2008-04

ISSN 1862-5258

04 | 2008 Review interpack 2008

bioplastics

magazine

Vol. 3

‘Bioplastics in Packaging’

Special editorial focus: Fibres, Textiles, Nonwovens Bioplastics in Consumer Electronics

Cereplast resins are bio-based.

The result is a truly sustainable solution: environmentally sound, economically viable and socially acceptable.

made from renewable resources

Cereplast is proud to announce the grand opening of

CEREPLAST EUROPE securing a stable cost

41/41 bis avenue de l’Europe BP 264 78147 VELIZY CEDEX France Telephone : +33 (0)1 34 63 06 66 Fax : +33 (0)1 34 63 06 99 www.cereplast.com

Cereplast Hybrid Resins™ Cereplast Hybrid Resins™ products are bio-based, replacing 50% or more of the petroleum content in traditional plastic products with materials from renewable sources. Cereplast Hybrid Resins™ products are cost-competitive with traditional petroleum-based plastic resin. With significantly more of the resin content derived from starches, the pricing of Cereplast Hybrid Resins™ products is not as influenced by the volatile price of oil.

Cereplast Compostables™ Cereplast Compostables™ resins are renewable, ecologically sound substitutes for petroleum-based plastic products, replacing nearly 100% of the petroleum-based additives used in traditional plastics with renewable resources. All Cereplast Compostables™ resins are certified as biodegradable and compostable in the United States and Europe, meeting BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) standards for compostability (ASTM 6400 D99 and ASTM 6868), and European Bioplastics standards (EN 13432).

moving towards a sustainable future

Editorial

My son Philipp supported the team of bioplastics MAGAZINE during interpack 2008

dear readers

It’s been quite a long time since our last issue, but after interpack, which I think is one of the most important events for this industry, we had to take a breath.

Now we’re back with a new issue. After the comprehensive show preview in the last issue we now cover interpack 2008 with just a brief review of some of the newly launched products.

One of the editorial focuses in this issue is “Bioplastics in fibre / textile applications”. It is amazing to see how many products, quite remote from packaging, are already available. The same is true for the second major topic: “Consumer Electronics”.

Before I close, I’d like to comment on a recent experience: Trying to be a modern and responsible consumer, I usually look for products packaged in bioplastics. In Germany the seedling logo (see bM 01/2006) helps me to identify such products. However just recently, I found a product with a seedling logo on the label, but the clamshell was made from PET. Obviously, the label was certified ‘compostable’, but used for a conventional clamshell. And when looking closer I found a few more of such products wrapped in LDPE, BO-PP or PET – whereas the label always indicating ‘compostable’. Such a thing can happen, especially when for example converting from one packaging material to another. However, I think the bioplastics industry should be very careful and make sure that only packaging materials that are really – and in all parts – compostable are labelled with a compostable logo.

Otherwise consumers might become confused and and as a consequence, acceptance of the new, wanted-by-all packaging would suffer.

Comments, suggestions and contributions are always welcome. I hope you enjoy reading this issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE.

Yours, Michael Thielen

Cover: Ingeo W edding Dress by Gattinoni (Pho to courtesy Ga ttinoni)

Publisher

bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

Interpack Review

05

Bioplastics in Packaging: The Big Crowd Puller at interpack

Real World Solutions

Editorial contributions are always welcome. Please contact the editorial office via mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com.

03

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 6 times a year.

This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (149 Euro for 6 issues).

bioplastics magazine ISSN 1862-5258

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Impressum Content Materials

Nano-Alloy Technology for High- Performance PLA Applications 10

Bottle Applications

Pure, Light, Mountain Water - Bottled in Ingeo™ 12

Australia’s First Natural Spring Water in PLA Bottles 14

Not only Celebrities like New Zealand’s PLA-bottled “Good Water” 16

Closures made from bio-plastics 18

Primo Water offer Mineral enriched Water in PLA bottles 20

Bio-Bottle Meets Private Label Water 22

“EcoSield” PLA bottles 24

Impact of Dry and Wet Sterilisation on PLA Bottles 26

July 04|2008

08

Events Preview

1st PLA World Congress 10

Innovation Takes Root 12

3rd European Bioplastics Conference 12

Applications

14

Basics

Glossary 34

News

Cereplast Materials Meet Federal ‘BioPreferred‘ Procurement Requirements Products made from Cereplast Compostables® resins meet the new US federal procurement guidelines for biobased content, as recently announced by the Hawthorne, California based company Cereplast Inc. These guidelines were enacted in mid June by the United States Department of Agriculture. All companies using Cereplast Compostables resins can be listed on the USDA ‘BioPreferred’ web site.

‘BioPreferred’ products are given preference by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the purchasing agent responsible for billions of dollars in products which are supplied to various federal agencies.

Companies looking to develop “BioPreferred” products can turn to Cereplast as a solutions provider for a wide range of plastic products, especially those targeted at food service applications such as plastic straws, utensils, cups, bags and containers.

“This is the culmination of many years of proactive work to improve access of federal agencies to sustainable goods, and we’re looking forward to helping our customers develop new bio-based products for inclusion in the ‘BioPreferred’ program,” said Frederic Scheer, chairman and CEO of Cereplast. “Practically speaking, this means that federal agencies are now required to use bio-based products for their food service ware supplies, and we see this as a great opportunity for our customers to expand the reach of their ‘green’ sales.”

Scheer added, “With this new regulation, the federal government is making a strong commitment to enhance the use of bioplastics which should result in additional demand for Compostables resin from our converter customers.”

Products from Cereplast’s consumer products division, Nat-Ur, are already categorized as “BioPreferred” on the USDA web site. Additional products made from Cereplast Compostables plastic resin by existing Cereplast converters such as Genpak, Innoware and Alcoa will be posted shortly.

www.cereplast.com. www.biopreferred.gov

Uhde Inventa-Fischer Awarded Contract for New BASF Ecoflex Facility BASF SE has announced plans for a significant expansion of its production plant for the biodegradable plastic Ecoflex® at the company’s Ludwigshafen site.

The move will raise Ecoflex production capacities from the current 14,000 to 60,000 metric tons per year.

Production at the expanded plant will commence in the third quarter of 2010.

The company has awarded a contract to engineer and supply its proprietary 2 Reactor process for the project to Uhde Inventa-Fischer.

Uhde Inventa-Fischer’s scope of supplies and services comprises the basic and detail engineering, supply of equipment, construction supervision and commissioning supervision and training of the operating personnel.

The excellent performance of the Uhde InventaFischer 2R process for this sustainable plastic has been demonstrated in Uhde Inventa-Fischer’s pilot facilities in Berlin, which can demonstrate all Polyesters and PLA technologies.

Ecoflex is a petrochemicals-based plastic which has the properties of conventional polyethylene but is fully biodegradable in accordance with DIN EN 13432 requirements.

At the same time, BASF plans to increase production capacity of the compounding facility in Ludwigshafen where the newly developed product Ecovio® is manufactured. Ecovio, a derivative of Ecoflex, contains 45 percent by weight of the renewable raw material polylactic acid (PLA). The PLA content means Ecovio is not only biodegradable but also largely biobased.

Polylactic acid is a material obtained from corn (maize).

The materials are used to make carrier bags, compostable can liners, mulch film, food wrapping, and for other applications. Both properties – biodegradability and a high renewable raw material content – are increasingly sought after in the competitive global materials market.

www.basf.com www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

News

Animal Protein Waste Turned into Bioplastic A process developed at the University of Waikato , New Zealand will allow animal waste to be turned into useful and biodegradable plastic.

The new process, developed over two years by University of Waikato chemical engineer Dr Johan Verbeek and Masters student Lisa van den Berg, can turn animal protein waste like blood meal and feathers into a polymer using industrystandard plastic extrusion and injection moulding machinery.

The material has the strength of polyethylene but it‘s fully biodegradable, as stated by Dr. Verbeek.

“Proteins are polymers so we know they can be turned into plastics,“ Dr Verbeek said. “Plant proteins have successfully been used to make bioplastics, but animal protein has always ended up gumming up the extruder. The process we‘ve developed gets round that problem. People said it couldn‘t be done, but we did it!“ Dr Verbeek expected the bioplastic would be suitable for agricultural plastic sheeting, seedling trays, plant pots and even biodegradable golf tees, for which, he said there was a surprisingly high demand. www.waikato.ac.nz

Nokia Will Launch 40 Mobile Phones with Biodegradable Components Nokia is planning to launch around 40 new ‘green’ mobile phones this year — each comprising biodegradable components that can be easily recycled.

In markets like the US, Nokia encloses a pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope in sales packs, providing customers an easy method for returning used products for recycling, at no cost to them. The consumer simply places the contents in the bag and then puts it in their mailbox.

Nokia India is evaluating similar refurbishment processes, as stated by D. Shivakumar, VP and managing director, Nokia India. India is the second-largest telecom market.

Nokia uses bioplastics, such as polylactide (PLA) with plant or other biomass-based modifiers that help reduce the use of non-renewable materials.

Elastomers based on biomaterials can be used as rubberlike materials to seal off the battery case. www.nokia.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

Plantic Wins PACIA Sustainability Award Plantic Technologies Ltd., Australian manufacturer of biodegradable packaging and materials, has been selected as the winner of this year’s PACIA Sustainability (Plastics) Award.

