and more â&#x20AC;&#x153;high techâ&#x20AC;? biopolymers with properties similar to or, in some very specific cases, even better than standard polymers. The second aspect is the change in attitude of retailers and consumers, and the approach to waste management issues. Compostable and biobased polymers have, in the last 4 to 5 years, demonstrated a really outstanding development, which has enabled them to be used almost as standard polymers in specific packaging applications. Major producers are based in Europe (such as Wentus, Amcor, Innovia, Treophan etc), as well as in the USA. In the food sector in particular new packaging for different products has been shown to have reached performances as high as some standard products. Starting from thermoformed punnets and trays, the market today offers products which may be as tough as the equivalent conventional ones. Also, in terms of processing, standard extrusion lines such as used for PP may be used for bioploymers. Another important aspect is given by the capability of recycling these new materials. This is a very important aspect when considering extrusion and thermoforming, as some 30% of scrap may result from a standard thermoforming process. And not only toughness, but also puncture resistance and rigidity have reached very high levels. In terms of transparency, a variety of companies do offer either very transparent or white opalescent products. Linear shrinkage values are comparable to standard polymers and may vary as from PP to PS. The Tg values, which may be a reason to choose

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Special a particular polymer (depending whether a punnet is used under deep frozen or ambient conditions), range from below 0°C to above 40°C. If the development of rigid trays has already reached a very high industrial level, the expanded tray sector is very close to reaching similar standards. Some different products are starting to show up in first applications and there are a number of products which have been shown to perform quite well. The first one, very close to being introduced in the UK (produced by Sirap Gema), which is a new and very light product, has been demonstrated to be, in the case of packaging delicate produce, even better compared to a standard EPS in terms of its cushioning properties. It has a very soft touch, white colour and has been tested by a major packaging company which has carried out a comparable test amongst major producers of trays (rigid and expanded). The results were really astonishing, as this new material shows incredible performance profiles in terms of handling and cushioning. In addition some products are starting to slowly move into the market, although we still may not consider them as expanded, as they belong more to the sheets category, but which are lighter compared to a standard sheet / tray, showing an expanded core and a still-rigid skin. Most of these products described above do have,

due to their morphology, a white or opaque colour. A very new technology is soon to be launched on the market, namely laminated paper / cardboard trays. In this case we do have different technologies available, either based on coatings from a solution, or laminated with a compostable film. A third technology is based on extrusion coating (Mondi Packaging). Specifically in this latter technology, the possibility to use such extrusion coated trays may open up applications such as for microwavable food, as it seems that the weakening and melting points do satisfy the needs of such “cooking technology”. For standard coated paper/board (for frozen and room temperature applications) different polymers are already available on the market. But, as a filled punnet should not loose its content, there is a need for specific films or nets, in order to complete the packaging unit. Compostable and biobased films started their development many years ago and the results are very well visible on the market, if we consider the very high percentage of biopolymers used. According to different studies some two thirds of the given applications in the biopolymers sector is covered by films. Newly introduced wicketed bags, films for VFFS and flow pack have demonstrated the very high level achieved.

The 9th Annual Bioplastics Conference Performance through innovation Featuring presentations from ■ NEC ■ Metabolix ■ FKuR ■ NNZ ■ Utrecht University ■ Braskem ■ PA Consulting ■ Natureworks ■ Tianan Biologic ■ PSM ■ Eosta / The Organic Salad Company

Plus – includes the second annual Bioplastics Awards

5 – 6 December 2007 - Hyatt Regency, Cologne, Germany

To register - Tel: +44 (0)20 7554 5811 (International) 0845 056 5069 (UK Only) Email: EPNconferences@emap.com Online:

www.bpevent.com

2007

Organised by:

Conference & Awards

Special

There are different technologies available in order to complete the packaging unit with a film. Most common technologies are based on flow pack top seal films. Additionally, specifically for the packaging of food, one of the most common technologies is the one based on cling films. Today, especially based on biopolymers, there are different technologies available, depending on the needs of the product to be packed and/or the packaging technology.

But much of the success, on which the use of compostable packaging is based, is the need to find new solutions in terms of waste treatment, as food packaging means:

Most commonly used on transparent punnets are transparent top seal films. Different combinations in terms of transparency may be used, meaning a transparent film on an opaque punnet or vice versa, or both the same. The first products are meant for food that does not need special MAP treatment. New developments are proving that amongst biopolymers there are some, which do offer differential barrier properties (WVTR, N2TR, O2TR, CO2TR) and that will open new applications for MAP packaging.

The new opportunity given by compostable bioplastics has an added value for both retailers and consumers, as:

Importantly, in order to obtain adequate sealing properties, the Tm of the sealing layer of the film does need to fit with the tray on which the film is sealed. New biopolymers which offer differential sealing properties seem to perfectly match such needs. Similar properties are given for flow pack films, in order to achieve both good sealing results and high speed processing. It is evident that for most of the applications good printing, COF, hot tack etc. are needed, whether they be top seal films or flow pack. For some years different development activities have been carried out in order to develop cling films based on compostable polymers. Some positive results have been claimed by the market, and it is expected that by next year some first producers will present their products. In this specific case the opportunity to use biopolymers will just enlarge the application range of PVC cling films, as there is already a certain trend (in some European countries) to replace it with PE or alternative polymers.

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 Highly food-contaminated plastic.  Difficult to recycle.  Low potential energy recovery content (due to the high contamination) in case of thermal recycling.

 Retailers do not need any longer to separate the content from the packaging (when the product expires).  This means a space reduction in terms of waste collection (packaging and food may be collected and treated together).  Waste management and treatment of such products would save energy.  The consumer gets packaging, especially when he purchases organic produce, which is more coherent with the nature of the produce. Some European retailers are starting to adopt more and more such materials, as on the one hand consumers are starting to ask for them, on the other hand it is proven that recycling, meaning composting of packaging, when contaminated with food, offers a valuable way of recycling. It is not only the source of the biopolymers which defines their environmental contribution or impact, it is very often more the recycling system that stands behind them, which defines their impact. Conventional polymers, when clean and not contaminated (as in the case of industrial waste), do offer their highest potential (environmentally) if recycled. Biopolymers, when used as packaging, do offer their best profile when composted.

Special

Thermoformed trays

Biodegradable

Article contributed by Cesare Vannini, Packaging System R&D Coopbox Europe s.p.a., Bibbiano, Italy

Cross-section of foam

oopbox S.p.A., headquartered in Reggio Emilia, Italy, is a producer of innovative packaging solutions for fresh foods. Coopbox has a very long history in the packaging industry. Founded in 1972, the company, always focused on innovation, recently became very active in the steady development of innovative and environmental friendly packaging solutions for retailers and the modern packaging industry. The idea of developing biodegradable foam packaging for fresh food started in 2003 and the first step was the selection of a material from the different biopolymers available on the market: starch, biopolyesters, polylactide, etc. Finally PLA was the chosen material, first of all for the good mechanical properties and the possibility to process the material with standard equipment. Not only has PLA a better mechanical performance than alternative traditional polymers used for rigid packaging (PET, PS, PP) but it is 100% produced from annually renewable resources such as corn. From this base a development project started with the involvement of the universities of Naples, Rome and Reggio Emilia, and the important collaboration of NatureWorks, the raw material supplier, all along the way. The basic idea was to use a foam solution because it allows a significant weight reduction of the pack. In general with traditional polymers, depending on the application, the foam tray is 30-50% lighter than rigid material. It is immediately evident that a biodegradable foam is a double environmentally friendly solution: firstly because it uses raw material from a renewable resource and secondly because of the weight reduction of up to 50% that is possible to obtain with the use of a foam instead of a rigid foil.

