Bioplastics Award
Bioplastics Award Shortlist bioplastics MAGAZINE and European Plastics News have decided to team up and jointly present the 5 th Bioplastics Award. After having received in excess of 20 submissions for the Bioplastics Award 2010 the judging panel have reviewed them all and now publishes details of the five most promising proposals. The 5 th Bioplastics Awards recognises innovation, success and achievement by manufacturers, processors and users of bioplastic materials. There are no separate categories as previously. To be eligible for consideration in the awards the proposed company, product, or service must have been developed or been on the market during 2009 or 2010. The following companies/products are shortlisted (without any ranking) and from these the winner will be announced during the 5 th European Bioplastics Conference on December 1st, 2010 in Düsseldorf Germany: EconCore – PLA Honeycomb Sandwich Structure Over the last 6 months EconCore has optimized the production technology to produce PLA based hexagonal honeycomb cores using a continuous production process. Only moments after the core is produced skin layers are added in a second step of the continuous production process. These skins could be made from unfilled PLA material to make a mono material panel or, in case a higher performance is required, could be replaced with consolidated flax in a PLA matrix. Key advantages: • Made from renewable, biobased polymers • Increased performance at reduced weight • Reduced production cost versus traditional panels and materials • Excellent strength and stiffness • Good impact resistance The PLA honeycomb sandwich structure is 100% renewable, minimizes the use of PLA and is hence also price competitive with (much heavier) products made from traditional plastics. Toyota - The Application of Bioplastics for the New Luxury Hybrid Car ‘SAI‘ The Toyota Passenger Vehicle Development Center 2 of Toyota Motors Corporation has been very active in the area of bioplastics development since 2003, thus being one of the world‘s pioneers. The success of the bioplastics applications in the new luxury Hybrid Car, the ‘SAI‘, is an outstanding example not only for the wide variety of the material utilization but also the wide range of the application area. Parts of Biomassbased plastics Scuff Plate, Cowl Sidetrim, Finish Plate Tool Box Ceiling, Front Pillar, Center Pillar Roofside trim, Sunvisor Baggage Trim, baggage Sidetrim baggage Doortrim, baggage Floormat Door Trim Seat Cushon Materials Biomass-based Petroleumbased Technology PolyLactide (PLA) Biomass-based Polyester PolyLactide (PLA) PolyLactide (PLA) /Kenaf Caster Oil based Polyol Polypropylene (PP) Polyethylene Terephthalate Polyethylene Terephthalate Polyol / Isocyanate Compatibilized Compound Conjugated Fiber Composit Fiber Composit Product Polyurethane 26 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/10] Vol. 5
Bioplastics Award Proganic: A New Material for Injection Moulding of High Quality Products Proganic is a bio-polymer based on PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoates), as well as a combination of renewable vegetable oils, waxes and natural minerals which provide sealing and water resistance. It can be used as a replacement for a variety of thermoplastics including PP and ABS. Technically it is most comparable to ABS plastic. Proganic is tested for the ‘ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials in an aqueous medium‘ according to ISO 14851 (by measuring the oxygen demand) and ISO 14852 (by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide). It is home compostable in both open and closed composters at 20°C. It conforms to the European Norm EN 71, Articles 3 and 9 (toys) and it also conforms to the requirements of the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the food and beverage industry. Proganic products currently available directly from Propper include watering cans, flower pots, self adhesive hooks, egg cups and spoons, strainers. ICO: ‘Green Planet’ Environmentally Friendly Writing Instruments and Office Supplies A variety of products are made from the biodegradable material PLA, derived from corn starch, such as bio-degradable pens, paperclip holder, letter opener, stapler, perforator and pen stands. These products decompose in environments with a high humidity (50-70%), high temperature (60-80°C), microorganisms and oxygen. Furthermore, there are also recycled paper products in this range, such as the paper pen and various folders for filing, best illustrated in the attachment. ICO Stationery Manufacturing JSC has developed a unique product range among the green product manufacturers. Not only does ICO make ballpoint pens from bio-material – of which there is already a great variety on the market - but they offer a full range including desk accessories such as pen stands, staplers, perforators and folders. Catalogues and leaflets are issued on a regular basis to promote these environmentally friendly products. FKuR / Fujitsu: Eco Keyboard Fujitsu KBPC PX ECO Fujitsu Technology Solutions is the leading IT infrastructure provider in Europe. In order to provide respective consumer electronics solutions to the ecologically-aware consumer, the Eco keyboard KBPC PX ECO was developed using the materials from FKuR Kunststoff GmbH. 45% of the plastics components used in this keyboard were replaced by materials made from renewable resources. For the keyboard base Biograde ® C 7500 CL was chosen. Parts made from Biograde meet the special requirements for keyboards and in some cases even exceed the properties of oil-based plastics. This new Eco-Keyboard underlines Fujitsu’s Green IT commitment to saving CO 2 emissions, and represents a further innovation for Green IT. bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/10] Vol. 5 27
