Application News
Application News Collaboration for home compostable bags Danimer Scientific (Bainbridge, Georgia, USA), a leading developer and manufacturer of biodegradable materials, and Columbia Packaging Group (CPG), a manufacturer of custom plastic bags and flexible packaging from Bedford, North Kansas City, Missouri USA, recently announced a new partnership to create compostable bags, film and rollstock for the flexible packaging market. Danimer Scientific will supply a home compostable film resin that CPG will convert into made-to-order bags for packaging needs spanning the produce, agriculture, bakery and medical industries. The film resin will contain Danimer Scientific’s proprietary biopolymer, Nodax polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). This renewable material was verified by University of Georgia (UGA) researchers and the UGA New Materials Institute as a truly biodegradable alternative to petrochemical plastics in 2018. The materials will enable CPG to manufacture produce bags that will reliably biodegrade in home compost units and industrial composting facilities. “CPG will be among the first companies to receive resins made with PHA from our newly opened manufacturing plant in Kentucky,” said Stephen Croskrey, CEO of Danimer Scientific. “Our new plant is the world’s first commercial production facility for PHA, and we could not ask for a better partner to integrate this biodegradable material into produce bags. Demand for plastic alternatives that have a minimal impact on the environment is continuing to rise, and PHA is a sustainable material that consumers can rely on to transport their favorite fruits and vegetables.” The new produce bags are an expansion of CPG’s suite of sustainable packaging options, which includes Lindamar Industries’ Compostable Bags, a line of compostable bags made of 100 % renewable starch and biodegradable polymers. The company is ISO 9001-2018 compliant and certified by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). Danimer Scientific’s Nodax PHA possesses seven TÜV AUSTRIA certifications and statements of industrial and home compostability, is biodegradable in anaerobic soil, freshwater and marine environments and is 100% bio based. All of Danimer Scientific’s biopolymers, including its Nodax PHA, are FDA approved for food contact. AT www.danimerscientific.com More biobased toys by Mattel Mattel (El Segundo, California, USA), announced that MEGA, the Company’s popular construction brand, is launching new products derived from biobased plastic. The number one selling pre-school construction product, Mega Bloks, will now feature three preschool building sets – Polar Friends, Safari Friends and Woodland Friends - made of bio-PE derived from sugar cane. The building sets come in Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified packaging that is fully recyclable. The Mega announcement is the second product that Mattel has introduced as part of its recently announced goal to achieve 100 % recycled, recyclable or biobased plastics materials in both its products and packaging by 2030. This new goal expands the company’s Environmental Sustainable Sourcing Principles that were announced in 2011. Mattel now sources 93 % of the paper and wood fiber used in its packaging and products from recycled or FSC certified content, surpassing its 2018 goal of 90 %. In addition, the company has adopted the How2Recycle label, a standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to the public. Mattel’s first product aligning with this goal was the iconic Fisher-Price ® Rock-a-Stack ® made from sugarcane-based plastics and packaged in 100 % recycled or sustainably sourced material. Fisher-Price will celebrate its 90 th anniversary in 2020, and by the end of the year, all Rock-a- Stack toys sold worldwide are on track to be made with plantbased plastics and packaged in 100 % recycled or sustainably sourced material. The beloved Rock-a-Stack toy, which was launched by Fisher-Price in 1960 to introduce babies to relative size and stacking, will be made from a sugarcanebased polyethylene. By streamlining the toy’s materials, it can also be fully recycled, which will eliminate waste and more easily enable the material to be recovered and repurposed at the end of the toy’s service life. Mega Bloks will be launched by Argos and Sainsbury’s for the UK marked, while Amazon Europe will pick up the new biobased building sets for Germany, Spain, France and Italy. AT www.mattel.com 28 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/20] Vol. 15