Each year, PACIA awards outstanding performance in Health and Safety, Environment and Sustainability through the PACIA Awards Program. In winning this award, Plantic was recognised for its contribution to environmental protection and conservation of natural resources, its contribution to society, and its employee, community and stakeholder engagement.

In terms of sustainability, Plantic’s “environmentally friendly” R1 product is fully biodegradable; home compostable; and compostable (EN 13432, ASTM 6400), water dispersible and made from non-GM high amylose corn starch. Plantic® sheet has the lowest absolute energy consumption across the entire lifecycle of the material. Life Cycle Assessments of Plantic indicate that the total amount of energy consumed for the production of 1000 Plantic trays is about half that of petrochemically derived plastics. www.plantic.com.au, www.pacia.org.au

Mazda Develops Non-Food-Bioplastic Mazda Motor Corporation recently signed a collaborative research agreement with Hiroshima University to launch the ‘Mazda Bioplastic Project.’ The project aim is to develop a bioplastic from non-food-based cellulosic biomass and have it ready for use in vehicles by 2013.

The bioplastic being developed will not consume food resources because it will be made from cellulosic biomass produced from inedible vegetation such as plant waste and wood shavings. Furthermore, because cellulosic biomass is plant-derived and therefore carbon neutral, the bioplastic will reduce reliance on limited fossil fuel resources and alleviate carbon dioxide emissions.

The project will focus on designing a production process for an extremely versatile polypropylene, appropriate for extensive use in vehicles, by first converting cellulosic biomass to ethanol, and then investigating various mixtures of ethylene and propylene. The polypropylene must have sufficient heat resistance, strength and durability to be used in vehicle bumpers and instrument panels. The project will also seek to optimize the manufacturing process for the bioplastic so that it is eco-friendly and cost-effective. www.mazda.com

News

Australia’s Biograde Ltd. to Supply 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games with Biodegradable Packaging Australian company Biograde Ltd. announced that it has been appointed the exclusive supplier of biodegradable packaging to the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This biodegradable packaging contract was awarded by the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) and will involve the supply of seven different bag formats.

Selection of biodegradable packaging is in line with the ‘Green Materials, Green Olympics’ strategy declared by BOCOG, which committed to use environmentally friendly packaging materials at the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. BOCOG appointed the Beijing Advanced Material Development Centre to select the Olympic supplier from among the top global producers of biodegradable packaging derived from renewable sources.

which meets stringent European compostability standard EN13432, and its effective supply capability through Biograde’s local manufacturing plant in Nanjing, China. “The Biograde range of renewable hybrid resins and certified biodegradable resins also meet new Chinese packaging regulations enacted 1 June 2008 and our Nanjing manufacturing business is one of the few Chinese companies awarded with the prestigious China Environmental Label,” said Dr Frank Glatz. “A key element of the Beijing Advanced Material Development Centre selection process was the plan to use the Olympic packaging supply project as a national case study to promote sustainable packaging materials across China. Biograde products more than meet these criteria”, Dr Glatz said.

Biograde materials are based on renewable raw materials, namely cornstarch.

Biograde managing director Dr Frank Glatz said the contract was won by the superior performance of the company’s resin,

www.biograde.com.au

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to receive a US $500 discount. bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

Interpack Review

“Bioplastics in Packaging:

Crowd puller

F

rom 24th to 30th April 2008, the bioplastics group exhibition ‘Bioplastics in Packaging’ attracted scores of visitors and got top marks from exhibitors and visitors. 96 percent of the participating companies were very satisfied and have already indicated their intention to exhibit at the next interpack in three years’ time.

Organised by industry association European Bioplastics in collaboration with the Messe Duesseldorf the special ‘Bioplastics in Packaging‘ exhibition was a great success. 40 exhibitors filled the 1000 m2 exhibition space to showcase raw materials, semi-finished products, products, processes, equipment and services using bioplastics technology. 96 percent of the exhibitors surveyed, were satisfied with the trade show.

The exhibition space increased more than threefold compared to the last interpack in 2005, and the number of visitors nearly doubled. Visitor interest in the special exhibition was enormous. Harald Kaeb, Chairman of the industry association European Bioplastics emphasised this, saying “We are delighted with the strong positive response to our exhibition. Visitors virtually beat a path to our door!

We also noted a lively interest from the press and for the supporting programme with specialist talks on bioplastics. Our exhibitors were very happy and have yet confirmed their participation in the next interpack.“ The special show already was sold out in September 2007.

New product launches In the last issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE a comprehensive overview about all exhibiting companies was published. That is why here just a few review-topics are presented. These cover some of the new products that were launched during interpack.

Mondi AG At interpack the Mondi business units Coating & Release and Consumer Flexbiles launched a portfolio of innovative biodegradable packaging solutions under the brand name Sustainex. In particular, Mondi Consumer Flexibles launched a blown film for form-filland-seal applications. The film is made from biopolymers based on vegetable oils. It has outstanding print and mechanical properties such as strength, impact and shear resistance. Sustainex films feature double sided heat sealability, allowing overlapping as well as fin seals. The field of potential applications is broad due to its visual characteristics similar to conventional plastic film.

Under the brandname Sustainex, Mondi Coating and Release also offer sustainable extrusion coated and laminated packaging materials that use biopolymers. During the extrusion coating process, the biopolymer melt is applied as a functional coating to a carrier substrate such as paper. In the subsequent phase of extrusion laminating, the biopolymer is used as a glue to combine substrates. www.mondigroup.com

Photo: European Bioplastics

bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

Interpack Review

The Big at interpack

Innovia Innovia Films launched a new grade of NatureFlex™ film. NatureFlex™ NVR belongs to the second generation of Innovia Films’ compostable and biodegradable product range, together with NatureFlex NVS and NatureFlex NM. It has been specifically formulated to offer enhanced print and conversion receptivity and has an intermediate moisture barrier with heat-sealability on both sides.

“Visitors to our stand at interpack 2008: Bioplastics in Packaging were able to see samples of the new product on display as part of our complete NatureFlex range. The development of NatureFlex NVR demonstrates yet again, innovation leading the way and our R&D expertise coming to the fore,” said Andy Sweetman, Innovia Films’ Global Marketing Manager - Sustainable Technologies.

DuPont DuPont launched two products within the framework of interpack: Biomax® TPS thermoplastic starch-based sheet is a product based on the technology from Plantic Technologies Limited, DuPont’s alliance partner. DuPont Biomax TPS has been successfully demonstrated commercially in thermoformed trays. It works especially well where the product it holds is a low moisture, low water-activity food like chocolates and cookies. Because it is naturally anti-static, it would also be useful as a tray package for sensitive electronic components.

Other key features of NatureFlex NVR include: superb dead-fold properties, improved stiffness under chill cabinet conditions, good barrier to gases and aromas and resistance to oils and greases. Target applications for NVR include bakery, confectionery and dried foods such as pasta, pulses and rice.

NatureFlex NVR is based on renewable wood pulp sourced from managed plantations which either have, or are working towards, FSC, PEFC or similar certification. The renewable or biobased content of a range of NatureFlex films has been determined by ASTM D6866 and shown to be circa 95%. www.innoviafilms.com

Biomax® PTT is a partially renewablysourced, high-performance copolymer of 1,3 propanediol and terephtalic acid with polyester-like performance. Biomax PTT 1100 for example contains up to 37% renewably sourced content by weight and injection molds similarly to PBT. www.dupont.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

Events Preview

1st PLA World Congress bioplastics MAGAZINE invites to the 1st PLA World Congress. This unique event will be hosted in Munich, Germany on the 9th and 10th of September, 2008.

The 1st PLA Bottle Conference, that bioplastics MAGAZINE organized in Hamburg last year was quite a success.

The conference 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.

The 1st PLA World Congress will cover all topics around the versatile bioplastic material PLA. For details see the ad on the right and the preliminary programme below.

Who should attend The 1st PLA World Congress is a unique opportunity to benefit from presentations about the latest developments as well as challenges and future prospects. Raw material suppliers, compounders, converters, retailers, brand owners, trader, engineers, scientists, and journalists get the chance to meet and establish valuable network connections. And of course anyone else who is interested in the opportunities coming from this unique polymer family.

Register at www.pla-world-congress.com The team of bioplastics MAGAZINE is looking forward to seeing you in Munich.

Preliminary programme: Hans-Josef Endres, Univ. App. Sc. Hannover

Keynote Speech: Current Situation and future perspectives of biopolymers

N.N. , Uhde Inventa Fischer

Latest developments in production of PLA

Manfred Stepanksi, Sulzer Chemtec

Purification of Dilactide through Melt Crystallization

Hans van der Pol, Purac Biochem

Enhanced thermal properties (Lactides PDLA – PLLA)

N.N.

Market situation and Production Capacities of PLA

N.N., NatureWorks

Latest developments in Ingeo polymers

Remy Jongboom, Biopearls

Compounding of PLA

Patrick Zimmermann, FkUR

Tailored bioplastics compounds – taking PLA further.

Karl-Heinz Hausmann, DuPont Packaging

Novel Modifier Approaches for PLA in impact, processing and thermal performance

Jerome Raphanaud, Cereplast

Cereplast, making PLA better

Karin Molenveld, Wageningen (WUR)

Improving PLA: processing & additives

Frederic Loyrion, Clariant Masterbatches Div.