Expanding film

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Today Naturalbox® is the first foamed PLA tray on the market with worldwide patent pending. Its first public presentation was at Interpack 2005, in the “Innovationparc Bioplastics in Packaging”. Naturalbox is recognised as a true innovation on the market, and has received several awards: the “Italian Oscar Dell’Imballaggio 2005”, the “UK Meat Industry Award 2006”, and the

Special

foam trays for fresh food “Bioplastics Award 2006” for the best biodegradable food packaging. To obtain a PLA foam, extensive tooling modifications were necessary in comparison to the standard extruding technology for XPS (Extruded Polystyrene Foam). Coopbox invested two years in development, together with a new screw profile, new die and accessory equipment everything was specifically projected to obtain the first commercially available PLA foam tray. The main characteristics of the product are: density of 300 g/l and good mechanical performance. Naturalbox trays are certified in line with the European food contact standards and comply with the European standard EN13432 for compostable packaging.

development. Today Naturalbox is present in Dubai (organic food), in Denmark (potatoes), in Italy (poultry, fish and cheese at the Finiper retail chain), and in France (at Bodin industries for organic poultry). Moreover, at the moment Coopbox is testing a new application for frozen fish for an important retailer in the UK and is approaching the German organic meat/poultry market developing a system with VC999 machines. Looking ahead the company foresees a 2008 full of opportunities, with growing interest from several promising prospects. www.coopbox.it

Naturalbox ideally is used to pack fresh food: fresh meat, processed meat, fish and vegetables. Closing can be performed with two different packaging technologies: top sealing or stretch-wrapping. With the top sealing solution using a top film in PLA (this film has excellent sealing resistance, natural antifog properties and enhanced transparency) a 100% biodegradable pack is obtained. Naturalbox can be closed on standard top sealing machines and has a gas barrier lower than PET but definitely higher than PP. Another possibility is to use a standard stretch-wrapping machine with a standard stretch film. In this case high packaging speeds can be reached and for this application the mechanical properties are very important and the foam tray solution is very appropriate. Currently both PE and PVC film are used, as any biodegradable stretch film able to work on automatic wrapping machine is available today. Commercial introduction is entering a very crucial phase. Several trials have been, and are currently being, conducted all over Europe and, given the novelty of the product, Coopbox has encountered a lot of interest. The number of awards provided visibility, but only an entrepreneurial pioneering vision, the growth of people‘s consciousness about the environment and some legislative “effort” (as a result also of the activities of European Bioplastics) is now supporting the company‘s

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Materials

PHBV from Tianan-Biologic Article contributed by Dr. Jim Lunt, VP Sales & Marketing, Tianan Biologic Materials Co. Ltd, Ningbo, PR China and Ruud Rouleaux, Managing Director, Peter Holland bv, Zwijndrecht, The Netherlands

Product examples

ianan Biologic Material Co. Ltd is located in Ningbo, one of the major cities in China’s economically dynamic Zhejiang Province. Ningbo is situated in the central part of China‘s coastline and south flank of the Yangtze River Delta, bordering Shanghai and Hangzhou. The Ningbo Economic and Technical Development Zone (NETD) is located in the north-east of Ningbo city, behind the largest deepwater port in China-Beilun port. Established in 1984, NETD is one of the earliest and largest development zones at the national level in China. NETD has established a reputation as the most promising location for development in China with its strategic geographic location, numerous natural resources, wide variety of industries and a modern transportation network. Today, Tianan Biologic is the world’s largest producer of PHBV, a fully biobased and 100% biodegradable polymer that is derived through a completely natural fermentation process. PHBV is short for Poly-β-Hydroxy Butyrate-coValerate and is a crystalline biopolymer with high temperature resistance. After the production facility with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes of PHBV was installed in Ningbo China in December 2003, about one month later Tianan began to sell PHBV on a trial basis. In April 2004, Tianan was certified by ISO 14855. The company presently produces 1,000 tonnes of PHBV and by the end of November Tianan will be increasing capacity to 2,000 tonnes per year. Tianan Biologic’s mission is to become and remain a world leading producer of PHBV bioplastics while positively contributing to the world’s environment and economy. The com-

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Materials pany’s future plans are to grow the market for PHBV to create sufficient demand to install additional capacity of 10,000 tonnes in mid 2009 and then further additional capacity of 50,000 tonnes to come on line mid 2011.

To achieve these goals, Tianan will follow a disciplined and focused approach to the marketplace. Today the key demand for such products is in the USA, Canada, Europe, Japan Australia, and New Zealand. Over time an increasing demand is expected in China, Korea and other Asian markets as well as South America. The key targeted market segments for Tianan Biologic’s PHBV product can be divided into three general categories: 1. Bioplastic applications, where 100% renewable resource and 100% biodegradability are required. Typical applications envisaged are in injection molded cosmetic containers such as lipstick casing, and other cosmetic products. Blow molded or injection stretch blow molded shampoo bottles. Paper coated products. 2. Biodegradable products, where 100% renewable resource is not needed but biodegradability is still required. Typical products in this category are blends of PHBV with other biodegradable products, such as the starch based materials and synthetic biodegradable polyesters. Potential applications include thermoformed or injection molded non-clear containers, with improved flexibility and a wider property spectrum than can be achieved from PHBV alone, and blown film products. 3. Biobased products for more durable applications where full biodegradability and 100% renewable resource would be preferred, but blends with non renewable and non biodegradable Petrochemical based products are an option. This may be required to achieve the required properties and still achieve a meaningful reduction in the overall use of petrochemical derived plastics and an improved environmental footprint.

disposed of in compost or bacterially rich environments such as soil and water, it completely decomposes into carbon dioxide, water and biomass PHBV also has high biological compatibility and good barrier properties to water, gas and aroma permeation. Potential product applications, in addition to those discussed above, exist for a wide range of other applications such as medical materials (sutures), films products (mulch films, shopping bags, and compost bags), disposable items (pens, tableware), packaging materials (especially for food packaging), etc. Tianan Biologic is accelerating its product development and manufacturing and marketing efforts to bring these goals to reality. The company is looking for dedicated partners who share this same vision. Initial quantities of Tianan’s PHBV products (less than 200Kg), for sampling, and/or technical information can presently be acquired through r.rouleaux@peterholland.nl (for Europe) or directly from Tianan jl@tianan-enmat.com

Typical products in this category could include: Blends of PHBV with non degradable impact modifiers for gift card /credit card applications. Blends of PHBV with natural fibers and petroleum based impact modifiers and other plastics for computer casings, automotive, cellular phone, Ipod and other hand held consumer devices. As a biopolyester, PHBV is made by bacteria, using natural sugars as the food source, and can be fully digested by naturally occurring bacteria. When finally

www.tianan-enmat.com www.peterholland.nl

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Materials

Article contributed by Antonio Morschbacker, Innovation & Technology Center, Braskem S.A., Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Bio-Ethanol based Polyethylene

B Natalie, our covergirl grew up in Ghana: „As kids we ate sugarcane just as it came. I‘m truly amazed that sugarcane today can be converted into plastic“

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raskem is a leading Brazilian company manufacturing thermoplastic resins in Latin America. At the company’s Technology and Innovation Center Braskem has developed the first internationally certified polyethylene made from 100% sugarcane based ethanol. The certification was conducted by Beta Analytic Inc., a leading international laboratory, according to the ASTM-D6866 standard. This standard describes how to determine the biobased content as indicated by 14C isotope content (see bioplastics MAGAZINE 01/2007 p. 36ff). Polyethylene is the resin with the largest manufacturing capacity in the world, but is currently produced using fossil based raw materials such as naphtha or natural gas. The “green polymer“ developed by Braskem – a high-density polyethylene, one of the resins most widely used in flexible packaging – is the result of a research and development project in which already around 5 million US$ have been invested. Part of this amount of money was allocated to implement an ethylene pilot unit using a high yield ethanol dehydration technology. This is the basis for the production of polyethylene at Braskem’s polymerization pilot plants, which are already producing sufficient quantities for commercial development of the product. One of the biggest advantages of this biopolymer production route is that it will be produced in the same polymerization plants as regular polyethylene. It can be transformed into a wide variety of final products, using the same machines that already exist at Braskem’s customers with no need to invest in new industrial equipment. The stable properties of the ethanol-based plastic and its high energy of combustion, like any other polyethylene, permit it to be fully recovered through mechanical or energy recovery recycling at the end of its useful life. All these aspects indicate a very favorable life cycle analysis for the whole system when compared to the traditional fossil oil based resins or with other biobased alternatives.