Application News Biobased plastic packaging for pharma industry At this year’s Pharmapack (7-8 Feb, Paris, France) Sanner (Bensheim, Germany), the market leader for effervescent tablet packaging, presented its new Sanner BioBase ® effervescent tablet packaging for the first time. Sanner BioBase is the first biopackaging of its kind, consisting of over 90 % renewablysourced material. The tablet tube is made of a compound of various bioploymers made from renewable resources such as corn, sugarcane, lignin, PLA, starch, natural resins and cellulose. The closing mechanism is made of Braskem’s sugarcane based bio-PE. A major advantage of biobased plastic packaging is its essential independence from fossil raw material deposits and its reduced CO 2 footprint. The biobased plastic used for Sanner’s packaging has the same properties as conventional packaging solutions. They can also be processed on existing filling lines. At the chemical level, Sanner BioBase is virtually identical to fossilbased PE and PP. “Sanner BioBase can be recycled, increases resource efficiency and makes it easier for us to achieve our climate targets,” says Ursula Hahn, Head of Product Management at Sanner. Another important argument for customers and consumers is the extended shelf life of the tablets thanks to higher H 2 O barrier properties. In terms of handling, Sanner BioBase offers consumers a high-quality feel and appearance. The tablet tube can be printed or provided with an IML label. Sanner BioBase will be commercially available from the second quarter of 2020. The initial tablet tube will have a diameter of 27 mm and can be combined with the appropriate desiccant closure. “The solution is currently aimed primarily at food supplement producers,” says Ursula Hahn. “Due to the stricter regulations in the pharmaceutical industry, this market will be our next focus”. AT www.sanner-group.com Top sports performance articles Arkema (Colombes, France) is developing innovative and sustainable solutions for the sports market. Backed by over 70 years of expertise in chemistry derived from castor oil, Arkema has successfully developed new, high-performance, bio-based materials for its Pebax ® brand used in the sports industry, especially shoes and textiles. In addition to its sustainable approach to materials, Arkema has also committed to taking an ambitious approach to becoming a responsible manufacturer to limit its environmental impact. The company participates in voluntary initiatives for the rational use of resources in its production activities and contributes to the sustainable development objectives of the UN. Arkema also announced a new regeneration program for high-performance polymers in the fall of 2019. Partnering with Agiplast, a pioneer in the manufacture and regeneration of technical plastic compounds, the Group has created a new program to recycle high-performance polyamides and PVDF fluoropolymers. This new Virtucycle recycling program represents a virtuous cycle that allows customers to partner with Arkema in open-loop and closed-loop initiatives for post-industrial and post-consumer recycling projects for its specialty polymers. AT www.arkema.com (Photo: Anthoine FYOT - CAPA Pictures New sustainable packaging solution lowers CO 2 emissions by up to 168% Braskem teams up with the Brazilian based companies Biowash (Jarinú) and Greco & Guerreiro (Morungaba) to launch a new packaging solution for homecare products made from biobased plastics and post-consumer resin (PCR), a combination said to substantially reduce CO 2 emissions. The new solution will be used for both the one and the five liter packs of Biowash, a pioneer in the development of 100 %-biodegradable natural homecare products. The third partner is Greco & Guerreiro, a blow moulder responsible for producing and supplying the new sustainable packaging to Biowash. The containers, which are used for concentrated multipurpose cleaners, laundry detergent and dishwashing soap, will contain 60 % bio-PE and 40 % PCR resin obtained from recycled plastic products. The use of PCR makes the packaging is even more sustainable, since it contributes to plastic waste being used as a raw material and gaining a new use in the production chain Consisting of over 50 % biobased I’m green plastic, the solution is said to capture 6.30 tonnes of CO 2 every year - a reduction of up to 168 % in emissions compared to conventional packaging solutions. According to Braskem, the volume of CO 2 captured every year by the product is six times larger than the amount of CO 2 absorbed by 1,000 new trees grown over ten years. AT www.braskem.com bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/20] Vol. 15 29
