Applications Biophan lid
Applications Biophan lid film for fresh food New food application for Treofan Group’s innovative film The Treofan Group, one of the world’s leading producers and distributors of polypropylene films, has announced a new application for Biophan, their biologically degradable film. This new generation of films made from polylactic acid (PLA) and displaying an excellent combination of product characteristics is ideally suited for use as a lid film. Treofan is the only producer of environmentally friendly lid films offering the so-called peel function, which enables the lid film to be easily removed from the container, which is also made from PLA. This function is made possible by an additive in one of the outer layers of the three-layer Biophan film, which allows for low-temperature sealing without the need for an additional peelable lacquer. As a lid film, Biophan can be used for packaging sandwiches, filled baguettes and rolls as well as for fresh food such as fruit and vegetables, cheese or sausages. Good application opportunities for Biophan as lid film Frank Ernst, the Biophan Product Manager, is convinced that this lid film will meet with great enthusiasm among food producers and end users alike. “The market for fresh food packaging is enormous – in Britain alone, 1.2 billion sandwich packs are manufactured every year. In addition, this lid film can be used for fresh fruit, vegetables and salad. I believe Biophan’s good product features and sustainability will lead to it being widely used as a lid film.” Initial trials with converters and packers have confirmed the outstanding characteristics of this new development. The film’s sealing power is sufficiently high to withstand bursting and the peel power is low enough to allow for easy opening, as Treofan reports. Furthermore, the lid film leaves traces on the container when opened so that any prior opening of the packaging can be immediately detected – a feature that improves product safety. One example of application are sandwiches packed in transparent triangular boxes and closed with Biophan lid film. Another possible application would involve equipping foldable cardboard sandwich packs with Biophan windows or laminating the inside surface of the cardboard with the new film. Biophan’s impermeability to fat and oil means that products can be packed with no risk of the cardboard becoming soaked. www.treofan.com 22 bioplastics [06/02] Vol. 1
Politics Degradable Plastics A Canadian Perspective The ongoing efforts to divert material from landfill have led many Canadian municipalities to look at composting or anaerobic digestion as a viable waste management option. This includes leaf and yard waste and more and more household kitchen waste. Approximately 14% of Canadian households (over two million households) currently have curbside collection of source-separated organics (i.e. food waste). And that number continues to grow daily. Along with the increased interest in composting comes an increased interest in compostable plastic bags for such applications as bin liners and kitchen catchers. Adhering to standards Photo: City of Toronto Contributed article by Dr. Fred Edgecombe, Technical Advisor to the Environment and Plastics Industry Council (EPIC), a council of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA). Canada went through a mini “biodegradable” era in the 1980s and 1990s, where products introduced at that time claimed to be degradable but proved not to be. As a result, there are many organizations, including the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA), that place great emphasis on the ISO 14020 series of standards under “Environmental Labels and Declarations”. Canada developed a national standard entitled CAN/ CSA-ISO 14021-00, which is based on ISO 14021 (Self Declared Environmental Claims). The standard is referenced in regulations administered by the Bureau of Competition and Advertising of Industry Canada (a Federal Ministry) and specifies that: “Methods of evaluation and claim verification shall follow, in order of preference, international standards, recognized standards that have international acceptability (these may include regional or national standards) or industry or trade methods which have been subjected to peer review.” The standard also suggests that any “claims of degradability shall only be made in relation to a specific test method that includes maximum level of degradation and test duration, and shall be relevant to the circumstances in which the product or packaging is likely to be disposed”. Other elements of the standard state that a degradable claim should not be made for a product, packaging or component of a product that releases substances in concentrations harmful to the environment. And, information to verify the environmental claim should be disclosed, upon request, at a reasonable cost, to any person seeking to verify the claim. The possibility of having degradable products leave trace elements and other foreign matter in compost has led Canada to adopt criteria for the quality of the compost. These criteria are described in documents and standards endorsed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environ- 24 bioplastics [06/02] Vol. 1
