Opinion interests and
Opinion interests and powerful synthetic plastic trade lobbies were at play and my meetings with various government agencies to exempt biopolymers from duties and taxes met with no response. We were seen as a threat, rather than a sustainable, environmentally-friendly alternative to synthetic plastic. It seemed that ‘the path less taken’ had led me to a dead end. However, my efforts continued with the Ministry of Environment and Forests in New Delhi, the Bureau of Indian Standards and various other agencies. I continued my insistence that there be certifying agencies in India to control the fictitious biodegradable bag manufactures, some of which used harmful additives such as cobalt. Finally, in late 2007, these government agencies embarked on a course to ensure that biopolymers find their rightful place as a sustainable alternative to synthetic plastic, especially in the area of solid waste management. The applications for bioplastics are plenty — from carry bags and bin liners, to agricultural mulching films. Though costs are still a limiting factor in a market which is largely niche, today Earthsoul has been approved by ICAR (Indian Council for Agricultural Research) and IARI (Indian Agricultural Research Institute) and has Indian companies such as the Taj, Marriot and ITC Groups of Hotels, Fab- India and Sula Wines among its customers. As our country is headed into an era of high consumption, Earthsoul’s next project is based on converting agro residues (which are normally burnt or discarded) into biodegradable cups, trays, plates and similar products which can be composted after use. While my marketing efforts continue with zeal, recently I found myself in a strange dilemma. The Gaia hypothesis emphasises the preservation of our natural forests and does not encourage mass scale farming. Fortunately Novamont has embarked on a massive R & D campaign where they have substantially reduced the dependence on corn starch and substituted it with non-edible vegetable oil. This oil comes from the seeds of naturally occurring trees such as neem and mahua which are not farmed and are harvested off the plant every season, much like apples are plucked. Gaia is past the tipping point, but humans have shown that with intelligence and foresight we can achieve many dreams. It is Earthsoul’s dream to help humankind engage with planet earth and to preserve, strengthen and nurture its regulators. www.earthsoulindia.com bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/08] Vol. 3 41
Suppliers Guide 1. Raw Materials 6. Machinery & Molds 1.1 bio based monomers 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 Fax: + 41(0) 22 717 5500 jonathan.v.cohen@che.dupont.com www.packaging.dupont.com 1.2 compounds 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 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 1.3 PLA 1.4 starch-based bioplastics 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 Plantic Technologies GmbH Heinrich-Busold-Straße 50 D-61169 Friedberg Germany Tel: +49 6031 6842 650 Tel: +44 794 096 4681 (UK) Fax: +49 6031 6842 656 info@plantic.eu www.plantic.eu 1.5 PHA 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 Sukano Products Ltd. Chaltenbodenstrasse 23 CH-8834 Schindellegi Phone +41 44 787 57 77 Fax +41 44 787 57 78 www.sukano.com 1.7 reinforcing fibres/fillers made from RRM 2. Additives / Secondary raw materials 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 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 Fax: + 49 2371 9779-97 shonke@maag.de www.maag.de www.earthfirstpla.com www.sidaplax.com www.plasticsuppliers.com Sidaplax UK : +44 (1) 604 76 66 99 Sidaplax Belgium: +32 9 210 80 10 Plastic Suppliers: +1 866 378 4178 3.1.1 cellulose based films INNOVIA FILMS LTD Wigton Cumbria CA7 9BG England Contact: Andy Sweetman Tel.: +44 16973 41549 Fax: +44 16973 41452 andy.sweetman@innoviafilms.com www.innoviafilms.com 4. Bioplastics products 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 natura Verpackungs GmbH Industriestr. 55 - 57 48432 Rheine Tel.: +49 5975 303-57 Fax: +49 5975 303-42 info@naturapackaging.com www.naturapackagign.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 4.1 trays 5. Traders 5.1 wholesale 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 SIG Corpoplast GmbH & CO. KG Meiendorfer Str. 203 22145 Hamburg, Germany Tel. +49-40-679-070 Fax +49-40-679-07270 sigcorpoplast@sig.biz www.sigcorpoplast.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 Simply contact: Tel.: +49-2359-2996-0 or suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com Stay permanently listed in the Suppliers Guide with your company logo and contact information. For only 6,– EUR per mm, per issue you can be present among top suppliers in the field of bioplastics. 42 bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/08] Vol. 3
