Issue 01/2023

Application News

Application News Compostable tea bags End of January, Waitrose (Bracknell, UK) announced it is the first UK supermarket to sell certified own-brand home compostable tea bags. All of their Duchy tea bags are now accredited with a TÜV OK compost HOME certification so tea bags can be placed directly into a home compost bin or heap. This compost can then be used to enrich the soil in the garden, using tea bags in compost adds a nitrogen-rich component which is beneficial for plants. The packaging on the tea bag tags has also been amended to reduce ink coverage, ensuring the tea bags can break down more effectively. Christina Capellaro, Packaging Development Manager at Waitrose, said: “The reali-tea is that our customers want to make whatever changes they can to ensure they’re shopping, eating, and drinking more sustainably. By securing accreditation for products such as our Duchy home compostable tea bags, we’re reassuring our customers that by making these little changes to their shopping habits, they can reduce their impact on the environment”. The move could prevent over 4.5 million Waitrose tea bags from going to waste in the first year alone, which is the equivalent of 12.2 tonnes of material saved from going to landfill or incineration. To further reduce waste, Waitrose will continue to use existing packaging in stock which will not specify the new compostable accreditation but customers can rest assured that all Duchy tea bags purchased in-store or online now can be processed via a home compost bin right away. MT www.waitrose.com Protective helmets made from scallop shells Scallops are the shellfish that Japanese people eat the most. And most discarded shellfish shells are from these Scallops. Could these shells, which used to protect the animals from outside enemies, be transformed into something that protects people’s lives? As a result of this question, Koushi Chemical Industry (Osaka, Japan)and Sarufutsu Village (Japan) together developed Shellmet, a hard hat made from discarded scallop shells and recycled plastic. Sarufutsu Village is a fishing community that generates approximately 40,000 tonnes of waste scallop shells every year. Most of the shells end up just sitting around in smelly heaps for long periods of time, as a press release states, despite some potential uses for that waste. In a process developed by Osaka University Professor Hiroshi Uyama, the shells are first boiled and sterilized, then pulverized and processed into calcium carbonate powder. The end product is pellets of CaCO 3 mixed with recycled plastic. Those 「カラスチック ® (Karastic ® ) bioplastic pellets are subsequently given into a helmet mould and heated, causing them to melt (presumably a rotomoulding process). After cooling the plastic melt has solidified and as a result, a helmet with a scallop-shell-inspired ribbed design can be demoulded. The special design, in combination with the CaCO 3 filler, makes the helmet about 33 % stronger than without, the press release says. In addition, the production process is claimed to generate approximately 36 % fewer greenhouse gas emissions than if 100 % conventional virgin plastic were used. The first field of application for the Shellmet is the use by fisheries workers. But the helmet could also be used in disaster scenarios, such as earthquakes, or other situations in which hard hats are required. The inventors are currently applying for the necessary safety standard certification. The Shellmet can be preordered and will be available from March 2023 in five colours: sunset pink, ocean blue, sand cream, coral white, or deep black. The announced sales price is about 4,800 yen (about 34€). MT koushi-chem.co.jp/hotamet/en Info See a video-clip at: https://youtu.be/LkUOmIuFM_c 54 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/23] Vol. 18

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Finnish food-to-go packaging From nationwide service stations to convenience stores and long-distance trains, the Finnish-based material technology company Woodly made headlines in 2022. Currently, Woodly’s pivotal product is the transparent and wood-based heat-sealed bag for fresh food-to-go products. The Woodly ® bag reaches consumers at an increasing pace due to a growing interest in sustainable products and responsible consumerism in Finland. The product was launched in early Spring of 2022 and has already gained 10 % of the heat-sealed bag market share in Finland. The company is gradually establishing itself as a noteworthy brand in Nordic sustainability. “For us, the most important thing is to offer sustainable products to our clients, and responsible choices for their customers”, says Woodly’s CEO Jaakko Kaminen. Alongside the biggest Finnish wholesalers Kespro, Wihuri and Meira Nova, Woodly has announced partnerships with prominent Finnish brands that resonate with the public. Most notably with R-kioski, the largest convenience store chain in Finland, and VR Group, the Finnish state-owned railway company. Both of these well-known Finnish brands and many others package their fresh food-to-go products in Woodly bags. The Woodly bag is designed to keep food-to-go products fresh for a longer period of time, it is transparent and durable. The heat-sealed bag is manufactured from Woodly’s patented wood-based, recyclable and carbon-neutral Woodly material. Woodly’s unique wood-based Finnish innovation originally comes in granulate form and the main ingredient is wood cellulose. While food packaging is Woodly’s strong suit, the company has shown versatility in growth through other applications as well, such as cloakroom tags, storage container cross-dividers, and clothing packaging. “The Woodly bag is just one example of what can be done from our unique material. We are planning to release more commercial products in the future and stay true to our goal of replacing fossil-based plastics with Woodly”, concludes Kaminen. MT www.woodly.com Application News TPE ISSN 1868 - 8055 PVST ZK17761 Volume 14 / 2022 Magazine RFP ISSN 1863 - 7116 PVST 73484 Rubber | Fibres | Plastics Volume 17 / 2022 PU ISSN 1864 - 5534 PVST 66226 Volume 19 / 2022 Magazine International RADO-Titelseite-GAK-07-8-2022.PRINT 05.08.22 ISSN 0176-1625 PVSt 4637 75. Jahrgang August 2022 Gummi | Fasern | Kunststoffe Contact us! • Interview with A. Arrighini, Marfran • Trend report North America • Editorial • Interview Eruption of techniques Compensate and strategies to for interference break up and recycle rubber with nature • TPV for fuel cells • Wood as flame-retardant 03 • Trend report Localisation and regionalisation: Changing landscape of global supply chain 2022 • Trend report North America RP_P03_ADV Antifiamma_210x297mm.indd 1 • Emerging trends in plastics recycling • Follow-up report 189 exhibitors spread over three halls at Hannover fair ground 02 2022 • DKT/IRC 2021 Wichtiger Branchentreffpunkt in turbulenten Zeiten • Material flows of U.S. polyurethane • Amino functional 04 sulfonates • Mechanische Prüfung Mehraxiale Eigenschaften von Elastomeren • Integrative Simulation Modellierung des Relaxationsverhaltens 2022 • Rheologie Korrektur von Wandgleiteffekten 07 08 2022 Practical content from the areas of Development, processing and application* *Trend-setting and expertly packaged. Dr. Gupta Verlag bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/23] Vol. 18 55