Application News New
Application News New applications for water-soluble plastic Lactips (Saint-Jean-Bonnefonds, France), specialized in producing a soluble plastic with zero environmental traces, has developed new product applications to further address the issue of polluting plastics on multiple levels. CareTips Natural Pearls Developed with Givaudan (Vernier, Switzerland), the CareTips Natural Pearls TM are scented beads that combine Lactips water-soluble material with fragrances. Already known to the market, these solutions are manufactured with PVA or PEG (polyethylene glycol), which leaves microplastics in the environment. Lactips is providing an alternative for professionals and consumers: these ecofriendly laundry fragrance diffusers are made with Lactips’ 100 % natural material. The new scented beads are placed directly in the washing machine drum, where they dissolve during the washing process, leaving a fresh and delicate fragrance on the clothes even after they have dried. This unique solution offers a natural, plastic-free fragrance product for laundry and is biodegradable in water. Single-dose salt sticks Oopya, an ecological disinfectants manufacturer, is removing plastic from the packaging for its single-dose salt sticks thanks to Lactips. Focused on detergents, Oopya has developed an effective, safe, and ecological cleaning solution, produced using water, salt contained in a natural, water-soluble plastic packaging, and electricity. This innovation aims to reduce the use of chemical products and their plastic packaging. It was therefore a natural choice for Oopya to use the water-soluble films made with Lactips pellets to create the packaging for its “salt sticks”, replacing the previous generations of packaging. The products are sold in chains of organic stores or directly to consumers online. MT www.lactips.com Alpla launches Blue Circle Packaging The ALPLA Group (Hard, Austria), a global packaging producer and specialist in recycling, is consolidating its developments in relation to biodegradable packaging solutions under its new Blue Circle Packaging label. Homecompostable coffee capsules are the first product available on the market. Under the Blue Circle Packaging label (bluecirclepackaging.com), Alpla will offer its customers packaging solutions that are all biodegradable and thereby contribute to sustainability. This is based on plastics made of renewable raw materials. “We see the establishment of our own label which includes all of our products made from biodegradable materials as a clear commitment to our activities in this future market. They are a recyclable addition to our existing packaging solutions,” says Nicolas Lehner, CCO of the Alpla Group and responsible for global sales. In line with the circular economy The establishment of Blue Circle Packaging goes hand in hand with the holistic approach taken by Alpla, whereby all product areas and packaging solutions should be developed with a view to a functioning circular economy. One important field of research involves the use of alternative materials made of renewable raw materials. Home-compostable coffee capsules With the first product from the Blue Circle range, Alpla is offering its customers home-compostable coffee capsules. The coffee capsules produced using injection moulding are characterised by their technical and aroma-preserving properties – and on top of that, they are also compostable at home. With the TÜV certificates OK Compost HOME and OK Compost INDUSTRIAL, they are suitable for disposal in home compost as well as in the organic waste bin (where allowed). Joint venture for coffee In conjunction with the coffee roaster Amann Kaffee and the agency Silberball, Alpla founded the start-up Blue Circle Coffee (bluecircle-coffee.com). It offers roasting houses and smaller coffee suppliers extensive expertise in roasting, filling, packaging, and marketing coffee in home-compostable coffee capsules. Consumers can also order three varieties of the company’s own Blue Circle coffee line via an integrated webshop. MT www.alpla.com 32 bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/21] Vol. 16
Organic honey candy packaging Muria BIO (El Perelló, Tarragona, Spain) the organic honey brand of the company Miel Muria, belonging to the Horeca Channel, launches the first line of organic honey candies with 100 % compostable packaging from Europe. A range of honey candies with 4 flavours (honey and lemon, honey and eucalyptus, honey and propolis and honey and ginger) that do not contain any stabilizers and that are made with totally natural products. The packaging of the new product and the wrappers of the Muria Bio sweets are made of NATURFLEX TM NK and can be disposed of together with organic waste as it complies with the EN 13432 regulation on compostable products. In addition, the company has designed display boxes of 12 bags of 65 g so that each establishment can choose the format that interests them the most. The boxes are made from FSC cardboard, sourced from sustainably managed forests. Muria BIO also sells boxes of 10 bags of 1,000 g single flavour bulk sale. Miel Muria‘s business policy maintains a faithful social and environmental commitment and carries out numerous actions to maintain biodiversity beyond the care of bees. With the help of PEFC Spain, the company has recently certified the first honey from forests certified in Sustainable Forest Management in Europe and the first to be exported worldwide. MT Application News www.mielmuria.com Ohmie, the 3D-printed orange lamp After years of research into new biomaterials, Milan-based start-up Krill Design has created Ohmie The Orange Lamp. By transforming Sicilian orange peels into a 100 % natural and compostable lamp, this product combines design and sustainability in a completely Made in Italy supply chain. Born from a Circular Economy paradigm, each lamp contains the peels of 2–3 oranges. The material is a formulation of about 40 % of the biopolymer PHB which is enriched with 60 % micronized orange peels (powder-like material), as the Krill-team told bioplastics MAGAZINE. Ohmie was launched in a Kickstarter campaign on 28 June 2021 which is still on until 5 August 2021 16:00 CEST. Ohmie addresses the problem of over-exploitation of natural resources by transforming a product that is often mistaken as waste into a valuable material. Krill Design specializes in the research and development of organic materials as a precious resource that offers new material experiences and builds the potential for circular design. Krill Design clients include Enel, Autogrill, and San Pellegrino, who rely on the start-up both for its innovation and expertise in sustainable design. Ohmie is the first lamp of its kind, as its rich colour and texture transforms orange peels into sleek, natural lines and surfaces that offer a distinct design and ambience, but also tell the story of its origin, evoking nature’s memories and sensations. Another building block in the circular design movement, Ohmie The Orange Lamp is a revolutionary and innovative product that marks a clear step towards a future where reclaimed materials are the norm and the line between design and eco-design is erased. Choosing Ohmie promotes innovation of materials and production methods, thanks to 3D printing. Digital printing, the technique used to create The Orange Lamp, makes it possible to create products that are light, both visually and in terms of weight, and avoid any form of waste during production. Ohmie is much more than a product: it is the symbol of a much-needed renewal that brings greater synergy with nature into everyone’s lives, without having to compromise on aesthetics or quality. MT www.ohmie-krilldesign.net Kickstarter: tinyurl.com/kickstarter-ohmie bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/21] Vol. 16 33
