La malédiction du plastique

Je partage avec vous ce reportage passionnant diffusé sur Arte.

Comment faire face à la menace écologique que font peser les déchets plastiques ? Un tour du monde à la fois loufoque et très documenté.

Villes et campagnes, montagnes et déserts, rivières et fonds sous-marins : les déchets de plastique ont tout envahi. Alors que ce matériau n'existe que depuis un siècle, il polluera encore notre environnement dans plusieurs milliers d'années. Le constat est alarmant, mais une prise de conscience commence à se faire à l'échelle mondiale. Non seulement il importe de fabriquer moins d'objets, contenants et emballages en plastique, mais leur recyclage pourrait être amélioré. Des entreprises proposent désormais des solutions alternatives. Les stylistes s'y mettent et proposent des éléments de décoration, des robes et des accessoires en plastique recyclé ! Il serait aussi possible de fabriquer des matériaux ayant les mêmes vertus que le plastique mais biodégradables, en utilisant des végétaux. Du bioplastique, en quelque sorte. Un passionnant périple où alternent images choc (le garbage patch dans l'océan Pacifique, les décharges indiennes à ciel ouvert, les plages de Hawaii...) et paroles d'experts.

Vous pouvez visualiser ce documentaire poignant en 4 parties : ici, ici, ici et là

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SPI Bioplastics panel questions oxo-degradability claims

SPI Bioplastics Council Supports European Bioplastics Position That "Oxo-biodegradable" Technology's Claims of Being Biodegradable are Scientifically Unsubstantiated.

The Bioplastics Council, a special interest group of SPI: the Plastics Industry Trade Association, today announced the release of a position paper that questions the scientific validity of biodegradability claims made by producers of “oxo-degradable" and "oxo-biodegradable" products. The Council’s paper formally supports the point of view put forth by European Bioplastics in a July 2009 publication.

Since its inception in 2008, the SPI Bioplastics Council has placed consumer and industry education at the core of its mission. In fact a key Council objective for 2010 has placed a new emphasis on clarifying “bioplastics-related” marketing claims. In the position paper released today, the Council outlines the issues and questions concerning oxo-biodegradables and other degradable additives in order to support consumers, retailers and the plastics industry in identifying unsubstantiated and misleading product claims.

Producers of pro-oxidant and biological additives use the term “oxo-biodegradable” to describe the resulting products made using the additives. This term suggests that the products can undergo rapid biodegradation under many different end-of-life conditions. However, the main effect of oxidation is fragmentation, not biodegradation, into small particles which remain in the environment for an undetermined amount of time. These results do not meet the internationally established and acknowledged standards and certifications that effectively substantiate claims on biodegradation under certain specific end-of-life conditions.

“In 2010 we made a pointed decision to insist on bringing clarity to the bioplastics market,” said Bioplastics Council Chair Frederic Scheer, CEO of Cereplast, Inc. (Hawthorne, Calif.). “Allowing the brand owner, retailer or ultimately the consumer to decide what they consider a biodegradable product to be is risky, as they may lack the scientific knowledge to make an accurate decision. The Bioplastics Council supports legitimate scientific data as recommended by state and federal agencies and stresses the need for all companies, when making product claims, to work along guidelines defined by the Federal Trade Commission.”

“The Council has issued this position paper because its member companies believe that it is the duty of the industry to provide clear, substantiated scientific data that will assure stakeholders that the products offered meet their requirements for end-of-life disposal options, including industrial composting, home composting, water, soil or the ocean,” added Melissa Hockstad, SPI vice president, Material Suppliers Council.

Launched in 2008, the Bioplastics Council was created to provide a forum for resin and additive suppliers, as well as processors and equipment suppliers, to promote the development of bioplastics. Currently, the eight members of the group are Arkema, BASF Corporation, Cereplast, Inc., DuPont, NatureWorks LLC, PolyOne, Teknor Apex and Telles (a Metabolix/ADM Joint Venture).

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Sustainable Packaging : Reduce carbon footprint

Sustainable packaging definitions and principles agreed

Global leaders across the packaging, food manufacturing and retail sectors have approved a set of common definitions and principles for sustainable packaging.

The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) announced the measures as part of its ongoing effort to drive global change in packing. The body said the breakthrough in establishing a “common language” would help a global debate on “packaging in the context of environmental, economic and social impacts”.