CESA-natur Additives for PLA

Karl-Heinz Proksch, Polyone

Additives / Masterbatches for PLA

Karl Zimmermann , Brückner Maschinenbau

Oriented Films Turn Green Stretching Technology for Present and Future BOPLA Film Applications

Martin Debaets, Sidaplax

Current market applications for PLA – flexible films

Regis Garoutte, Polyfilms

PLA flexible films

Stefan Honke, Maag / Thomas Glaw, Alcan

Laminated multilayer films with barrier layer

Cesare Vannini, Coopbox Italia

Packaging of fresh food with PLA, in particulary with protective atmosphere

A. Jaszkiewicz, University of Kassel

Modified PLA and its composites for packaging applications in high-tech quality

Takurou Ito, Toyo Seikan Kaisha

Gas barrier advanced PLA bottles and closures

Yoshiharu Kitajima, Arkhe Will

Innovative PLA applications

R. Forstner, TCKT Transfercenter für Kunststofftechnik

Fiber Reinforced Polylactic acid (PLA) Compounds – Properties and Potential Applications

Rita Campos, P I E P Pólo de Inovação em Engenharia de Polímeros

New materials based on natural resources from the euro-region: automotive applications

Ramani Narayan, Michigan State University

LCA: How to report on the carbon and environmental footprint of PLA

Panel discussion: End of life options Moderator: Andrea Siebert, Univ.App. Sc. Hannover; Participants: Prof. Endres, Prof. Narayan, and others t.b.d.

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

bioplastics MAGAZINE invites to

1st PLA World Congress

09 - 10 September 2008

powered by

1st PLA World Congress PLA is a very promising raw material. The high interest in PLA for bottle applications was demonstrated by the huge participation in the 1st PLA Bottle Conference that bioplastics MAGAZINE organized last September in Hamburg, Germany. But not only PLA bottles are a highly topical subject. PLA is a versatile bioplastics raw material from renewable resources. It is being used for films and rigid packaging, for fi bres in woven and nonwoven applications. Automotive industry and consumer electronics are thoroughly investigating and even already applying PLA. Reinforcement with natural fi bres such as kenaf broadens the range of applications even more. That‘s why bioplastics MAGAZINE is now organising the 1st PLA World Congress.

Experts from all involved fields will share their knowledge and contribute to a comprehensive overview of today‘s opportunities and challenges and discuss the possibilities, limitations and future prospects of PLA for all kind of applications.

The conference is being held on the 09th and 10th of Semptenber 2008 in Munich, Germany and will cover subjects such as: • Latest developments • Market overview • High temperature behaviour • Barrier issues • Additives / Colorants • Glues / printing inks • Labels • Applications (packaging, bottles, automotive, electronics etc) • Fabrics • Reinforcements • End of life options (recycling, composting, incineration etc) Bioplastics MAGAZINE is looking forward to seeing you in Munich.

Supported by

www.pla-world-congress.com | www.bioplasticsmagazine.com

Events

Innovation Takes Root This is the title of first-of-its-kind technical conference on polylactide polymer innovation for real market solutions, sponsored by NatureWorks LLC. The conference is designed to offer attendees a combination of educational, networking and collaborative opportunities. It takes place on September 16 – 18, 2008 at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Delegates can discover the technological innovations of today’s fastest growing biopolymer. Presentations will cover the latest research developments on biopolymers, including IngeoTM natural plastic, from NatureWorks and other renowned polylactide scientists and engineers. At the conference, the attendees have the chance to meet today’s

industry solution-providers and share ideas with other professionals in the field.

The Innovation Takes Root curriculum encompasses a highly technical learning experience. Technical sessions will include topics such as: Improvements in mechanical properties, Surface modifications, Innovations with additives, Improvements in thermal properties by nucleation packages, blends, and stereocomplex.

The event will be beneficial to attendees from a diversity of fields and disciplines: Brand owner, Retailers, Product designers, Sustainability Managers, R&D, Process Engineers, Consultants, Academia and Technical Media. www.innovationtakesroot.com

3rd European Bioplastics Conference to be Hosted in Berlin European Bioplastics, the representation of the European bioplastics industry, announced the 3rd European Bioplastics Conference. Taking place November 5-6, 2008, in Berlin, it is the leading event for recent technical, economic and political developments of the bioplastics industry. A table top exhibition featuring materials, products and innovations takes place simultaneously.

With 315 delegates, 45 speakers and latest innovations of 26 exhibitors the last year’s conference in Paris showed the huge relevance of the promising industry. The association is expecting further growth this year.

The 3rd European Bioplastics Conference in Berlin will present the latest issues, innovations, market achieve-

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

ments and policy developments in the industrial and environmental applications of bioplastics. It will also provide exceptional networking, product exhibition and partnership opportunities. This international conference will bring together academic, government and business leaders from around the globe for a dynamic two day event.

The conference programme will include invited keynote speeches from politicians to market leaders as well as selected lectures. Topics varying from economical, environmental to technical perspectives will overview the current situation of the bioplastics industry. www.european-bioplastics.org

Monday, October 6 – Wednesday, October 8, 2008 Embassy Suites Hotel Chicago, Chicago, IL

This year’s expanded program, featuring market specific tracks and over 40 presentations, will give you an in-depth knowledge into the wider range of biopolymer materials and blends now available. In 2009, the industry is expected to see fully versatile biopolymers, fit for a variety of applications, including: food and beverage, packaging, textiles, medical devices, outdoor equipment, footwear and automotive. At Biopolymers Symposium 2008 you’ll hear from the key players in these industries and discover how the latest advancements will profit you. You’ll leave this conference armed with a strategy to succeed! To view full program go to: www.biopolymersummit.com

7 compelling reasons to attend

Media partners:

g Discover the retailer perspective on biopolymer products from Nike g Understand what role biopolymers play in Levi’s® Jeans g Get the results from Ford Motor Company on their use of bioresins in greener vehicles g Gain insight from NatureWorks on the current and future trends for bioplastics g Get up to date on the new world of biopolymers from Seventh Generation g Hear about collaboration and co-creation for sustainable value from Unilever g Hear a brand owner’s view on the current and future applications of biopolymers from Kraft Foods

Exclusive recycling partner:

Book before Friday, August 29 and get 10% off the conference fee!

To secure your seat register at: www.bioploymersummit.com

In association with:

Applications Mirel Bioplastics is Chosen by Labcon North America for New Laboratory Liquid Handling System, a Case Study

Real World Solutions Challenge For over 40 years Labcon North America has been designing and manufacturing quality disposable plastics for laboratories all over the world. Traditionally focused on delivering disposable plastics combined with high levels of quality and customer service, Labcon’s concentration helped them accelerate growth during a time when the industry feared contamination from microscopic traces of chemicals possibly left behind on washed glassware.

Article contributed by Daniel Gilliland, Business Development Director, Telles, Lowell , Massachusetts, USA

Located in Petaluma, California, USA, Labcon is a leading provider of disposable products to laboratories worldwide, supplying more than 800 products and manufacturing over a billion units a year. Labcon’s president Jim Happ recognized a growing concern both inside the company and from the industry at-large that the use and disposal of traditional plastics is just too wasteful in terms of landfill space, consumption of petroleum, and generation of greenhouse gases. So in 1995, Labcon embraced the concepts of sustainable packaging as part of its corporate mission and began to develop products unlike anything else the laboratory industry has seen – new products using less packaging, recycled plastics, and refillable packages.

Labcon previously supplied conventional plastic trays that were thrown away or reclaimed through Labcon’s recycle program. But that was not enough to build a truly sustainable business model. Jim knew they had to go further down this path and introduce a more sustainable product line. With regulations and customer demand pull through for greener supplies, Labcon began to visualize a new product line, coupled with a composting program to complement this new product initiative. However, the performance requirements included an intrinsic mold flow design and high temperature autoclave sterilization step both were a stretch for typical bioplastics.

Cost Effective Solution In 2007, George Kipouras, a business development manager for Telles, the joint venture of Metabolix Inc. and Archer Daniels Midland Company that produces Mirel™ bioplastics (PHA), responded to Labcon’s need to find an alternative to conventional plastics. Working closely with Labcon’s marketing and product development teams, George made them aware of new technology about to emerge and managed the trials on Labcon’s existing processing equipment to prove feasibility.

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Applications

Labcon selected Mirel for its improved physical properties of heat and chemical resistance, durability, and dimensional stability. Mirel was able to pass through the 120°C autoclave process with no dimensional changes.

Because of Mirel’s high modulus, Labcon was able to use less material in production than when using polypropylene, thus partially offsetting the cost differential of Mirel over conventional materials. Six months later, Telles entered into an agreement to supply Mirel bioplastic resin to Labcon for the Eclipse (formerly Pagoda) pipette reloading system trays (see photo).

Sustainable Results The new Labcon Eclipse reloading system utilizes Mirel for the injection molded tray that holds the pipettes precisely in place. In announcing the sales agreement through a press release, Telles VP of Sales and Marketing Bob Findlen said: “Processing this very complicated part demonstrates the versatility and ease with which Mirel can be used for injection molding applications. Until today, bioplastics in Antimicro_ad.qxd:Layout 1

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general have had limited capability in injection molding applications.”

Mirel is a high performance, heat resistant PHA bioplastic material that can transcend into other dimensions as it functions like an engineering thermoplastic. Findlen sees potential in other business equipment markets including electronics, business machines, and cosmetics, and for replacing polycarbonate, PVC, ABS, nylon and polyester in many applications.

