News Eataly Choses
News Eataly Choses Mater-Bi for Bags and Catering Eataly, the world’s largest wine and food market, headquartered in Turin, Italy, is phasing out traditional plastic carrier bags and adopting biodegradable and compostable bags and disposable tableware in naturally biodegradable and compostable Mater-Bi ® The bags will be manufactured in Second Generation Mater-Bi, the result of advances made at the Novamont biorefinery in Terni, Italy, with improvement of the polymer in terms of renewable raw materials content from non-food sources, leading to a reduction in environmental impact. The new bags can be reused for separate refuse collection, thus becoming ideal tools for promoting quality organic refuse collection and supporting quality recycling of other refuse components. Eataly will also use biodegradable disposable tableware in Mater-Bi, which can be separately collected for initiation of composting in a dedicated plant. The Mater-Bi disposable tableware also boasts “OK Compost” certification according to European regulation EN13432. “This agreement with Eataly is an important sign that a culture is developing based on economic and environmental sustainability and the minimisation of refuse. Carriers bags and other reusable shopping bags may be convenient for consumers but they are among the products most likely end up littering the environment,” stresses Novamont CEO Catia Bastioli. “The adoption of biodegradable bags in Mater-Bi can reduce environmental impact and encourage their reuse for separate collection of organic refuse, improving compost quality. Members of the public thus learn to value their carrier bags and become more aware of environmental protection.” “We firmly believe in the importance of defending the environment,” states Oscar Farinetti, Chairperson of Eataly, “and we have chosen Novamont as our partner in this battle. We are convinced that in order to tackle the urgent problems of environmental pollution, solutions and products such as these second generation carrier bags and disposable tableware in Mater-Bi must be developed.” www.eataly.it European Commission Approves GM-Potato In early March, the European Commission approved Amflora, BASF‘s genetically optimized starch potato, for commercial application in Europe. The potato can now be used for the production of industrial starch. “After waiting for more than 13 years, we are delighted that the European Commission has approved Amflora,“ said Stefan Marcinowski, member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE. “We hope, that this decision is a milestone for further innovative products that will promote a competitive and sustainable agriculture in Europe.” “The way is now clear for commercial cultivation of Amflora this year,“ said Peter Eckes, President of BASF Plant Science. “Amflora will strengthen the international position of the European potato starch industry.“ The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) confirmed on several occasions during the approval process that Amflora is safe for humans, animals and the environment. Now that the European Commission has given its approval to Amflora‘s commercial cultivation, Sweden as the so-called ‘rapporteur’ country will formally issue its legal approval. The application for approval of Amflora was filed in Sweden in 1996. Amflora produces pure amylopectin starch used in certain technical applications. Food use is not foreseen. It was developed in collaboration with experts from the European starch industry to respond to the demand for pure amylopectin starch. Conventional potatoes produce a mixture of amylopectin and amylose starch. For many technical applications, such as in the paper, textile and adhesives industries, pure amylopectin is advantageous, but separating the two starch components is uneconomical. The industry will benefit from high-quality Amflora starch that optimizes industrial processes: it gives paper a higher gloss, and concrete and adhesives can be processed for a longer period of time. This reduces the consumption of energy, additives and raw materials such as water. http://europa.eu www.basf.com bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/10] Vol. 5
News PHA for Europe A&O FilmPAC Ltd. Olney, UK has signed an agreement with Shenzhen Ecomann Biotechnology Co., Ltd. Shenzhen, China to become the sole EU distributor for its PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate) range of resins in Europe. Expansion into a new factory is set to make Ecomann one of the world’s biggest supplier of PHA, lowering the cost and improving supply of this versatile bioplastic. A&O FilmPAC’s bioresins.eu division was set up to engage in the fast growing market for bioresins. It is on target to become the strongest European supplier for a variety of bioresins aimed at different markets and applications. It has been working with Ecomann for several years and the agreement will solidify the business relationship and create a contractual area that includes the EU, Turkey and some African countries. The market for bioresins is still relatively new and most processing and end-user customers have little knowledge of how they can be used. A&O FilmPAC has an experienced application support team that has gained valuable technical know-how through its relationship with Ecomann and is able to provide the customer support that is essential for the successful introduction of these novel products. Ecomann has worked closely with local universities in Shenzhen to develop their products and is currently producing 5,000 tons of PHA resins a year. It has now built a brand new factory on a 100- hectare site in the Shandong province of China, which will increase its capacity to 50,000 tons per year from 2012 to make it one of the world’s biggest PHA producer. Although PHA – in line with other bioplastics – is still relatively expensive when compared to traditional plastics, this big increase in production volume will help to reduce this gap; in addition, with the rising costs of oil, these renewably sourced materials will only become more competitive. www.bioresins.eu www.ecomann.cn Cereplast Production in Indiana Cereplast, Inc. has begun production at its new facility in Seymour, Indiana, USA. The Company has also moved its corporate headquarters to offices in El Segundo, California, from Hawthorne, California. The new facility, which occupies approximately 9,300 m² ( 100,000 sq.ft.) on 57,000 m² (14 acres) of land, is located one hour south of Indianapolis and houses Cereplast’s research and development operations and stateof-the-art manufacturing equipment for the Company’s bio-plastic resins. The new plant will have an increased production capacity of approximately 36,000 tonnes (80 Million pounds) of bioplastic resin when operating at full capacity. “The Indiana plant will allow us to significantly reduce our costs across the board as compared to our operations in California and focus on our core strengths: the development and marketing of our bio-plastic resins,” said Mr. Frederic Scheer, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Cereplast, Inc., “Our move to a geographically central region will enhance our operations, allowing us to best serve our growing client base in the United States,” he added www.cereplast.com NatureWorks Selling Lactide Intermediates NatureWorks LLC will now offer for sale a range of polymer-grade lactides. Produced from lactic acid, these value added intermediates are used to produce Ingeo biopolymer (PLA). NatureWorks says that it is selling Ingeo lactide intermediates for use in polymer applications in order to support rapidly growing global demand the company continues to see for PLA plastics and fibers. “Our offer to supply polymer-grade lactides is a significant step forward in supporting the end market’s growing desire for products with authentic eco-credentials that meet or exceed performance expectations,” said Marc Verbruggen, President and Chief Executive Officer of NatureWorks. “And, while we expect interest in our lactides primarily from specialty polymer producers, we welcome the opportunity to collaborate in partnerships where we can consider new and tailored grades that will meet the market needs of tomorrow.” Lactide partners may also take advantage of a new Ingeo licensee package. Under select terms, NatureWorks will supply access to trademarks and application patents needed to support and enable the wider adoption of their polymers. In Blair, Nebraska, USA, NatureWorks plans to make 10,000–20,000 tons of its lactide product portfolio available annually through this new initiative. MT www.natureworksllc.com bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/10] Vol. 5
