Content Imprint 02|2016 March / April Thermoforming / Rigid Packaging 12 Thermoforming and easy peel films 14 a-PHA modified PLA for thermoforming Marine Pollution / Marine Degradation 16 Plastics, biodegradation, and risk assessment 18 Designing for biodegradability in ocean environment 21 PHA – truly biodegradable 22 Trash is mobile 24 UNEP Report on biodegradable plastics & marine litter 26 Statement of Open Bio to the UNEP report Report 8 Bioplastics.online, finding the right bioplastics Events 10 4 th PLA World Congress, programme 28 Chinaplas Showguide & Preview Materials 32 The 100 % bio-PET/polyester approach Analysis 34 Breaking down complex assemblies From Science & Research 40 HMF from chicory salad waste Basics 42 Bioplastics packaging: design for a circular plastics economy 44 Design for recyclability 10 Years Ago 45 IBAW industry association becomes European Bioplastics 3 Editorial 5 News 33 Brand Owner’s View 38 Application News 46 Glossary 50 Suppliers Guide 53 Event Calendar 54 Companies in this issue Publisher / Editorial Dr. Michael Thielen (MT) Karen Laird (KL) Samuel Brangenberg (SB) Head Office Polymedia Publisher GmbH Dammer Str. 112 41066 Mönchengladbach, Germany phone: +49 (0)2161 6884469 fax: +49 (0)2161 6884468 info@bioplasticsmagazine.com www.bioplasticsmagazine.com Media Adviser Florian Junker phone: +49(0)2161-6884467 fax: +49(0)2161 6884468 f.junker@zuendgeber.com Chris Shaw Chris Shaw Media Ltd Media Sales Representative phone: +44 (0) 1270 522130 mobile: +44 (0) 7983 967471 Layout/Production Ulrich Gewehr (Dr. Gupta Verlag) Max Godenrath (Dr. Gupta Verlag) Print Poligrāfijas grupa Mūkusala Ltd. 1004 Riga, Latvia bioplastics MAGAZINE is printed on chlorine-free FSC certified paper. Print run: 3,700 copies (plus 1000 copies printed in China for Chinaplas): Total print run: 4,700 copies bioplastics magazine ISSN 1862-5258 bM is published 6 times a year. This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (149 Euro for 6 issues). bioplastics MAGAZINE is read in 92 countries. Every effort is made to verify all Information published, but Polymedia Publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions or for any losses that may arise as a result. No items may be reproduced, copied or stored in any form, including electronic format, without the prior consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed in articies do not necessarily reflect those of Polymedia Publisher. All articles appearing in bioplastics MAGAZINE, or on the website www. bioplasticsmagazine.com are strictly covered by copyright. bioplastics MAGAZINE welcomes contributions for publication. Submissions are accepted on the basis of full assignment of copyright to Polymedia Publisher GmbH unless otherwise agreed in advance and in writing. We reserve the right to edit items for reasons of space, clarity or legality. Please contact the editorial office via mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com. The fact that product names may not be identified in our editorial as trade marks is not an indication that such names are not registered trade marks. bioplastics MAGAZINE tries to use British spelling. However, in articles based on information from the USA, American spelling may also be used. Envelopes A part of this print run is mailed to the readers wrapped in I’m Green bio-polyethylene envelopes sponsored by FKuR Kunststoff GmbH, Willich, Germany Cover Photo: shutterstock/BestPhotoStudio Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/bioplasticsmag Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bioplasticsmagazine
daily upated news at www.bioplasticsmagazine.com News France supports biobased & home-compostable bags European Bioplastics (EUBP), the association representing the bioplastics industry in Europe, welcomes the approval of the French implementation decree on single-use plastic bags, which was published by the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy last week on 1 February 2016. “The decree sets out clear requirements for the reduction of single-use plastic bags in favor of biobased, biodegradable and home-compostable bags. This is an important measure and supports the efforts of EUBP to emphasise the essential role of bioplastics for the circular economy in Europe,” says Hasso von Pogrell, Managing Director of EUBP. In September last year, the French government notified the European Commission and its 27 EU colleague nations of its draft decree (décret) restricting use of plastics carrier bags in France. The decree, as part of the new law on Energy Transition and Green Growth, was intended as the instrument to implement the obligations on plastics bags that had been adopted by the French Assemblée Nationale to implement the EU requirements, and stated: “The decree defines the conditions for the application of the legislative provisions of the Environmental Code, aiming to ban the marketing of disposable plastic bags, with the exception, for bags other than carrier bags, of compostable bags that can be disposed of with household composting waste and which entirely or partially consist of bio-sourced materials.” On 21 December 2015, the European Commission formally issued a detailed letter to the French government objecting to parts of its draft decree to restrict the use of single use plastics carrier bags. As of 1 February, however, an implementation decree setting out the requirements and conditions in greater detail has been approved and will come into effect on 1 July 2016. The decree applies to single-use carrier bags below a thickness of 50 µm, which will have to meet the requirements of the French standard for home composting and feature a biobased content of at least 30 %. The minimum biobased content will increase progressively to 40 % in 2018, 50 % in 2020, and 60 % in 2025. Appropriate bioplastics materials have been readily available on the market for quite some time, and manufacturers are eagerly waiting in the wings. Christophe Doukhi-de Boissoudy, president of French association Club Bio-plastiques comments: “We welcome the mobilisation of public authorities in order to finally achieve such a measure. It will allow biobased and biodegradable plastics stakeholders to harness the benefits of their research efforts to develop new biodegradable and compostable plastics that reduce our dependency on oil. The decree will help to reduce the plastic bags pollution as well as to revive economic activity for French plastics converters, as 90 % of fruit and vegetable bags are currently being imported.” The law makes France one of the first European countries to take concrete measures on plastic bags in favor of biobased and compostable bags in an effort to comply with the European Directive to reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic bags. It also underpins the benefits of separate collection of organic waste with biodegradable and compostable bags. The draft decree was amended to take the notions of the European Commission and the French State Council into account. “We expect the French decree to serve as an example for European legislation and to contribute to the increased demand of sustainable bioplastic solutions,” von Pogrell concluded. KL www.european-bioplastics.org Corbion PLA plant in Thailand Corbion has announced in early March that after completing the pre-engineering stage of its proposed 75,000 tonnes per year PLA polymerization plant in Thailand on schedule, the project is now moving into the basic engineering phase. The new plant will be located in Thailand, Rayong Province, at the existing Corbion site and will produce a complete portfolio of PLA polymers, ranging from standard PLA to high-heat resistant PLA. The company announced the project in 2014, citing strong customer interest in PLA as the motivation behind the investment, although at that time, Tjerk de Ruiter, CEO of Corbion, stressed that “we will only commence with this investment if we can secure at least one-third of plant capacity in committed PLA volumes from customers”. The pre-engineering phase commenced in 2015, after “the necessary technical and financial validation for such a plant” had been secured. Construction, which is expected to require capital expenditures of approximately EUR 65 million for the PLA plant and EUR 20 million for the lactide plant, is expected to start later this year with a targeted start-up in the second half of 2018. Additionally, Corbion will expand its existing lactide plant in Thailand by 25,000 tonnes per year. With this expansion the company will be able to serve both its own PLA plant and current and future lactide customers. The lactide expansion will also enable the production of a wider range of lactides than is currently possible. Corbion’s pre-marketing activities continue and a portfolio of PLA resins is commercially available for technical validation. Corbion will also continue to explore strategic opportunities as part of its PLA growth strategy. KL www.corbion.com bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/16] Vol. 11 5