Mirel is biobased and truly biodegradable, which means the Labcon product tray, can now be composted either in industrial compost systems or in a low cost, ‘home compost’ system at the end of its useful life. Labcon can now offer customers the opportunity to lower their carbon footprint, and customers have responded that they’ll make the switch over to new products made from renewable resources.

Labcon envision’s many more products will utilize Mirel. www.mirelplastics.com.

Page 1

Regulations for Antimicrobials

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Electronics

B Surround system of loudspeaker boxes with spherical shape: housing material Arboform of 10 mm wall thickness, lacquer coated

iocomposites obtained exclusively from renewable resources meet the requirements of sustainable processes and eco-innovation, and will expand future material research for engineering applications in industry. The properties, treatment and processing of these materials have to meet industrial standards concerning raw materials from biomass, fibres, wood extraction constituents and biopolymers, to enable their supply to mass consumer goods manufacturers, the construction industry, and the automotive and electronics industries. Thermoplastic matrices of composites include biopolymers such as polylactide (PLA), polyhydroxy-butyrate (PHB) and starch, as well as lignin from the paper industry. Reinforcement is carried out by the use of natural short fibres from hemp, flax and wood1-4. The natural polymer lignin is generated as a by-product of the pulp and paper industry, at a rate of approximately 60 million tonnes in chemical pulp mills

Lignin Matrix Composites for Loudspeaker Boxes Article contributed by H. Nägele, J. Pfitzer, both of Tecnaro GmbH, Ilsfeld-Auenstein, Germany N. Eisenreich, W. Eckl, E. InoneKauffmann, E. Walschburger all Fraunhofer-ICT, Pfinztal,Germany

Housing parts of the complex loudspeaker design as obtained directly from the mould 16

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every year, worldwide. This biomass extraction can also be carried out in an environmentally friendly way by using only water5,6. Thermal use of lignin for the power supply of the chemical pulp mills dominates its current utilisation rather than its use as a material for components. Its integration as a component in engineering materials has proven to be difficult7,8. However, recent work has succeeded in establishing lignin as the main component of a new class of engineering materials: ArboformÂŽ, based only on renewable resources, applicable for use in industrial equipment parts9,10. Technical advantages of these materials over synthetic polymers, such as the acoustic properties of lignin matrix composites (Arboform), could strongly support their application.

The material consists of lignin, natural fibres for reinforcement, and natural additives to support processing and performance. It exhibits wood-like properties. Various sources of lignin - from different pulping procedures - and of natural fibres such as wood, hemp, flax, sisal, kenaf etc. - can be used. The choice of the lignin depends on the application field of the product. However, the material can be processed like a thermoplastic material and used for various engineering products. The processing includes:

Surround system of loudspeaker boxes, complex shape: housing material Arboform of with 5 mm wall thickness, lacquer coated

Electronics

 Mixing of the constituents: lignin (40-70%), natural fibres (30-60%) and natural additives (<10%) using a standard mixer.  Pelletizing of the mixture at ambient temperature to form granules. This step avoids compounding by extrusion as used for plastic compounds  Processing of the granules at relatively low temperatures by standard injection moulding (140 - 170°C) to manufacture parts This processing of lignin compound granules runs on standard industrial injection moulding machines for synthetic plastic resins. The temperature can be raised from 100°C in zone 1 to 170°C in zone 3 and the nozzle temperature can be between 155 and 170°C using an open nozzle (2.5 – 4.0 mm). The back-pressure must be kept high enough to enable a smooth rotation of the screw. The injection pressure is relatively high (>150 MPa) and so is the injection speed. The holding pressure should be about 30% of the machine’s capacity and the related time only 0.5 – 2 seconds. The cooling time must be extended by about 20% compared to that of a synthetic thermoplastic material.

The mould tools should be designed for the series production of special materials. Important issues for tool design should take into account:  The shrinkage on injection moulding is very low and does not exceed 0.3%  Core-pullers should be foreseen for de-moulding, which are useful to achieve fast working cycles  Hot runner nozzles work only in limited cases.

Depending on the fibre content the Young’s Modulus can vary between 2 and 8 GPa and the Charpy Impact Strength between 2 and 6 kJ/m2, but the latter value can be extended to 16 by the use of impact modifiers. The elongation at fracture is between 0.3-0.6%. The thermal expansion coefficient establishes below 5x10-5 1/K. Nearly no resonance frequencies are found and a strong damping of vibration leads to excellent acoustic properties, which enables the material to be used in loudspeaker applications.

Two types of loudspeaker housings were designed and manufactured according to the procedures described above.

The material itself exhibits a unique structure which varies from part to part (see fig. 1). Original colours are limited to brown, green and red. Figures 2 and 3 show the completed boxes including a lacquered surface finish.

info@tecnaro.de eri@ict.fraunhofer.de

Acknowledgements The work was partially supported by the NEDO grant Nr.2002GP008, the EC, General Directorate XII, Biocomp: NMP2-CT-2005-515769 and Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt.

1. Kaplan, D.L. ed., Biopolymers from Renewable Resources, Springer Verlag, Heidelberg, 1998 2. Bledzki, A.K., Gassan, J.: Composites reinforced with cellulose based fibres. Prog. Polym. Sci. 24(1999) 211274 3. Bledzki A. K., Sperber V. E., Development in wood fiber composites, Int. Symp. on Wood Based Materials, Vienna, Austria 2002.

4. E. Inone-Kauffmann, N. Eisenreich, Biocomp composites from renewable resources - a European project, in Polymer Processing Society PPS23 Proceedings, San Salvador, Brazil, May, 2007 5. Bobleter, O. (1998). „Hydrothermal Degradation and Fractionation of Saccharides and Polysaccharides“.

Polysaccharides, Structural Diversity and Functional Versatility, Marcel Dekker, Inc. pp. 775-833.

6. Jedicke O., Eisenreich N., „Aquasolv - Hydrothermolyse „The Development of a Process for Completely Use of Biomass“ Proceedings 1st Biomass World Conference, Sevilla, Spain, 2000.

7. Roffael, E., Dix, B. :Lignin and ligninsulfonate in non-conventional bonding systems - an overview.

S. 1st European Workshop on Lignocellulosics and Pulp, Utilization and Analysics Of Lignins - HamburgBergedorf, Federal Republic of Germany, Sept. 18.20.1991.

8. Glasser, W.W., R.A. Northey, T.P. Schultz, eds., Lignin: Historical, Biological, and Materials Perspectives.

American Chemical Society Symposium Series 742.

American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 2000.

9. Eisenreich N., Eckl W., Inone E. R., Nägele H., Pfitzer J., Arboform – a thermoplastic made of renewable resources, Proceedings Electronic Goes Green 2000, Vol. 1, Technical Lectures (Joint International Congress and Exhibition, Berlin, Germany, Sept. 2000).

10. Nägele, H., Pfitzer, J., Nägele, E., Inone, E. R., Eisenreich, N., Eckl, W., Eyerer, P., Arboform - A thermoplastic, processable material from lignin and natural fibers, in: Chemical Modification, Properties, and Usages of Lignin , Th. Q. Hu Ed.; Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publisher, New York, 2002, 101-120.

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Bioplastics in Consumer Electronics

O

f course packaging is the biggest application for biobased and biodegradable plastics today. But other industry sectors are also looking into the new materials. While biodegradability is a useful additional end-of-life option for packaging and agricultural/horticultural applications, for the automotive industry and consumer electronics renewable resources are the more important aspect.

“Amid growing concern over environmental problems, bio-based plastics have attracted considerable attention as an environmentally-friendly material which lowers the burden on the environment by using less petrochemicalbased materials to reduce carbon dioxide emissions“.

These words could be read in a recent press release by the Japanese company Fujitsu Ltd.

Fujitsu, a pioneer using bioplastics Fujitsu is one of the pioneers in the use of bioplastics. As early as 1996 the company introduced the use of bio-based polymers in conveyor trays for LSI (Logic Storage) devices, and since then has applied them in a variety of products, such as POS terminals, ATMs, document scanners, and the PalmSecure palm vein authentication device.

In 2002 Fujitsu became the first computer manufacturer to develop corn-based plastic and to adopt the environmentally friendly material for PC parts. In June of that year they introduced the world‘s first notebook PC in which certain parts of the chassis were made from a material that included a corn-based bio-polymer.

Constant improvement A joint development of Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. and Toray Industries, Inc. in 2005 resulted in a combined polymer-alloy technology and flame-retardant technology.

W510 mobile phone (Photo: Samsung)

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A new bio-based polymer with high heat-resistance, low flammability, and good mouldability was used in Fujitsu’s FMV-BIBLO NB80K, the world‘s first notebook PC with a full-size chassis made with a bio-based polymer. The biobased content of that material was about 50% (polylactic acid, primarily from cornstarch) resulting in 15% less CO2 emissions than with conventional petrochemical plastics.

The follow-up notebook model, the FMV-BIBLO NB80S had a chassis that consisted of 93% bio-based polymer.

