2009-02 by bioplastics MAGAZINE

ISSN 1862-5258

Highlights:

02 | 2009

Beauty and Healthcare | 10 End of Life Options | 20

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Vol. 4

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Basics: Industrial Composting | 34

Plastics For Your Future Bio-Flex® A 4100 CL for transparent blown ﬁlm applications

Another New Resin For a Better World

FKuR Kunststoff GmbH | Siemensring 79 | D - 47877 Willich Tel.: +49 (0) 21 54 / 92 51-0 | Fax: +49 (0) 21 54 / 92 51-51 | sales@fkur.com

www.fkur.com

dear readers

Editorial

Travelling is usually fun and interesting, at least for me. However, being absent from the office always runs the risk of finding a huge pile of work on the desk, waiting to be done, when returning. However, during the last few weeks it was worth it. At conferences in Orlando, Brussels and Cologne I made some very good new contacts and renewed a lot of valued old contacts, and the visit to the composting plant in Dortmund was very informative. In the course of preparing the material on ‘End of Life Options’ and ‘Industrial Composting’ I held some lengthy discussions with different experts. Now, my personal opinion at this time is as follows: As for all plastics, including bioplastics, the 3R-Rule (or one of the several variants) should be applied: Reduce – Re-use – Recycle. This includes to re-use and to recycle as often as possible. Where, and as long as, the volumes are too small to allow specific collection, separation and recycling of bioplastics, or where contamination is too high for recycling, incineration with energy recovery is a favourable option. At the Technical University of Aachen, Germany, many years ago my Professor Menges said to us (talking about traditional plastics of course): “plastics contain borrowed energy”. And this is also absolutely true for bioplastics. Composting, in my opinion, is a very good, new and additional end-of-life option for bioplastics in cases where it really brings additional benefits. Examples are compostable shopping bags that can be used for the collection of compostable kitchen waste, compostable bioplastic tableware and cutlery for events, fast food, catering or canteens. Another good example is the packaging of fruit and vegetables, which means that the contents can be disposed of together with the packaging if they are spoilt or are out of date. Mulch film or tomato clips to support the climbing of tomatoes in greenhouses, both offering the benefit of significantly reducing disposal cost, are examples from agri/horticulture. And there are many more such examples. I know that this is a controversial topic and so I gladly solicit other opinions to be published in bioplastics MAGAZINE, be it as a ‘Letter to the Editor’ or an article in the ‘Opinion’ rubric. Now – let’s talk about the other editorial focus in this issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE. Beauty, healthcare and hygiene are areas where, when developing new products, more and more attention is given to natural based ingredients. The companies marketing such products are also starting to look closely at the packaging material, and also sometimes the product itself if made of plastic, with the idea of using plastics based on renewable resources. Take a look at the following pages … I hope you enjoy reading this issue of bioplastics comments, opinions or contributions.

MAGAZINE

and look forward to

Yours, Michael Thielen

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Editorial News Application News Event Review Event Calendar Suppliers Guide Glossary

‘Vegetal Plastic’ Cosmetics Packaging Range Made From PLA 17

Biopackaging for Biocosmetics 18

Natural Floss Picks 19

Biodegradable Tampon Wrap 19

End-of-Life: Recovery Options End of Life Options for Biodegradable & Compostable Biopolymers

Editorial contributions are always welcome. Please contact the editorial office via mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com.

bioplastics MAGAZINE tries to use British spelling. However, in articles based on information from the USA, American spelling may also be used.

It Started With the World’s First PLA Lipstick

The fact that product names may not be identified in our editorial as trade marks is not an indication that such names are not registered trade marks.

Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.

Performance of PHA in Cosmetics and Personal Care Packaging

bioplastics MAGAZINE is read in 85 countries.

bioplastics MAGAZINE is printed on chlorine-free FSC certified paper.

PHBV for Beauty and Healthcare Applications

bioplastics magazine is published 6 times a year. This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (149 Euro for 6 issues).

bioplastics magazine ISSN 1862-5258

Beauty & Healthcare

Tölkes Druck + Medien GmbH Höffgeshofweg 12 47807 Krefeld, Germany Print run: 4,000 copies

Beautiful Plastics Made by Nature

March/April

Elke Schulte, Katrin Stein phone: +49(0)2359-2996-0 fax: +49(0)2359-2996-10 es@bioplasticsmagazine.com

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Head Office

Philipp Thielen

Cover Photo:

Mark Speckenbach, Jörg Neufert

Layout/Production

Samuel Brangenberg

Dr. Michael Thielen

Publisher / Editorial

Impressum Content

02|2009 Opinion

Basics

Industrial Composting 34

The Added Value of ‘Bio-Plastics’ 38

End of Life

From Science & Research

Use of Biopolymers in Antimicrobial Food Packaging 30

News

Australian Kmart offers Compostable Bags Biograde Limited, an Australian international supplier of packaging resins derived from renewable resources, has been appointed as supplier of compostable shopping bags for Kmart stores. The Biograde bags are part of a trial being conducted by Kmart across the retailer’s 12 stores in South Australia from 20 March 2009. South Australian Minister for Environment and Conservation Jay Weatherill launched the customer trial, which is being conducted by Kmart to determine what kind of bags will be offered to customers after the South Australian Government ban on plastic checkout bags takes effect on 4 May 2009. Melbourne based Biograde makes the compostable bags from a proprietary blend of resins and corn starch, which undergoes biodegradation by natural biological processes and does not leave any toxic residue. The Biograde bags are the same shape and size as existing plastic bags, and are suitable for disposal in council collected green waste bins.

Labelled with the Australian Standard, the Biograde compostable bags are ready to roll out of Kmart stores.

Biograde managing director Dr Frank Glatz said the company is privileged to be part of this important Kmart project. “We thank Kmart for this opportunity to have consumers genuinely trial our product in a situation of heightened awareness – they will be thinking about how and why they use shopping bags,” he said. “Our product has been extensively tested and is now accredited by the major international testing authorities. We source our own raw materials, formulate and manufacture the resin and produce the bags ourselves, so we know that we are providing a product that performs to those standards. Most importantly, these compostable bags will decompose safely in the council waste management system,” Dr Frank Glatz said. The rigorously tested Biograde materials comply with Australian Standards AS 4736-2006 and also meet European EN13432, USA/Canada ASTM D6400, Japanese GreenPla and China Environment Label standards. This high level of certification of its products was critical to Biograde being appointed exclusive supplier of biodegradable packaging to the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. During the Kmart trial, customers requiring a bag will select from compostable bags produced by Biograde or reusable paper bags at a charge of 15 cents per bag, or the coloured calico/cotton/jute fabric bags. www.biograde.com.au

2nd Manufacturing Location for NatureWorks Anticipating rising global demand for alternatives to petroleum based plastics, NatureWorks LLC, maker of Ingeo™ natural plastic resin, is assessing locations for a second manufacturing plant. With current sales of its Ingeo bioresin in Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas, NatureWorks will evaluate the location for a potential new resin production facility based on projected growth in these regions and the availability of plant-based feedstock required for Ingeo processing. “Investing in a second production facility would support brand owners committed to environmentally preferable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics, and would be a significant step forward for NatureWorks,” said Marc Verbruggen, president and CEO. “We anticipate continued advancements in the resin’s performance, as well as an increase in the number of products and applications using Ingeo. We’re starting our assessment now, recognizing that typical timeframes for design and construction of such facilities can be three years after a decision is made.” NatureWorks was the first company to produce a natural plastic resin in commercial quantities. Late last year, the Ingeo facility in Blair, Nebraska, inaugurated a new manufacturing process that further lowered CO2 emissions and reduced the energy required to produce Ingeo bioresin. By mid-year 2009, equipment installation and commissioning currently underway will enable the Blair facility to produce up to its full Ingeo design capacity of 140,000 tonnes (~ 300 million lbs). www. natureworksllc.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

News

Biodegradable Plastic in German ALDI shopping bags The large German discount supermarket chain ALDI SÜD is now offering shopping bags made of BASF’s biodegradable plastic Ecovio®. These bags are manufactured for ALDI by the VICTOR Güthoff & Partner Group, headquartered in Kerpen, Germany. The plastic Ecovio consists of Ecoflex®, a petrochemicalbased polyester and PLA, which is obtained from renewable raw material. And yet, thanks to its special molecular structure, the blend can be digested by microbes under precisely defined conditions: it is completely biodegradable according to European standard EN 13432. Whereas Ecoflex makes the bag flexible, tear-resistant, waterproof and suitable for printing – giving it the properties of a classic plastic – the stiff PLA contributes the renewable raw material. The combination of Ecovio and Ecoflex allows film manufacturers to produce plastic bags and other film products with tailor-made properties. A higher percentage of Ecoflex renders the film more flexible whereas a higher percentage of Ecovio renders it stiffer. Thus, Ecoflex makes it possible for renewable raw materials like PLA to now be employed in high-performance consumer products. Biodegradable shopping bags offer customers an additional advantage: they not only are strong enough to be used multiple times as a shopping bag, but at the end of their days, they can also serve as a bag for collecting and disposing of organic kitchen garbage – in most of the German communities this is already permitted. “We introduced these compostable shopping bags, because we wanted to offer an additional, ecological alternative to the bags made from recycled plastics, that are also available at Aldi Süd,” As Kirsten Windhorn, head of corporate communications at Aldi Einkauf GmbH & Co. KG commented towards bioplastics MAGAZINE. “Aldi always tries to act responsibly – also when it comes to energy, climate and environmental protection. When developing these bags, primarily a careful use of resources and the protection of the environment were in our focus as well as the product quality.” And she added that since December 2008 the new bag is selling very successfully for EUR 0.39. The traditional bag made from recycled plastics is available for EUR 0.09 and carries the European “Blue Angel” label for eco-friendly products. www.basf.com www.victorgroup.eu/en

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

World’s First Certified Compostable Hot Cup and Lid System StalkMarket Products, Portland, Oregon, USA, a leading provider of compostable tableware and food packaging, is launching the world’s first Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) certified compostable Ingeo™ hot cup and lid system. “We are very proud of the achievements of our staff,” stated Bret ‘Buzz’ Chandler, President and Founder of StalkMarket products. “(…) to make this 100% compostable system perform like traditional plastic products at competitive market prices.” StalkMarket’s Planet+ line of compostable products are engineered to tolerate more than 93.3°C (200°F) of wet heat and compost in 60 to 90 days in commercial composting facilities. “Hot cup lids are an important part of an ensemble of compostable products,” stated Steve Mojo, Executive Director at BPI. “The BPI compostable logo certification is awarded to products that demonstrate that they meet the requirements of ASTM D6400 or ASTM D6868 based on testing in an independent and approved laboratory. Products that meet these standards will disintegrate and biodegrade swiftly and safely in a professionally managed composting facility, but not in home backyard composting.” The hot cups and lids are made using Ingeo plant-based PLA from NatureWorks LLC. „StalkMarket has used Ingeo in an innovative way to help replace petroleum based products with renewable plantbased plastic products,“ stated Jim Hobbs, NatureWorks’ Commercial Director for the Americas. www.stalkmarketproducts.com www. natureworksllc.com

Synthetic Wood Based on Hemp and PHB

News

Researchers at Stanford University, California, USA, have developed a synthetic wood substitute that may one day save trees, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and shrink landfills. The faux lumber is made from a new biodegradable plastic composite that could be used in a variety of building materials. “This is a great opportunity to make products that serve a societal need and respect and protect the natural environment,” said lead researcher Sarah Billington, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. In 2004, Billington and her colleagues received a two-year Environmental Venture Projects (EVP) grant from Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment to develop artificial wood that is both durable and recyclable. The best material turned out to be natural hemp fibers combined with PHB (polyhydroxy-butyrate). “It’s quite attractive looking and very strong,” said EVP collaborator Craig Criddle, a professor of civil and environmental engineering. “You can mold it, nail it, hammer it, drill it, a lot like wood. But bioplastic PHB can be produced faster than wood, and hemp can be grown faster than trees.” The hemp-PHB biocomposites are stable enough to use in furniture, floors and a variety of other building materials, he added. After use it can be anaerobically biodegraded to produce methane that is captured and burned for energy recovery or re-used to make more biocomposites. “It dawned on us that there are microbes that can make PHB from methane,” Criddle said. “So now we’re combining two natural processes: We’re using microbes that break down PHB plastics and release methane gas, and different organisms that consume methane and produce PHB as a byproduct.”