Materials

Brazil has many natural competitive advantages for the development and manufacture of products made from renewable raw materials. Its ethanol fuel program was started in 1975 and is totally based on the sugar cane crop. Since then, the alcohol productivity has been growing about 2.5% per year, from 3.3 m3/hectare to 6.9 m3/hectare. The total amount produced last season was 17.6 million m3 and the projections show that there will be an average growth of 9% during the next 8 years, when the current capacity will be doubled.

pected at the end of 2009. For this first unit Braskem is evaluating the production of some grades from its huge ethylene polymers portfolio, including high density, low density, linear low density, very low density and ultra high molecular weight grades. The plant will be located in Brazil in a place to be determined within the next few months. As the process requires 2.3 m3 of ethanol to make 1 metric ton of the new plastic, the ethanol consumption will be just a small proportion of the total Brazilian production capacity.

One main characteristic of the sugar cane crop is that it is able to fix a large quantity of carbon and its stalks can be harvested at least four times before they need to be replanted. The amount of lignocellulosic carbon in their leaves and fibres (the so called bagasse) is about twice the amount of sucrose carbon. This feature allows the ethanol process to be self-sufficient in biobased energy with a surplus of 20-30%, when burning just the bagasse. Additionally, a part of the leaves that can be recovered will supply an extra source of energy that can be used in the ethylene process and in the polymerization step of an integrated plant.

The company’s production of plastics from ethanol seeks to supply the main international markets that require products with superior performance and quality, in particular for the automotive, food packaging, cosmetics and personal hygiene industries. Braskem has contacted many leading brands in Brazil and around the world about the possibility of integrating the “green“ plastic into their product lines, enabling them to offer a modern product for the modern needs of millions of consumers.

Photo: Hannes Grobe (Wikipedia)

The project, with an annual productive capacity of 200,000 tonnes, is now under technical and economic specification process and the start up of the “green polyethylene“ production on an industrial scale is ex-

José Carlos Grubisich, Braskem´s CEO, said: “Braskem´s leadership in the green polyethylene project confirms our commitment to innovation and sustainable development and points to the extremely positive prospects for the development of plastic products made from renewable raw materials”.

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Applications

Trays made from sugarcane By Thomas Isenburg

he previous article is just one example that shows that there is considerable potential in growing sugarcane to extract the building block sugar – not only to produce ethanol – and to exploit the potential that can be found in the stalks and leaves – the bagasse. Natura Verpackungs GmbH from Rheine in Germany has focused its activities on this particular area. In addition to sugar, a large amount of bagasse, the biomass remaining after the stalks are crushed, is produced during the sugar refining process. Bagasse is used as energy source and also to produce paper, cardboard and packaging material due to its high cellulose content. According to Natura‘s sales director, Patrick Gerritsen, the company has been manufacturing sugarcane trays for some time. The sugarcane trays are not made from bioplastic, but rather from a pulp made of plant fibres. Therefore the stalks and leaves (the bagasse) are crushed and then the fibrous pulp is compression moulded into trays Being used as a substitute for polystyrene trays based on renewable raw materials, sugarcane trays are greenhouse gas neutral. When they are incinerated, the same amount of carbon dioxide is released as was absorbed by photosynthesis when the plant was growing. The product is fully biodegradable in accordance with the EN 13432 standard. The material breaks down completely within six to twelve weeks – even in home comosting. This means consumers can dispose of the product on their garden compost heap. Sugarcane trays are used mainly in packaging for fruit, vegetables, potatoes, meat products and industrial packaging. The material has many advantages: Unlike conventional plastic packaging, the trays are permeable to water vapour and oxygen. It has been observed that this considerably prolongs the shelf life of fruit. Sugarcane products retain their shape, which allows them to be processed more easily. Compared with products made from paper-pulp, they are considerably more waterproof and have a price advantage. Sugarcane trays are more expensive than polystyrene products, but this situation could change with rising oil prices. In order to service the growing market better, Natura has made a vertical backwards integration in the supply chain by co-operating with Earth Buddy in China. Earth Buddy is the world’s largest manufacturer of sugarcane products with all necessary certifications in place. There are plans to quadruple production in China within two years. The target is to produce one billion trays per year. Natura is developing its own machines, in order to satisfy customer requirements and, in view of the depletion of oil supplies, an even greater market potential is anticipated in the future. Furthermore Natura has established with Natura ASP in the UK, NaturaModiplast in Israel and Natura Iberia in Portugal and Spain a supplier network in Europe and the Middle East to serve their customers throughout all the seasons. Further subsidiaries in key areas will follow soon.

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Applications Universal Closures Limited, headquartered in Tewkesbury, UK, in collaboration with Plantic Technologies Limited from Altona (VIC) Australia, have developed a barrier closure with printed Plantic® liners.

New Closures for beverage Bottles with Printed Plantic Barrier Liners

niversal Closures’ new barrier closure is based on a three-component closure design – closure shell, barrier liner and closure liner are made from different materials with the barrier liner being made from Plantic®. The barrier liner is sandwiched between the closure liner and the closure shell, thereby providing enhanced gas barrier protection to the contents, and effective in-mold decoration. Barrier closures with Plantic barrier liners are a technological breakthrough in packaging, complementing the existing functional properties of barrier bottles which are currently used for applications where extended shelf-life is targeted. The new barrier closures facilitate CO2 retention, beneficial for carbonated drinks and prevent oxygen ingress which can cause certain products such as sauces, preserved fruits, juices and beer to degrade. Plantic barrier liners are made from non-genetically modified renewable resources – high amylose corn starch. They are high resolution printable and excellent gas, taint and odor barriers. They are also anti-static , sealable and laser etchable. The barrier liners are dis-

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

Applications

persible and biodegradable in water, and therefore comply with European draft standards. Plantic materials are certified with AIB-Vincotte’s “OK Biodegradable Water” conformity mark. The new barrier liners allow for efficient in-mold decoration, enabling high resolution printing of promotional and branding images. This presents many commercial benefits for Plantic Technologies, as the gas barrier materials it seeks to replace for this application do not possess high resolution printing capabilities. Mr. Rod Druitt, Managing Director of Universal Closures said, “The combination of factors such as excellent gas barrier properties, efficient in-mold decoration and high resolution printability present an innovative offering to global food and beverage industries that is differentiated from current barrier closure systems.”

Amylose molecule

Additionally, Plantic barrier liners offer a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to established barrier liners. Currently the recycling and recovery rates of PET – particularly PET bottles – are the highest of any other plastic. Some European countries boast a 60-70% recovery rate of PET bottles1. Since recycled PET is repeatedly used to make new bottles and fibres, keeping the PET recycling stream clean is of paramount importance. This requirement restricts the use of EVOH barrier closures because they contaminate the recycling stream with “black specks”. The new barrier liners, however, produce flakes in the recovery process which disperse and simply “wash away”, allowing for uncontaminated PET recycling. In commenting, Plantic’s Innovation Manager, Dr. Frank Glatz said, “The market potential for these barrier closures is significant. Through our strategic alliance with Universal Closures, Plantic has been able to offer an innovative product to the food and beverage industries. This innovation demonstrates our commitment to offering end users key functional benefits in using sustainable Plantic packaging material.”

