Application News
Application News Eco-Packaging for Salads Quality and environmental sustainability: these are the key elements of the non-GMO biodegradable and compostable Mater-Bi ® packaging for salads, the result of the collaboration between the Italian companies Novamont and Ecor. The experimental project is an absolute first in Italy and the first in Europe to be used for ready-to-serve salad produce of the IV range with Demeter certification, attesting to its biodynamic farming origins. The idea behind the experimental project was to find packaging for the IV range of products (fruit and vegetables ready for consumption) which, besides being suitable to preserve fresh produce and give it a longer shelf-life, is also sustainable, i.e. it limits the environmental impact of the materials used. Added value which becomes a matter of consistency in the case of biological and biodynamic products, which are products obtained by farming that respects the natural rhythms, increases the humus in the soil and gives man a product with high organoleptic and nutritional properties. Thus the convergence between Ecor, Novamont and biodynamic agricultural company Filogea means that a market sector in constant growth such as that of pre-washed packaged salads can now offer consumers a 100% compostable pack, the non- GMO components of which (coated cardboard and film) are fully compostable. Consumers who choose the biodynamic ready-to-serve salads produced by Filogea in stores specialising in biological products do not need to be concerned about how to dispose of the pack. Besides using renewable resources and ensuring the optimal conservation of the product, the innovative packaging consisting of cartonboard ‘spread’ with Mater-Bi and packaged with Mater- Bi film can be thrown away along with the kitchen waste. www.novamont.com www.ecor.it Luxury Perfume Packaging What do Britney Spears and Clarifoil have in common? The answer is quite simple: they both know that beautiful packaging is vitally important. Clarifoil is delighted that its’ cellulose film has been selected for Britney Spears recently re-packaged perfume Curious. Marion Bauer, Marketing Manager, Clarifoil: “The luxury market of perfume has high expectations from its packaging and consistently Clarifoil is able to deliver with materials that are more environmentally friendly, yet give that exceptional finish.” Clarifoil is the world’s leading producer of innovative cellulose acetate films used for labels, carton windows and print lamination. www.clarifoil.com New Bio-Based Twist Film for Europe (BUSINESS WIRE) Breakthrough Technology Offers Twist Films Made from 100% Biodegradable/Compostable Material Cereplast, Inc. El Segundo, California, USA, recently announced that it has partnered with Sezersan Ambalaj (Sezersan), a subsidiary of Aşcı Group in Turkey, to produce bio twist films made from Cereplast Compostables ® resins. The first-of-itskind, patented product will serve as wrap packaging for a variety of food products distributed throughout Europe. The Sezersan bio twist film will be manufactured using Cereplast Compostables 7003 bio resin, designed to provide high strength, toughness and process ability for products. Under the terms of the multi-million dollar agreement, Cereplast will begin monthly shipments of 100 to 150 tonnes of bio resin in December 2010. The new bio twist film has substantial form memory capability (dead-fold behavior) and is heat sealable. The film is also thinner than other twistable product and may be made into opaque or semi-transparent, film-like material. The bio twist film will be used as packaging for a variety of brands in the food industry in Europe. www.cereplast.com www.sezersan.com.tr 22 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/10] Vol. 5
Applications PLA cups for AVIANCA airline Phoenix Packaging Group (PPG) is one of the most important packaging manufacturing conglomerates in Latin America with sales in more than 30 countries in the Americas. And as a leader in innovation the Phoenix Packaging Group is very proud to have presented the world‘s first Ingeo PLA cup for an airline. The Colombian airline Avianca for their part is a company very active with regard to environmental awareness, so it was only a question of time before these two came together to their mutual benefit - but more about this later. Biowaste mixed with ground cup flakes “Avianca is closing the life cycle - a matter they are very concerned about - by using thermoplastic PLA cups with an eye on LCIA“, Giovanna Cruz Nieto, Business Project Leader of Phoenix Packaging Group said to bioplastics MAGAZINE. The airline uses the thermoformed PLA cups during national and international flights, to treat the environment with maximum respect. After use the cups are collected for composting at a composting facility that belongs to the Colombian Environmental Control Center (Control Ambiental de Colombia). This company also composts materials such as market and flower waste and industrial ‘bio‘-residues as well as food waste. So, during/after a flight, when any waste is collected, the PLA cups are separated. Due to legislation, for international flights leaving Bogotá the complete waste is incinerated at the respective destination. But for all domestic flights and for those arriving in Bogotá, all PLA cups are composted, which takes between 6 and 12 weeks. Actually, the cups are ground into small flakes and mixed with other compostable bio-waste. But even complete cups can be composted very well and actually test runs are being perfumed at the moment to verify this. Left: before drinking - right: after collecting Always busy and ‘go-ahead’, PPG was approached by NatureWorks in 2005 and did not hesitate to start trials with Ingeo immediately. Finally, in 2009, Phoenix Packaging offered their developments to Avianca, duly aware of their environmental consciousness and already being their supplier for other packages at that time. Avianca presented this fascinating opportunity to their president in February 2009. “And so, hand in hand with Avianca and in close cooperation with the Environmental Control Center we came to the point that we have reached today” Giovanna Cruz Nieto admitted, not only proud of this business in general, but primarily of the great environmental impact. This PPG initiative is really different, because this is the first closed life cycle with post consumer residues. Ground cup flakes are mixed with biowaste www.grupophoenix.com www.avianca.com Avianca thus can be named as the first and pioneer enterprise in introducing and permanently using PLA cups, along with KLM who started to use PLA coated paper cups in June 2009 - mainly for hot beverages - and ANA in Japan, who carried out a project with PLA cups within the framework of their ‘e-flight‘ campaign in 2009. Encouraged by the success enjoted by Avianca‘s PLA cup, Phoenix Packaging Group looked into other Ingeo products and thus launched the “We serve the planet” GeoPack ® line earlier this year. With factories in Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico they will open another new plant in Virginia (USA) this coming September. - CJ/MT bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/10] Vol. 5 23