Graduate students Aaron Michel and Molly Morse hold samples of the biodegradable wood substitute.

www.stanford.edu

Ground Breaking Ceremony for Extension of Production Capacity BASF SE recently announced that the extension of their plant for the production of Ecoflex® and Ecovio® biodegradable plastics in Ludwigshafen, Germany has now begun. The ceremony to mark the breaking of the first ground was held on February 2nd. With the scheduled investment BASF is going to extend the production capacity for Ecoflex from the present 14,000 tonnes per year by an annual 60,000 tonnes. The capacity for Ecovio, a blend of Ecoflex and 45% PLA will also be increased. The expanded facilities will go into production at the end of the third quarter 2010. “With this expansion of the Ecoflex- and Ecovio plant we further invest in the Ludwigshafen site and thus strengthen it for the long term,“ says Dr. Bernhard Nick, plant manager of the whole BASF SE location Ludwigshafen. “The market for biodegradable and biobased plastics currently is still just a niche market, however it offers a significant potential for innovation,“ says Dr. Michael Stumpp, head of the global special plastics business unit within the performance polymers division. “Globally this market is growing by 20%. With our expanded production capacities we will further extend our position in this market.“

www.basf.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Event Review

photo courtesy of Environmental Division of SPE

GPEC Global Plastics Environment Conference 2009

Sustainability in Packaging

Under the headline ’Plastics: The Wonderful World of Sustainability and Recyling’ about 300 delegates and speakers met from February 25 to 27 in Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida, USA. The conference was accompanied by a table top exhibition. One of three parallel sessions was on Bio-based and Biodegradable Materials.

Intertech-pira sponsored a conference, accompanied by an exhibition, on ‘Sustainability in Packaging’ on 3-4 March also in Orlando, Florida. An average of about 30-40 from the total of 210 delegates came to the ‘bioplastics’ session to attend presentations from industry experts. In his presentation on ‘How plastics packaging meets the sustainability challenge in Europe’ Professor Kosior (Nextek) for example addressed the question of automatic sorting PLA from a mixed PLA / PET waste stream. Other presentations covered latest develompents in PLA (Erwin Vink, NatureWorks), PHA (Daniel Gilliland, Telles), Starch based bioplastics (Tom Black, Plantic and Daniel Tein, PSM) and biobased (bio-ethanol) Polyethylene (Jeff Wooster, Dow). Leslie Harty, president of Maverick Enterprises gave a controversially discussed presentation that also covered their products made from PE and PET and additives that are claimed to make these materials biodegradable. Data that prove the 100% biodegradation of these materials according to standards such as EN 13432 / ASTM D6400 or EN 14855 / ASTM D5338 however, could not be presented.

Among the most interesting presentations, which were attended by an average of 70 to 90 delegates was Ross Young’s (Univenture) talk about the Production of Algae primarily for bioplastics and fuel. Corey Linden (Battelle) introduced methods to improve PLA performance for injection moulding. Todd Rogers of Arkema spoke about a new type on transparent, (50%) biobased polyamide, named Rilsan clear. Jim Lunt (Tianan Biologic) and Kristin Taylor (Telles) presented their latest developments and application examples from the field of the PHA’s. The massively discussed presentation by Michael Stephen of Symphony about – what Professor Greene (California State Univ. Chico) called oxo-fragmentable plastics – was commented by Joe Greene: “Disney is an appropriate location for such kind of presentations”. However, Mr. Stephens again was not able to present any scientifically backed data to prove his claims. During lunch on the first day, Eric Connell of Toyota shared with the delegates his experience and thoughts about ‘Automotive Applications & Expectations of Biobased Materials’. From the viewpoint of greenhouse gas reductions and resource security, bioplastics are attractive as carbon neutral materials, but Eric also pointed out the limitations that currently still exist for industrial usage for automotive applications. Dr. John Kristy, Professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville explained in an elaborated plenary session on the second day his findings about CO2 and global warming. However, his ‘all-clear’ statement ‘all carbon dioxide emissions – if reduced or not - do not affect the climate’ was not exactly agreed to by all of the delegates. bioplastics MAGAZINE will cover some of the most interesting talks, as well as some of the really good student posters in the coming issues.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Event Review

Conference on Sustainable Packaging In Cologne, Germany, within the framework of the Anuga Foodtec 2009 trade fair, the nova-Institut from Hürth, Germany, organised the ‘Conference on sustainable packaging’. In his opening presentation, Michael Carus, head of the nova-Institut gave an impressive insight in their findings about the world’s arable land space with reference to the production of food, biofuels and bioplastics. In a nutshell: approximately 5 billion hectares (ha) of the planet’s 14.3 billion ha can be regarded as farmland, 3.5 billion ha of which are meadow land and 1.5 billion ha are arable land, i.e. land used for the cultivation of crops. In 2006/07 0.42% of the total farmland was used for biofuels (bioethanol and biodiesel), and a lot less was used for bioplastics. Carus said that food price increases are not so much (10-15%) due to an increased demand for biofuels (or bioplastics) but due to an increased demand for food (higher purchasing power) in the developing parts of the world. With an estimated area of ‘unused’ or ‘free’ farmland of about 570 million ha (in 2006) and an (also estimated) increased need of 210 million ha for the production of food and feed until 2020, there will still be about 360 million ha of farmland that could be used for non food purposes. The additional demand for arable land for biofuels (and bioplastics) is estimated to be about 18 million ha by 2020. bioplastics MAGAZINE will publish a comprehensive article on this topic in one of the future issues. In further presentations, different speakers talked about their efforts towards a more environmentallyfriendly (and thus sustainable) production. Topics were, among others, ‘Recycling of bioplastics’ or market overviews and the presentation of new products.

Worldbiofuelsmarkets 2009 Following a major conference on biofuels with more than 200 speakers and about 1000 delegates last year, Worldbiofuelsmarkets once again this year invited delegates to Brussels, Belgium, from March 16-18. The pre-congress forum on bioplastics (the only one of the seven forums), however started as a ‘cosy conference’ as chairman Ramani Narayan from Michigan State University put it. With 17 people in the room (and 17 speakers on the programme) the one-day forum ultimately developed an attendance of more than 30 in the afternoon. Besides some interesting presentations, such as new non-food feedstock approaches for PHAs, or the exploitation of Municipal Solid Waste (Bill Orts, USDA, see photo) and ‘Bioplastics as Part of the Biorefinery’ (John Williams, NNFCC, UK), the concept of this forum or workshop relied very much on the effective panel discussions. The first panel discussion addressed ‘Bioplastics and the Food vs Fuel debate’ and was conducted by John Williams, Ulrich Weihe (McKinsey, Belgium) and Marco Versari (Novamont, Italy). Participants of a panel discussion on ‘Bioplastics and Biodegradability‘ were Martin Patel (Utrecht University, The Netherlands), Mary Ann Curran (EPA, USA), Gert-Jan Gruter (Avantium, The Netherlands) and Bruno de Wilde (Organic Waste Systems, Belgium). ‘A Global Focus: Who is Leading the Way in Bioplastics?’ was the subject of the third panel discussion with Jim Lunt (Tianan Biologic, China), Bill Orts and Paul Cordfunke (PURAC, The Netherlands) being the experts. The closing panel on ‘Sharing Best Practice for the Future - Thoughts and Outlook’ was held by Camille Burel (EuropaBio, Belgium), Stefano Facco (Novamont) and Brian Balmer (Frost & Sullivan, UK). All in all ‘cosy’ but nevertheless effective in terms of discussions and networking.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Beauty & Healthcare

Eyeliner Pencil made of Biograde C 7500 CL

Little dish made of Fibrolon F 8530

Beautiful Plastics

Article contributed by Dr. Christian Bonten Director of Technology and Marketing FKuR Kunststoff GmbH Willich Germany

eauty, and our constant efforts to achieve it, are an expression of luxury. And this expression is reflected not only in the contents but also in the packaging. Cosmetics and bodycare are a broad field of applications and a systematic approach is necessary. Let us divide the field of cosmetics applications into the following groups:  Hair Care (hairspray, shampoo, hair colorants, conditioner, curling aids)  Colour Cosmetics (lipsticks, eye cosmetics, nail cosmetics, make-up)  Bath and Shower (bath and shower soaps and syndets)  Deodorants and anti-perspirants,  Men´s grooming (razors and shavers, shaving foam and gel, aftershave)  Oral hygiene (toothpaste, tooth brushes, mouth wash, products for dentures)  Fragrances (perfumes, EDTs)  Skin Care (facial care, body lotion and powder, sun protection, hand and nail creme, depilatories)

Cosmetic Pens made of Fibrolon F 8530

Pad bag made of Bio-Flex F 1130

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

There are a number of major trends in the cosmetics industry [1]. The population in the developed countries of the world is getting older. This will drive the demand for skin care and premium colour cosmetics. Furthermore, young girls (8-12 years) increasingly use cosmetics and their parents help choose them together with the girls. This will lead to more colourful and striking packaging with more unusual shapes. Another trend is that teenagers have their own money to buy cosmetics, but their limited budgets mean that they have to buy mass market products in retail stores. The fourth trend is that men increasingly use cosmetics, so premium men‘s cosmetics will grow more strongly. It is obvious that, in all of the above-mentioned groups of applications, the requirements placed on plastics are very different. But if plastics are used as packaging, the requirements become clear and manageable. Cosmetics packaging producers often ask for availability, processability on standard machines (extrusion or injection moulding, printing, assembly), chemical resistance to the cosmetic product, a barrier against the carrier solution (often water or alcohol), mechanical properties (tensile strength and impact strength, stiffness), aesthetic appearance (surface quality, printability etc.).

Beauty & Healthcare

Cosmetics Pen made of Bio-Flex F 6510

Made by Nature Just a few cosmetics can be found in pure powder form. A lot of cosmetics are a mixture of chemical substances held in aqueous solutions or alcohol-based solvents. So, resistance and a high barrier against water and alcohol are often basic requirements for any plastics used in cosmetics packaging. Polylactic acid (PLA) and cellulose acetate (CA) are often chosen as raw biopolymers for bioplastics. PLA and CA are described as resistant to fats, water and alcohol [2], but both exhibit only a poor barrier against moisture vapour and alcohol. Furthermore, CA is described as resistant to weak acids.

Jar 3 made of Bio-Flex V 1410

Plastics, made by nature, for cosmetics packaging FKuR´s trade name Bio-Flex® covers copolyester blends based on PLA which – depending on the respective grade – are composed of almost 100% natural resources. Bio-Flex does not contain any starch or starch derivatives. Bioplastics mostly replace conventional materials, i.e. polyethylene of low density (LDPE) and of high density (HDPE) as well as polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Biograde® is based on cellulose, a product of the paper industry, and has been specially designed for injection moulding applications. Biograde is predominantly obtained from natural resources (European soft wood from sustainable forestry). It does not contain starch or starch derivatives, and has an excellent heat resistance up to 122 °C. It can be transparent – depending on the grade – and is food contact approved. Under the brand name Fibrolon®, FKuR develops natural fibre reinforced compounds (Wood/Plastic Composites: WPC), which, unlike many other WPCs, can be injection moulded without problems. Fibrolon compounds are characterised by high strengths and stiffness comparable to wood. Fibrolon F 8530 is a biodegradable compound on the basis of polylactic acid (PLA) and other compostable biopolymers. The content of natural resources is almost 100%. The applications described emphasise that Bio-Flex, Biograde and Fibrolon can be easily processed on standard injection moulding, blow moulding or extrusion machines. Biograde´s resistance, even to aggressive isododecane (a hydrocarbon ingredient used as a solvent in a number of cosmetic products) opens the wide field of colour cosmetics applications, however the barrier properties of all bioplastics really need to be improved.

Bottle 2 made of Bio-Flex F 6510 (J. Sieben)

[1] Cosmoprof study in co-operation with Formes de Luxe (2005) [2] Endres, H.-J., Siebert-Raths, A., Technische Biopolymere. Hanser Publishers (2009) www.fkur.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Beauty & Healthcare

PHBV for Beauty and Healthcare Applications

P Thin Section Microscope Picture Showing PHBV polymer within the cells of the microorganism

Article contributed by Dr. Jim Lunt V.P. Sales and Marketing Tianan Biologic Wayzata, Minnesota, USA

HBV (Poly Hydroxy Butyrate co Valerate, a polymer from the PHA family ) is produced by Tianan Biologic through the fermentation of sugar derived from non-genetically modified corn starch. Tianan Biologic, world leader in the production of PHBV, purchases native corn starch and converts it ‘in house’ to glucose. The microbes convert this glucose, plus a small amount of propionic acid, to PHBV polymer which they store in their cells as a food reserve. At the termination of the fermentation process the PHBV can actually comprise upwards of 80% of their body weight. The polymeric PHBV powder is extracted using only water at a low temperature. However, it is not a new biopolymer. In the 1990’s, the British chemical conglomerate ICI, manufactured and sold PHBV under the trade name BIOPOL. Its first major use was for containers sold to distributors in both Europe and the U.S. One of the earliest commercial applications was for hair care products. In Germany, Wella‘s Sanara® Shampoo was the first PHBV product to hit the shelves. This was a blow-molded bottle with an injection-molded cap. The first USA launch came in 1995 in the form of bottles for Brocanto International‘s Evanesce shampoo. PHBV was also tested for cosmetic containers such as lipsticks and creams. So the utility of PHBV in the beauty and health care market segments has already been demonstrated. In these early years, Japan also showed interest in PHBV. BIOPOL was introduced in 1991 as a container for Ishizawa Kenkyujo‘s Earthic Alga shampoos and conditioners. Before ICI terminated their activities, Biopol was also being considered by three more hair care companies. Kai was considering it for use in disposable razors with a Biopol handle. In the late 1990’s ICI’s BIOPOL PHBV technology was sold to Monsanto (having first been spun off to the ICI subsidiary Zeneca). After approaches into different markets, in 2001 Monsanto subsequently stopped activity on PHBV and sold the remaining intellectual property to Metabolix. The primary reason for this move was the price of manufacture for PHBV. In the 1990’s BIOPOL sold for $18 - $20 per kg. It was anticipated that with improved microorganisms and extraction technology the price could reach a minimum of $9 per kg at commercial scale. Tianan Biologic was convinced it could produce PHBV at a more economical cost. In 1999, they signed a cooperation agreement

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Beauty & Healthcare

PHBV Containers and Closures with the Institute of Microbiology, China Academy of Science, to jointly develop PHBV and in 2003 a 1000 tonnes fermentation plant was constructed in Ningbo, China. By focusing on just PHBV - and combining improvements to the fermentation and aqueous extraction processes PHBV became commercially available for the first time at just over $4.50/kg. Tianan Biologic revisited the early strategy of ICI for the market potential for PHBV. It was clear that although pricing was now significantly lower than previous projections, PHBV was still not in the realm of commodity thermoplastics. Tianan adopted a deliberate strategy of seeking for the more value added niche markets. Three general areas were identified:

1. Applications in the Beauty and Health Care Industries Performance in selected applications had already been clearly demonstrated in this marketplace. Attributes such as 100% renewable resource, lack of toxicity, temperature and low moisture vapor transmission are considered value added. In addition, compostability or digestion by microorganisms under a variety of disposal conditions could also be of value if the infrastructure is in place to allow disposal with no negative environmental influence.

