Bioplastics Award 2011
Bioplastics Award 2011 bioplastics MAGAZINE is grateful to European Plastics News (EPN) who founded the Bioplastics Awards in 2007 and jointly organised the award in 2010 together with bioplastics MAGAZINE. Crain Communications, which is publisher of EPN and organiser of annual plastics industry conferences in Europe, says it will remain a strong supporter of the awards, which is from now on presented exclusively by bioplastics MAGAZINE. Steve Crowhurst, Crain Communications Publishing Director, says: “Crain wholeheartedly supports the Bioplastics Awards, which reflect the achievements of those companies making and using renewable materials. This is a dynamic part of the global plastics industry and we will be following its growth closely in print and online at Europeanplasticsnews.com. Five judges from the academic world, the press and industry associations from America, Europa and Asia have reviewed all of the proposals and we are now proud to present details of the five most promising submissions. The 6 th Bioplastics Award recognises innovation, success and achievements by manufacturers, processors, brand owners and users of bioplastic materials. To be eligible for consideration in the awards scheme the proposed company, product, or service must have been developed or have been on the market during 2010 or 2011. The following companies/products are shortlisted (without any ranking) and from these five finalists the winner will be announced during the 6 th European Bioplastics Conference on November 22 nd , 2011 in Berlin, Germany. Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients (LCI): BioSac, the first biodegradable and compostable packaging for the cement industry BioSac is the first biodegradable and compostable packaging for the cement industry and the latest application of LCI’s biolice. It has been developed collaboratively by LCI with the Barbier, Mondi and Ciments Calcia groups. Conventional cement bags consist of a double layer of kraft-type paper for strength and a polyethylene-free (PE-free) for product conservation. However, this combination of different types of materials prevents the immediate recovery of the packaging. The innovative nature of BioSac comes from the composition of its ‘free film’, which now uses LCI’s biolice to give a technically innovative solution to the problems of managing this type of packaging. Biolice is made using a process unique on the bioplastics market, with whole cereal grains from a number of specific Limagrain maize varieties. The product’s innovation lies in the combination of cereal fractions with a biodegradable polymer. BioSac conforms to the EN 13432 standard, concerning packaging that is recoverable by biodegradation and composting. M-Base and University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hanover, Germany: Biopolymer Database The market interest in biopolymers is very high and the producers report a booming demand. Unfortunately only very little qualified information about these materials is available. In order to overcome this, M-Base Engineering + Software GmbH, in cooperation with the Biopolymer Institute of FH Hanover, Germany, developed a new biopolymer database with comprehensive technical information relating to the processing and utilization behaviour of biopolymers. The guideline is the internationally recognized CAMPUS ® database. The biopolymer database is supported by FNR (see p. 46) and includes more than 100 biopolymer manufactures and more than 600 material types with uniformly tested mechanical and thermal properties. In addition it includes an application database with many different representative examples and information about biopolymer products. The database is available via the Internet in German and English. Access is free of charge at www.materialdatacenter.com. 14 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6
Award Beaulieu Technical Textiles: Ökolys – The first woven biodegradable and compostable agro textile Ökolys is a new sustainable range of woven groundcovers. Manufactured from a tailored and unique blend of two biopolymers, one biodegradable and one compostable, the Ökolys groundcover offers an environmentally-friendly innovative weed control solution. The product has been evaluated by the well-respected laboratories of Organic Waste Systems (EN 13432) and the textile department of the University of Ghent (EN 14836), and has become the world’s first (agro) textile to be awarded the ‘OK compost’ label by Vinçotte. The philosophy behind the Ökolys groundcover is fully in harmony with the concept of ‘People, Planet, Profit’: The groundcovers themselves eliminate the need for herbicides and manual maintenance and prevent erosion. Ökolys is essentially made of renewable primary materials and does not contain any harmful substances. The end-of-life scenario for Ökolys is no longer an issue: after its period of use (2 - 3 years) Ökolys returns into the organic chain, closing the carbon cycle. Danone Germany and Switzerland: launch of Activia and Actimel dairy products in bioplastics packaging With their introduction of Activia and Actimel in packaging made of bioplastics (PLA und Green HDPE) Danone, as an international brand owner, significantly contributed to establishing bioplastics for mass-market product applications. Today, with these steps, about 70% of all Danone products in the German market are being packaged in bioplastics. It is one of Danone’s goals to contribute significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gases. One of the various measures is the use of biobased and partly biobased packaging. And here Danone is not focused on just one specific bioplastic but is looking at the material that is best suited for the application - be it 100% biobased polyethylene, partly biobased PET, or 100% biobased and biodegradable PLA. However, in terms of PLA, Danone does not promote composting but encourages other producers of packaging to use PLA, so that as quickly as possible significant volumes get into the market and PLA-to-PLA recycling becomes ecologically and economically feasible. The Coca-Cola Company: The PlantBottle Packaging PlantBottle packaging is the Coca-Cola Company’s breakthrough innovation designed to change the way the world thinks about plastic bottles. It’s the first ever fully recyclable plastic beverage bottle made partially from plants. The material looks and functions just like traditional PET plastic, but it has a lighter footprint on the planet and its scarce resources. Traditional PET plastic bottles are made from petroleum and other fossil fuels. Coca-Cola have found a way to create one of the key ingredients in PET plastic, monoethylene glycol (MEG), from plants. About 30% of the PlantBottle packaging is made of this plant-based MEG ingredient. PlantBottle packaging is therefore up to 30% plant-based and 100% recyclable. In addition to the Coca-Cola brand, PlantBottles with 14% plant based and 35% recycled content were introduced for the mineral water brand Vio. Also, one of the world’s largest ketchup makers ‘Heinz’, in cooperation with Coca- Cola, have announced the use of about 120 million PlantBottles by the end of 2011. This is about one-fifth of Heinz ketchup bottles sold worldwide. bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6 15