1 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2006) Improving Recycling Markets, OECD Publishing, p. 124.

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www.plantic.com.au www.universalclosures.com

Politics

Overview of the Current Biopolymers Market Situation

n the late eighties and early nineties new biopolymers on the basis of starch or polyhydroxyalkanoates produced by fermentation were first introduced onto the market. Despite initial enthusiasm and favourable predictions this first generation of biodegradable biopolymers was not able to establish itself commercially. This could at least partially be attributed to the material properties, some of which were not yet fully developed, but also to unfavourable political and commercial conditions, and to the fact that there was simply not enough ecological pressure on the decision makers in politics and industry to respond to unfavourable conditions at that time. A strong increase in the research and development of biopolymers was prompted by important developments in recent years, most of all by changing political conditions, a rising awareness of the limitation of petrochemical resources and soaring prices for raw materials, and of course by a growing ecological awareness among the general public, politics, industry and consumers. These second generation biopolymers currently established on the market are comparable to petrochemically-produced commodity plastics as far as their manufacture, processing and utilisation properties are concerned. Rising oil prices and ecologically motivated political support have been leading to price advantages for biopolymers, especially with regard to raw materials and disposal. Consequently, the remaining economic disadvantages due to limited production capacity can be compensated and biopolymers are becoming more and more competitive compared to conventional plastics, especially in the packaging industry. Meanwhile, the production of some of these second generation biopolymers has reached an industrial scale (Table 1).

Article contributed by: Hans-Josef Endres, Andrea Siebert, Yordanka Kaneva*, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hanover, Germany Department of Bio Process Engineering

*Supported by the German DBU (German Foundation for the Environment)

Table 1: Current stage of development (2007) of thermoplastic biopolymers

At the same time efforts are being made to retain the conventional processing methods used for petrochemical polymers, applying them to natural raw materials, e.g., bio-based alcohol for synthesis of polyethylene (Bio-PE) and polyamides (Bio-PA) or polyurethanes (Bio-PUR)

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

Politics 1.500

Capacity [1000t/a]

Petrochemical raw material base

1.250

110

Petrochemical additives/Blend components

368

Renewable raw material base

1.000 750 901 500

44 81 189

250 0

2000

2007

2010

Table 2: Dynamic progress of manufacturing capacities of biodegradable, thermoplastic polymers (2000 – 2007 – 2010)

Others

Water soluble/degradable PVAL

Degradable Polyesters

Degradable Celluloseesters

100

PLA/Polyester-Blends

150

Polyhydroxyalkanoates

200

Degradable Polyesters

250

Polycaprolactones

300

Caoacity 2010

Cellulose regenerates

350

Capacity 2007

PLA/Polyester-Blends

Capacity [1000t/a]

400

Polylactides (PLA)

450

Starch/Starch-Blends

500

Table 3: Availability of materials 2007 and expected potential 2010

Polylactides (PLA)

Polyhydroxyalkanoates

Others

Cellulose regenerates

Degradable Celluloseesters

Starch/Starch-Blends

Types

Polycaprolactones

Producers

Water soluble/degradable PVAL

Table 4: Overview of the numbers of commercial material types and producers 100 Starch/Starch-Blends Cellulose regenerates Polylactides (PLA) PLA/Polyester-Blends Polycaprolactones Degradable Polyesters Others Water soluble/degradable PVAL Polyhydroxyalkanoates Degradable Celluloseesters

Capacity [1000t/a]

80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

USA

West Europe

Asien

Australien

Table 5: Main production countries of thermoplastic biopolymers

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

Manufacturing capacities have grown significantly in recent years due to the rapidly increasing market demand. As of August 2007, the worldwide annual capacity for biodegradable polymer materials adds up to 315,000 tonnes. (Source: own investigations, personal communication, manufacturers‘ information, European Bioplastics). Based on statements by different raw material suppliers capacities are expected to reach approximately 1,400,000 tonnes by 2010 (Table 2). To get a precise picture and to avoid double counting, those fractions of biopolymers that are simply blended with other components to form “new” biopolymers would have to be subtracted. Therefore, the actual availability as shown in table 2 is somewhat less than generally published. It is difficult however to present exact data because the particular amounts of production and composition of material types are not revealed. Basically, both renewable and petrochemical raw materials, especially petrochemically-based additives, are used in so-called natural-based biopolymer blends. Because the percentage of these additives and of the petrochemical blend components is not exactly known, as mentioned before, it could not be separated from the biopolymers blends that are based on renewable resources. Therefore, based on careful estimates, 30% by weight of the natural-based biopolymers blends were assigned to the petrochemical raw materials (light blue area in table 2). Hence the real percentage of renewable raw materials for production of biopolymers is less than generally assumed. It should be noted that this paper only deals with those partially biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol (PVAL) and cellulose acetate (CA) materials that are used explicitly as biodegradable materials. Also, only those cellulosic materials are considered, which are known to be used explicitly as biodegradable films in the packaging industry. Not considered in this paper are other cellulosic applications and in particular cellulosic fibres as used in, for instance, textile applications.

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Week 1

Week 2

The general availability of the biopolymers can be divided into different material types. The most important are starch, polylactide (PLA) and polyester polymers, plus blends made out of these. Table 3 shows the different currently available types of biopolymer materials (including blends), and their potential by 2010. From an application viewpoint there is a significant diversity in the number of currently commercially available material types and the number of manufacturers (Table 4). Based on a detailed investigation it can be established that there are 26 commercial producers of biopolymers. In addition many more companies and research entities are currently active at the R&D level and/or operate on the Asian market only. Altogether, approximately 60 companies are currently known to be active in the field of biopolymers.

Week 3

Week 4

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The most important countries producing biodegrad1-800-4-CORTEC St. Paul, MN 55110 USA able, thermoplastic biopolymers on an industrial level © Cortec Corporation 2006 include the USA, Western Europe, the Far East and Australia (Table 5). Various countries have their own priorities concerning the material types. This may be EcoWorks BioPlastic.indd 1 attributed to their particular R&D history, the local availability of raw materials or simply the company location.

From thick rigid plastic cards to flexible protective wrap, EcoWorks® 70 by Cortec® Research Chemists offers universal, biodegradable replacement to traditional plastic and polyethylene films. This patent pending breakthrough meets ASTM D6400 and DIN V 54 900. EcoWorks® 70 does not contain polyethylene or starch but relies heavily on renewable, bio-based polyester from corn. 100% biodegradable, it turns into water and carbon dioxide in commercial composting.

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Looking at the future, there is reason to assume that the market for biopolymers will continue to expand rapidly and undergo further changes in the coming years. While the second generation of biopolymers was developed almost exclusively for use as biodegradable packaging, a third generation will be developed for application in other fields, e.g., the automotive industry, consumer electronics, textiles or building, etc. Beside the utilisation of renewable raw materials and their different end of life options additional new technical questions will have to be addressed, including heat deflection, fogging, colouring, impact behaviour, UV-stabilisation etc. And finally the search for new biopolymer additives and refined manufacturing technologies will continue. The project on which this paper is based (see bioplastics MAGAZINE 01/2007 p. 12) is carried out in cooperation with M-Base, Aachen, Germany and supported by the German BMELV (German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection), represented by FNR (Professional Agency for Renewable Resources).