2. Applications in higher value-added, semi-durable injection molded products such as thermoformed or injection molded household goods and cosmetic products. For such applications, blends with other compostable materials - where the products may not be 100% renewable but are known to have no negative effects on human health - are considered ideal candidates to both widen the property spectrum of PHBV alone and still achieve a meaningful reduction in the use of 100% petroleum based products.

3. Biobased products for durable applications where biodegradability is not necessary. Today, Tianan has focused in sectors 1 and 2. Significant development is underway in areas such as increasing the

Bottles made from a PHBV compound provided by PolyOne valerate content to improve flexibility and processing of the polymer as well as in blends. Food contact approval and non-allergenic reactions in contact with skin are definite requirements for these segments. Especially with view to the Beauty and Healthcare sectors â&#x20AC;&#x201C; these, in many ways, bring their own unique challenges. In the Beauty segment alone, container applications span a wide spectrum for shampoos, conditioners, skin care products, healing creams, lipsticks, etc. The development of this market is complex and governed by strict testing requirements. Cosmetics, Personal Care, Health and Beauty Products are subject to stringent FDA regulations and EU Directives that govern their safety. These regulations cover everything from good manufacturing practice (GMP) to human health and safety assessments, packaging and labeling. Penetrating this market can be time consuming and costly, but the industry is known for its sustainability commitment and therefore the drive to replace petroleum based materials with renewable resource based products continues to be extremely positive. Many health care products require sterilization using Gamma, steam or ethylene oxide technologies. Although legislative and testing requirements can be extremely demanding and time consuming, the concern over potentially toxic additives, residual monomers, catalysts and effects on the environment are driving evaluations at an increasing pace. In conclusion, the Beauty and Healthcare Industry was the first to accept PHBV as a technically viable, renewableresource-derived polymer suitable for several applications. This same industry is still showing great promise for PHBV. Reduction in pricing, while not in line with commodity petroleum-based polymers, is acceptable for many of the applications in this sector. PHBV and blends with materials such as PC/ABS are is increasingly price/ performance competitive compared with PC/ABS blends which are and often targeted for use in this Industry www.tianan-enmat.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Beauty & Healthcare

Performance of PHA in Cosmetics and Personal Care Packaging Mirel - New

E after 1 month

ven amid the global recession, research indicates that consumers will continue to purchase green products. A new study by A. T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm, reports that green products and the associated brands may emerge from this economic crisis even stronger. This suggests that brand owners whose business approach emphasizes sustainability can build strong customer loyalty. In order to maintain these customers, companies must be accountable for their environmental commitments today and in the future.

after 3 months

Eco-conscious or LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumers actively seek out environmentally responsible products that have minimal impact on the environment. LOHAS is described as an estimated $209 billion U.S. marketplace for goods and services focused on health, environment, social justice, personal development and sustainable living. The Natural Marketing Institute reports that over two-thirds of LOHAS consumers will preferentially buy products from companies with a reputation for environmental responsibility. This indicates that environmentally conscious consumers are willing to pay more for such products.

after 5 months

The global market for natural cosmetics and personal care products is growing at a double digit rate. Creative brand owners are looking to capitalize on this trend by adding eco-friendly products or line extensions to increase market share. Innovative packaging solutions are gaining attention as a way for brands to differentiate their products on crowded retail shelves. Industry leaders are also looking at bioplastic materials as product and packaging solutions to help them comply with corporate sustainability goals and bolster the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environmental story. From compact and lipstick cases to caps and jars, bioplastics are gaining traction in this style-conscious and now eco-conscious industry. PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) is a bioplastic material suitable for cosmetics and personal care packaging. Mirelâ&#x201E;˘ bioplastics are a family of PHA resins that are engineered for performance. Mirel resins have the physical properties of petroleum based resins including durability, toughness, gloss, consistent processing in multicavity tooling, and are resistant to both high heat and moisture.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Beauty & Healthcare

Article contributed by Kristin Taylor, Business Development Manager and

The Mirel base resin is home compostable and will biodegrade in ambient conditions such as soil and aquatic environments; distinctively different from a majority of bioplastics which typically require industrial composting and conventional plastics that will not biodegrade under any condition.

Debra Darby, Director Marketing Communications Telles, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA

Mirel resins are certified as biodegradable under Vinçotte natural soil and water environmental conditions, meet ASTM D6400 and EN 13432 standards for compostable plastics, and the ASTM D7081 standard for non-floating biodegradable plastics in the marine environment. Commercial grades are available for injection molding, cast and blown film, extruded sheet and thermoforming. Mirel P1003 is specifically engineered for high modulus injection molding applications such as cosmetics and personal care packaging.

Mirel cosmetics case

www.mirelplastics.com

Contact: mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Beauty & Healthcare

It Started With the World’s First PLA Lipstick

he PlantLove™ story began in 2007 when Cargo Cosmetics from Toronto, Canada launched their legendary line of PlantLove lipsticks. The first-ever compostable lipstick case made entirely from NatureWorks’ Ingeo™ (PLA), PlantLove kicked off a new wave of environmentally friendly beauty packaging. These include cases for lipstick, eyeshadow, blush, pressed and loose powder and illuminator (blush, bronzer and highlighter all in one). In 2008, Cargo rounded out the line with a full collection of eco-conscious 100% Natural color products. “We wanted to create a line of high-performance, professionalgrade makeup while still keeping the environment top of mind,“ said Hana Zalzal, founder of Cargo Cosmetics. “Women shouldn‘t have to compromise. They can have beautiful makeup and still be environmentally conscious at the same time“. Cargo worked relentlessly to develop products that met the rigorous standards demanded by ECOCERT™, an international certification that guarantees products are eco-friendly through all aspects of product and production, dramatically reducing its environmental footprint. Before applying PLA Cargo used traditional plastics. But then they started to look for an alternative material that was better for the environment. “Cargo is always looking to make beauty products that are ‘smarter, better, easier’ and ‘environmentally friendly‘ is very important for our customers and for us,” says Jaye Campbell at Cargo, “so we started doing some research. Our research team

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

here in Canada worked closely together with a Canadian university to do testing on materials.” Cargo chose Ingeo for their products, because this PLA offers durability and stiffness, is easy to process and allows to produce the shapes they need. Ingeo is a naturebased innovation, requires less fossil fuel to create and its production emits fewer greenhouse gases. So there were no compromises to using Ingeo, as Jaye put it. Resin cost were not so much an issue for Cargo, as the prices were comparable to the materials they used before and Jaye believes Ingeo will eventually be more economical as prices of oil will rise again and the PLA prices remain consistent. Cargo’s PlantLove products are available in many countries at Sephora stores, including Europe. PlantLove boxes are made from 100% post-consumer waste paperboard and the mill supplying this paperboard manufactures it under carbon-neutral conditions using 100% renewable energy. There are ten lipsticks which were designed by celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan and two dollars from the sale of every lipstick shade is donated by Cargo to St. Jude Children‘s Research Hospital in USA. And finally, Cargo is proud to announce that all their cosmetics are only manufactured in countries with solid environmental and labor records.

http://cargoplantlove.com www.ecocert.com www.natureworksllc.com

Beauty & Healthcare

‘Vegetal Plastic’ Cosmetics Packaging Range Made From PLA

talian packaging manufacturer Leoplast from Arignano was one of the first groups to introduce cosmetics packaging made entirely from NatureWorks’ Ingeo™ (PLA). They started in 2004 with testing and industrialising bioplastics. This was based on an intuition by Leoplast’s general manager Mr. Graziano Reggiani, who knew about environmental problems and wanted to play his part in helping solve them. Cristina Maggi, Marketing Manager of Leoplast told bioplastics MAGAZINE: “Before even being asked by the cosmetics industry, Leoplast started to develop their PLA packaging applications,” The first application that was developed was a complex 4-part lipstick housing, a specialty of Leoplast. The material used and tested for the lipstick housings was Ingeo. “Leoplast came and asked us to develop a special grade of Ingeo with a lower viscosity,” says Stefano Cavallo, Marketing Manager Europe at NatureWorks. „We followed their suggestions and now supply an easy-flowing PLA grade for this application.” Then, after Leoplast published some of their development results in a cosmetics packaging magazine, the Italian company was approached by a North American manufacturer of cosmetic products. This contact eventually led to the world’s first lipstick housing made from a plastic material 100% from renewable resources. Today Leoplast’s so-called ‘Vegetal Plastics’ product line comprises jars for cream, lipstick housings and compacts

for powder, eye shadow or blusher. The compacts, marketed under the brand name ‘bio-stone’ are part of Leoplast’s initiative to develop environmentally-friendly packaging, including the use of natural masterbatches derived from vegetable-based colorants such as chlorophyll green, indigo blue, curcuma red or riboflavin yellow, and mineral sources such as mica pearlised white, as Stefano Cavallo explained. Among the customers that have chosen Leoplast’s eco-friendly products are, for example, a number of French companies: Laboratoires Phyt‘s offer a pearlised brown case for a complete Ecocert™ lipstick range. From Laboratiores Cosmediet a ‘Bio Formule’ grass green and white case for an Ecocert lip balm is now available. A pearlised white case for an Ecocert lipstick is marketed under the brand name ‘Cybelle par Nature’ by Laboratoires Science et Nature. Laboratoires Aromastrati and Le Secret Naturel offer lip balm cases too. From Italy comes an emerald green case for a lip balm (Ciccarelli) and from Intercos a white case with changing blue pearlescent effects for a complete line of lip balms Last year Leoplast inaugurated 500 m² of factory area dedicated to the production of bioplastics packaging. The production of such packaging will exceed 12 million pieces per year (6 million for lipstick housings, 2 million for jars and 2 million for each ‘bio-stone’). In addition to these products Leoplast has announced plans to include bottles and closures made of bioplastics into their portfolio.

www.leoplastgroup.com www.natureworksllc.com www.ecocert.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Beauty & Healthcare

Biopackaging for Biocosmetics Article contributed by Alessandro Ferlito, Commercial Director, Novamont, Novara, Italy

he increasing problems of environmental pollution in recent years have caused even the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s large chemical companies to intensify their research and development in the area of new eco-friendly plastics. The cosmetics sector is also moving in the same direction, testing and perfecting packaging made of bioplastic polymers, above all for their organic-ecological lines. With its Mater-Bi brand, Novamont is manufacturing and commercialising a number of lines of biopolymers which contain vegetable components and conserve the chemical structure generated by chlorophyll photosynthesis, using oil from specially-selected crops (such as sunflower and rape seed). Certainly the best-known fields of application for Mater-Bi are eco carrier bags used to replace traditional shopping bags as well as bags for the collection of the organic component of wet household waste. But there are many more bioplastics applications developed by Novamont. Various grades of biopolymers have been developed which allow a variety of processing techniques and conversion into different products. The cosmetics sector is promising and demand from clients for these natural lines is becoming significant, although further testing is needed to determine which grades of Mater-Bi adapt best to the different areas of this application. Certainly its resistance to fats and oils make Mater-Bi suitable for containing loose powders or creams.

www.novamont.com www.montaltonatura.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

A few years ago Novamont launched a partnership with Montalto Natura, a world natural cosmetics leader, to develop the use of Mater-Bi in cosmetics packaging. Montalto Natura cosmetics, certified by the CCPB, do not contain synthetic colours, silicone, lacquers, petroleum derivatives, or harmful preservatives. Their raw materials are of vegetable origin and are not tested on animals, and where they come from the less developed parts of the world, the company ensures that those involved in their harvesting and processing have not been unfairly exploited. The addition of low environmental impact packaging which is healthy to process, as well as completely biodegradabale and compostable, provides an added value to the product itself. The packaging used for the RosaLuna line of make-up also has aesthetic properties as least as appealing as those of traditional plastics.