Electronics

FMV-BIBLIO NX95Y/D notebook PC (Photo: Fujitsu)

Woodshell concept PC (Photo Fujitsu)

Increased impact resistance

The Woodshell concept

The next innovation from Fujitsu and Toray in 2006 was the development of a new bio-based polymer that features high impact resistance. The companies further refined the microstructure and improved the compatibility (the ease with which materials mix) of PLA with polymeralloyed polycarbonate, which has a high glass transition temperature. The new bio-based polymer features the same heat resistance and moulding properties as biobased polymer previously developed by the companies, and with a 50% improvement in impact resistance the plastic can now be applied to various mobile devices.

At the ‘Japan Design 2008 – Innovation’ Expo in Milan, Italy, Fujitsu introduced the latest development, the ‘WoodShell’ concept PC, which has a wood-based housing, along with the FMV-BIBLO NX95Y/D, a notebook on sale in Japan which uses bio-based plastic materials for part of its housing.

In addition, Fujitsu succeeded in making a prototype mobile phone chassis composed entirely of the new biobased polymer.

Also in 2006 Fujitsu announced the development of a new polymer with a high bio-content that uses castor oil extracted from the seeds of the castor bean. The polymer features superior flexibility that can withstand repeated bending. Potential applications for this bio-based polymer are small components of notebook PCs and mobile phones, such as connector covers.

For this development Fujitsu and Fujitsu Laboratories worked with the French company, Arkema. The jointly developed bioplastic material has as its principal component polyamide-11, which is derived from castor oil.

By weakening the interaction of the chain molecule in PA11 and relaxing the stereo-regularity of their organization, the resulting material has sufficient flexibility to withstand repeated bending without causing the whitening that often occurs when such materials are strained. Moreover, Fujitsu has succeeded in developing a prototype of certain notebook PC-cover components with an exceptionally high bio-content of 60-80%. Even after adding high-density fillers to increase strength, the polymer maintains good impact-resistance and thus it is hoped that the material could eventually be used in PC chasses and other larger components.

The WoodShell adopts natural materials (forest-thinned cedar) and bio-based plastics for its housing and parts - the prototype PC that is not merely an environmentally friendly tool but an object of enduring style and utility.

The newly developed bio-based plastic accounts for about 30% of the plastic material in the housing of the FMV-BIBLO NX95Y/D, not including the keyboard, onetouch buttons, and some other parts.

Samsung Just recently Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. from South Korea announced two environment-friendly mobile handsets, W510 and F268 at World IT Show in Seoul.

W510 is Samsung‘s first mobile phone with ‘bio-plastic‘ made from natural material extracted from corns. Samsung has been making an effort to develop more renewable and eco-friendly material compared with common plastic produced from petroleum.

Moreover, when producing W510, Samsung did not use any heavy metals, such as Lead, Mercury, and Cadmium, and applied water-soluble coating.

Samsung F268 with all the accessories including charger and headset does not contain BFRs(Brominated Flame Retardant) or PVC. However, it seems not to contain any bioplastics. Both mobile phones are only available in Korea and Japan, at least for the time being.

“Samsung is striving to continue to be a strong corporate citizen that contributes to environmental sustainability,“ said Geesung Choi, President of Samsung‘s Telecommunication Business. “Now we are trying not only to launch more environmentally-conscious products with more renewable material and less energy consuming, but also to expand proactively set up a phone recycling system“.

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Sony Another pioneer in the developing and utilizing of what they call “Vegetable-based Plastics” is Sony.

Vegetable-based plastics are derived from biomass, (i.e., plant matter-based resources) and are therefore considerably more environmentally conscious than regular plastics in terms of reducing petroleum consumption, controlling greenhouse gas emissions and facilitating various end-oflife options.

Contactless ID-card (all photos Sony)

Sony has made extensive efforts to develop and utilize vegetable-based plastics. They began using these plastics in packaging materials in 2000. Examples were a packaging film for Sony’s ‘Neige’ MD blanks and a blister wrap for a portable radio (ICR-P10). In 2002 started using them in consumer products by utilizing them in Walkman® casings. Since then, the casings or parts of eight products in six categories and the packaging materials for two products have been made from these materials.

In 2004, Sony achieved a world first by developing a flameretardant vegetable-based plastic, which was used in DVD player front panels. This achievement enabled the use of these plastics in a broader range of products.

In 2006, Sony succeeded in the practical application of vegetable-based plastics to FeliCa technology-installed cards, contactless integrated circuit (IC) cards used in emoney transactions. Also in 2006, vegetable-based plastics were used by Sony’s health insurance union to produce 150,000 employee health insurance cards.

Digital SLR camera a 350 body cap

Sony has also developed and, with the cooperation of suppliers, succeeded in practically applying a new technology for accelerating the crystallization of polylactic acid (PLA), which makes it easier to produce vegetable-based plastic components. This technology enables the production of highly heat-resistant molded parts in a shorter time.

One of the latest product launches is the body cap of the Sony Digital SLR Camera a 350 (and others). It is made of Polyamide 11 made from castor oil, which is non-food biomass resources.

www.fujitsu.com www.samsungmobile.com www.sony.com

Body of Sony Walkman (WM-FX 202)

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Electronics Biomass CD-ROM

A

CD-ROM consisting of 30% PLA and 70% of a petroleum-based polymer has been introduced by Arkhe Will Co.,Ltd. of Fukui, Japan. The use of 30% PLA reduces the use of fossil resources by 25%, as Mrs. Noriko Maeda, president of Arkhe explains.

In addition the hybrid material significantly reduces carbon dioxide emissions. “When manufacturing the hybrid material and burning it in a waste incineration plant after use the CO2 emissions are reduced by 53 % compared to polycarbonate, the material usually used for a normal CD-ROM (Life Cycle Inventory of the hybrid material),” says Sonoko Maeda at Arkhe Will. “During the production of the Biomass CD-ROM with the hybrid material, CO2 emissions are reduced by 31 % (compared to a polycarbonate CDROM),” she adds The petroleum-based thermoplastic material is not a polycarbonate, but Arkhe would like to keep details of the material formulation confidential.

The World‘s First Environmentally Conscious

CD-ROM

The so-called Biomass CD-ROM is best suited for use in promotional (brochure) campaigns or as an installation CD, because this kind of data storage medium is used only a few times.

“Although the thermal resistance of PLA is still limited, after 5 years of development our Biomass CDROM performs almost like a standard CD-ROM,” says Mrs. Maeda. “The Biomass CD-ROM has not yet met the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) but it is good enough for the initial applications. However, we continue our development in order to meet JIS requirements soon,” she adds.

Fukui, Maruoka Castle (Photo: Mnd, Wikipedia)

One of the major Japanese communications companies is very interested in this unique new product and has adopted it for one of its installation CDs. Follow-up orders in larger quantities are in preparation.

This product is a ‘normal’ CD-ROM to be injection moulded with a glass master which contains the information (e.g. the data of the CD-ROM). A CD-R, that can be burned on a user’s PC is not yet available. The Biomass CD-ROMs are available in Japan already – in quantities from 1000 pieces.

“But we can also supply CD-ROMs to the whole world,” says Noriko Meada. www.arkhe-will.jp

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extile production had to turn to science to satisfy global fiber demand. Crude oil was the magic ingredient of choice during the 20th century, and many profited from the vast array of synthetic fiber production. Over consumption of oil for fuels and chemicals led to the situation today, with demand outstripping supply.

The difference now is that it is well known that crude oil is a finite resource, is price volatile and its use allows more harmful emissions into the atmosphere, putting ever increasing pressure on the environment The textile industry was always at the front edge of how communities begin to do business and is often the pioneer of new ideas that mirror a consumer need. The organic or eco revolution for example, caught everyone by surprise, moving fast from a niche to mainstream. Not so for NatureWorks LLC, who anticipated this shift in both needs, for a better, more responsible approach to fiber resourcing and manufacture, as well as the growing consumer desire to choose better products that better protect their environment.

In late 2007 NatureWorks became a 50/50 joint venture between Cargill Inc., and Teijin Ltd. Now with the integrated 100% Ingeo skirt by Marithé + François Girbaud

Ingeo™: A New Era for a More Responsible Textile Industry Article contributed by Giusy Bettoni, Ingeo Global Communication Manager

Ingeo dress Naturevsfuture

by Nina Valenti

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Fibers | Textiles support of a major fiber player on the world stage, NatureWorks is set to consolidate its lead in bio-based manufactured fibers. The company is the first commercial scale producer and supplier of a new biopolymer designed as an alternative to oil based plastics such as polyester and nylon. This new ingenious PLA material is called Ingeo™, and it’s made from plants instead of oil. NatureWorks owns patented technologies that produce the resin on an industrial scale and has a capacity to meet a growing business and consumer demand for renewably sourced, cost competitive products. It does this with a world scale facility in Nebraska, USA, capable of producing a name-plate capacity of 140.000 metric tons per annum for use in the plastics and fibers industries.

Ingeo sock by Fox River

Ingeo was launched in New York on January 2003 and since then, a wide assortment of textile products has been adopted in the market. In April this year, NatureWorks hosted the third edition of its Ingeo Earth Month 2008, with events held in New York, Paris and Tokyo.

These events showcased the latest Ingeo commercial products available today, such as couture wedding dresses

by Gattinoni (wich can be seen on the cover of this issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE), and avant` garde technical fashion from M & F Girbaud. Other brands highlighted were Bens Land for childrenswear, codiceasbarre for T shirts, Designtex in the US for home furnishings, Faribault Mills for blankets, Fox River for socks, Linda Loudermilk for fashion, Moral Fervor and NatureVsfuture for women’s separates, and Rianne de Witte from Holland also for womenwear. All of these brands are a testimonial for the real innovation possible using Ingeo today, one that satisfies from a design and eco perspective but also from a high performance need.

