issue 02/2021

Automotive 10 Years ago

Automotive 10 Years ago Published in bioplastics MAGAZINE Waste collection, sorting systems and ‘en solutions: Politics Bioplastics in Israel By Inbar Avner JOLYBAR Montefiore Natanya, Israel Plastics and Industry Israeli firms are committed to universally accepted quality standards and excel at meeting niche market needs. Israel is unique in having free trade agreements with the European Union, the United States and Canada, EFTA countries, as well as Mexico and Turkey. Most other countries have granted Israel MFN status (Most Favoured Nation). Israel’s vigorous R&D programs, its expertise in advanced technologies, and its strengths in computer-aided design and manufacture have been adopted by the plastic products industry. The result is a vibrant exportoriented enterprise offering innovative, high quality products. Products The Israeli plastics market manufactures agricultural products (23% of industry sales), infrastructure and construction related products, household and consumer items, engineering and high-tech components, medical consumables and packaging products (16% of industry sales). The latter is of particular interest to the biopolymer market. Reflecting global trends that increasingly embrace plastics, but that also address environmental concerns, Israel’s packaging industry works aggressively to develop solutions that meet consumer interests and regulatory demands while fulfilling customers’ requirements for quality, reliability and cost. Legislation A few major steps have recently taken place in Israeli legislation: • Israeli Standard IS 6018 – A non-obligatory standard which follows EN 13432 and ISO 17088 is being implemented. • Packaging Law - Submitted by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, this law imposes direct responsibility on manufacturers and importers in Israel to collect and recycle the packaging waste from their products. The immediate outcome of the above has been extensive development and proactive steps by major market chain retailers, food and pharmaceutical producers and packaging converters. This means not only R&D activity, but also includes some pilot tests, adopting bio-based and biodegradable replacements for existing items. Waste management in Israel – Figures: • Waste in Israel has been growing at an average annual rate of 3%-5%. • Some 5.4 million tons of municipal solid waste are generated in Israel each year. • Every resident in Israel generates an average of 1.6 kilos of waste daily. • The weight of packaging waste in Israel is estimated at a million tons per year. • Recycling targets: By 2014 manufacturers and importers will be required to recycle 60% of the total weight of the packaging of the products they sell or import each year. Producers will have to comply with annual recycling targets according to type of material: glass, water and cardboard 70%, metal 65% and plastic 40%. In Israel, today, there are only a handful of private handle massive shipments of wet waste, as the new re dictate. The government has created incentives and and encourage new investments in such facilities, with the appropriate infrastructure in place once new wa regulations are implemented. The above companies, and some newcomers that opportunity, are currently examining new investments receiving and processing the expected growth in wet through energy recovery systems (incineration), ana systems for producing gas, and coerced composting. The Israel Recycling Organization‘s main bottle recyclin able to add an NIR stream that can sort PLA and bio-based recyclers would be more than willing to purchase the bott the industry after processing, however, there will be no inv local production switches to more significant quantities (m of the total collected containers and bottles). Major players in the Israeli biopolymer mark In order to maximize market potential, special cooperation Industries (1993) Ltd. and Jolybar Ltd. has been created. The a worldwide leader in masterbatch manufacture and comp broad experience in the development and marketing of uniq together with Jolybar, a leader in the biopolymer market w access to potential customers and a strong marketing p jointly developed the first multipurpose bio-based compound The Ecomp grades that comply with EN13432 and A standards are mainly based on NatureWorks Ingeo TM and Biolice ® as well as other biopolymers and additives. Eco have already been tested and commercially used in blown fil moulding and blow moulding applications, and furthermo perfect technical performance, high efficiency and positive co figures. Well-known Israeli manufacturers such as LOG - Plast Company (1993) Ltd, A.M.G. Manufacturing & Marketing of Pla L.T.D and Plastnir Ltd., have already applied Ingeo and Ecom commercial production and others are in the final stages of approvals. Possible applications are films for packaging multi-layer and high barrier pouches), mineral water bottles, and pharmaceutical containers, cosmetics and hygiene tubes, moulded components and compostable and durable products. The biopolymers activity in the Israeli market is growing rapidly, a fertile market for activity by other companies, such as FKUR, N Biotech and Telles. www.kafrit.com www.jolybar.com www.ecojo.co.il 54 bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/11] Vol. 6 tinyurl.com/2011Israel 54 bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/21] Vol. 16