Beauty & Healthcare

Natural Floss Picks

ereplast, Inc., from Hawthorne, California, USA, recently announced that it will supply DenTek®, a leading oral care company from Maryville Tennessee, USA, with bioplastic resin for its new Natural Floss Picks, the first biodegradable/compostable floss pick on the market. DenTek decided to manufacture its Natural Floss Picks using Cereplast Compostables® resin based on biodegradability/compostability and technical characteristics. The bio-based resins are formulated from ‘building block’ resins such as PLA from NatureWorks. On their website, DenTek describes the handle of the dental floss picks as being made of starches from sustainable American crops like tapioca, potatoes, and wheat. The material is just as durable as petroleum-based plastic, but decomposes in less than 180 days in commercial composting facilities.

www.dentek.com www.cereplast.com

“We developed the Natural Floss Pick based on consumer, customer and employee feedback, as well as our continuing commitment to creating environmentallyfriendly oral care products,” said Lex Shankle, VP of Marketing at DenTek. “Cereplast’s bioresins provided us with a way to create this first-of-its-kind green floss pick without sacrificing quality or performance.” Natural Floss Picks deliver the same high-quality flossing experience that is expected from DenTek floss with approximately one-third less waste. The handles are certified to be 100% compostable by the Biodegradable Plastics Institute (BPI), and the packaging is made from 100% recyclable material. Since its inception in 1982, DenTek has focused on providing innovative oral care products for professionals and consumers. The company began with the Dental Pik™, and now offers over 25 products designed for health care professionals and oral health zealots. DenTek’ products go beyond brushing and provide solutions for flossing, braces care, teeth grinding, jaw pain and much more.

Biodegradable Tampon Wrap Biodegradable and compostable NatureFlex™ from Innovia Films is widely used for the wrapping of feminine hygiene products, including digital tampons. It provides exceptional wrapping machinability due to its combination of high moisture barrier sealant layer to aid product protection, natural deadfold, wide heatseal range and static-free properties. The cellulose-based film can be used together with tear-tapes (including those manufactured from NatureFlex films) or alternatively it can be ‘scored’ to provide a ‘tear-tape-free’ easy opening feature. In addition, NatureFlex film has been tested to the Miti standard (ISO14851) which confirms it will biodegrade successfully in a waste-water environment. One of the leading European producers of feminine hygiene products, TOSAMA has switched to using glossy and transparent NatureFlex NE30 film to wrap its Viriana range of tampons. Based in Slovenia, TOSAMA says its use of NatureFlex responds to consumer demand for more eco-friendly packaging from renewable resources.

Virana tampons

www.innoviafilms.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

End of Life

End-of-Life: Recovery Options Article based on the FAQ paper on bioplastics [1] by European Bioplastics e.V.

Fig. 1: Compostable Logos

ommon treatment options for plastic waste are the recovery routes of incineration (thermal recovery), mechanical (or physical [2]) recycling, chemical recycling [2], or the disposal on a landfill. Bioplastics offer in principle all the recovery options in place for conventional plastics - plus the additional option of organic recycling. However it must be kept in mind that bioplastic applications cover many different products with widely varying specific compositions and product design. The choice of the best, i.e. the most ecological and economically efficient recovery route for bioplastics is dependent on many factors such as the character of the product, market volume, existing infrastructure for collection and recovery, legislation, and last but not least, costs. These factors can differ greatly from region to region and from one application to another. A mix of recovery options will usually be provided by municipalities and/or private recycling companies, aiming at the most efficient use of the collected waste as a resource.

Organic Recycling Organic recycling is for example defined by the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive 94/62/EC, amended by 2004/12/EC, as the aerobic treatment Fig. 2: Industrial Composting (Photo: Vlaco vzw. Belgium)

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

End of Life

Fig. 3: Biogasification Plant

(= composting) or anaerobic treatment (= biogasification) of packaging waste. The EU Directive is based on the European standard for the industrial compostability of plastic packaging, EN 13432. This standard is legally binding in all EU member states, so that claiming ‘compostability’ for a packaging material or a packaging will be based on proven compliance of the respective item with EN 13432. Equivalent standards have been approved for the testing of the compostability of plastics, these are ISO 17088, EN 14995 and ASTM D-6400. Whereas ‘aerobic biodegradation’ describes the microbial transformation of carbon containing material into CO2, H2O and biomass, ‘compostability’ is further defined by a time limitation in line with the requirements of industrial composting plants (usually 6-12 weeks). The biodegradation of compostable plastics is dependent on three main factors: elevated temperature, humidity and the abundance of microbes. Rapid biodegradation can only take place if all three criteria are fulfilled simultaneously. This occurs particularly in professional biowaste treatment plants.

Composting of bioplastics (aerobic treatment) Most commercialized bioplastic products are certified ‘compostable’ according to the above mentioned international standards. Based on third party certification, logos like the European ‘seedling’ or the BPI ‘compostable’ logo in the U.S.A are awarded to compostable plastic or paper items (Fig. 1). When treated in composting plants (Fig. 2), certified products are converted completely to CO2, water and biomass (as part of the compost product). The resulting compost can be used as a soil improver and can also replace mineral fertilizers, at least in part. Compostable bioplastic products such as waste or shopping bags can be used to collect organic household waste in municipalities in many countries. By keeping the biowaste collection more hygienic and convenient, such bags contribute to the motivation of consumers for the separate collection of biowaste. These bags are

highly breathable and allow the evaporation of water from the organic household waste, so that the weight of the collected waste decreases (advantage in case of weight related fees) and the oxygen content increases (better processability in the composting plant, higher quality of the compost product). Studies have shown that using compostable bags for the biowaste collection contributes to the diversion of organic waste from landfill. This results in the decrease of methane emissions from landfill. Separate collection and recovery of organic (household) waste should be installed wherever possible. Catering articles are another example of bioplastic products exhibiting advantages for waste management, for example at public events or in cafeterias. Compostable cups, plates or cutlery can be treated together with food residues. No separate handling of food waste and packaging waste is needed and no contamination of other waste streams (e.g. plastic recycling) occurs when these products are composted. The same benefit can be achieved for fruit or vegetables distributed in compostable packaging - if the food is damaged or expired, the complete packaging including the goods can be sent to organic recovery without unpacking.

Biogasification (anaerobic treatment) In biogasification plants (Fig. 3), methane is produced from organic substrates. Biowaste is used as an input material for biogasification plants in an increasing number of municipalities and in private plants. The process is attractive because it yields both compost as a product and also renewable energy: the methane is captured to produce electricity and heat in power plants. In most cases the biowaste treatment in anaerobic plants combines an intial anaerobic phase of approx. 2 – 3 weeks and a second aerobic phase (‘aftertreatment’) of another 3 – 4 weeks to produce fertile compost. So also those bioplastics which show only slow biodegradation under anaerobic conditions, will subsequently be biodegraded in the second, aerobic phase.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Politics

Fig. 4: Waste incineration plant in Vienna, Austria, designed by Friedrich Hundertwasser

So-called ‘oxo-degradable plastics’ are not suitable for organic recovery

small proportion of the total plastics market is currently being recycled back into plastics.

So called ‘oxo-degradable plastics’ (i.e.: polyolefines with metal-containing additives) are sometimes advertised as being ‘biodegradable’ or even ‘compostable’. Such claims are misleading if they are not substantiated by showing compliance with the relevant standards EN 13432, EN 14995, ISO 17088 or ASTMD-6400. These define the requirements for materials which can be called ‘compostable’. In the case of packaging, such claims are bound by legal definition to the compliance with EN 13432 in several EU countries. There are no known ‘oxodegradable’ materials in the marketplace which fulfil either of these standards. Claims of compostability for such products are therefore wrong and untrustworthy. In Italy and Australia for example, lawsuits resulted in fines for using misleading claims in the marketing of such products.

Recycling usually becomes much more complicated when mixed post-consumer plastics waste is used. The typical situation is that post-consumer plastic waste collection schemes deliver a mixture of polymer types (fractions of PE, PP, PVC, PS, PET, etc. including laminates, compounds, coated products etc.). These products are often contaminated with various labels, inks, glues, residues etc., so that the resulting recyclates are of limited quality.

Thermal Recovery ‘Thermal recovery’ is the term for all exothermic waste management processes which yield energy and/or heat. Incineration is the most prominent example. The high calorific value of bioplastics and the clean product composition allow all bioplastics to be recovered thermally. In case the incineration plant (Fig. 4) is equipped with an energy recovery unit, the energy resulting from burning renewable resource based bioplastics will be considered ‘greenhouse-gas neutral’.

Mechanical Recycling Mechanical (or physical) recycling is understood as the recycling back into plastics. It will only lead to high quality products when the input material is very pure. This is the case e.g. for the reprocessing of production waste: Converters of plastics usually have facilities installed to recycle the production scraps as a valuable raw material and feed them back into the production process. Only a

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

With rising environmental concerns and during times of high raw material prices, investments in recycling and sorting technologies increase. Sorting and pre-treatment technologies have been improved and now allow the selection of quite pure plastic waste. Bioplastics are adding to the variety of plastics on the market. However, owing to comparably low market volume, mechanical recycling of bioplastics is currently of no significance. With growing volumes, it will be possible to install specific collection, separation and recycling technologies for bioplastics as well. Solutions can be based e.g. on the available NIR (near infra-red) technology which can detect virtually every plastic type, including different bioplastics. It has been shown that this technology allows for example the automatic sorting of PLA bottles from PET bottles [3].

Chemical Recycling The conversion of plastics back into monomers, which can then be polymerized to plastics again, is called chemical recycling [2] This recovery route can for example be applied to convert PLA back into lactic acid. It must be noted though, that due to the so far little amounts of post consumer PLA, this option cannot be judged so far concerning technical and economic feasibility.

Fig. 5: NIR sorting (Schematic: Titech) (Oder ein echtes NIR-Spektrum)

unsorted material input

scanning and processing

separation chamber

Landfill Landfilling is not considered a ‘recovery’ option. It should be seen as a waste of resources and it should be reduced or terminated wherever possible. Due to the The European Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC for example the amount of municipal waste going to landfills has already been significantly limited in some European countries and will be further reduced considerably. As waste from bioplastics represents only a very low share of this waste (well below 1 %) and as bioplastics market volume will be growing at the same time as municipal solid waste is more and more being diverted from landfill, it is expected that the amount of bioplastics waste going to landfill will remain extremely low. Landfilling of waste is generally not considered a ‘solution’, therefore the focus for bioplastics should firmly be on the development of recovery systems, either for the biological recovery, incineration with energy recovery or recycling.

Conclusions It is and will continue to be the task of all parties involved in plastics waste management and of governmental institutions to work out best practice recovery solutions for both bioplastics and conventional plastics. It has to be kept in mind that bioplastics have only a very small share of the current 250 Mton total plastics market (global). They represent a new material group which can make use of all the established recovery and recycling technologies for conventional plastics and moreover offer the new option of organic recycling. There is time and opportunity to develop solutions because bioplastics are still in their infancy with low market volume. Recycling issues should not lead to hampering the development of bioplastics. The focus should be on the establishment of practical solutions for legislation, communication, sorting and recycling technologies, amongst other issues.

Most bioplastic products are composted today and do not interfere with recycling. Composting is and will remain an important recovery route for many short-life bioplastic products. Thermal recovery processes can handle bioplastics without any problems. Mechanical or chemical recycling represent promising future options for some bioplastics, yielding potentially high quality recyclates. The intention must be to establish eco-efficient recycling systems by making use of all available recovery methods according to the particular product, thereby avoiding negative interference on existing plastic recycling schemes. As bioplastics volumes are currently very low, methane emissions from bioplastics are not a relevant issue. Anyway, Bioplastics – and much more importantly, organic food waste - should not end up in landfills. Stopping landfill of untreated organic waste will decrease the problem of methane emissions and improve ecology, therefore many countries worldwide aim at establishing specialized systems for the separate collection, sorting and treatment of waste. Bioplastics can contribute to such waste policies e.g. by enabling consumers to collect their organic waste separately in compostable bags. [1] European Bioplastics FAQ paper on bioplastics http://www.european-bioplastics.org/download. php?download=Bioplastics_FAQ.pdf [2] Harper, C.A., Modern Plastics Handbook, McGraw Hill, 1999 [3] Sawyer, D., The Benefits and Issues of Sorting Plastics for Improved Recycling — With Special Emphasis on PLA (www. natureworksllc.com) www.european-bioplastics.org