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

Basics

PHA Bioplastics and how they’re made Article contributed by Daniel Gilliland, Business Development Director of Telles, the joint venture between Metabolix and Archer Daniels Midland, Cambridge, MA, USA

Figure 3, Mirel is formed into numerous items in a variety of conversion processes

Years ago, scientists noticed that micro-organisms utilized a different “nutrient buffer” system than humans did. Instead of storing fat in their cells like we humans do, they stored a naturally occurring plastic in their cells, polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). This interesting material was discovered in the 1920s and has been vigorously investigated for the past 30 to 40 years in attempts to understand it and to commercially exploit its potential. Most recently, companies have begun using this material as a substitute for traditional plastic derived from petroleum or fossil fuel. Clearly, much has changed in the past 80 years and this paper will try to explain, in layman’s terms, how PHA like Mirel is made today and the environmental impact it can make on the world. PHA is really a family of polymers. The polymers differ from one another by the nature of the pendant groups or side chains attached to the polymer. Large pendant groups tend to break up crystalinity and form more rubber like properties with lower melting points and low glass transition temperatures (Tg). Polyhydroxyoctanoate (PHO) is one such material. Short chain pendant groups such as polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) are more highly crystalline with higher melting points and higher Tg. This results in higher melting points, higher levels of stiffness and higher heat distortion temperatures. Methods for making these various types of PHAs are becoming well understood due to the intense effort by scientists at assessing metabolic pathways. Scientists can use different micro-organisms and different feed stocks to create a cellular factory that efficiently produces the right polymer. A variety of naturally occurring, renewable feed stocks ranging from glucose, dextrose, fatty acids, and vegetable oils can be used, depending upon the type of PHA desired. Figure 1 shows a microphotograph of PHA accumulating in cells of a microbe. The PHA is the large white nodules. This particular microbe grows to over 80% plastic in just a few hours! For those wishing a detailed understanding of the cellular biology and enzyme pathways to the various PHAs, please see Oliver People’s article in Chemtec1. Now that the biology discussion is over, we can talk about why these PHAs are good for us. To understand the impact of PHA on us, we need to understand society’s needs for plastics. First, society has come to rely upon plastic for its many advantages over more traditional materials like paper, steel, aluminum: keeping food safe, protecting products in shipping, replacing heavy materials, etc. Secondly, responsible consumers want the plastic to be easy to dispose of at the end of its usefulness or to not persist in the environment. Third we would like plastic that does not create harm-

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

Basics Figure 1, microscopic thin section of microbes with white nodules of PHA. The microbe is 80% plastic, just prior to recovery.

Figure 2, parts made of Mirel before and after 60 days submersion in the ocean.

1: Chemtec, Biodegradable Plastics from plants, 1996, 38-44, Oliver Peoples et al 2: American Chemical Society, ACS Symposium Series 939 June 2006, Ramani Narayan

ful emissions, such as greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, during its manufacturing and disposal. Finally, we want plastic that minimizes the use of “non-renewable” resources like fossil fuels. Before we discuss the functionality of PHA, we should summarize the environmental aspects:  They can reduce greenhouse gases: since PHAs are made from renewable resources, they can be produced and used in ways that can actually remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, not just reduce emissions! In most end of life scenarios, use of the right PHA instead of a fossil based plastic will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% to 100%. For a more complete discussion of the carbon cycle, please read Ramani Narayan’s treatise2 on the subject. It is important to understand the life cycle assessment of both the process used to make PHA and the usage of the material to understand its true impact on greenhouse gases. Early processes used to make PHA were energy intensive and released significant amounts of greenhouse gases, but new processes have superseded them, resulting in breakthroughs that make PHA economically and environmentally viable.  PHAs will quickly return to nature at the end of their usefulness: since PHAs are made by the “cousins” of naturally occurring microbes found broadly in nature, and since these cousins already have the enzymes required to digest PHA, they will be digested and returned to nature in virtually any environment supporting a healthy microbial population such as soil, lakes, rivers, oceans, home and industrial composting systems. Figure 2 shows samples of Mirel bioplastic, made from PHA, before and after 60 days submersion in the ocean. Though these Mirel bioplastics quickly return to nature, they are durable in use.

 PHAs can considerably reduce fossil energy usage. Depending upon how they are manufactured, PHAs can significantly reduce the amount of fossil energy used to produce them compared to the traditional plastic they replace. Mirel Bioplastics reduce fossil energy usage by over 90% in some applications. The future seems even brighter, since this remaining fossil energy is used to harvest the feed stocks, and much of this fossil energy can and probably will be converted to renewable fuels in the future. Mirel bioplastic is a family of PHA resins that can replace fossil fuel based plastics in a growing variety of applications. There are various grades of Mirel being developed. Some have “film like” properties with the look and feel of low density polyethylene. Other grades perform more like polystyrene or polypropylene in injection molded applications such as soil stabilization stakes, caps and closures, food containers or cosmetic cases. Grades have been developed for coating paper board to replace polyethylene in cups and food containers and still other grades for sheet used in thermoforming applications such as storage containers, lids, and other food service items. Future grades are being developed for foam and fiber applications replacing polystyrene and polyester. Figure 3 depicts some common applications under development. Beyond the production of PHA in microbial bio-factories, research is continuing to find ways to make PHA commercially viable using waste products as feed stock or by growing the plastic in sugar cane or in non food crops such as switch grass. Although these potential pathways are most likely years from commercialization, they demonstrate the variety and environmental potential some of the production methods for this new family of plastics.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

Basics

Industrial O Composting: An Introduction Article contributed by Bruno De Wilde, Organic Waste Systems n.v., Gent, Belgium

Biofilter (Photo: OWS)

Industrial composting – Curing phase (Photo:VLACO vzw, Belgium)

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

ne of the major advantages of many bioplastics is the fact these are compostable. To support this claim one can use the European EN 13432 or American ASTM D.6400 standards. Yet these norms specifically refer to industrial composting which is just one, albeit the most important, option for biological (solid) waste treatment. Other options include home composting and biogasification. Industrial composting refers to centralised composting facilities where large amounts of biological waste, collected from many sources, are treated. The technological level can be rather different from one plant to another but they all have in common the fact that large volumes are treated and hence high operating temperatures can be maintained. Home or backyard composting refers to composting at (individual) household level. In contrast to composting in which oxygen plays an important role in the degradation of waste and which is therefore called “aerobic” biodegradation (aerobic = in the presence of oxygen), biogasification is a biological waste treatment system in the absence of oxygen, called “anaerobic” biodegradation. All these systems are “bio-inspired”, as in nature waste is also degraded either aerobically (e.g. in surface waters or on soil), or anaerobically (e.g. at the bottom of rivers and lakes where oxygen is depleted). Microorganisms consisting of bacteria and, in the case of aerobic conditions also fungi and actinomycetes (a kind of filamentous bacteria), will degrade waste (e.g. leaves of trees, dead animals, and other biomass) and convert it partially into new micro-organisms and humus but mainly into CO2 and water, and in the case of anaerobic conditions also into methane (CH4). Under aerobic conditions the biodegradation process will also release a certain amount of energy in the form of heat, which is mostly dispersed immediately and hence not measurable. However, when large quantities of biowaste are aerobically degrading (e.g. as in industrial composting) significant temperature increases can be measured. Under anaerobic conditions the energy is released in the form of methane and much less heat is generated. As methane can be used as a fuel for heating or for electricity production, biowaste in such cases is converted not only to compost but also to (useful) energy.

