Content September
Content September 02|2006 Review Bioplastics – a highlight at NPE 2006 in Chicago 08 Special Shopping bags – a big opportunity for bioplastics 10 Processing Twin Screw Extrusion Systems for Biobased Resins 14 Making preforms for PLA bottles … 16 Applications First PLA bottle in Germany 20 Biophan lid film for fresh food 22 Editorial 03 News 05 Suppliers Guide 38 Events 42 Market The first brick in a Domino Toppling 23 Politics Degradable Plastics - A Canadian Perspective 24 Federal Agencies in the USA shall 28 buy bioplastics products Belgian BioPackaging 0 Opinion Pro composting / Pro energy recovery 2 Basics Degradable – Biodegradable – Compostable 34 Logos Part 2: The “Compostable” logo of BPI, USA 6 Impressum Publisher / Editorial Dr. Michael Thielen Layout/Production Mark Speckenbach, Jörg Neufert Head Office Polymedia Publisher GmbH Hackesstr. 99 41066 Mönchengladbach Germany phone: +49 (0)2161 664864 fax: +49 (0)2161 631045 info@bioplasticsmagazine.com Media Adviser Samuel Brangenberg Claudia Stelse, Katrin Stein phone: +49(0)2359-2996-0 fax: +49(0)2359-2996-10 sb@bioplasticsmagazine.com Print Tölkes Druck + Medien GmbH Höffgeshofweg 12 47807 Krefeld Germany bioplastics magazine ISSN 1862-5258 After the startup phase in 2006 bioplastics magazine is published 4 times in 2007 and 6 times a year from 2008. This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (99 Euro for 2007). Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher The fact that product names may not be identified in our editorial as trade marks is not an indication that such names are not registered trade marks. Cover Photo natura packaging bioplastics [06/02] Vol. 1
SPAR Austria Enhances “Freshness” of Produce with NatureWorks PLA News Building on its reputation for innovation and customer convenience, grocery store chain SPAR Austria is packaging organic apples, pears and tomatoes in rigid trays sealed with a flow wrap film, all made from NatureWorks ® PLA. “NatureWorks PLA is helping SPAR capitalize on the increasing consumer demand for both conveniently packaged fresh produce, as well as for the innovation that help them make more environmentally responsible purchases,” says Herbert Wandl, Purchasing Manager for fruit and vegetables at Spar Austria. While NatureWorks PLA offers performance that is competitive with traditional plastics, it also offers a significant brand advantage. According to Lisa Owen, global business leader for rigid packaging, NatureWorks LLC, “NatureWorks PLA provides retailers with a natural and convenient packaging solution for their customers. At first glance, consumers view NatureWorks PLA packaging as just another plastic container. Once they find out it‘s made from maize, however, consumers find the package and the product inside even more appealing.” Photo: NatureWorks Two packaging manufacturers supply the transparent rigid tray and flowwrap. Italian thermoformer, ILPA, produces the rigid trays and punnets while film manufacturer, Treofan, headquartered in Germany, supplies the flow wrap film, trademarked Biophan, made from NatureWorks PLA. According to SPAR, the increased freshness of products in PLA packaging may go beyond consumer perception. Wandl reports that the shelf-life of tomatoes, biologic apples and pears packed in PLA is 10 to 15 percent longer than that of conventionally packed fruit. To educate consumers about the benefits of PLA packaging, SPAR places an informational label on the outside of each package. The label indicates that the origin of the packaging is maize, promotes compostability and captures shoppers‘ attention. www.spar.at, www.natureworksllc.com BASF to raise prices for its biodegradable plastic Ecoflex As of September 1 of this year, BASF is going to implement in Europe a 20 % price increase for Ecoflex, a completely biodegradable plastic. This measure has become necessary before the backdrop of drastic increases in the raw material and energy costs in recent months. The biodegradable copolyester Ecoflex belongs to the PlasticsPlus product line of the Styrenics Operating Division. This product is employed primarily in blends. These are combinations of renewable raw materials such as starch, cellulose or polylactic acid with a biodegradable, synthetic polymer like Ecoflex. Examples of applications include shopping bags, organic garbage sacks, mulch film for agriculture and all kinds of packaging for food products. www.basf.com bioplastics [06/02] Vol. 1