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Application News

Twinings Teabags Wrapped in Compsostable Film Founded in 1706, Twinings FROM LONDON, UK, offer high quality teas which are enjoyed today in more than 100 countries around the globe. Recently Twinings chose Innovia Films’ sustainable and compostable packaging film, NatureFlex™ to wrap one of its major tea products, Everyday. The shift to metallised NatureFlex™ NM meets one of Twinings’ aims to use more sustainable packaging materials, enabling consumers to cut waste. “As a company we are always looking at ways to lessen our impact on the environment. By using NatureFlex™ film as the inner wrap in this pack, it not only protects the teabags, but also makes it easier for our customers to reduce their waste through home composting,” said David Parkes, Twinings. NatureFlex offers advantages for packing and converting such as inherent deadfold and anti-static properties, high gloss and transparency, resistance to grease and oil, good barrier to gases and aromas and a wide heat-seal range. “Having a great deal of experience in working with NatureFlex™ over a number of years and being aware of its green credentials, coupled with excellent machinability and ease of printing, we were delighted to support Twinings’ move to adopt such sustainable packaging. NatureFlex™ is extremely well suited to automated production like flow wrapping and is also a very easy film to print and convert,” said Alan Campbell, ASP Packaging Ltd. “There is a perception in the marketplace that biomaterials simply cannot deliver the barrier properties required for dried goods,” said Andy Sweetman, Innovia Films’ Global Marketing Manager - Sustainable Technologies. “But technology is constantly moving on and Twinings use of NatureFlex™ NM shows that an increasing number of dried goods applications can be successfully delivered by NatureFlex™ films, without compromising on compostability and renewability characteristics.” www. twinings.co.uk www.innoviafilms.com

Lush Easter Eggs Wrapped in Cellulose Film Innovia Films’ biodegradable and compostable packaging film, NatureFlex™ has been chosen by the ethical handmade cosmetics company, Lush to wrap its range of ‘Happy Easter’ gift eggs. The hollow eggs, available in two varieties (Pink – Candy Fluff Egg and Yellow – Honey Bee Egg) are made from bath ballistic mix and contain two Lush products inside. When the inner products have been used, customers can simply break off pieces of the outer shell and throw them into the bathtub for an indulgent fragrant soak. The gift eggs are wrapped in transparent NatureFlex™ NE30 film, which has been converted into sheets by Innovation Packaging Solutions Ltd. “Using NatureFlex is yet another way Lush has been able to make its packaging more sustainable while still offering sumptuous gift ideas including this alternative to the traditional chocolate Easter egg,” said Ruth Andrade, Environmental Officer, Lush. NatureFlex™ was an obvious solution for the packaging as the film begins life as a natural product – wood - and breaks down in a home compost bin (or industrial compost environment) within a matter of weeks. It also offers advantages for packing and converting such as inherent deadfold and anti-static properties, high gloss and transparency, resistance to grease and oil, good barrier to gases and aromas and a wide heat-seal range. “Lush prides itself on using the minimum amount of packaging possible. Where they do need it, we are delighted that NatureFlex fits their key sustainability requirements; biodegradable, compostable and from readily renewable resources. NatureFlex offers ethical manufacturers such as Lush, the ability to align their packaging message with the spirit of their product marketing,” said Andy Sweetman, Global Marketing Manager – Sustainable Technologies. www.lush.co.uk wwwinnoviafilms.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

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Application News

Compostable Extruded Net Tubing End of last year BioPak from Sydney, Australia announced the launch of their BioNet compostable extruded net tubing. BioNet is manufactured in Australia from a starch based biopolymer. The material is certified compostable to European Standard EN13432 which means that it will break down into CO2, water and biomass in a compost facility within 180 days. BioNet took two years to develop. Together with a local net extrusion company BioPak trialed a number of different biopolymer blends until a suitable material was found. The biopolymer was easily extruded using existing equipment and produced a net that met all the functional requirements of traditional extruded net packaging. It has excellent tensile strength and can be used as an effective replacement for conventional extruded net. Available in a variety of colours, tube diameters and strand gauges it meets most specific customer applications. The nets can be used for packaging produce such as oranges, onions or garlic, for packaging seafood, e.g. Crabs & mussles. In the horticultural area it can be used for tree guards or soil binding. Another field of applications is the protective netting of industrial gas cylinders. BioNet is just one product from the BioPak range of compostable packaging systems. www.biopak.com.au

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

New Landscape Fabric The new WeedBlock® Natural™ is the world’s first weed control fabric made with annually renewable resources. This new non-woven landscape fabric recently introduced to the market by Easy Gardener Products, Inc.from Waco, Texas, USA differs from its completely petroleum-based predecessors. WeedBlock Natural is made from 50% Ingeo® (PLA) fiber, which is derived from annually renewable starch-based agricultural resources like corn. The Ingeo brand represents an upstream manufacturing process which uses 68% less energy and generates up to 65% fewer greenhouse gases than petroleum-based manufacturing. Eco-friendly WeedBlock Natural allows gardeners to protect their landscapes from weeds and simultaneously reduce their environmental footprint at the same time. WeedBlock Natural keeps weeds out and lets moisture and air in for healthy plant growth. It is effective for up to seven years when covered with mulch, bark or stones. For every 10,000 rolls of WeedBlock Natural used, gardeners will help decrease oil consumption by 20 barrels. www.easygardener.com

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GoodOnYa BAR Wrapped in Compostable Film Innovia Films’ biodegradable and compostable flexible material, NatureFlex™ has been chosen for a new range of organic, mostly raw nutrition bars produced in the USA.

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• Job Market for Specialists and Executive Staff in the Plastics Industry

l ssiona • Profe t s a F date • Up-to-

Based in San Diego, California, the GoodOnYa concept was founded by former Olympic athlete Kris Fillat. It began first with the GoodOnYa deli, offering an alternative to the everyday breakfast and lunch with an emphasis on locally produced and organic items. The GoodOnYa bar is a natural extension of this philosophy, where every ingredient is carefully chosen for its nutritional value while considering the health of the environment. Outlining why the GoodOnYa bar selected NatureFlex, Kris said: “NatureFlex is certified biodegradable and compostable and comes from a sustainable source of wood. We are the first company in the world to use this for a bar wrapper. It is cutting edge eco-packaging, which is shiny and looks great. This is the change our earth desperately needs.” The packaging structure for the product is made from metallised NatureFlex NM laminated to high gloss transparent NatureFlex NVS film. NatureFlex NM is a unique cellulose-based film, manufactured from renewable wood pulp and metallised in-house to provide a very high moisture barrier with a transmission rate of less than 10g/m²/day (38degC, 90% RH). It is this high barrier that keeps the GoodOnYa bars in premium condition.

www.thegoodonyabar.com www.innoviafilms.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Application News

Air-Cushioning Made of Bio-Film The air-cushioning system Airplus from Storopack, Metzingen, Germany, is being extended to include a bio-plastic material quality. The compostable film is designed to run on all the machines in the series, giving great variation on the types of applications it is suitable for. The filling and padding material can be used throughout all service departments, from small dispatch rooms to the automated distribution centre. The compostability of Airplus Bio Film is certified according to the European standard EN 13432. For this reason, the air cushions are marked with the seedling and the BPI compostable logo ensuring the recipient is aware of the shipping company’s ethos of sustainability. At present, this air-cushioning is available in the following sizes, 200 x 200 mm and 200 x 100 mm. It is planned to include further variants from the portfolio of PE films. The raw material is a biologically degradable plastic compound based on PLA with a co-polyester. It was developed by FKuR Kunststoff GmbH, Willich, in co-operation with the Fraunhofer Institute, Oberhausen, both Germany. As with polyethylene based films, Storopack co-extrudes the polymer during processing to produce a three-layered structure. Compared with mono-extruded films, this reduces material consumption, the elasticity is increased and the low permeability ensures that the air fill does not shrink. Introduction to the market will take place in Europe and North America. Airplus Bio Film is to be manufactured at the production sites in Wildau (Germany) and Cincinnati (USA). Storopack emphasises that it wishes to distinguish itself from suppliers marketing so-called ‘oxo-degradable’ films labeled as ‘bio’-products. These products are usually made of 100% petroleum based polyethylene. This PE is mixed with additives based on metal compounds to accelerate its degradation. According to European Bioplastics data, some of these additives are to be classified as hazardous materials according to EU law. For example, the presence of cobalt has been detected. www.storopack.com

World’s First Fully Compostable Net Bag

www.giropack.com www.fkur.com

Giró from Badalona, Spain, launches worldwide first certified complete compostable net bag. The new net packaging system developed by Giró comprises 100 % compostable materials certified according to EN 13432 for net and label. For the knitted net itself Bio-Flex® F 1130 and for the label Bio-Flex® F 2110 of FKuR were selected. “The excellent mechanical properties of Bio-Flex and the easy processing were convincing factors that made us decide to use these materials from FKuR”, says Carles Llorens, responsible for Engineering at Giró. “We are sure that other innovations with these materials will follow.” Net bags are often used for fresh food & vegetable packaging. Quality factors are high elongation at break, high stretch elasticity as well as good printing and welding properties.

Giró net bag made with FKuR´s Bio-Flex

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Giró is a group of companies that provides state-of-art technology and systems for the fruit and vegetable packaging industry. Giró is currently present in more than 50 countries on the 5 continents.

Radiator End Tank Made with Renewably Sourced Plastics

Application News

The plant-derived DuPont™ Zytel® 610 nylon resin that debuts on DENSO Corporation’s new automotive radiator end tank illustrates the benefits of close collaboration throughout the value chain and marks the first use of DuPont renewably sourced plastic in mechanical components exposed to the hot, chemically aggressive underhood environment. “The strategy of collaborating throughout the value chain is critical when cost effectively bringing high-value solutions to the market,” said Chris Murphy, global accounts director – DuPont Engineering Polymers. “This development truly illustrates a great way to get from today to tomorrow.” In this case, DENSO engineering and DuPont R&D embarked on development of a new material for use in a higher performance radiator end tank that meets auto manufacturers’ needs for sustainable solutions. The new material, developed jointly by DENSO and DuPont in a proprietary process, contains 40% renewable content by weight derived from the castor bean plant, and meets requirements for exceptional heat resistance, durability and road salt resistance – attributes DENSO says were difficult to deliver with many resins containing a high percentage of plant-derived ingredients. Production of the part for the global vehicle market begins this spring and DENSO has announced intentions to use the material in a wide range of products.

www.dupont.com www.globaldenso.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

From Science & Research

Use of Biopolymers in Antimicrobial Food Packaging

he demand for safe, minimally processed, ‘fresh’ food products presents major challenges to the food-packaging industry to develop packaging concepts for maintaining the safety and quality of packaged foods. Recent outbreaks of foodborne pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes continue to push for innovative ways to inhibit microbial growth in foods while maintaining quality, freshness and safety. As an additional hurdle to nonthermal processes, antimicrobial packaging can play an important role at reducing the risk of pathogen contamination of minimally processed foods. Antimicrobial packaging systems incorporate antimicrobials into the packaging to prevent microbial growth on the surface of solid foods and to reduce the need for excessive antimicrobials in liquid foods. Currently, food application of an antimicrobial packaging system is limited due to the availability of suitable antimicrobials, new polymer materials, regulatory concerns and appropriate testing methods. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable and compostable polymer well known as suitable for different kind of packaging of foods such as milk, water, bakery, cheese, and produce. The special characteristics of PLA, such as GRAS status (i.e. Generally Recognized As Safe (FDA)), biodegradability and being a bio-resource put PLA in a unique position for food applications. Pectin is a water soluble, hygroscopic polymer. Pectin has been used as a thickening, coating and encapsulating material. It can be used as a vehicle to carry and deliver a variety of bioactive substances. Relatively few studies have been reported on the use of pectin or PLA, alone or in combination, as a base packaging material for antimicrobial food packaging. However, neither PLA nor pectin possess antimicrobial properties; therefore, a natural antimicrobial called nisin was combined with the polymers. Nisin is nontoxic, heat stable and does not contribute to off-flavors. Additionally it is commercially used in a variety of foods including dairy, eggs, vegetables, meat, fish, beverages and cereal-based products.

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In this study, an extruded composite food packaging film containing pectin and polylactic acid polymers was developed. Nisin was loaded into pectin/PLA and PLA films by a diffusion coating method post extrusion. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the potential use of these films in antimicrobial food packaging to inhibit cells of pathogenic Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes was used as a model in this study because of recent implications in several fatal outbreaks of foodborne illness. The presence of L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods is a special concern for at-risk populations. The USDA has set a zero tolerance level for L. monocytogenes in ready-toeat food products. Microbial growth medium (pH 6.9), orange juice (pH 3.8), and liquid egg white (pH 8.7) were selected for this study because they represented neutral, high acid and low acid foods, respectively. PLA from NatureWorks, pectin and nisin (Nisaplin®) from Danisco were used in this project. Adding pectin to PLA slightly reduced film strength but increased film flexibility. The addition of nisin to films had no effect on the film thickness or other mechanical properties. To simulate a test for films used to wrap a solid food, each film sample was placed on a surface-inoculated microbial growth agar plate, on which 106 CFU (Colony Forming Units1) per ml of L. monocytogenes were seeded. The agar plates were incubated at 37 ºC for 24 h. Zones of inhibition were formed after incubation. The larger the zone of inhibition indicated higher antimicrobial activity of the film. Figure 1 indicated that there was a zone of inhibition formed around a film sample containing pectin/PLA/nisin. In contrast, there was no zone of inhibition observed around the film with PLA/nisin, indicating the PLA film lost nisin during the coating process. Therefore, pectin played an important roll at embedding nisin into the film. When used in a liquid medium, nisin was gradually released from pectin/PLA films causing an inhibition

From Science & Research Article contributed by Tony Jin and LinShu Liu Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, USA

of bacteria in the liquid medium. Figure 2 suggested the inhibitory effect of pectin/PLA film on L. monocyto-genes in liquid egg white. The cell population of L. mono-cytogenes in liquid egg white with pectin/PLA+nisin film was reduced from 6.8 log units to 2 log units while the film sample without nisin remained at 6.5 log units after 48 hours.