Basics

Home composting (Photo: OWS)

Composting of municipal solid waste (MSW) is not really new. In the 1960s for example several composting plants were built for the treatment of mixed MSW. Yet this was never really successful as landfill was much cheaper and the compost produced was of inferior quality. Later, in the 1970s, several mass-burn incinerators were also built, offering another relatively cheap option for waste treatment. Only in the 1980s after some heavily publicised dioxin scandals which caused massburning to become very unpopular, was composting reconsidered. Nevertheless, it quickly became apparent that high-quality compost was an essential prerequisite and that this could only be obtained by source-separated waste collection - clean feedstock going in, clean product coming out. In areas of several countries (The Netherlands, Germany, etc.) biowaste was collected separately and composted to produce a high-quality compost. Biowaste was defined as kitchen and garden waste which comes directly from natural origin (“biogenic”). Anything “man-made” was forbidden in order not to compromise the quality of the compost. As mentioned already, the technology of industrial composting systems is quite variable. At the low-tech end windrow systems are being used in which the waste is aerated by placing it in long heaps to facilitate air diffusion into the waste. These windrows can be turned with different types of turning machines at different frequencies, again to promote aeration and accelerate degradation. Nowadays windrow systems are mainly used for garden waste. For biowaste, which includes also kitchen waste, more advanced systems are being used in order to avoid problems with odour and vermin. They mostly include an initial phase of some weeks of intensive forced aeration which is done either in “bay” or table systems, tunnels or containers. Afterwards this is followed by a maturing or curing phase in which the “semi-ripe“ compost is further gently aerated, either forced or by diffusion. In all systems a screening step is also included, which can be at the beginning, at an advanced stage or at the end, and which serves to

Biogasification plant, Brecht (Belgium) (Photo: OWS)

retrieve non-compostable contaminants as well as objects too big to compost in a given time frame such as branches of wood. The goal is to obtain a nice, crumbly homogeneous compost. Because of the large quantities of waste, high temperatures are achieved (60-65°C) which are also needed to kill off pathogens in the waste. On the other hand, temperatures of 55-65°C as well as a relative humidity of almost 100% are needed for the population of micro-organisms to live and grow and do an efficient “bio-conversion job”. The consequences of adding bioplastics to biowaste and industrial composting include a potential threat but also some significant benefits. The major threat is obviously a decrease of the feedstock quality. It should be ascertained that only truly compostable materials are coming in, and not visually similar but non-compostable plastics or packaging. Hence, the importance of the communication aspect and the different compostability logo systems. Some composting systems might also need to be slightly technically modified (most often shifting the screening step in the process from the beginning or an intermediate stage to the end). The first benefit lies in a higher volume to be composted and hence higher income for the composting plant. In some cases the use of bioplastics will have a kind of snowball effect and convert larger volumes of waste from non-compostable into compostable (e.g. catering waste). On a more technical level the addition of bioplastics will increase and improve the C/N (carbon/ nitrogen) ratio of the biowaste leading to easier odour control (less ammonia production). Also the density of the biowaste will be decreased making aeration easier and more efficient and decreasing the need for the addition of structural material and energy input for aeration. Industrial composting plants are able to cope with large volumes of bioplastics as long as they are well mixed with other material such as kitchen and yard waste. As for all living organisms a balanced and varied diet is needed to stay healthy!

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

Basics

A certain number of products made from bioplastics are already on the market. Almost all of them are labelled with some kind of a logo that tells the consumer about the special character of the plastic material used. In this series of articles these logos and their background are introduced by bioplasticsMAGAZINE. Here we will address such questions as: What is the origin and history of a logo? What does it mean? Which type of legislation or regulation is it concerned with?

Logos Part 5: s

vil

ng nti e Pri xtil Te

g Bags

Shoppin

Foo d

War e

od Go ily Da

cate of reliable, eco-friendly products which can utilize biodegradability as one of the main product performances. The GreenPla Identification and labelling system is based on  A positive list system for all components of the products  Biodegradability specification based on Japanese and international standard analytical methods  A safety certificate for all components and no hazardous effect to the soil even after biodegradation

Registered products in the GreenPla logo system

The utilization of biodegradable plastics is one of the key issues to promote the establishment of a sustainably based society and JBPA has been making various efforts to promote the popularization and the business development of biodegradable plastic products. Most of the products made from biodegradable plastics look like their counterparts made from conventional plastics. And clear differentiation and recognition by everybody is most required to encourage the popularization of biodegradable plastics. The special properties of biodegradability can be displayed and be recognized by the presence of the “GreenPla“ logo on the products itself or the package of the products.

The distribution of registered products is shown in the pie chart.

JBPA has been operating the GreenPla identification and labelling system for more than seven years and the number of registered GreenPla products now exceeds 800.

To proceed with global harmonization JBPA (formerly BPS) established a co-operation with BPI (USA) and DIN CERTCO (EU) in 2001 and with BMG (China) in 2004. JBPA will continue to establish co-operation with other Asian countries.

Especially in agricultural and horticultural use and civil engineering, the GreenPla logo is recognized as the certifi-

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ary

GreenPla as described here means a substance or a product consisting of biodegradable organic components that may be degraded by microorganisms in a natural environment and may finally be decomposed to carbon dioxide and water.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

Besides the products for which biodegradability is a key requirement, such as films for agricultural use or waste bag applications, about two thirds of the registered products are general packaging, stationery and broad general applications which are recognized as environmentally friendly even at the waste stage, as they can be finally bio-recycled to carbon dioxide and water and will not leave permanent plastic waste in the natural environment.

Global harmonization

www.jbpaweb.net

in Packag

tion

38%

17%

Agricultural

“GreenPla” logo of the Japan BioPlastics Association (JBPA) n Japan biodegradable plastics are called „GreenPla“, and there is a GreenPla Identification and Labelling System established in June 2000 by the JBPA (formerly BPS) to distinguish biodegradable plastics from ordinary plastics. Plastic products that meet certification standards for product composition, biodegradability, environmental safety, etc., will be certified as GreenPla products.

11%

Sta

GreenPla Logo & Labelling System

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Opinion

Article contributed by Gaëlle Janssens, Prevention & R&D Manager FOST Plus, Brussels, Belgium

Careful use of terms like “Biodegradable and compostable”

ssens Gaëlle Jan

n the world of packaging, bioplastics are one of the most exiting innovations. The consumers seem motivated for “greener“ shopping and like the idea of biopackaging… . But they are very confused: in a recent consumer survey in Belgium, to the question “what is a biopackaging?”, the majority would answer “a packaging that is better for the environment”. A quite broad concept. When prompted further, most consumers (62%) are driven by motivations related to renewable resources– reduce CO2 emissions, promote local agriculture and use renewable resources. But even though it may have nothing to do with it, the word used by the consumers, as well as the by industry, to name a renewable resource based packaging is ‘biodegradable packaging’. The big problem with the word biodegradable is that it may lead to problems of litter: 27% of the consumers agree that “you can throw away biodegradable packaging into the environment and it will disappear without any human help”. It is interesting to note that, to avoid this problem, Belgian law will forbid the use of the term ‘biodegradable’ on packaging. An interesting suggestion for the rest of Europe or even for all of the countries in the world? Another problem is that a ‘biodegradable’ packaging supposes an end-of-life treatment, which is, for most of the people, obviously compost. This is not a problem for home compostable packaging, except for the understanding of the logo: for 73% of the consumers, a ‘compostable’ logo means they may dispose of the packaging in their garden compost… and they will still see it 2 years later! Let’s change the logo to avoid confusion and use ‘compostable’ only for ‘home compostable’

and ‘industrially compostable’ for packaging that needs a high degradation temperature, moisture and certain microorganisms. Regarding industrially compostable packaging, only very few consumers worldwide have access to organic waste collection and, when they do have access, packaging is generally not welcome (risk of pollution with conventional plastic and strict norms). As green consumers watch very closely the claims of green marketing, the risk of negative publicity is very high if ‘compostable’ is used without any composting solution. By the way, the composting property may be very interesting in some industrial applications, where communication to the consumer is not needed – tomato clips, organic waste from distributors, medical ties,… The option of incineration is considered by more and more producers as the most ecological solution as it produces energy, but the infrastructure has to exist locally. Landfill doesn’t meet the composting condition in terms of oxygen, humidity and micro-organisms. As we can see, the end-of-life treatment is certainly not so obvious! So, as long as no industrial composting solution exists for the majority of citizens, and as long as compost is not proved to be the best local end-of-life treatment for packaging, we should communicate about compostability only in the case of home compostable packaging and concentrate communication on renewable resources, which is tomorrow’s biggest issue. Therefore, the industry should develop a new, recognized certification and an easily marketable name. www.fostplus.be

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

Basics Glossary

Glossary In bioplastics MAGAZINE again and again the same expressions appear that some of our readers might (not yet) be familiar with. This glossary shall help with these terms and shall help avoid repeated explanations such as „PLA (Polylactide)“ in various articles.

