Films | Flexibles | Bags
Films | Flexibles | Bags Fig. 4: Huhtamaki’s bio-bags for baby napkins TPS Films Another bio-polymer for producing films, that are biodegradable, is TPS. Compared to PLA films, those made of thermoplastic starch show totally different properties. As TPS is a very soft material, films based on it exhibit a velvet soft touch. Unlike PLA these films are not transparent and glossy, but have an opaque and matt appearance. Due to their softness, these films are ideal for very discreet packages, preferred mainly in the hygiene and health care sector for packing goods such as baby diapers, sanitary napkins, tampons and incontinence products. Due to their PE-like mechanical behaviour they are also suitable for producing all kinds of bags. All TPS films are antistatic and superbly printable. They do not show migration, are physiologically harmless and have a low coefficient of friction. Most of the TPS resins today are fully biodegradable but are, for mechanical reasons, often blended with biodegradable but mineral oil based co-polyesters. As the focus of the bio-plastics industry has shifted more and more from biodegradability to bio-based materials, Huhtamaki is developing new biodegradable films with a content of polymers derived from renewable resources of more than 50%. Green PE Films After already being established for injection moulding applications, green PE, based on bio-ethanol from, for example sugar cane, is increasingly gathering importance within the polymer film sector as well. Films produced from green PE do not differ from common polyolefin films in terms of mechanical properties, barrier characteristics and processing behaviour. They can be sealed, printed, coloured and coated like conventional PE films. At below 1 g/cm³ their density is significantly lower than that of PLA or TPS. Films from green PE can be classified as PE waste and, thus, be integrated into established waste and recycling streams. Therefore, they can serve as drop-in solutions for already existing packaging applications, bringing a sustainable benefit thanks to their biobased origin reducing the overall CO 2 content in the atmosphere. Recently, Huhtamaki realized its first films from green PE with a content of more than 85% material derived from renewable resources and with a thickness between 20 and 75 µm, which can be certified according to the Vinçotte star system with up to 4 stars. Bio-bags Besides films for packaging or further converting, Huhtamaki Films Germany additionally offers the possibility of providing customer-tailored bags for diapers made from various kinds of biofilms, i.e. TPS, bio-blends or green PE (cf. fig. 4). Like conventional PE bags, they can be 8-colour flexo-printed with individual designs, have excellent welding seams, and can automatically be filled by high speed diaper packaging machines. Certifications are available depending on the respective bio-material used. As only few bio-materials are available today it is still challenging to achieve the properties exhibited by conventional polymers. However, new bioplastics like PEF (cf. bM 04/2012) will further broaden the range of sustainable films at Huhtamaki in the future. www.films.huhtamaki.com 20 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/12] Vol. 7
POWERING PERFORMANCE Lighter vehicles, powerful photovoltaic cells, highly resistant paints and coatings, plentiful drinking water, long-lasting batteries, winning sports equipment: these are important challenges for industries, today and in the future. These are also what drive Arkema, now a global chemical specialties company, to develop with our customers competitive and sustainable innovations. Arkema, from chemistry to performance. ADVANCED MATERIALS CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGIES BIOSOURCED PRODUCTS arkema.com bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/12] Vol. 7 21