Fig. 1. Antilisterial activity of films determined by agar diffusion method. 1. Pectin/PLA film with nisin; 2. Pectin/ PLA film without nisin; 3. PLA film with nisin.

When cells of L. monocytogenes were inoculated into orange juice, the cell populations decreased over 48 hours of incubation at 24ยบC (Figure 3). Pectin/PLA+nisin film significantly reduced the bacterial populations by 3 to 4 log units from 8 to 48 hours.

1: After you plate out the milliliter of growth medium (milk, egg white or the like), the individual bacteria will start to multiply. Each one will form a colony, or a visible circle on the growth medium. You can count these, whereas you cannot count the individual bacteria with the naked eye (source: answers.yahoo. com).

Pectin/PLA+Nisin

Log Colony Forming Unit per ml

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Incubation time (hour)

Log Colony Forming Unit ml Forming Unit per ml Logper Colony

Fig. 2. Inhibitory effect of pectin/PLA+nisin film Pectin/PLA Pectin/PLA+Nisin on L. 7 monocytogenes in liquid egg white. 6 5

Pectin/PLA

8 4

Pectin/PLA+Nisin

7 3 6 2 5 1 4 0 3

Incubation time (hour)

2 1 0

Incubation time (hour)

Fig. 3. Inhibitory effect of pectin/PLA+nisin film Pectin/PLA Pectin/PLA+Nisin 7 monocytogenes in orange juice. on L. ng Unit per ml

In this study, pectin/PLA films incorporating nisin showed promise for the inhibition of pathogenic L. monocytogenes in orange juice or liquid egg. The use of pectin and PLA in combination with nisin has a great potential in antimicrobial food packaging to reduce post process growth of food pathogens. The central idea behind the project was to develop a biodegradable PLA and/or pectin-based packaging system that would improve food safety; the incorporation of antimicrobials in the packaging system would target only at food borne pathogens and would not affect the biodegradability of the packaging system under composting conditions. The use of nisin containing films as packaging materials with activity against L. monocytogenes for solid foods, such as meat products, will be published in the Journal of Food Protection. In addition, the antimicrobial packaging systems with PLA or pectin in combination with other antimicrobials against other food borne pathogens will be further explored at the Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA. The influence of antimicrobials on the biodegradability of the packaging systems will be investigated. The commercial applications of the antimicrobial packaging systems will be evaluated in collaboration with industry partners.

Pectin/PLA

6 5

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Opinion

End of Life for Biodegradable & Cutlery

Organic Fraction

Total

Consequential LCA

60 50

kg CO2 eq.

40 30 20 10 0 -10 -20

Organic Recovery

Attributional LCA

-30

Non Compostabel Cutlery

n our modern consumer society especially for short life cycle products, their end of life phase becomes a key issue and providing as many flexible and environmentally friendly recovery options as possible becomes imperative: products made of MaterBi® by Novamont can be recovered through different ways as they meet the essential requirements of the European Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste (94/62/EC) and satisfy the relevant standards EN 13430 (recycling), EN 13431 (energy recovery), EN 13432 (organic recovery).

B&C Cutlery

LCA ‘Cradle to grave’ results for the ‘GHG’ impact category of ‘B&C’ cutlery vs. non compostable cutlery (‘Attributional LCA’) including the treatment phase of the organic waste (‘Consequential LCA’)

When organic recovery is considered, we are talking about the treatment of organic waste sent to composting alone or preceded by an anaerobic digestion stage with subsequent aerobic stabilization of the digestate and final production of a quality amendant suitable for soil improvement or peat replacement in agriculture and horticulture. In this context, the goal of biodegradable & compostable plastic products is to replace conventional plastic contaminants and improve the quality of the organic waste turning it into a homogeneous feedstock. Classic examples for such products are biowaste bags, shopping bags or products used in the agricultural sector like clips, pots etc. On the other hand, biodegradable & compostable plastics can play a key role where products get usually heavily contaminated by organic waste (e.g. food service ware, food packaging waste, unopened packaging containing expired food). Mechanical recycling and incineration (where available) are difficult due to the wet organic contamination.

Christian Garaffa, Project Manager, Waste Management Area Novamont S.p.A., Novara, Italy

www.novamont.com

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In order to better understand the benefits related to biodegradable & compostable products, we need to broaden the focus from the single item to the larger system where this item is operating. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is often used for direct comparisons between products, without really considering the indirect effects on the surrounding systems. This ‘product vs. product’ approach is called ‘Attributional LCA’. However, there is a high risk to overlook indirect impacts that could be stronger compared to direct ones. In order to avoid misleading conclusions it is essential for these hidden impacts to be taken into account. This ‘product into the system’ approach is called ‘Consequential LCA’. The main benefits of biodegradable & compostable products emerge when the increased environmental performance of the system where they operate is analyzed. This is clearly shown in the study

Opinion

Options Compostable Biopolymers ‘Compostable cutlery and waste management: An LCA approach’ by Razza et al. . The graph shows the greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions ‘Cradle to grave‘ for non compostable cutlery (dark green bars) compared to biodegradable & compostable cutlery (B&C) according to the described end of life scenarios. These results relate to the ‘Attributional LCA” taking into account only the impacts directly attributed to the cutlery. The light green bars represent the CO2 eq. emissions of the organic waste generated after meal consumption, while the blue bars show the overall LCA results (cutlery + organic waste) related to the ‘Consequential LCA”. The difference between the two approaches is striking.

Final remarks MaterBi products satisfy the requirements set by the relevant standards EN 13430 (recycling), EN 13431 (energy recovery), EN 13432 (organic recovery). In situations where mechanical recycling or energy recovery show low efficiency due to high contamination with wet food residues, organic recovery is the most sensible choice. In order understand the full potential of this option, a systemic analysis taking into account not only the product but also the surrounding system (Consequential LCA) represents the best approach, unearthing possible hidden impacts and clearly showing the real benefits generated by the use of biodegradable & compostable products.

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Basics

Industrial Picture 1: Household biowaste as delivered to the composting plant

MT - When talking about end-of-life recovery options ‘industrial composting’ is a term that is mentioned again and again. Now, what exactly is ‘industrial composting’ and how do the operators of such industrial composting facilities feel about biodegradable plastics in their input-streams? In order to find some answers to these questions bioplastics MAGAZINE visited two industrial composting plants and spoke to the operators. One of the plants is located in Moerdijk, in the Netherlands. It has an annual capacity of 100,000 tonnes and is one of 22 facilities in the Netherlands for household biowaste. The total capacity of the more than 100 plants for composting biowaste from households and public gardens is 2.5 million tonnes/a in the Netherlands. The other composting plant that we visited is in Dortmund, Germany, and has an annual capacity of 24,000 tonnes. First of all it should be mentioned that for example in the Netherlands about 50% of all municipal waste is biogenic material, as Tim Brethouwer of the Essent Milieu composting plant in Moerdijk points out. In practice about 35 % is collected separately (1.5 million tonnes of household biowaste).

Picture 2: Manual sorting station

In a large number of countries this biogenic waste, consisting of lawn cuttings and leaves, as well as kitchen waste such as potato peelings or in some cases even food leftovers, is collected and transported to composting facilities. Picture 1 shows a pile of such biowaste. “You see, even if people are asked to put their biowaste only in biodegradable bags there are a lot of conventional bags in the heap”, says Ludger Lammers of the Dortmund composting plant. Tim Brethouwer explains that the incoming waste consists of 60% water, 20% sand or soil and 20% of biodegradable material (plus the plastic, metal cans and other impurities). In both plants that were visited, this so called bio-waste is screened, as a first stage, using an 80mm (or, as in Moerdijk, 150 mm) sieve. The smaller fraction, after passing a metal detector, can go to the next stage right away. In Dortmund the bigger parts, for example plastic bags filled with biowaste, go to a manual sorting station. The staff in Dortmund are well trained, as Mr. Lammers explains, so they can recognize the ‘Seedling’ logo (picture 2). Such bags can pass to the next stage. All other bags are torn apart, the biowaste is fed into the system and the empty bags dumped in a bin to be compressed and taken for incineration. Mr. Lammers emphasized that the staff in Dortmund are well educated and there is not a high staff turnover. “Our people work on the manual sorting today and

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Basics

Composting tomorrow they drive the wheel loader. Then perhaps they work in the office, helping customers. The wheel loader (picture 3) is equipped with a perfect air conditioning, particle filter, noise reduction and even a CD player. “30% of the investment in such a wheel loader is for the safety of our workers,” he proudly points out.

Picture 3: Wheel loader

Next, the sieved and sorted biowaste is tumbled in a huge drum for about an hour to homogenize the waste in terms of size and moisture. After this stage the material is left in the rotting hall (picture 4). While in Moerdijk the rotting phase is about 3 weeks, the Dortmund facility allows 6 weeks for biodegradation. As this kind of composting is also called aerobic biodegradation, it is important to constantly aerate the windrows. In the Dutch plant fresh air is blown through the windrows through perforated pipes in a bed of stones while in Germany air is sucked from the top through a multitude of holes in the concrete floor. In order to assist good aeration and to constantly mix the maturing compost in Dortmund a big screw (Picture 5) moves down the rows of material, turning them as it goes. In Moerdijk a big turningwheel is used for homogenizing and mixing. The necessary temperature of about 58-60°C is reached automatically by the action of the microorganisms when assimilationg the biowaste as a food or energy source, thereby producing CO2, water and biomass. The flow of air is used to control the temperature. Tim Brethouwer said that the heat in the piles could sometimes reach 90°C, so that by blowing more or less air through the compost the temperature is kept constant at around 60°C. This temperature is enough to kill pathogens as well as weed seeds, as Ludger Lammers pointed out.

Picture 4: Rotting hall

Picture 5: Aeration screw

In both plants the fetid air is led though a big biofilter (picture 6), consisting of a thick bed of special burl wood that has been mechanically treated to become fibrous. The air exiting this biofilter is clean and no longer smells. The humidity in the windrows is also measured and controlled by irrigating the whole system with a mix from collected rainwater, the water that drains through the perforated floor, and the water that comes from the biowaste. “All natural, or a complete closed-loop,” says Ludger Lammers. Tim Brethouwer explains that about 120 m³ of water is extracted from the biowaste per day. And around 4-4.5 tonnes per hour of water is sprayed back onto the windrows.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Basics

Picture 6: Burl wood biofilter for exhaust air

After the composting phase the mature compost is screened again, and different fractions with different average particle sizes are sacked or otherwise packed for different purposes. In Moerdijk from a first 40mm fraction heavy particles such as stones or glass are gravimetrically separated. The rest is then once again sieved to a fraction smaller than 15mm as a high quality compost (picture 7) which is sold to farmers (80-90%) or garden owners (10-20%) as soil conditioner, fertilizer or a substitute for peat. The 15-40 mm fraction is sold to a special incineration plant in Germany as ‘clean biomass for incineration’. This fraction may even contain up to 3% plastic waste. The residual bigger plastic waste pieces after screening are again collected and disposed of to a waste incineration plant. Tim Brethouwer is happy that in Moerdijk there is such an incineration plant right next door. This saves the trouble of transporting the material. “Before we could bring the ‘clean biomass’ to that special incineration plant we recycled the 15-40mm fraction into the process to compost it again for a further 3 weeks,” said Mr. Brethouwer. When asked whether the operators of industrial composting plants like or dislike biodegradable plastics in their incoming feedstock Tim Brethouwer said: “We don’t have a problem with bioplastics. We accept biodegradable plastics but we don’t seize them”. Mr. Lammers said “We appreciate the use of biodegradable bags for the collection of biowaste instead of traditional plastic bags. If everybody would use this kind of bag we would not no longer need manual sorting.” Dr. Hubert Seier, technical controller of the plant in Dortmund added: “However, I’d like to point out that we accept biodegradable plastic bags BUT ... ,” and he explained that educating the public is an important subject. Mrs. Smith, let‘s say, puts a biodegradable bag, with her kitchen waste, into the bio-bin and her neighbour watches her from behind the curtain. Then the neighbour puts plastic bags in the bio-bin, not caring whether they are biodegradable or not. This must not happen.

