Award The 15 th
Award The 15 th Bioplastics Award Presenting the five finalists bioplastics MAGAZINE is honoured to present the five finalists for the 15 th Global Bioplastics Award. The judges have again reviewed the incoming proposals. On these two pages, we present details of the five finalists. As in 2020 the pandemic did not allow for an award ceremony, the 15 th Global Bioplastics Award is now presented for the years 2020 and 2021. It recognises innovation, success and achievements by manufacturers, processors, brand owners, or users of bioplastic materials. To be eligible for consideration in the awards scheme the proposed company, product, or service should have been developed or have been on the market during 2020 or 2021. The following companies/ products are shortlisted (without any ranking) and from these five finalists the winner will be identified by voting among the attendees of the 16 th European Bioplastics Conference on November 30 th , 2021 in Berlin, Germany. Gruppo Fabbri Vignola (Italy) First home compostable cling film Nature Fresh is the first cling film worldwide suitable for both manual and automatic food packaging and certified as Home Compostable (TÜV Austria) and Industrial Compostable (TÜV Austria, DinCertCo, and CIC – Italian Consortium of Composters – EN 13432). Nature Fresh responds to the increasingly urgent demand from consumers, the industry, and institutions, for packaging materials with minimal impact on the environment, and, more specifically, for compostable solutions. Nature Fresh is the innovative answer to the issue of the end-of-life of stretch films, since it completely biodegrades in industrial composting facilities and in domestic composting units, guaranteeing the optimal quality of the resulting compost, which is suitable for plant growth. The formulation of Nature Fresh is based on the BASF certified compostable polymers ecoflex ® and ecovio ® . Nature Fresh is also the first of its range to combine optimal breathability for an extended shelf life of fresh food with high transparency and excellent mechanical properties for automatic packaging: its tensile strength, elongation at break, breathability, transparency, gloss, extensibility, and anti-fogging are comparable to those of traditional films. At the same time, though, Nature Fresh shows a better water vapour transmission rate, which is essential for optimal packaging and to preserve the freshness and the nutritional and organoleptic properties of food, against food waste. Nature Fresh can be used in minimal thickness and is also printable with compostable inks. It is food-contact approved according to the US and European standards and can pack any kind of fresh foods, even those with high fat content. www.gruppofabbri.com Arkema (France) Biobased Polyamide 11 Arkema is investing over USD400 million in a new bio-factory in Singapore and related facilities in China) to produce 100 % biobased polyamide 11. The advanced polymer is produced entirely from castor beans, which, unlike many bio-feedstocks, do not compete with food and do not cause deforestation. Castor beans are grown in marginal soils, where little else can grow. Simultaneously, Arkema and its partners have created the world’s first sustainable castor farming initiative with over 5,000 farmers certified so far. Improvements in castor yield and reductions in water and chemical use are outstanding. Polyamide 11, marketed under the Rilsan ® brand has been available for more than 75 years already. Produced solely by Arkema, it is an exceptionally advanced polymer that offers a 50 % reduction in climate change impact compared to polyamide 12. It is highly valued for its superior strength, impact resistance, lightweight, and flexibility. It is used in premium sports shoes, automotive and pneumatic tubing, 3D printing, and consumer electronics devices. Next year, Arkema will startup its new Singapore plant. Arkema has branded this range as ABC Materials (Advanced Bio- Circular). To complement this message, Arkema also launched its VIRTUCYCLE ® program to create openloop and closed-loop recycling chains in partnership with its customers. “Cyclon”, the world’s first 100 % biocircular shoe has been launched by ON RUNNING. Arkema plays the role of matchmaker in open and closed-loop recycling projects. Arkema recently acquired AGIPLAST, a speciality recycling company to strengthen and develop global recycling loops. www.arkema.com 32 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/21] Vol. 16