Amylopectin Polymeric branched starch molecule with very high molecular weight (biopolymer, monomer is à Glucose).

Amylose Polymeric non-branched starch molecule with high molecular weight (biopolymer, monomer is à Glucose).

Biodegradable Plastics Biodegradable Plastics are plastics that are completely assimilated by the à microorganisms present a defined environment as food for their energy. The carbon of the plastic must completely be converted into CO2.during the microbial process. For an official definition, please refer to the standards e.g. ISO or in Europe: EN 14995 PlasticsEvaluation of compostability - Test scheme and specifications. [bM* 02/2006 p. 34f, bM 01/2007 p38].

Blend Mixture of plastics, polymer alloy of at least two microscopically dispersed and molecularly distributed base polymers.

Cellophane Clear film on the basis of à cellulose.

Cellulose Polymeric molecule with very high molecular weight (biopolymer, monomer is à Glucose), industrial production from wood or cotton, to manufacture paper, plastics and fibres.

Compost A soil conditioning material of decomposing organic matter which provides nutrients and enhances soil structure.

Compostable Plastics

Readers who know better explanations or who would like to suggest other explanations to be added to the list, please contact the editor. Explanantions we are currenty looking for are for example “organic“ or “renewable“ [*: bM ... refers to more comprehensive article previously published in bioplastics MAGAZINE)

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

Plastics that are biodegradable under “composting“ conditions: specified humidity, temperature, à microorganisms and timefame. Several national and international standards exist for clearer definitions, for example EN 14995 Plastics - Evaluation of compostability - Test scheme and specifications [bM 02/2006 p. 34f, bM 01/2007 p38].

Composting A solid waste management technique that uses natural process to convert organic materials to CO2, water and humus through the action of à microorganisms.

Basics Glossary

Copolymer Plastic composed of different monomers.

Fermentation Biochemical reactions controlled by à microorganisms or enyzmes (e.g. the transformation of sugar into lactic acid).

Gelatine Translucent brittle solid substance, colorless or slightly yellow, nearly tasteless and odorless, extracted from the collagen inside animals‘ connective tissue.

Glucose Monosaccharide (or simple sugar). G. is the most important carbohydrate (sugar) in biology. G. is formed by photosyntheses or hydrolysis of many carbohydrates e.g. starch.

Humus In agriculture, “humus“ is often used simply to mean mature à compost, or natural compost extracted from a forest or other spontaneous source for use to amend soil.

PHB Polyhydroxyl buteric acid (better poly-3-hydroxybutyrate), is a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a polymer belonging to the polyesters class. PHB is produced by micro-organisms apparently in response to conditions of physiological stress. The polymer is primarily a product of carbon assimilation (from glucose or starch) and is employed by micro-organisms as a form of energy storage molecule to be metabolized when other common energy sources are not available. PHB has properties similar to those of PP, however it is stiffer and more brittle.

PLA Polylactide, a bioplastic made of polymerised lactic acid.

Sorbitol Sugar alcohol, obtained by reduction of glucose changing the aldehyde group to an additional hydroxyl group. S. is used as a plasticiser for bioplastics based on starch .

Starch Natural polymer (carbohydrate) consisting of à amylose and à amylopectin, gained from maize, potatoes, heat, tapioca etc.

Hydrophilic

Sustainable

Property: “water-friendly“, soluble in water or other polar solvents (e.g. used in conjunction with a plastic which is not waterresistant and weatherproof or that absorbs water such as Polyamide (PA)).

An attempt to provide the best outcomes for the human and natural environments both now and into the indefinite future. One of the most often cited definitions of sustainability is the one created by the Brundtland Commission, led by the former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development as development that „meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.“ Sustainability relates to the continuity of economic, social, institutional and environmental aspects of human society, as well as the non-human environment).

Hydrophobic Property: “water-resistant“, not soluble in water (e.g. a plastic which is waterresistant and weatherproof, or that does not absorb any water such as Polethylene (PE) or Polypropylene (PP)).

Microorganism Living organisms of microscopic size, such as bacteria, funghi or yeast.

PCL Polycaprolactone, a synthetic (fossil based), biodegradable bioplastic, e.g. used as a blend component.

PHA

Thermoplastics Plastics which soften or melt when heated and solidify when cooled (solid at room temperature).

Yard Waste Grass clippings, leaves, trimmings, garden residue.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates are linear polyesters produced in nature by bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids. The most common type of PHA is à PHB.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

Suppliers Guide

Simply contact:

Tel.: +49-2359-2996-0 or suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com

Stay permanently listed in the Suppliers Guide with your company logo and contact information. For only 6,– EUR per mm, per issue you can be present among top suppliers in the field of bioplastics.

1. Raw Materials

1.3 PLA

1.1 bio based monomers Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH Holzhauser Str. 157 - 159 13509 Berlin Germany Du Pont de Nemours International S.A. Tel.: +49 (0)30 43567 5 2, Chemin du Pavillon, PO Box 50 fax: +49 (0)30 43567 699 CH 1218 Le Grand Saconnex, sales.de@thyssenkrupp.com Geneva, Switzerland www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com Phone: + 41(0) 22 717 5176 Fax: + 41(0) 22 580 2360 1.4 starch-based bioplastics thomas.philipon@che.dupont.com www.packaging.dupont.com 1.2 compounds

R.O.J. Jongboom Holding B.V. Biopearls Damstraat 28 6671 AE Zetten The Netherlands Tel.: +31 488 451318 Mob: +31 646104345 info@biopearls.nl www.biopearls.nl

BIOTEC Biologische Naturverpackungen GmbH & Co. KG Werner-Heisenberg-Straße 32 46446 Emmerich Germany Tel.: +49 2822 92510 Fax: +49 2822 51840 info@biotec.de www.biotec.de

Plantic Technologies Limited Im Tanzbühl 15 BIOTEC Biologische 77833 Ottersweier Naturverpackungen GmbH & Co. KG Germany Werner-Heisenberg-Straße 32 Tel.: +49 657 195 1248 46446 Emmerich Tel.: +44 794 096 4681 (UK) Germany Fax: +49 657 195 1249 Tel.: +49 2822 92510 info@plantic.eu Fax: +49 2822 51840 www.plantic.eu info@biotec.de www.biotec.de 1.5 PHA

1.7 reinforcing fibres/fillers made from RRM 2. Additives / Secondary raw materials

natura Verpackungs GmbH Industriestr. 55 - 57 48432 Rheine Tel.: +49 5975 303-57 Du Pont de Nemours International S.A. Fax: +49 5975 303-42 2, Chemin du Pavillon, PO Box 50 info@naturapackaging.com CH 1218 Le Grand Saconnex, www.naturapackagign.com Geneva, Switzerland Phone: + 41(0) 22 717 5176 Fax: + 41(0) 22 580 2360 thomas.philipon@che.dupont.com www.packaging.dupont.com Veriplast Holland BV Stadhoudersmolenweg 70 3. Semi finished products NL - 7317 AW Apeldoorn www.veripure.eu 3.1 films Info@veripure.eu 4.1 trays Maag GmbH Leckingser Straße 12 58640 Iserlohn Germany Tel.: + 49 2371 9779-30 Fax: + 49 2371 9779-97 shonke@maag.de www.maag.de