Picture 7: This handful or high quality compost contains more microorganisms than the number of people on earth

When talking about the different end of life options, Tim Brethouwer points out that (at least in the Netherlands) composting with costs of about 35 EUR/tonne is cheaper than incineration where 100 EUR/ tonne have to be paid. The most expensive solution is landfill. Here in addition to 85 EUR tax per tonne an additional gate fee of 20-30 EUR has to be paid. And from a CO2 point of view he considers composting as the better alternative as composting locks CO2 in the soil and releases it to the atmosphere only very slowly. About 10% of the CO2 is still in the soil after 100 years, he explains. As one of the solutions with the best future prospects Tim Brethouwer sees the combination of anaerobic digestion (biogasification) and subsequent aerobic composting. Here three products will be produced: biogas that can be converted into or mixed with compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) a fuel that is very popular with a large number of Dutch car owners. The second product is compost and the third is the ‘clean biomass for incineration’ mentioned above. www.entsorgung-dortmund.de www.essentmilieu.nl

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Pland Paper速 ( PLA and Paper ) means PLA coated on paper with no additives. This eco-friendly paper is made from all renewable materials and carried the same characters just like PE coated paper. Food Containers made from this paper are safe to load hot coffee and soup, because Pland Paper速 is all Nature made. For more information, please visit www.plandpaper.com or contact sales@plandpaper.com

Pland Paper

WeiMon Industry Co., Ltd. - 2F, No.57, Singjhong Rd., NeiHu, District, Taipei City 114, Taiwan, R.O.C. Environmental Materials Division TEL: +886-2-27953131 ext. 142

Basics

The Added

io-Plastics represent a new group of materials in the big family of plastics. The term is used for polymers that offer the new properties of being biodegradable in certain environments and/or coming from renewable resources. The term ‘Bio-plastics’ is not really accurate, because it is used for both of these (different) characteristics. Preferably we should speak of ‘biodegradable plastics’ and of ‘bio-based plastics’. Standards and certification systems serve to characterise these features, which are unique to ‘Bio-plastics’ as a new group of materials. Fig. 1 gives an overview of the interrelations of the two aspects.

Biodegradability and Compostability are well defined by standards and certification

Article contributed by Jöran Reske Vice Chairman of European Bioplastics e.V.

Further information: www.astm.org www.bpiworld.org www.cen.eu www.dincertco.de www.european-bioplastics.org www.iso.org www.jbpaweb.net www.vincotte.be

Especially concerning biodegradability and, more precisely ‘compostability’, standards such as for example ISO 17088, EN 13432, EN 14995 and ASTM D-6400 have been developed. Testing according to these standards provides evidence that the respective material or product will biodegrade in a composting plant, without residues or harmful influences on either the process or the composted product. In order to verify and trace the compostability of end products, certification systems have been established e.g. by Din Certco and Vincotte in Europe, BPI in the US and JBPA in Japan. The respective ‘Seedling’ (EU), BPI and JBPA logos are being used for labelling and communicating such qualified products (for background information, please see the article by Prof. Narayan in bM 1/12009, pp. 28 – 31).

‘Bio-Plastics’ are:  Compostable according to the relevant standards: EN 13432, EN 14995; ISO 17088; ASTM D-6400 OR (and)  Made - at least in parts – from Renewable Raw Materials: ‘bio-based’

Bioplastics biodegradable plastics fossil resources

Fig. 1: Interrelations of the two aspects of ‘biodegradability’ and ‘bio-based origin’

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

blends of renewable a.o. resources

compostable

bio-based plastics renewable resources

blends of renewable a.o. resources

non biodegradable

Basics

Value of ‘Bio-Plastics’ Considerations of the two aspects - „biodegradability“ and „bio-based origin“

The bio-based content can be quantified using C14 analysis In contrast to the well regulated area of biodegradability and compostability testing and certification, such regulation is only in its infancy concerning the aspect of bio-based content of materials or products. An important achievement has been the development of ASTM D6866, an international standard describing test methods for the quantification of bio-based carbon content namely by analysing the content of the carbon isotope C14 and subsequently calculating the amount of carbon originating from renewable resources (i.e. ‘bio-based’) on the basis of the ratio of the isotopes C14 and C12. A similar specification has been developed in Europe for the field of ‘Solid Recovered Fuels’: CEN TS 15747. Close cooperation between the American and the European experts has ensured that the basic definitions and contents of these norms are almost identical. Based on this expert cooperation, there are now efforts ongoing in Europe to compile a standard for the determination of the bio-based content of biopolymers. This work is performed within the standardization committee CEN TC 249 WG 17.

Governmental programmes for the support of bio-based products Based on the analysis of the bio-based carbon content, support programmes for the market introduction of such products have been established in the U.S. (the ‘BioPreferred’ programme of USDA), and in Japan (the Biotechnology Strategy and the Green Purchasing Law). Europe started an initiative in 2008, known as the ‘Lead Market Initiative on bio-based products’. With this

programme the EU Commission aims at harmonizing all of the legislation which is relevant to bio-based products. Further instruments, such as for example dedicated standards, certification and, potentially, labelling, are intended for the definition, communication and support of the product group. As in the U.S. and Japan, in the EU public procurement is also seen as one promising approach for increasing the demand for bio-based products. Industry has been invited to contribute to the development of the Lead Market Initiative by proposing concepts through an advisory group and several subgroups (on Legislation, on Standards and on ‘Supportive Instruments’). Many activities have been focused recently on the development of standards for the determination of bio-based content, as for example the above mentioned activities within CEN. The approval of such standards will add a fundamental piece to legal support programmes, as the new product group becomes more tangible. The standards will also provide a cornerstone for certification programmes dedicated to the biobased (carbon) content of materials and products.

Bio-based content certification needs a common and harmonized set of criteria Based on the standards for the determination of biobased (carbon) content, the development of producerindependent certification systems will be a further very important contribution to market development. Only if claims such as “This product contains x % bio-based carbon“ can be substantiated on the basis of standardized determination, as well as independent verification and tracing in the market place, will those products be

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Basics regarded as trustworthy, and legislators will consequently be able to award them support. Also, reliable third party certification will be a necessary precondition for including the ‘bio-based content’ in systems for displaying the environmental parameters of products, such as packaging, in their labelling. When developing such certification, industry will want to strive for a common set of criteria, so that bio-based products will be defined in a consistent and transparent way, thus avoiding confusion or even doubts about the products and their qualities. Clearly, a situation should be avoided such as the one that evolved in the CO2 (or carbon footprint) labelling – where a multitude of different programmes and labels only serve to confuse the public, and authorities cannot identify particular concepts worth supporting by way of legal instruments. The diversity of CO2 labels also seems to undermine cooperation along the product value chain, as partners are not sure about which programme to choose. One consequence of such uncertainty is the loss of impact of these concepts, both at the (end) consumer and at the political level. So, one of the main goals for all parties interested in the concept of ‘biobased products’ should be open and reliable cooperation during development and implementation of the respective standards and certification system. Equally important, a close dialogue with the relevant authorities should be sought.

Industry has come together for coordination and harmonization of bio-based certification Based on an initiative of the European Bioplastics association, some of the most relevant stakeholder groups

in the field of bio-based products have established an ‘Industrial Task Force on Bio-based Content Certification’. This group aims at finding consensus on the conditions and criteria for such certification. Providing a well balanced and broadly agreed set of criteria will be a precondition for the communication of ‘bio-based products’ as an independent group of innovative products in the market place. The cooperation of industry and certifiers will provide trust and reliability in the certification, so that it can also be offered to the authorities as a fair and appropriate tool for defining this new product group within legal programmes - similar to the well-established compostability certification, which currently serves as a definition of particular, privileged products in, e.g., Belgian, Dutch and German legal provisions.

Conclusion Whereas standards and certification systems for the determination and verification of biodegradability and compostability have been established and provide a proven track record of several years, the verification and tracing of the bio-based content, especially based on independent certification, has so far not been implemented. Dialogue between the core stakeholder groups will help to achieve harmonized criteria for such certification, so that certifiers throughout Europe and beyond can deliver their service to the users and can ensure that certification will best serve the products in the market place. Such coordinated certification systems could provide a reliable and strong basis for the consideration of bio-based products for national or multi-national legislation.

Maria, our covergirl tries to use nature based cosmetics whenever she can afford it. “Now the cases and even the lipstick mechanics are made from nature based plastics too? Cool ! May I keep these?”

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Events

Event Calender April 15 , 2009 Biokunststoffe, (Bio)Kunststoff/Natur-Composites Aufbereitung, Verarbeitung Seminar Kunststoff-Zentrum in Leipzig gGmbH Leipzig, Germany www.kuz-leipzig.de

April 23 , 2009 Bioplastics Processing and Properties Loughborough University, UK

September 14-16, 2009 2nd PLA Bottle Conference hosted by bioplastics MAGAZINE within the framework of drinktec Munich / Germany www.pla-bottle-conference.com

www.soci.org/SCI/events/details.jsp?eventID=EV1297

June 3-4, 2009 Bioplastic Asia 2009 at 5-star hotel in Bangkok, Thailand www.abf-asia.com

June 22-26, 2009 NPE2009: The International Plastics Showcase McCormick Place Chicago, Illinois USA www.npe.org

September 9-10, 2009 7th Int. Symposium â&#x20AC;&#x17E;Materials made of Renewable Resourcesâ&#x20AC;&#x153; Messe Erfurt Erfurt / Germany www.narotech.de

www.biopolymersummit.com

October 26-27, 2009 Biowerkstoff Kongress 2009 ithin framework of AVK and COMPOSITES EUROPE Neue Messe Stuttgart, Germany www.biowerkstoff-kongress.de

November 10-11, 2009 4th European Bioplastics Conference Ritz Carlton Hotel, Berlin, Germany www.european-bioplastics.org

December 2-3, 2009 Dritter Deutscher WPC-Kongress Maritim Hotel, Cologne, Germany www.wpc-kongress.de

Please contact us in advance by e-mail.

www.cmtevents.com

September 28-30, 2009 Biopolymers Symposium 2009 Embassy Suites, Lakefront - Chicago Downtown Chicago, Illinois USA

You can meet us!

May 21-22, 2009 3rd Bioplastics Market Grand Royal Hotel - Grand Ballroom / Guangzhou / China

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Basics

Glossary In bioplastics MAGAZINE again and again the same expressions appear that some of our readers might (not yet) be familiar with. This glossary shall help with these terms and shall help avoid repeated explanations such as ‘PLA (Polylactide)‘ in various articles.

Bioplastics (as defined by European Bioplastics e.V.) is a term used to define two different kinds of plastics:

Blend | Mixture of plastics, polymer alloy of at least two microscopically dispersed and molecularly distributed base polymers.

a. Plastics based on renewable resources (the focus is the origin of the raw material used)

Carbon neutral | Carbon neutral describes a process that has a negligible impact on total atmospheric CO2 levels. For example, carbon neutrality means that any CO2 released when a plant decomposes or is burnt is offset by an equal amount of CO2 absorbed by the plant through photosynthesis when it is growing.

b. à Biodegradable and compostable plastics according to EN13432 or similar standards (the focus is the compostability of the final product; biodegradable and compostable plastics can be based on renewable (biobased) and/or non-renewable (fossil) resources). Bioplastics may be - based on renewable resources and biodegradable; - based on renewable resources but not be biodegradable; and - based on fossil resources and biodegradable. Amylopectin | Polymeric branched starch molecule with very high molecular weight (biopolymer, monomer is à Glucose). Amyloseacetat | Linear polymeric glucosechains are called à amylose. If this compound is treated with ethan acid one product is amylacetat. The hydroxyl group is connected with the organic acid fragment. Amylose | Polymeric non-branched starch molecule with high molecular weight (biopolymer, monomer is à Glucose). Biodegradable Plastics | Biodegradable Plastics are plastics that are completely assimilated by the à microorganisms present a defined environment as food for their energy. The carbon of the plastic must completely be converted into CO2 during the microbial process. For an official definition, please refer to the standards e.g. ISO or in Europe: EN 14995 Plastics- Evaluation of compostability - Test scheme and specifications. [bM 02/2006 p. 34f, bM 01/2007 p38].

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Cellophane | Clear film on the basis of à cellulose. Cellulose | Polymeric molecule with very high molecular weight (biopolymer, monomer is à Glucose), industrial production from wood or cotton, to manufacture paper, plastics and fibres.

Cradle-to-Cradle | (sometimes abbreviated as C2C): Is an expression which communicates the concept of a closed-cycle economy, in which waste is used as raw material (‘waste equals food’). Cradle-to-Cradle is not a term that is typically used in àLCA studies. Cradle-to-Grave | Describes the system boundaries of a full àLife Cycle Assessment from manufacture (‘cradle’) to use phase and disposal phase (‘grave’). Fermentation | Biochemical reactions controlled by à microorganisms or enyzmes (e.g. the transformation of sugar into lactic acid). Gelatine | Translucent brittle solid substance, colorless or slightly yellow, nearly tasteless and odorless, extracted from the collagen inside animals‘ connective tissue.

Compost | A soil conditioning material of decomposing organic matter which provides nutrients and enhances soil structure. (bM 06/2008, 02/2009)

Glucose | Monosaccharide (or simple sugar). G. is the most important carbohydrate (sugar) in biology. G. is formed by photosynthesis or hydrolyse of many carbohydrates e. g. starch.

Compostable Plastics | Plastics that are biodegradable under ‘composting’ conditions: specified humidity, temperature, à microorganisms and timefame. Several national and international standards exist for clearer definitions, for example EN 14995 Plastics - Evaluation of compostability - Test scheme and specifications [bM 02/2006 p. 34f, bM 01/2007 p38].

Humus | In agriculture, ‘humus’ is often used simply to mean mature à compost, or natural compost extracted from a forest or other spontaneous source for use to amend soil.

