Special tinue their
Special tinue their initial support Bernd started to cooperate with NatureWorks, “from whom we received considerable support towards sourcing and processing the material.“ The Luxembourg based company Plastipak supplied the preforms, made on Husky equipment, to the German mineral water company Quellenhof who blow-moulded and filled the bottles for Ihr Platz . Planet friendly cap Summing up the first part of our conversation, we can say that all of the parties interviewed consider their decision regarding the use of PLA as a material for their bottles as the right one. David Zutler: “Absolutely the right decision. Petroleum based plastics are one of the world‘s biggest problems. Just look at some of the developing countries where no recycling is in place for PET bottles and where they openly burn their overloaded landfills.“ Bill Horner: “100 percent the right decision. We are planning further products to be packaged in PLA.“ Reed Paget: “Almost any analysis shows that PLA is the most sustainable option.“ Michael Keeffe: “At this point in time we are convinced it was the right decision. We have outlets across three of the Canadian provinces here, and we are about to expand to the west coast of Canada.“ And even though Ihr Platz recently discontinued selling the Vitamore wellness drinks, Bernd Merzenich considers the use of PLA as the right decision. Bernd: “It was good to make a statement in favour of bioplastics and to be the first on the German market. However, a drugstore chain is not a food store and beverages in bottles with, at the moment, limited barrier properties need a faster turnover.“ Labels and caps How important are labels and caps from renewable resources for the companies that sell PLA bottled products? While the Vitamore and +1Water labels are made of paper and therefore made from a renewable - and biodegradable - source, BIOTA, Belu and Naturally Iowa are already using PLA labels. +1Water is eventually planning to switch to PLA labels. When it comes to caps, it‘s the other way round. Ihr Platz introduced the world‘s first compostable cap, made of MaterBi which is partly sourced from renewable raw materials. BIOTA is planning to roll out what David calls a planetfriendly cap, made of 100% renewables and 100% compostable. The resin composition is mainly based on PLA. This cap will be available to other bottlers too, as David points out. Reed says that “Belu will use a bioplastics cap as soon as we can find one that will work with our product“. Naturally Iowa is also interested in caps and “we‘ve been working with a company in Japan who‘s developing a PLA-blend that will work on closures,“ says Bill. He is confident of having one next year. +1Water will move to biobased caps, as soon as they are there,“ Michael points out. 12 bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/07] Vol. 2
12 - 13 September 2007 1st PLA-Bottle-Conference possibilities | limitations | prospects powered by PLA (Polylactide), a compostable plastic made from renewable resources such as corn, is a highly topical subject right now, especially in the light of increasing crude oil prices. The stretch blow moulded PLA bottles used by Biota or Natural Iowa (USA), Belu (UK), Vitamore (Germany) and +1water (Canada), as well as reports in the trade press, have aroused significant interest from the PET and beverage industry. Would you like to find out more about the possibilities, limitations and future prospects of PLA for bottle applications? That‘s exactly why bioplastics MAGAZINE is organising the 1st PLA Bottle Conference on the 12 th and 13 th of September 2007 in the Grand Elysee Hotel in Hamburg, Germany. This 1½ day conference offers a comprehensive overview of today‘s opportunities and challenges. Experts from companies such as Purac, Uhde Inventa-Fischer, Natureworks, Netstal, SIG Corpoplast, Wiedmer, Treofan, Sidaplax, SIG Plasmax, Doehler, Polyone, Ihr Platz, Coca-Cola, Interseroh, and more, will share their knowledge and … …on the afternoon of Thursday September 13th delegates will visit SIG Corpoplast, the manufacturer of the stretch blow moulding equipment that is used to produce for example the Biota and the Belu bottles. € 850.00 Sponsors Supported by There will be sessions covering: • Raw materials, from corn to PLA • PLA preform manufacture • Stretch blow moulding of PLA • Caps, labels, shrink-sleeves made from biodegradable plastics • Barrier solutions for PLA bottles • Temperature stability of PLA • Additives, from processing agents to colorants • Reports „from the market“ • End of life options, recycling, energy recovery, composting More information and registration: www.pla-bottle-conference.com