Treofan Germany GmbH & Co. KG Am Prime Parc 17 65479 Raunheim Tel +49 6142 200-0 Fax +49 6142 200-3299 www.biophanfilms.com

1.6 masterbatches

FKuR Kunststoff GmbH Siemensring 79 D - 47 877 Willich Tel.: +49 (0) 2154 9251-26 Tel.: +49 (0) 2154 9251-51 patrick.zimmermann@fkur.de www.fkur.de

Transmare Compounding B.V. Ringweg 7, 6045 JL Roermond, The Netherlands Phone: +31 (0)475 345 900 Fax: +31 (0)475 345 910 info@transmare.nl www.compounding.nl

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

PolyOne Avenue Melville Wilson, 2 Zoning de la Fagne 5330 Assesse Belgium Tel.: + 32 83 660 211 info.color@polyone.com www.polyone.com

Sukano Products Ltd. Chaltenbodenstrasse 23 CH-8834 Schindellegi Phone +41 44 787 57 77 Fax +41 44 787 57 78 www.sukano.com

4. Bioplastics products

www.earthfirstpla.com www.sidaplax.com www.plasticsuppliers.com Sidaplax UK : +44 (1) 604 76 66 99 Sidaplax Belgium: +32 9 210 80 10 Plastic Suppliers: 1 866 378 4178 3.1.1 cellulose based films

INNOVIA FILMS LTD Wigton Cumbria CA7 9BG England Contact: Andy Sweetman Tel.: +44 16973 41549 Fax: +44 16973 41452 andy.sweetman@innoviafilms.com www.innoviafilms.com

5. Traders 5.1 wholesale 6. Machinery & Molds

Molds, Change Parts and Turnkey Solutions for the PET/Bioplastic Container Industry 284 Pinebush Road Cambridge Ontario Canada N1T 1Z6 Tel.: 001 519 624 9720 Fax: 001 519 624 9721 info@hallink.com www.hallink.com

SIG CORPOPLAST GMBH & CO.KG Meiendorfer Str. 203 22145 Hamburg, Germany Tel. 0049-40-679-070 Fax 0049-40-679-07270 sigcorpoplast@sig.biz www.sigcorpoplast.com 7 Ancillary equipment 8. Services 9. Research institutes / Universities

Internet survey

Potential of bioplastics In the last issue we published the results of an internet poll carried out by the German internet portal „plasticker“. As this was a „German only“ poll asked to the whole plastics industry, we promised to expand that survey globally to all ouf our readers and visitors to our website. Below you see the result of „our“ poll. Obviously our readers are more optimistic. 67% think that bioplastics will play a big role in many application areas (56% in the german survey) and even 9% (6%) believe that they will substitute most of todays commodity plastics.

4 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

A) They will substitute most of today‘s commodity plastics B) They will play a major role in many application areas C) They will remain niche products D) The hype, and with it the materials, will disappear

50%

60%

70%

Companies in this issue Company A. Schulman

Editorial 12

Advert

AIB Vincotte

Maag

Amcor

8, 17, 18

Metabolix

13,34

Archer Daniels Midland

13,34

Mondi Packaging

BASF

natura

17,28

Beta Analytics

Naturally Iowa

Bio-On

NatureWorks

10, 11, 22

Biomer

Netstal

Company M-Base

Editorial 12,33

Advert 42

42, 47

biopearls

23,42

Nova Institut

bioplastics24.com

Novamont

11, 14, 17, 18

Biotec

21,42

OWS Organic Waste Systems

BMELV

Paragon Flexibles

BMG

Peter Holland

Bodin Industries

Plantic

17,29

BPI

Plastic Suppliers

Braskem

15,26

plasticker

Clariant

PolyOne

6, 11, 15

Coca-Cola

Purac

Colormatrix

Roll-o-Matic

Coopbox Italia

Safiplast

Sainsbury‘s

Cortec

42, 43

DBU Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt

Sidaplax

DINCertco

SIG Corpoplast

DuPont

SIG Plasmax

Earth Buddy

Silita

European Bioplastics

Sirap Gema

European Plastics News

Sukano

5,13

Fachhochschule Hannover

12,31

Tate & Lyle

Faserinstitut Bremen

Telles

13,34

Finiper

Telrod

FkuR

Tianan Biologic

FNR

Transmare

FOST Plus

Treofan

Fraunhofer UMSICHT

TU Clausthal

german bioplastics

Uhde Inventa Fischer

Good Water

Universal Closure

Grafe

University of Reggio Emilia

University of Rome

22 22

Hallink

9,42

Husky

Univesity of Naples

Ihr Platz

Veriplast

Innovia

17,18

JBPA Japan BioPlastics Assiciation Livan

42, 43 42

7,42

VLACO

Wentus

Wiedmer

Next Issue

ISSN 1862-5258

03 | 2007 rial Focus:

Special edito Films, trays

Next issues:

Bags

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

review: K‘2007

Logos part 6

different conferences

04/07 01/08 02/08 03/08 04/08

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

December 2007 January 2008 March 2008 April 2008 June 2008

MAGAZINE

Events:

bioplastics

Special: Basics:

Vol. 2

For the next issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE (among others) the following subjects are scheduled:

K‘2007 preview

| 13

posting | 36 Industrial Com | 38 Logos, Part 5

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Events

Event-Calendar

October 17-18, 2007 Renewable Raw Materials for Industry: Contribution to Sustainable Chemistry Thon Hotel Bruxelles City (former Tulip Inn), Brussels, Belgium www.greentech.eu

October 17-19, 2007 BioEnvironmental Polymer Society 14th Annual Meeting INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON POLYMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE Hilton Vancouver Hotel, Vancouver, Washington Call for Papers: gmg@pw.usda.gov

October 24-31, 2007 K‘2007, International Trade Fair No 1 for Plastic and Rubber Worldwide Düsseldorf, Germany www.k-online.de

Come and see us at K’2007. bioplastics MAGAZINE would be happy to welcome you in hall 7, booth 7C09. November 21-22, 2007 2nd European Bioplastics 2007 Convention Centre Newport Bay Club Disneyland Paris, France http://conference.european-bioplastics.org

November 29-30, 2007 InterTech Pira: Bioresins 2007 Doubletree Guest Suites Atlanta / Galleria - Atlanta, Georgia USA www.intertechpira.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/07] Vol. 2

December 4-5, 2007 Zweiter Deutscher WPC-Kngress Maritim Hotel, Köln, Germany www.wpc-kongress.de

December 5-6, 2007 Bioplastics 2007 including Bioplastics Awards 2007 Frankfurt/Main, Germany www.bpevent.com for the awards contact chris.smith@emap.com

February, 18-20, 2008 Agricultural Film 2008 Fira Palace Hotel, Barcelona, Spain www.amiplastics.com

March 3-4, 2008 3rd International Seminar on Biodegradable Polymers Valencia, Spain http://www.azom.com/details.asp?newsID=7345

June 18-19, 2008 7th Global WPC and Natural Fibre Composites Congress and Exhibition Kongress Palais, Stadthalle, Kassel, Germany www.wpc-nfk.de

A real sign of sustainable development.

There is such a thing as genuinely sustainable development. Since 1989, Novamont researchers have been working on an ambitious project that combines the chemical industry, agriculture and the environment: “Living Chemistry for Quality of Life”. Its objective has been to create products that have a low environmental impact. The innovative result of Novamont’s research is the new bioplastic Mater-Bi ®.The Mater-Bi ® polymer comes from maize starch and other vegetable starches; it is completely biodegradable and compostable. Mater-Bi ® performs like plastic, but it saves energy, contributes to reducing the greenhouse effect, and at the end of its life cycle, it closes the loop by changing into fertile humus. Everyone’s dream has become a reality. Mater-Bi ®: certified and recommended biodegradability and compostability.

Living Chemistry for Quality of Life. www.novamont.com

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