Award DuPont (Luxemburg) Renewable POM-H (polyoxymethylene homopolymer) DuPont Delrin ® Renewable Attributed is a renewable POM-H (polyoxymethylene homopolymer). The product is unique as it comprises three renewable resources: • Municipal waste converted to steam as a heating source for the Delrin production process • Wind energy for electricity to run the Delrin manufacturing facility • Bio-feedstock from waste converted to bio-methanol converted into Delrin resin. This results in a product with a worldclass environmental impact profile. The base polymer is produced from 100 % certified bio-feedstock from waste in accordance with mass balance principles and accredited through the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC Plus) mass balance certification system. Delrin Renewable Attributed is the stiffest unreinforced material available and used for applications that require a high degree of durability, reliability, and long service life. It exhibits all the same mechanical properties and performance advantages as traditional fossil-based Delrin. Naturally resilient and self-lubricating, Delrin Renewable Attributed is ideal for gears, conveyor belts (material handling), smart and wearable drug delivery devices, safety retractor systems in automotive, and consumer applications. Delrin Renewable Attributed delivers superior performance compared to competitive low friction copolymers. With higher tensile properties (+16 %) and improved sliding performance (+45 %) achieved on a significantly better flow, the product enables the design of parts with excellent wear/friction performance, durability, and ultra-low COF (Coefficient of Friction) www.dupont.com Refork (Czech Republic) Refork Refork is not just one solution. Refork is a Czech technological start-up that combines waste and natural resources to create materials and products to replace single-use plastic. Their first iconic product is the fork, but the fork is only the beginning. The company has developed a new material based on sawdust, waste from wood processing banded with natural polymers PHB(V). Thanks to a patented blending technology Mechanical Thermodynamic Mill (MTI), they can mix up to 60 % sawdust with natural binders. The material is made from resources that are not just home compostable but also biodegrades in nature without leaving behind micro-plastics. Moreover, a new process was developed that allows the processing of the material on conventional plastic technologies such as injection or extrusion moulding. In addition, these technologies are highly efficient and allow for zero-waste manufacturing. Everything from material development to final production is done locally in the Czech Republic. In 2019 EU decided to ban singleuse plastic including cutleries. The only allowed cutleries are made from wood or paper and are not very functional. Thus, the first iconic product would be a fork. Refork have been producing over a million pieces of cutlery per month since January. Since September, production is being upscaled to 20 million pieces per month. The current plan of Refork is to continue developing new materials that are entirely made from natural industrial waste. They are also working on the extension of their product portfolio in food contact but also other markets. For example, Refork are are developing a toothbrush for the dental market to launch early next year. So, for them, the fork is truly only the beginning. Welcome to the material renaissance. www.refork.com Polymedia Publisher & Narocon (both Germany) bio!TOY conference Over one hundred international participants attended the 2 nd bio!TOY conference, organised by bioplastics MAGAZINE and narocon Innovation Consultancy Harald Käb, in Nuremberg (Germany) on the 7 th and 8 th of September. One attendee left this anonymous proposal (slightly edited to fit the format): “For many of the around 60 on-site attendees the 2 nd bio!TOY conference was the first time to actually meet people faceto-face, mingle, have chat, and network with participants from all parts of the industry. It was a chance to meet big players like Lego, but also smaller companies like Viking Toys or Miniland. Next to toy producers, that are without a doubt the heart of the toy industry, representatives of the material producers showcased a variety of solutions that could replace fossil-based plastics. The start-up Lignin Industries seems hellbent on disproving the old saying about lignin many of us might have heard (“you can make anything with lignin, but money”), while other companies showcased the possibilities of PHA and PLA – all of them equipped with samples to touch, feel, and even smell the materials. The Q&A sessions often inspired interesting discussions during the coffee and lunch breaks. There are still challenges aplenty, recycling infrastructures need to be developed and improved, renewable energy – our brothers in arms in the fight for a more sustainable future – will need another boost to be able to shoulder the visions of chemical recycling and CO 2 based materials, and the general public needs to be better informed about sustainable plastics. Despite all these challenges, the mood at the conference was great, the atmosphere at times electric. So many visions for the future, so many motivated people in one room – learning, discussing, collaborating – it was simply fantastic. Reaching all these goals will surely be a challenge, but after the bio!TOY, I think we might just make it.” www.bio-toy.info bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/21] Vol. 16 33