Ingeo long sleeve shirt Ecomako by Masako Oka

Some of these key performance attributes are that it is quick drying, has good moisture and humidity transfer, is UV resistant, is naturally stain resistant and has low flammability characteristics.

Also, by replacing petroleum with a renewable plantbased feedstock, NatureWorks uses up to 67 percent less fossil fuels to produce than traditional polymers. The environmental credentials are backed by a rigorous, peer reviewed, published eco-profile. The full 24-page ecoprofile, as published in Industrial Biotechnology , as well as the reviews, are available on NatureWorks’ website.

Ingeo bridges both plastics and fiber categories, and is fueling innovation and spearheading creativity across a wide range of products from clothing to homeware, personal care products as well as natural plastic food packaging and even durable goods. www.natureworksllc.com

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100% Ingeo draperies fabric by Lodetex

Article contributed by Robert Green, Ingeo Fibers and Nonwovens Business Development Manager, Natureworks LLC

More Responsible Technologies

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s with any new invention, there will be challenges when the variety of textile processes is considered that have been developed and refined over the years to produce final finished fabrics. When polyester was first produced, it was impossible to have it in anything but raw white! New chemistry and systems had to be invented to bring it to life.

Now, NatureWorksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ingeoâ&#x201E;˘ is the first new generic manufactured fiber for 20 years and is referred to as Polylactide or PLA for identification purposes. In just a few short years, the textile industry accelerated its understanding of how to process this new material from a standing start to a full competence in terms of coloration and finishing. Challenges still exist, but the nature and skills of NatureWorksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; best partners are proving that new science is like a river, it knows where it is going, and improvements in performance and efficiencies can be seen year on year.

100% Ingeo continuous filament by Leitsu

To produce Ingeo fibers Ingeo biopolymer resin is extruded into fiber for filament yarns or staple fibers for spun yarn production. Added to that, there are some specific nonwovens techniques that convert the PLA resin directly into a fabric, using its thermoplastic properties to create spunbondspunbond webs for a wide range of of end uses.

The key advantage of Ingeo fiber over other man-made fibers is that is is made from plants instead of crude oil, and as such offers an immediate environmental point of difference that appeals to consumers today.

This combined with some favorable comparative attributes achieved without additives, such as good natural moisture management, UV light resistance, quick dry, natural stain

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for Sustainable Textiles resistance, distinctive hypoallergenic character, low odor retention and low flammability, shows that Ingeo has high technological performance proof points. Full details are available in comprehensive factsheets from NatureWorksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; website.

Aesthetically, Ingeo can be smooth and sleek and silky in filament form, or soft and matt with a natural hand when developed in spun forms. This means that a wide variety of textile products are possible, reflecting consumer demand firstly for products that look and feel beautiful, but now come with performance and a compelling environmental message.

Yarn counts possible range from 78 to 167 dtex1 in flat and textured finishes as well as monofilament counts, and in staple cotton spinning, standard counts range from 8s to 40s2, for all applications including ring spun for denims and sports applications. The moisture content is 0.4 to 0.6% and according to recent testing; Ingeo outperforms standard polyester in wicking performance. In consumer use, garments are laundered at 50°C with a no-iron policy advised for best care.

Ingeo therefore continues to gain acceptance in a wide range of applications. With the increased focus on global warming and the recognition of the finite fossil fuel resources Ingeo has been seen as a viable alternative to petrochemically derived products due to significantly reduced fossil fuel usage and a production process that is nearly greenhouse gas neutral.

100% Ingeo draperies fabric by Lodetex

1 Decitex (dtex) is the count grading for filament and spinning yarns recognized by all international bodies in the man-made fibres industry. It is defined as weight per length of the filament. 1 tex = 1 g / 1,000 m and thus 1 dtex = 1 g/10,000 m. Another unit of measurement for the fineness of filaments is Denier (den).

1 dtex = 0.9 den 2 Spinning count is a measure of fiber fineness and distribution developed by the English. It is defined as the number of hanks of yarn that can be spun from a pound of wool. A hank of wool is 560 yards long (560 yd/lb = 1.129 km/kg). In theory a pound of 62s wool could produce 34720 (=62*560) yards of yarn. (Wikipedia)

Ingeo quilting by Thermore

www.natureworksllc.com

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Love’n Ingeo sanitary napkins (W.I.P.)

Ingeo™ Fiber Revolutionizes the Nonwoven Sector Article contributed by Eamonn Tighe, European Fibers Business Development Manager, NatureWorks LLC

T

he nonwovens industry is at the forefront in creating products that surround every aspect of the way we live, often touching our skin with products like cosmetic wipes, baby wipes, diapers and medical textiles, so it is a specific, often single use application that needs to take care of the materials being used, where hypoallergenic properties, softness and also moving liquids are key attributes considered in the selection of raw material used.

Added to that the disposal issues related to many of the standard nonwoven products used everyday, and the need for more research and more options on how this is facilitated in the future is obvious.

Ingeo weedblock fabric by Easy Gardener

So with performance, lifestyle choices and environmental issues each playing their part in the nonwovens industry, Ingeo is now the new raw material of choice that is perfectly placed to address each of these needs in turn. Ingeo biopolymer (PLA) is made from 100% annually renewable plant resources, and as such provides a more responsible way of manufacturing nonwoven products that come into contact with consumers’ skin. This is in part the motivation to choose Ingeo products over conventional oil based ones.

At the same time, these products must be able to satisfy on a performance level while maintaining a respect for environmental concerns too.

Ingeo is a pure and natural based innovation that emits less green house gases in production. It has outstanding water transport properties and outperforms PET fabrics for breathability, comfort and insulation. Products made from this biopolymer are hypoallergenic, showing no evidence of skin sensitization and have a natural resistance to

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Fibers | Textiles

staining as well as very low odor retention and good thermo regulating properties. And with more end-of-life options, these nonwoven innovation products measurably contribute to a reduction in the carbon footprint both for manufacturers and final end users.

Natural Choice Ingeo baby diapers by Valor Brand

The range of application for Ingeo nonwovens runs from skincare, with wipes to apparel with thermal and structural interlinings. In furniture components, wadding and fillings, always hidden, but nonetheless critical for the lifetime performance of the product are now using PLA fibers.

In babycare, moisturized Ingeo wipes and diapers, and also with personal hygiene products designed to deliver confidence are being promoted by eco sensitive brands.

New applications on a grand scale see landscape weedblock textiles and exhibition carpet flooring set to replace conventional oil-based products, and the campaign against supermarket plastic bags has opened the opportunity for some new Ingeo qualities to fill the gap with a new, more sustainable multi-use shopping bag that combines high performance with a natural origin.

Ingeo fiber is produced in a full range of types designed to fit all standard nonwoven techniques including spun lace, thermal, chemical or resin bonding, calendaring, needle punch and wet laid processes, as well as spunbond fabrics making it a very compelling component to replace oil based fibers throughout the nonwovens industry With the rapid growth in consumers desire for more environmentally friendly products, Natureworks is pleased to announce further expansions in our customer partner network of fiber and fabric suppliers. In the US Palmetto Synthetics, DS fibers in Belgium and Huvis in South Korea are our most recent licensed Ingeo fiber suppliers. This further strengthens supply options when combined with our long time Ingeo fiber suppliers FIT in the US and China, FET in Taiwan and Toray as well as Unitika in Japan.

Ingeo baby wet wipes by Benâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Land

In addition to the full range of Ingeo fibers being offered by our partners, we are also excited about the recent addition of CL Chemical Fiber in China to our partner network. CL produces a full range of 100% Ingeo spunbond fabrics for a broad range of applications.

Produced in all shapes and forms, Ingeo in nonwovens is poised to help transform the way to shop and live. www.natureworksllc.com

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Eco-Friendly and Woven

T

he Japanese company Arkhe Will Co., Ltd. develops and markets products made from bioplastics. One part of Arkhe‘s product range consists of so-called novelty goods.

These promotional items are, for example, mouse pads, bottle openers, magnifying glasses, diary covers and much more.

Bird repellent tape

However, Arkhe Will is based in Fukui, an area where textile processing technology is well developed. That is why the company is also quite active in developing fibre and textile applications made from bioplastics such as PLA. The company has many years experience in textiles, and the necessary proficiency in processing and dying PLA fibres as well as printing on PLA fabric.

When Arkhe Will started to develop biodegradable non-woven and woven fabric products they were looking for applications where the limited thermal properties of PLA were not exactly a disadvantage. “We were looking for products which would be burned after use. So we started making the PLA fabric for the special cloth called ‘shiro-shozoku’ (in English: white cloth), which is a gown for those who have died,” says Keiko Maeda, Managing Director of Arkhe. “Cremation is popular in Japan, and in most cases the body is cremated dressed in a ‘shiroshozoku,’” she adds. Thus this special cloth is used only once.

Ropes

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Nets

Fibers | Textiles

Non-Woven Fabric from Arkhe

Name-card holder and lanyards Shirts and jackets

The pictures show examples of the various textile applications that Arkhe have developed since that time. Among these applications are all kind of bags, nets, tapes, ribbons, jackets and T-shirts. “One of our popular products made of PLA fibres is a name-card holder and lanyard” explains Mrs. Maeda. “Every piece (the lanyard, the clip and the card-holder) is made of PLA plastic or PLA fibres.

