bioplastics MAGAZINE Issue 03/2019

Published in bioplastics MAGAZINE

Sustainable fibres from Finland and home compostable coffee capsules from Germany are the runner-up winners of the innovation award

In early May, Arkema, headquartered in Colombes, France, announced the location of its planned new world-scale plant for the production of the monomer of PA11 - 11-Aminoundecanoic acid, derived from castor oil - and its Rilsan® polyamide 11 resins.

Simple, down to earth designs made from the safest of biomaterials may be the classic playthings of tomorrow

BASF and Lactips announced in mid-May that both companies have signed an exclusive contract to market Lactips’ water-soluble, 100% biobased and fully biodegradable material prepared from natural ingredients.

A success-story

An analysis of the supply side and user sector

Speaking at the inaugural bio!TOY Conference was a major event for eKoala, said Beatrice Radaelli, co-founder of the company. bioplastics MAGAZINE talked to her about what it took to start a bioplastics toy company.

This section highlights recently granted patents that are relevant to the specific theme/focus of the Bioplastics Magazine issue. The information offered is intended to acquaint the reader with a sampling of know-how being developed to enable growth of the bioplastics markets. The five patents cited demonstrate compositions and process for renewable/biodegradable injection moldable compositions. Key for injection molding are compositions that deliver bulk properties in the final article but also must offer fast cycle times for the production of the molded article.

With bioplastics we see an opportunity to increase the renewable content in our cars, but there are still some concerns regarding availability and recyclability in some cases.

Can products made from captured/recycled CO2 be called biobased?

A companying the growth of China’s plastics and rubber industries for over 30 years, CHINAPLAS has become a distinguished meeting and business platform for these industries and has also largely contributed to their prosperous development. At present, CHINAPLAS is the world’s leading plastics and rubber trade fair, and also widely recognized by the industry as one of the most influential exhibitions in the world. Its significance is surpassed only by K Fair in Germany, the world’s premier plastics and rubber trade fair.

and bioplastics for Eco-babies & Bio-parenting

How an inconspicuous building brick from Austria has set out to conquer the world.

Saving resources, recyclable and promoting sales

Products made from sugarcane are a natural development for the Danish toy manufacturer dantoy

The hottest bioplastics news to break these past two months was surely the publication in April of a study from the University of Plymouth. Taken up and amplified by numerous journalists - including the yellow press – in addition to receiving TV coverage and drawing the attention of many serious publications, it has certainly roiled the bioplastics debate. The study appeared under the title “Environmental Degradation of Biodegradable, Degradable and Conventional Plastic Carrier Bags in the Sea, Soil and Open-Air Over a Three-Year Period“, and sparked blaring headlines, including “‘Biodegradable plastic bags survive three years in soil and sea”.

DIN CERTCO (Berlin, Germany) is now starting a new cooperation with Scion (Rotorua, New Zealand) for the testing of compostable products.

During a May 2 conference call, DowDuPont said it is moving six units into a new non-core segment as it considers options, including divestment.

In the last issue bioplastics MAGAZINE published an article about Kompuestos' "Heat Resistant and home compostable PLA resins". We sincerely apologize for an error that occured in this article. The production capacity is 170,000 tonnes, not 17,000 tonnes.

Only a few short months following the announcement of the alliance between Kartell (Noviglio, Italy), a leading design company, and biotechnology company Bio-on (Bologna, Italy), the first fruits of the partnership are being exhibited at the Salone del Mobile, Milan (Italy).

Founded at the end of the 19th century as cigar manufactory the company shifted from cigars to plastics film packaging in the 1970s and became arbo Plastic, a Swiss pioneer company to offer first-class quality films.

Make the switch today

Kaneka Americas Holding, Inc. headquartered in Houston, Texas, recently announced the creation of a new biopolymers division, for the sale of Kaneka’s plant-based degradable plastic PHBH compounds in the United States. The new division will also be located in Houston.

Biodegradable vs. compostable vs. oxo-degradable plastics: A straightforward explanation

According to recent forecasts by European Bioplastics and nova Institute, global production of biopolymers will increase from about 2.05 million tonnes in 2017 to 2.44 million tonnes in 2022. The trend towards biobased and biodegradable plastics was induced mainly by the global waste problem and increasing environmental regulations for the industry. Consumers’ growing environmental awareness also has a beneficial effect for the bioplastics sector. Furthermore, certain bioplastics offer technical advantages. Due to its unique barrier properties towards oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide, polylactide (PLA), for example, is already being successfully applied in the packaging industry - the largest field of application for biopolymers.

Founded in 2014, Arctic Biomaterials Oy (ABM) from Tampere, Finland is now divided into two segments: Medical materials and Technical materials.

pluumo – The world’s first feather-based, sustainable packaging material

Most frequently clicked news

Leading global barefoot shoe company Vivobarefoot (London, UK) recently announced the launch of Primus Lite II Bio, the company’s most innovative sustainable shoe to-date and one of the world’s first plant-based performance shoes. The mission-driven brand unveiled the highly anticipated unisex shoe on the heels of independent sustainability research, which highlighted eco materials as a key factor in consumer purchasing decisions. The Primus Lite II Bio has been available in a limited run online since May 20th, 2019.

Small particles of plastic were first reported in marine environments in the early 1970s. However, it wasn’t until the term ‘microplastics’ was coined in 2004 that the issue started to generate significant attention.

About 350 million tonnes of plastic is produced globally every year with approximately 25 % of it used in packaging, most of which is designed for single use. (The average North American throws away about 100 kg of plastic each year.) An estimated 32 % of all packaging leaks out of the system, leading to both land and ocean pollution. As a result, more than 8 million tonnes of plastic trash winds up in the oceans annually, adding to the estimated 150 million tonnes that’s currently in the marine environments.

Compostable, high-heat stable, food-contact safe, easy to process

The first Kickstarter campaign with a collection of sunglasses, made from organic coffee residues and flax resulting in durable eyewear that smells of coffee, was a full success in 2018. Now Ochis Coffee (Washington DC, USA) launched a new collection of Ochis Coffee eyewear. Founder Max Gavrilenko wanted to avoid the use of petroleum based plastic: “We use recyclables for the glasses production: coffee grounds and flax. They’re glued together by a biopolymer based on vegetable oil,” Max said. the frame smells slightly of freshly roasted coffee and has a matte texture that is pleasant to the touch. The polarized lenses with UV-filter are made of cellulose triacetate and feature an anti-scratch coating.

As of this year Swedish Light my Fire (Malmö) transitioned its entire product line to biobased plastics, featuring a new palette of warm and soft colors inspired by nature. “We’re always looking to use the most sustainable raw materials,” says CEO Calill Odqvist Jagusch. “By experimenting with various biobased plastics, we’ve found a solution that meets our sustainability objectives while not compromising on our product’s functionality and durability.”

T his article is an excerpt of “The bioplastics handbook for injection molders”, created and published by Green Dot Bioplastics (Emporia, Kansas, USA), edited by Michael Thielen. Download the full handbook via the link given at the end [1].

Whether yoghurt cups or jam jars, peanut butter, chocolate cream, bottled baby food or other packaged pasty food: significant residual quantities remain in all the containers of these products even after they have been emptied. In some cases, we lose up to 10% of the contents of food packaging, because their special shapes make it impossible to remove the products completely. When having almost completely emptied a jar, some of us will ambitiously try to take out even this last remnant. A normal tablespoon or teaspoon is not an ideal means for emptying a recipient completely, to avoid cleaning before waste disposal. The water which is consumed for this purpose needs to be cleaned at high costs, too. Additional resource consumption is the consequence.

Especially not your first eco-friendly car!