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Application AutomotiveNews Tesla Epoxy surfboard Elon Musk, co-founder and CEO of Electric car maker Tesla sometimes comes up with weird ideas. Last July he added surfboards to Tesla’s gift shop. The surfboards, which were briefly available for a sales price of ,500, is a collaboration between Tesla Design Studio and Lost Surfboards. However, the surfboards were sold out in a day. According to the product’s description, the The deck of the surfboards are reinforced with lightweight ‘Black Dart’ carbon fiber “inspired by the interiors” in Teslas. But what could make these surfoards interesting for our readers is the fact that they are made using a bio-based epoxy resin. Epoxy resin is a relatively new trend in the surfboard industry as traditionally they have been treated with polyester resin; however, Tesla and other manufacturers are now turning to a plant based epoxy for added strength and durability. Together with Bio-based World News we hope that biobased epoxy’s are only the beginning of Elon Musk and Tesla’s work with bio-based materials. MT Meat packaging from bio-PE La Granda, Genola, Italy, has chosen to respect the earth to produce and transform meat. Since its birth in 1996, the Cuneo consortium, specialized in the processing of meat from Piedmont for the Slow Food Presidium, is attentive to the environment and to the protection of soil fertility and biodiversity. Now La Granda, and after months of research, has started a new project with I’m green polyethylene. In the province of Cuneo, the meat is produced according to a specification that regulates agricultural and livestock farming. From September 2018 on, this meat will be packed in pouches made of paper and polyethylene coming from a renewable source. “It is a great pleasure to see La Granda, a nature-oriented company that is producing its meat on a high quality base, also recognizing that the packaging can contribute to a more sustainable world reducing its carbon footprint,” says Maite Lazo, Marketing & Sales, Renewable Chemicals at Braskem. “La Granda does not only produce great meat but has started packing the meat in a more sustainable packaging.” The outer packaging of La Granda pouches is made of the I’m green polyethylene, replacing where possible, the plastic with paper and where a barrier is absolutely necessary, replacing the fossil polyethylene with I’m green polyethylene. The barrier film has a renewable component of more than 80 % and is the latest development of the Italian company B-PACK, leader in multi-layer barrier film, located in Novara. “We developed a bio-based film with an excellent carbon footprint, keeping all the performances of a fossil one”, declares Mr. Marcello Zorloni Sales & Marketing Manager at B-PACK. In addition to this, printing and lamination takes place using an innovative solventfree technology owned from the Italian converter ACM-Plastic. “ACM prints in a controlled environment, is free from toxic substances, and uses only LED and digital prints. This, in addition to limited risks for the consumer, guarantees better graphic results, completes contamination free final safeness, color uniformity and excellent brightness”, explains Antonio La Franceschina from ACM Plastic. MT www.lagranda.it | www.braskem.com 34 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/18] Vol. 13
Application Automotive News New biocomposite kitchen utensils Stora Enso and Norwegian manufacturer of household products Orthex have collaborated on the development and production of a new range of kitchen utensils made from a biocomposite which combines the best qualities of wood and plastic. The biobased material offers a high-quality replacement for oil-based plastic. The new material is made from spruce and sugarcane, which reduces the carbon footprint of the products by up to 80 %, and contain 98 % bio-based material. In recent years, the Finnish plastics industry has actively moved towards the use of innovative bio and recycling materials, while at the same time, the forest industry developed wood-based materials to replace fossil fuelderived raw materials. Both Stora Enso and Orthex believe in the global growth of the market for bio-based products, viewing these materials as creating opportunities for both raw material suppliers and consumer product manufacturers. The biocomposite used in the new products comes from Stora Enso’s Hylte Mill in Sweden. Stora Enso’s DuraSense biocomposites are produced from spruce and pine from sustainably managed and certified Swedish forests. “The properties of the new products made from woodbased materials correspond to those of similar plastic utensils: the products are hard, durable, hygienic and dishwasher-safe. The wood contained in the biocomposite makes the material stronger and harder. We are now launching nine GastroMax BIO products made of bio-based materials for home kitchens. In their product group, products that contain 98 % bio materials are uniquely innovative,” said Orthex CEO Alexander Rosenlew. The majority of the oil-based plastic materials used today can be replaced by biocomposite granules, i.e. renewable wood. Stora Enso’s DuraSense biocomposite is composed of a combination of wood fibres and recycled or bio-based polymers. The material developed for Orthex’s new GastroMax BIO products is a blend of wood fibre with sugarcane. Depending on the product, the bioplastic/wood biocomposite may reduce the carbon footprint of the product by up to 80 % compared to virgin plastics. MT www.orthexgroup.com | www.storaenso.com Dry dog food in more sustainable packaging Thermoplastics polyolefins producer Braskem and Only Natural Pet, a brand of natural pet supplies, have announced a new sustainable pet food packaging initiative utilizing Braskem’s sugarcane based I’m green biopolymer. Only Natural Pet is integrating at least 30 % bioplastic packaging material into every bag of its recently launched line of Mindful Meals dry dog food, underscoring its ongoing commitments to environmental sustainability and carbon reduction. The product is all about sustainable ingredients and thoughtful sourcing to create the ultimate dog food, said Marty Grosjean, Founder and President of Only Natural Pet. “Packaging it in a sustainable bag is ideal to further our sustainability goals – and of course to increase the appeal to pet parents.” As a founding member of the Pet Sustainability Coalition, Only Natural Pet is committed to sustainable and green business practices, including working with industry leaders to provide more conscientious and sustainable solutions for everything from efficient wind powered facilities, to carbon offset shipping, to more environmentally friendly sourcing for its products and packaging. Braskem’s I’m green Polyethylene (PE) derived from Brazilian sugarcane retains the same properties, performance and application versatility of fossil fuel derived polyethylene, making it an ideal drop-in substitute for conventional oil-based polyethylene. Cultivation of sugarcane utilized in the production of I’m green PE captures carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and releases oxygen (O 2 ), which means Braskem’s bioplastic has a negative carbon footprint. From a cradle-to-gate life-cycle perspective, every ton of I’m green PE used in the production of packaging equates to 3.09 tonnes of CO 2 captured from the atmosphere. The new packaging solution was developed by Peel Plastic, a recognized leader in flexible packaging solutions and process innovation with extensive knowhow about the packaging requirements and technologies of the pet food business. The Peel Plastics team worked side by side with Only Natural Pet and Braskem to design, develop and integrate the I’m green PE biopolymer into a new packaging solution that maintains all the performance characteristics required, while delivering a solution that is better for the earth. MT www.braskem.com www.onlynaturalpet.com bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/18] Vol. 13 35
