News daily updated News at www.bioplasticsmagazine.com Arburg successfully tests Inzea PLA At its Customer Center in Lossburg, Germany, Arburg regularly carries out processing tests on biobased plastics, including the INZEA ® product family from Nurel (Zaragoza, Spain) and distributed in Germany by Biesterfeld (Hamburg). The injection moulding machine manufacturer found that the PLA compound can be used to produce high-quality parts with high process reliability and without the need for additional machine equipment. The biobased and compostable product family is based on PLA. Some types also contain a proportion of starch. Inzea is suitable for injection moulding, extrusion, and thermoforming. The product family can be used in a wide range of applications. It is suitable for food contact in accordance with Regulation (EU) 10/2011, particularly in the household segment, catering, packaging, and agriculture. Typical applications for Inzea include plastic bags, coffee capsules, bottles, and boxes. The product family can also be used in many other shortlifespan applications as well as in 3D printing. The processing test at Arburg was based on the processing parameters specified in the product datasheet. During the test the screw geometry and process parameters were varied and the resulting effects on the quality of the parts were analysed. Parameters such as the cylinder and hot-runner temperature, dosing speed, back pressure, and injection speed were investigated. The results revealed that Inzea achieved by far the best result in the materials test. Production on the basis of the parameters in the product data-sheet was reported to be problem-free, resulting in moulded parts of the highest quality with a high degree of process reliability. The effect of the moisture content was also analysed, and it was found that, although additional drying as specified in the product data-sheet was not necessary, ample drying with a vacuum dryer resulted in even better part quality. Only extreme stresses such as hot runners with long flow channels had, as would be expected, a negative impact on part quality due to thermal damage. Additional comparisons with a fossilbased ABS confirmed that Inzea offers an excellent alternative to fossil-derived materials. "There is a growing interest in alternative plastics among our customers," says Bertram Stern, Sustainability Manager at Arburg. "Depending on the application, biobased plastics offer advantages in terms of resource efficiency and disposal. With respect to processing, we've demonstrated that our Allrounder machines can be optimally adjusted to the required material-specific process parameters." MT www.arburg.com www.biesterfeld.com https://biopolymers.nurel.com Newlight and Nike partner to reduce carbon footprint Newlight Technologies (Huntington Beach, California, USA) has announced a partnership with Nike (headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, USA) to explore the use of AirCarbon, a carbon-negative biomaterial produced by microorganisms from the ocean. Nike will explore the use of AirCarbon in a variety of applications, with the goal to advance Nike's mission to create products that are better for athletes and the planet. AirCarbon pellets and AirCarbon leather AirCarbon is currently used in fashion applications as a carbon-negative substitute to plastic and leather, including for eyewear, wallets, and bags. "AirCarbon offers an opportunity to further reduce our impact on the planet," said Nike Chief Sustainability Officer Noel Kinder. "Materials account for 70 % of Nike's total carbon footprint, and we're accelerating our efforts and exploring new opportunities in this space because, in the race against climate change, we can't wait for solutions, we have to work together to create them." Newlight uses naturally occurring microorganisms from the ocean that eat air and greenhouse gas and convert it inside of their cells into AirCarbon: an energy storage material, also known as polyhydroxybutyrate (or PHB), that is approximately 40 % oxygen from air and 60 % carbon from greenhouse gas by weight. AirCarbon is certified carbon-negative by SCS Global Services, resulting in a net reduction in CO 2 in the atmosphere through production, and can be melted into a range of forms, from fibre and sheet to solid shapes. "Our mission is change at scale, and there are few better partners in the world than Nike to help achieve that," said Newlight CEO, Mark Herrema. "We are excited to explore how AirCarbon can help Nike achieve its ambitious carbon-reduction goals."MT www.newlight.com generic photograph 6 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/21] Vol. 16
Novolex acquires Vegware Novolex ® (Hartsville, South Caroline, USA), a leader in packaging choice, innovation and sustainability, has acquired Vegware in early August, a rapidly growing international provider of compostable foodservice packaging headquartered in Edinburgh, UK Vegware’s teams in both the UK and USA are expected to join the Novolex family. The Vegware brand will remain intact as part of Novolex's Eco-Products portfolio of brands and will continue to sell its products under the Vegware label. “Vegware is an excellent company and its addition to Novolex is an exciting step to growing our global compostable products footprint,” said Stan Bikulege, Chairman and CEO of Novolex. “We are pleased to welcome the Vegware team to the Novolex family and maintain our momentum of supporting brands that meet society's expectations for sustainable products.” Vegware was founded in Edinburgh and it has operations in the UK, EU and the USA. The company sources renewable, plant-based materials to manufacture cups, cutlery, tableware, and takeout packaging designed to be commercially composted with food waste. Sold in more than 70 countries, Vegware products are known for their quality, performance, and design. “Vegware has been committed to quality, performance and design for over 15 years,” said Joe Frankel, Managing Director of Vegware. “Joining Novolex, with its exceptional resources and large footprint, will allow Vegware to expand distribution of quality compostable products and waste management initiatives to our customers across the globe.” The addition of Vegware products will complement Eco- Products’ own product line that is made of renewable materials that can often be recycled and/or composted. This partnership will broaden Eco-Products’ presence in Europe and give Vegware additional access to the North American market. Ian Jacobson, President of Novolex’s Eco-Products business, added, “Eco-Products has respected the Vegware brand, products and people for many years. Joining forces with the innovative Vegware team is an exciting next step in our journey.” MT www.novolex.com | www.vegware.com News daily updated News at www.bioplasticsmagazine.com Biobased Nylon for apparel industry lululemon athletica (Vancouver, Canada) recently announced a multi-year collaboration with sustainable materials leader Genomatica (San Diego, California, USA) to bring renewablysourced, biobased materials into lululemon’s products. This represents lululemon’s first-ever equity investment in a sustainable materials company and Genomatica’s largest partnership within the retail industry. Together, the two companies will create a lower-impact, plant-based nylon to replace conventional nylon, which is the largest volume of synthetic material currently used to make lululemon products. Genomatica uses biotechnology and fermentation to convert plant-based ingredients into widely used chemical building blocks, like those used to make nylon. These building blocks are converted to pellets and yarns, and the companies will be working closely with lululemon’s fabric supply chain to incorporate this material into future products. Through this collaboration, the companies seek to create positive change within the USD 30 billion global nylon market by building more sustainable supply chains. “We are proud to partner with lululemon, a company that is taking meaningful action to help address our climate crisis,” said Christophe Schilling, CEO, Genomatica. “The combination of biotechnology, fermentation, and renewable feedstocks can provide a powerful means to disrupt the apparel industry through sustainable sourcing. Patty Stapp, VP, Raw Materials, lululemon, said, “Replacing the petrochemicals that make up many popular materials with more sustainable alternatives is a major step forward in reaching our Impact Agenda goals. By transitioning our nylon to renewable content, we will impact over half of the synthetic materials we use in our supply chain. We have seen Genomatica repeatedly and successfully deliver industrychanging biobased materials at commercial scale and are confident this partnership can truly change the way we source products, while continuing to provide the exceptional quality we are known for.” In October 2020, lululemon released its first-ever Impact Agenda, outlining ambitious social and environmental goals and multi-year strategies toward a more equitable, sustainable, and healthy future. The collaboration with Genomatica is one of the many ways lululemon is bringing new, sustainable innovation to its raw materials. Additional examples include the company’s partnership with Mylo, to use a mycelium-based leather, and LanzaTech, for polyester made using recycled carbon emissions. MT www.genomatica.com | www.lululemon.com bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/21] Vol. 16 7