The fibres exhibit almost the same physical properties as conventional synthetic fibres such as nylon or polyester. Strength and elongation can be readily controlled by adjusting production conditions.”

Innovative animal repellents Quite a fascinating application for PLA fabrics and non-wovens is in the field of animal repellents. The bird repellent tape for example is made 100% from non-woven PLA fibres. The tape contains capsaicin as a deterrent substance. Capsaicin is an all-natural substance (the active component of red chilli peppers) that keeps birds away from the valuable fruit.

Other applications are PLA tapes or nets with capsaicin to protect plants from animals. Deer, bears and other wild animals are deterred from browsing through plantations. It also helps to repel crows, rats and deer from gnawing at fruit crops and trees. www.arkhe-will.jp

Animal repellent net

bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

29

Fibers | Textiles

Fiber and Fabric Applications ®

Sorona Renewably Article contributed by Dawson E. Winch, Global Brand Manager, DuPont Applied BioSciences, Wilmington, Delaware, USA

N

ow in its third century, DuPont has evolved into a leader in industrial biotechnology. The company is leading the way in industrial biotechnology with more patents in this field than any other company. DuPont is also unique in that it operates throughout the entire supply chain from seed to agricultural feedstock to product or in the terms of life cycle analysis, from cradle to gate. Being a leader in sustainability in October 2006 DuPont announced new 2015 Sustainability Goals. Most of the previous sustainability goals for 2010 had been met or exceeded. One of these goals is to reduce dependency on non-depletable resources – this includes petroleum. DuPont™ Sorona® renewably sourced polymer was the first commercialized product that used renewable resources – instead of petroleum – to produce both ingredients and materials.

Natural fibers such as wool, linen, silk and cotton have long been a part of fashion history. In the mid 20th century synthetic fibers hit the market and women enjoyed wearing stockings made with nylon from DuPont. For over 60 years DuPont has been a leader in polymer and fiber innovation and this innovation continues in the 21st century with the introduction of DuPont Sorona renewably sourced polymer DuPont has known about Sorona, known generically as PTT (polytrimethyl terephthalate) for many years but didn’t believe it was economically viable to make it using traditional petrochemical feedstocks. So, DuPont scientists developed a way to make this product by combining biology with polymer science to find alternative production methods. Since the production of PDO (propanediol) – the key ingredient in Sorona, occurs in nature, it was a matter of maximizing and simplifying that process to produce commercial quantities of 1,3 propanediol, in one step.

Bio-PDO™ (1,3 propanediol) is the first of several base monomers or building block molecules developed by DuPont using renewable resources instead of petrochemicals. Not only does Bio-PDO have direct applications it is also the key ingredient in Sorona renewably sourced polymer. Sorona offers ‘Performance PLUS Environmental Responsibility’ to the fiber and fabric industries.

As a fiber, Sorona offers a unique combination of attributes not found in any other single fiber. Many markets and end uses including apparel, home and office interiors, carpeting and automotive interiors and carpeting can benefit from the many attributes and benefits of Sorona.

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

Fibers | Textiles

using DuPont™ Sourced Polymer Performance is important to both brands and consumers and is an important contributor to increasing the sustainability quotient of a product. Today’s busy consumers are looking for products and apparel that offer durability, meet or exceed performance expectations and are easy care. Apparel markets including swimwear, intimate apparel, activewear and ready to wear are key targets for Sorona.

Mohawk smart strand carpet

Due to the colorfastness, UV and chlorine resistance, swimwear looks great and retains its color and shape all summer long. Fabrics made with Sorona won’t degrade or breakdown due to harsh sunlight or chlorine. Due to its softness, fabrics made with these fibers are low pill so swimwear looks and peforms like new despite the performance demands. 

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lll#W^deaVhi^XhVlVgYh#Xdb bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

31

Fibers | Textiles Intimate apparel designers and consumers alike; appreciate the exceptional level of softness and drape. Unlike other synthetics, fibers made with Sorona dye easily and achieve pure whites as well as rich blacks – both very popular colors in the intimate apparel market. Best of all for consumers is the easy care attribute. Garments with Sorona can be washed in cold water and colors won’t fade due to its colorfastness and fade resistance attributes. Durability and cold water washing also contribute to reducing the environmental footprint.

When extruded as a fiber, Sorona holds an odd cross section – necessary for moisture management – better than traditional polyester – so moisture is transported away from the body efficiently and effectively in activewear. Since fibers and fabrics made with the new polymer are fade resistant, activewear colors remain bold and vivid through many work-outs and adventures, not to mention washings. Most agree that the comfort stretch and full recovery of fabrics made with Sorona also lead to freedom of movement – a necessity in activewear.

Fleece reaches new levels of softness. With fibers from Sorona microdenier softness is achieved at larger deniers making processing easier.

When blended with other fibers, Sorona continues to offer valuable attributes. Blended with wool it offers softness and drape along with resistance to wrinkles – perfect for the business traveler who goes from plane to meeting. Cotton / Sorona blends offer softness and a comfort stretch and recovery to provide freedom of movement through the shoulders and elbows where consumers need it most. In other words, Sorona blends easily with other fibers – both synthetic and natural - to enhance and maximize both performance and style.

Designers appreciate the easy dye capability. The material reaches full color absorption at the boiling point of water.

Fabrics and apparel print and dye beautifully resulting in bold vivid colors and sharp, crisp prints that won’t bleed or fade.

The environmental side of the ‘Performance PLUS’ story is threefold. First, Sorona uses approx. 30% less energy to produce than the production of an equal amount of nylon6.

Second, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced up to 63%.

And lastly, Sorona reduces dependence on oil since it uses renewably sourced ingredients, replacing those made with petrochemicals. Sorona contains 37% renewably sourced ingredients by weight.

As a carpet fiber, the new material offers outstanding performance including durability, crush resistance and resilience. Best of all, is the benefit of permanent, natural stain resistance that won’t wash or wear off as topical stain treatments are prone to do. DuPont has partnered with Mohawk Industries to bring this environmentally responsible polymer to the North American market in residential carpeting. DuPont is also working with the automotive industry to offer similar stain resistant carpets to automotive manufacturers for carpeting and car mats. www.sorona.dupont.com

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

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Basics Glossary Carbon neutral

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.

Readers who know better explanations or who would like to suggest other explanations to be added to the list, please contact the editor. [*: bM ... refers to more comprehensive article previously published in bioplastics MAGAZINE)

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

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

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].

Amyloseacetat

Composting

Linear polymeric glucose-chains are called à amylose.

If this compound is treated with ethan acid one product is amylacetat. The hydroxyl group is connected with the organic acid fragment.

A solid waste management technique that uses natural process to convert organic materials to CO2, water and humus through the action of à microorganisms [bM 03/2007].

Amylose

Copolymer

Amylopectin

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 Plastics- Evaluation 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.

34

Carbon neutral describes a process that has a negligible impact on total atmospheric CO2 levels. For example, carbon neutrality means that any CO2 released when a plant decomposes or is burnt is offset by an equal amount of CO2 absorbed by the plant through photosynthesis when it is growing.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

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 photosynthesis or hydrolyse of many carbohydrates e. g. starch.

Basics Glossary Humus

Sorbitol

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.

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 .

Hydrophilic 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).

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 Polyhydroxyalkanoates are linear polyesters produced in nature by bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids.

The most common type of PHA is à PHB.

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.

Saccharins or carbohydrates Saccharins or carbohydrates are name for the sugar-family. Saccharins are monomer or polymer sugar units. For example, there are known mono-, di- and polysaccharose. à glucose is a monosaccarin. They are important for the diet and produced biology in plants.

Starch Natural polymer (carbohydrate) consisting of à amylose and à amylopectin, gained from maize, potatoes, wheat, tapioca etc. When glucose is connected to polymer-chains in definite way the result (product) is called starch. Each molecule is based on 300 -12000-glucose units. Depending on the connection, there are two types à amylose and à amylopectin known.

Starch (-derivate) Starch (-derivates) are based on the chemical structure of à starch. The chemical structure can be changed by introducing new functional groups without changing the à starch polymer. The product has different chemical qualities. Mostly the hydrophilic character is not the same.

Starch-ester One characteristic of every starch-chain is a free hydroxyl group. When every hydroxyl group is connect with ethan acid one product is starch-ester with different chemical properties.

Starch propionate and starch butyrate Starch propionate and starch butyrate can be synthesised by treating the à starch with propane or butanic acid. The product structure is still based on à starch. Every based à glucose fragment is connected with a propionate or butyrate ester group. The product is more hydrophobic than à starch.

Sustainable 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).