Automotive d of life’ companies able to gulation will soon funds to support the aim of having ste management have spotted the in the areas of waste collection, erobic digestion g factory Aviv, is containers. EU les for resale to estment before ore than 1.5% et between Kafrit Kafrit Group, ounding, has ue solutions; ith extensive osition, have – Ecomp ® . STM D6400 Limagrain mp grades m, injection re provide st-effective ic Products stic Sheets p in their trials and (including cosmetics injection providing ovamont, See our expertise for yourself at Interpack 2011 Düsseldorf – Hall 9 / Stand G10 Injection moulding or extrusion: Superior materials processing will add more value to your operation! Benefit from our single-source supply capability – for everything from individual parts to complete handling systems: Conveying Drying Crystallization Dosing Cutting SOMOS ® MANN+HUMMEL ProTec GmbH Stubenwald-Allee 9, 64625 Bensheim/Germany Tel. +49 6251 77061-0 E-Mail: info@mh-protec.com, www.mh-protec.com bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/11] Vol. 6 55 In March 2021, Avner Inbar, CEO and Co-owner of Jolybar Ltd. said: In 2011, I reviewed major innovations in the Israeli plastic industry in terms of recycling, waste management, and bioplastics, as well as changes in regulation. Ten years later, I am sad to say that in terms of sustainability regulation, it seems that time in Israel has stood still. In the area of regulation, legislation, and standardization, there have been honest attempts to catch up with other OECD countries, as noted in my early review. Israel drafted a progressive packaging law; a new regulation mandated a fee for using PE shopping bags; and standards were set to separate source waste into three channels: packages (All materials), paper, and organic waste. However, throughout this passing decade, the Israeli government has failed to allocate the necessary resources – financial as well as human – to capitalize on these changes: no funds were invested in infrastructure or in educating the public. Consequently, the regulations were not enforced, resulting in a regression in the execution of the regulations. There is, however, room for optimism, for as slow or immobile as the government may be on issues of sustainability and regulation, the Israeli start-up industry is picking up the regulators’ slack, working at breakneck speed. Hundreds of Israeli companies are working to develop a wide variety of products and technologies for sustainability, and some of these will undoubtedly spark change. These include polymers from renewable sources, solutions for digestion of domestic waste, recycling technologies, and more. I would like to be able to present them all, but fortunately they are too numerous to do so. Therefore, I have selected three companies I find noteworthy: MIBA STAR (a division of the Canadian group Polystar) offers cellulose-based packaging with a 100 % plastic-free barrier, as well as heat-sealable coatings which are formed into bags and pouches, or are used for automatic thermoforming and flow wrap equipment. Their innovative approach lies in providing oxygen, water vapour, and grease barriers like the conventional fossil-based packaging widely used today, and this is achieved with fully sustainable (biodegradable) raw materials based on renewable sources. UBQ Materials’ revolutionary process makes new, raw material from Residual Municipal Solid Waste (RMSW) destined for landfills: food waste, soiled cardboard, paper, and mixed plastics. Through the patented conversion process, waste becomes UBQ material, a novel, biobased thermoplastic with ever-expanding applicability. Melodea (founded in 2010 by researchers from the Hebrew University in Israel and industrial composite experts from the cleantech sector) offers biobased solutions that provide different industries with tools to improve performance while using sustainable, environmentally friendly materials. By using natural and sustainable alternatives to oil-based products – the forest, they extract Cellulose Nano Crystals (CNC) and utilize them in biobased solutions. These have various applications, such as innovative products for paints, coatings, and barriers for the packaging industry. These are just three examples of an entire industry that is working to move forward and drive change. (bioplastics MAGAZINE will report about them in more detail in future issues). Of course, there is much more to the market than just regulation. Public awareness is crucial to the ability to make a global change, and in Israel, this is thankfully high on the list of priorities. Consumers are putting pressure on the commercial companies. The Israeli academia is also reflecting the urge for change – there are breakthrough studies and research being conducted, driving start-ups to develop new products and technologies. …And about us? Jolybar, as representative of NatureWorks, Saes, Nativia, and more bioplastics producers, are very active in the Israeli packaging industry, providing a wide range of films and finish products which are made of renewable resources and are compostable. Those are served to converters and food producers from our local premises, throughout our JIT service system, with our cumulative knowledge. We are working to realize our targets and vision: to replace fossil-based products wherever it is feasible. I hope that by the time I write the next article, in about five or ten years, I will be able to report on a wealth of government activities to bring change, and about the multitude of ways in which the Israeli start-up industry has contributed to global sustainability. www.Jolybar.com | www.mibastar.com www.ubqmaterials.com | www. melodea.eu www.saescoatdfilms.com | www.nativia.com bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/21] Vol. 16 55