Composting | A solid waste management technique that uses natural process to convert organic materials to CO2, water and humus through the action of à microorganisms [bM 03/2007]. Copolymer | Plastic composed of different monomers. Cradle-to-Gate | Describes the system boundaries of an environmental àLife Cycle Assessment (LCA) which covers all activities from the ‘cradle’ (i.e., the extraction of raw materials, agricultural activities and forestry) up to the factory gate

Hydrophilic | Property: ‘water-friendly’, soluble in water or other polar solvents (e.g. used in conjunction with a plastic which is not waterresistant and weatherproof or that absorbs water such as Polyamide (PA). Hydrophobic | Property: ‘water-resistant’, not soluble in water (e.g. a plastic which is waterresistant and weatherproof, or that does not absorb any water such as Polethylene (PE) or Polypropylene (PP). LCA | Life Cycle Assessment (sometimes also referred to as life cycle analysis, ecobalance, and àcradle-to-grave analysis) is the investigation and valuation of the environmental impacts of a given product or service caused (bM 01/2009).

Basics

Readers who know better explanations or who would like to suggest other explanations to be added to the list, please contact the editor. [*: bM ... refers to more comprehensive article previously published in bioplastics MAGAZINE)

Microorganism | Living organisms of microscopic size, such as bacteria, funghi or yeast. PCL | Polycaprolactone, a synthetic (fossil based), biodegradable bioplastic, e.g. used as a blend component. PHA | Polyhydroxyalkanoates are linear polyesters produced in nature by bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids. The most common type of PHA is à PHB. PHB | Polyhydroxyl buteric acid (better poly3-hydroxybutyrate), is a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a polymer belonging to the polyesters class. PHB is produced by micro-organisms apparently in response to conditions of physiological stress. The polymer is primarily a product of carbon assimilation (from glucose or starch) and is employed by micro-organisms as a form of energy storage molecule to be metabolized when other common energy sources are not available. PHB has properties similar to those of PP, however it is stiffer and more brittle. PLA | Polylactide or Polylactic Acid (PLA) is a biodegradable, thermoplastic, aliphatic polyester from lactic acid. Lactic acid is made from dextrose by fermentation. Bacterial fermentation is used to produce lactic acid from corn starch, cane sugar or other sources. However, lactic acid cannot be directly polymerized to a useful product, because each polymerization reaction generates one molecule of water, the presence of which degrades the forming polymer chain to the point that only very low molecular weights are observed. Instead, lactic acid is oligomerized and then catalytically dimerized to make the cyclic lactide monomer. Although dimerization also generates water, it can be separated prior to polymerization. PLA of high molecular weight is produced from the lactide monomer by ring-opening polymerization using a catalyst. This mechanism does not generate additional water, and hence, a wide range of molecular weights are accessible (bM 01/2009).

Saccharins or carbohydrates | Saccharins or carbohydrates are name for the sugar-family. Saccharins are monomer or polymer sugar units. For example, there are known mono-, di- and polysaccharose. à glucose is a monosaccarin. They are important for the diet and produced biology in plants. Sorbitol | Sugar alcohol, obtained by reduction of glucose changing the aldehyde group to an additional hydroxyl group. S. is used as a plasticiser for bioplastics based on starch. Starch | Natural polymer (carbohydrate) consisting of à amylose and à amylopectin, gained from maize, potatoes, wheat, tapioca etc. When glucose is connected to polymerchains in definite way the result (product) is called starch. Each molecule is based on 300 -12000-glucose units. Depending on the connection, there are two types à amylose and à amylopectin known. Starch (-derivate) | Starch (-derivates) are based on the chemical structure of à starch. The chemical structure can be changed by introducing new functional groups without changing the à starch polymer. The product has different chemical qualities. Mostly the hydrophilic character is not the same. Starch-ester | One characteristic of every starch-chain is a free hydroxyl group. When every hydroxyl group is connect with ethan acid one product is starch-ester with different chemical properties. Starch propionate and starch butyrate | Starch propionate and starch butyrate can be synthesised by treating the à starch with propane or butanic acid. The product structure is still based on à starch. Every based à glucose fragment is connected with a propionate or butyrate ester group. The product is more hydrophobic than à starch.

Sustainable | An attempt to provide the best outcomes for the human and natural environments both now and into the indefinite future. One of the most often cited definitions of sustainability is the one created by the Brundtland Commission, led by the former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development as development that ‘meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ Sustainability relates to the continuity of economic, social, institutional and environmental aspects of human society, as well as the non-human environment). Sustainability | (as defined by European Bioplastics e.V.) has three dimensions: economic, social and environmental. This has been known as “the triple bottom line of sustainability”. This means that sustainable development involves the simultaneous pursuit of economic prosperity, environmental protection and social equity. In other words, businesses have to expand their responsibility to include these environmental and social dimensions. Sustainability is about making products useful to markets and, at the same time, having societal benefits and lower environmental impact than the alternatives currently available. It also implies a commitment to continuous improvement that should result in a further reduction of the environmental footprint of today’s products, processes and raw materials used. Thermoplastics | Plastics which soften or melt when heated and solidify when cooled (solid at room temperature). Yard Waste | Grass clippings, leaves, trimmings, garden residue.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

Suppliers Guide

1.3 PLA

1.6 masterbatches

3.1.1 cellulose based films

1. Raw Materials 20

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BASF SE Global Business Management Biodegradable Polymers Carl-Bosch-Str. 38 67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany Tel. +49-621 60 43 878 Fax +49-621 60 21 694 plas.com@basf.com www.ecovio.com www.basf.com/ecoflex

1.4 starch-based bioplastics

PolyOne Avenue Melville Wilson, 2 Zoning de la Fagne 5330 Assesse Belgium Tel. + 32 83 660 211 info.color@polyone.com www.polyone.com

INNOVIA FILMS LTD Wigton Cumbria CA7 9BG England Contact: Andy Sweetman Tel. +44 16973 41549 Fax +44 16973 41452 andy.sweetman@innoviafilms.com www.innoviafilms.com 4. Bioplastics products

1.1 bio based monomers

Sukano Products Ltd. Chaltenbodenstrasse 23 CH-8834 Schindellegi Tel. +41 44 787 57 77 BIOTEC Biologische +41 44 787 57 78 Naturverpackungen GmbH & Co. KG Fax www.sukano.com Werner-Heisenberg-Straße 32 Du Pont de Nemours International S.A. 46446 Emmerich 2, Chemin du Pavillon, PO Box 50 2. Additives / Germany CH 1218 Le Grand Saconnex, Secondary raw materials Tel. +49 2822 92510 Geneva, Switzerland Fax +49 2822 51840 Tel. + 41 22 717 5428 info@biotec.de Fax + 41 22 717 5500 www.biotec.de jonathan.v.cohen@che.dupont.com www.packaging.dupont.com Du Pont de Nemours International S.A. 1.2 compounds 2, Chemin du Pavillon, PO Box 50 CH 1218 Le Grand Saconnex, Geneva, Switzerland Tel. + 41(0) 22 717 5428 Fax + 41(0) 22 717 5500 jonathan.v.cohen@che.dupont.com www.packaging.dupont.com Plantic Technologies Limited 51 Burns Road 3. Semi finished products Altona VIC 3018 Australia BIOTEC Biologische Tel. +61 3 9353 7900 Naturverpackungen GmbH & Co. KG Fax +61 3 9353 7901 3.1 films Werner-Heisenberg-Straße 32 info@plantic.com.au 46446 Emmerich www.plantic.com.au Germany Tel. +49 2822 92510 1.5 PHA Fax +49 2822 51840 info@biotec.de www.biotec.de Huhtamaki Forchheim Herr Manfred Huberth Zweibrückenstraße 15-25 Telles, Metabolix – ADM joint venture 91301 Forchheim Tel. +49-9191 81305 650 Suffolk Street, Suite 100 Fax +49-9191 81244 Lowell, MA 01854 USA Mobil +49-171 2439574 Tel. +1-97 85 13 18 00 Fax +1-97 85 13 18 86 www.mirelplastics.com FKuR Kunststoff GmbH Siemensring 79 D - 47 877 Willich Tel. +49 2154 9251-0 Maag GmbH Tel.: +49 2154 9251-51 Leckingser Straße 12 sales@fkur.com 58640 Iserlohn www.fkur.com Germany Tianan Biologic Tel. + 49 2371 9779-30 No. 68 Dagang 6th Rd, Fax + 49 2371 9779-97 Beilun, Ningbo, China, 315800 shonke@maag.de Tel. +86-57 48 68 62 50 2 www.maag.de Fax +86-57 48 68 77 98 0 enquiry@tianan-enmat.com Transmare Compounding B.V. www.tianan-enmat.com Ringweg 7, 6045 JL Roermond, The Netherlands Tel. +31 475 345 900 Fax +31 475 345 910 www.earthfirstpla.com info@transmare.nl www.sidaplax.com www.compounding.nl www.plasticsuppliers.com Sidaplax UK : +44 (1) 604 76 66 99 Sidaplax Belgium: +32 9 210 80 10 Plastic Suppliers: +1 866 378 4178

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Division of A&O FilmPAC Ltd 7 Osier Way, Warrington Road GB-Olney/Bucks. MK46 5FP Tel.: +44 1234 88 88 61 Fax: +44 1234 888 940 sales@aandofilmpac.com www.bioresins.eu

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/09] Vol. 4

alesco GmbH & Co. KG Schönthaler Str. 55-59 D-52379 Langerwehe Sales Germany: +49 2423 402 110 Sales Belgium: +32 9 2260 165 Sales Netherlands: +31 20 5037 710 info@alesco.net | www.alesco.net

Arkhe Will Co., Ltd. 19-1-5 Imaichi-cho, Fukui 918-8152 Fukui, Japan Tel. +81-776 38 46 11 Fax +81-776 38 46 17 contactus@ecogooz.com www.ecogooz.com

Forapack S.r.l Via Sodero, 43 66030 Poggiofi orito (Ch), Italy Tel. +39-08 71 93 03 25 Fax +39-08 71 93 03 26 info@forapack.it www.forapack.it

Minima Technology Co., Ltd. Esmy Huang, Marketing Manager No.33. Yichang E. Rd., Taipin City, Taichung County 411, Taiwan (R.O.C.) Tel. +886(4)2277 6888 Fax +883(4)2277 6989 Mobil +886(0)982-829988 esmy325@ms51.hinet.net Skype esmy325 www.minima-tech.com

natura Verpackungs GmbH Industriestr. 55 - 57 48432 Rheine Tel. +49 5975 303-57 Fax +49 5975 303-42 info@naturapackaging.com www.naturapackagign.com

10. Institutions

Pland Paper® WEI MON INDUSTRY CO., LTD. 2F, No.57, Singjhong Rd., Neihu District, Taipei City 114, Taiwan, R.O.C. Tel. + 886 - 2 - 27953131 Fax + 886 - 2 - 27919966 sales@weimon.com.tw www.plandpaper.com

Molds, Change Parts and Turnkey Solutions for the PET/Bioplastic Container Industry 284 Pinebush Road Cambridge Ontario Canada N1T 1Z6 Tel. +1 519 624 9720 Fax +1 519 624 9721 info@hallink.com www.hallink.com

MANN+HUMMEL ProTec GmbH Stubenwald-Allee 9 64625 Bensheim, Deutschland Tel. +49 6251 77061 0 Fax +49 6251 77061 510 info@mh-protec.com www.mh-protec.com 7. Plant engineering

Wiedmer AG - PLASTIC SOLUTIONS 8752 Näfels - Am Linthli 2 SWITZERLAND Tel. +41 55 618 44 99 Fax +41 55 618 44 98 www.wiedmer-plastic.com 6. Machinery & Molds

Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH Holzhauser Str. 157 - 159 13509 Berlin Germany Tel. +49 (0)30 43567 5 Fax +49 (0)30 43567 699 sales.de@thyssenkrupp.com www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com 8. Ancillary equipment 9. Services

FAS Converting Machinery AB O Zinkgatan 1/ Box 1503 27100 Ystad, Sweden Tel.: +46 411 69260 www.fasconverting.com

Bioplastics Consulting Tel. +49 2161 664864 info@polymediaconsult.com www.polymediaconsult.com

Marketing - Exhibition - Event Tel. +49 2359-2996-0 info@teamburg.de www.teamburg.de

Suppliers Guide Simply contact: Tel.: +49-2359-2996-0 suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com

BPI - The Biodegradable Products Institute 331 West 57th Street Suite 415 New York, NY 10019, USA Tel. +1-888-274-5646 info@bpiworld.org

Stay permanently listed in the Suppliers Guide with your company logo and contact information. For only 6,– EUR per mm, per issue you can be present among top suppliers in the field of bioplastics.

For Example: European Bioplastics e.V. Marienstr. 19/20 10117 Berlin, Germany Tel. +49 30 284 82 350 Fax +49 30 284 84 359 info@european-bioplastics.org www.european-bioplastics.org 10.2 Universities

Michigan State University Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science Professor Ramani Narayan East Lansing MI 48824, USA Tel. +1 517 719 7163 narayan@msu.edu

University of Applied Sciences Faculty II, Department of Bioprocess Engineering Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Josef Endres Heisterbergallee 12 30453 Hannover, Germany Tel. +49 (0)511-9296-2212 Fax +49 (0)511-9296-2210 hans-josef.endres@fh-hannover.de www.fakultaet2.fh-hannover.de