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

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

bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

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Suppliers Guide 1. Raw Materials

BASF SE Global Business Management Biodegradable Polymers Carl-Bosch-Str. 38 67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany Tel. +49-621 60 43 878 Fax +49-621 60 21 694 info@basf.com www.ecovio.com 1.1 bio based monomers

1.3 PLA

4. Bioplastics products

1.4 starch-based bioplastics Sukano Products Ltd. Chaltenbodenstrasse 23 CH-8834 Schindellegi Phone +41 44 787 57 77 Fax +41 44 787 57 78 www.sukano.com BIOTEC Biologische Naturverpackungen GmbH & Co. KG Werner-Heisenberg-Straße 32 46446 Emmerich Germany Phone: +49 2822 92510 Fax: +49 2822 51840 info@biotec.de www.biotec.de

Du Pont de Nemours International S.A. 2, Chemin du Pavillon, PO Box 50 CH 1218 Le Grand Saconnex, Geneva, Switzerland Phone: + 41(0) 22 717 5428 Plantic Technologies GmbH Fax: + 41(0) 22 717 5500 Heinrich-Busold-Straße 50 jonathan.v.cohen@che.dupont.com D-61169 Friedberg www.packaging.dupont.com Germany Tel: +49 6031 6842 650 Tel: +44 794 096 4681 (UK) 1.2 compounds Fax: +49 6031 6842 656 info@plantic.eu www.plantic.eu

1.7 reinforcing fibres/fillers made from RRM

alesco GmbH & Co. KG Schönthaler Str. 55-59 D-52379 Langerwehe Sales Germany: +49 2423 402 110 Sales Belgium: +32 9 2260 165 Sales Netherlands: +31 20 5037 710 info@alesco.net // www.alesco.net

2. Additives / Secondary raw materials Arkhe Will Co., Ltd. 19-1-5 Imaichi-cho, Fukui 918-8152 Fukui, Japan Du Pont de Nemours International S.A. Tel. +81-776 38 46 11 Fax +81-776 38 46 17 2, Chemin du Pavillon, PO Box 50 contactus@ecogooz.com CH 1218 Le Grand Saconnex, www.ecogooz.com Geneva, Switzerland Phone: + 41(0) 22 717 5428 Fax: + 41(0) 22 717 5500 jonathan.v.cohen@che.dupont.com www.packaging.dupont.com 3. Semi finished products 3.1 films

Maag GmbH Leckingser Straße 12 58640 Iserlohn Germany Tel.: + 49 2371 9779-30 BIOTEC Biologische Fax: + 49 2371 9779-97 Naturverpackungen GmbH & Co. KG shonke@maag.de Werner-Heisenberg-Straße 32 Telles, Metabolix – ADM joint venture www.maag.de 46446 Emmerich 650 Suffolk Street, Suite 100 Germany Lowell, MA 01854 USA Phone: +49 2822 92510 Tel. +1-97 85 13 18 00 Fax: +49 2822 51840 Fax +1-97 85 13 18 86 info@biotec.de www.mirelplastics.com www.biotec.de

Forapack S.r.l Via Sodero, 43 66030 Poggiofi orito (Ch), Italy Tel. +39-08 71 93 03 25 Fax +39-08 71 93 03 26 info@forapack.it www.forapack.it

1.5 PHA

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

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

Tianan Biologic No. 68 Dagang 6th Rd, Beilun, Ningbo, China, 315800 Tel. +86-57 48 68 62 50 2 Fax +86-57 48 68 77 98 0 enquiry@tianan-enmat.com www.tianan-enmat.com

Huhtamaki Forchheim Herr Manfred Huberth Zweibrückenstraße 15-25 91301 Forchheim Tel. +49-9191 81305 Fax +49-9191 81244 Mobil +49-171 2439574

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

natura Verpackungs GmbH Industriestr. 55 - 57 48432 Rheine Tel.: +49 5975 303-57 Fax: +49 5975 303-42 info@naturapackaging.com www.naturapackagign.com

1.6 masterbatches

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

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

Wiedmer AG - PLASTIC SOLUTIONS 8752 Näfels - Am Linthli 2 SWITZERLAND Phone: +41(0) 55 618 44 99 Fax: +41(0) 55 618 44 98 www.wiedmer-plastic.com

Events

4.1 trays 5. Traders 5.1 wholesale 6. Machinery & Molds

FAS Converting Machinery AB O Zinkgatan 1/ Box 1503 27100 Ystad, Sweden Tel.: +46 411 69260 www.fasconverting.com

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

Sept. 9-10, 2008 1st PLA World Congress organized by bioplastics MAGAZINE Munich, Germany www.pla-world-congress.com Sept. 17, 2008 BioPack The best way to understand biomaterials in packaging Gothenburg, Sweden www.packseminarier.se

Sept. 18-19, 2008 Innovation Takes Root A NatureWorks-sponsored technical conference on polylactide polymer innovation for real market solutions Las Vegas, USA www.innovationtakesroot.com

7. Plant engineering

Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH Holzhauser Str. 157 - 159 13509 Berlin Germany Tel.: +49 (0)30 43567 5 fax: +49 (0)30 43567 699 sales.de@thyssenkrupp.com www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com 8. Ancillary equipment 9. Services 10. Research institutes / Universities

Oct. 6-8, 2008 The Future of Biopolymer Symposium 2008 IntertechPira Chicago, IL, USA www.biopolymersummit.com

Oct. 7-8, 2008 BioKunststoffe Automobil von morgen Universität Duisburg-Essen, Germany www.hanser.de

Oct. 7-10, 2008 International Symposium on Polymers and the Environment: Emerging Technology And Science Co-Hosted by the BioEnvironmental Polymer Society and the Biodegradable Products Institute Radisson Hotel Nashua | Nashua, New Hampshire, USA http://www.beps.org/index.php?page=events

Oct. 21, 2008 Biodegradable Plastics International Conference during Expoquimia - Equiplast Fair Barcelona, Spain

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,â&#x20AC;&#x201C; EUR per mm, per issue you can be present among top suppliers in the field of bioplastics.

November 5-6, 2008 3rd European Bioplastics Conference Hotel Maritim | Berlin, Germany www.european-bioplastics.org December 3-4, 2008 Bioplastics 2008 with Bioplastics Awards Sofitel Munich | Munich, Germany www.prw.com

You can meet us!

www.cep-inform.es/JornadaBio.pdf

Please contact us in advance by e-mail.

MANN+HUMMEL ProTec GmbH Stubenwald-Allee 9 64625 Bensheim, Deutschland Tel. +49 6251 77061 0 Fax +49 6251 77061 510 info@mh-protec.com www.mh-protec.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

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Companies in this issue Company

Editorial

Alcan Alcoa Alesco Arkema Arkhe Will BASF Ben‘s Land Biograde BioPearls bioplastics 24 Biotec Brückner Maschinenbau Cereplast CL Chemical Fiber Clariant Masterbatches Codiceasbarre Coopbox Designtex DS Fiber DuPont Easy Gardener European Bioplastics European Plastics News Faribault Mills FAS Converting Machinery FET FH Hannover FIT FkuR Forapack Fox River Fraunhofer ICT

10 5

Advert

34 19 10, 21, 28 34 5, 10 34 23,27 7 10 13,15 34 10 5, 10 2 27 10 23 10 23 27 9, 10, 30 34 27 8, 12 31 23 35 27 10 27 10 34 34 23 16

Company

Editorial

Fujitsu Gattinoni Genpak Hallink Hiroshima University Huhtamaki Huvis Innovia Innoware Intertech Pira Labcon North America Linda Loudermilk Maag Mann + Hummel Protech Mazda Messe Düsseldorf Michigan State University Mohawk Industries Mondi Moral Fervor Novamont natura packaging Naturevsfuture NatureWorks

18 1, 3, 23 5

Nokia Palmetto Synthetics PIEP Pólo de Inovação em Engenharia de Polímeros Plantic plasticker Polyfilms PolyOne Principia Purac Biochem Rianne de Witte Samsung Sidaplax Sony Sukano Sulzer Chemtech TCKT - Transfercenter für Kunststofftechnik Tecnaro Telles Tianan Biologic Toyo Seikan Kaisha Transmare Uhde Inventa Fischer Universität Kassel Valor Brand Wageningen University Research Centre Wiedmer

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

Topics:

Basics:

Next issues:

Bottles, Labels, Caps

LCA

05/08 06/08

September 2008 November 2008

01/09

January/February 2009

2nd Generation Bioplastics

38

bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3

Advert

35 6 34 27 9 5

34 13, 15

14 23 10

34 35

6 8, 12 10 32 8 23 40 34 23 10, 12, 22, 24, 26 6 27 10 6, 9 34 13 10 10 34 7 10 23 19 10 34 20 34 10 10 16 14 34 34 10 34 5, 10 35 10 27 10 34

A new world requires a new way of thinking In a world where depletion of natural resources is an ever growing concern, compostable packaging is rapidly gaining ground as the sensible alternative to its traditional counterparts. In this relatively new industry, Natura Packaging has been at the forefront from the beginning, providing the world with sustainable packaging solutions since 1995. A dedicated service provider, we translate packaging questions into practical answers - from preliminary counsellingto actual product delivery. So go for a new way of thinking. Enjoy the benefits of unrivalled experience. Choose Natura Packaging.

Innovation in packaging natura Verpackungs GmbH Industriestrasse 55-5

D - 48432 RHEINE Phone +44 (0)1923/815-600

Phone +49 5975 303 57 Fax +49 5975 303 42

Email info@naturapackaging.com Internet www.naturapackaging.com

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 with a low environmental impact. The result of Novamont's innovative research is the new bioplastic Mater-Bi 速.

Mater-Bi 速 is a family of materials, completely biodegradable and compostable which contain renewable raw materials such as starch and vegetable oil derivates. Mater-Bi 速 performs like traditional plastics 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速: certified biodegradable and compostable.

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

Inventor of the year 2007