“Sustainability is a shared responsibility,” said Roger Zellner, GPP Co-Chair and director, sustainability, research, development & quality of Kraft Foods “By creating a common language and identifying shared global industry metrics this initiative will enable manufacturers and retailers to work together to develop packaging solutions to help achieve agreed sustainability goals.”

Nestlé Unveils Eco Bottle

Nestlé Waters Canada unveils one of the lightest plastic bottles in the Canadian beverage industry. Weighing just 9.16 grams on average, this bottle contains 27 percent less plastic than its predecessor Eco-Shape bottle, which was introduced in 2007, and 60 percent less plastic than the Company's original, pre-Eco-Shape 500 ml.

"With about 60 percent of Canadians drinking bottled water, reducing the amount of plastic in our bottles is one of the best ways to reduce our carbon footprint," said Gail Cosman, President, Nestlé Waters Canada. "Our first-generation Eco-Shape bottle was a significant step and is credited with reducing our plastics requirements by 4.59 million kilograms annually since 2007 and also reducing CO2 emissions by 8 percent annually. It has also reduced high pressure compressed air consumption by 40 percent, which has reduced our hydro-electricity consumption considerably. In the last five years, we have reduced CO2 emissions by 30 percent for every litre of water produced."

Kraft Sheds 150M Pounds of Packaging

Kraft Foods has achieved its goal of reducing 150 million pounds of material from its supply chain two years ahead of schedule. The Packaging Eco-Calculator is used early in a product’s design phase, and that has helped with a number of new products.

For instance, the Oscar Meyer Deli Creations package now uses 30 percent less paperboard, helping keep 1.2 million pounds of packaging out of landfills a year.
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In Europe, removing packaging layers for Milka chocolate bars reduced weight of shipping cases by 60 percent, eliminating 5.7 million pounds of packaging.
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In addition to design, Kraft is putting an emphasis on choice of packaging materials. For instance, in the UK, Kraft is selling refillable Kenco coffee bags in addition to the traditional glass jars.
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In North America, packaging for coffee brands Maxwell House, Yuban and Nabob has gone from steel cans to composite paperboard, with a corresponding 30 percent reduction in weight. Kraft is also working to improve the recycling rate in the U.S. by working with RecycleBank and TerraCycle.
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In Australia, Kraft salad dressing bottles were redesigned, helping eliminate 100,000 pounds of plastic a year.

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BioSac by Calcia : Un sac de ciment compostable

En 2008, le marché national du ciment en sac a généré près de 35.000 tonnes de déchets d’emballage, qui aujourd’hui sont traités comme des déchets banals, déposés simplement en site de classe II ou incinérés.

En droite ligne avec sa politique Innovation et Développement Durable, Ciments Calcia apporte désormais, avec BioSac by Calcia, une solution concrète à tous les artisans et entreprises du bâtiment confrontés à la problématique et à l’enjeu de la gestion des déchets de chantier. Développé en collaboration par les groupes Barbier, Limagrain, Mondi et Ciments Calcia, ce sac entièrement biodégradable et compostable ajoute désormais la dimension environnementale à ses qualités intrinsèques de résistance et de conservation.

Notons que les sacs de ciment sont aujourd’hui constitués d’une double couche de papier type Kraft pour la résistance et d’un « free film » en polyéthylène (PE) pour la conservation du produit. Mais cet assemblage de matières de natures différentes ne permet pas une valorisation immédiate de l’emballage.

L’innovation de BioSac by Calcia réside en la composition de son « free film », qui utilise désormais une matière 100 % naturelle issue de la farine de maïs, le Biolice®… une vraie réponse à la problématique de gestion de cette nature d’emballage.

Grâce à sa composition exclusive, BioSac by Calcia répond à la norme EN 13 432, relative aux emballages valorisables par biodégradation et compostage, et s’est vu attribuer le label OK Compost (N° d’agrément S145).

Cet emballage, nouvelle génération, a en effet passé tous les tests avec succès, garantissant une décomposition à 96,3 % de sa matière en seulement 12 semaines, et ce, en situation de compostage industriel… Des résultats contrôlés par le bureau d’études belge AIB Vinçotte.

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La compostabilité, selon la norme EN 13 432, se vérifie au niveau de 4 critères :

• La biodégradation : il s’agit de la dégradation par l’action d’enzymes spécifiques entraînant une modification significative de la composition chimique (avec dégagement d’eau, de CO2, de méthane et de chaleur) ; le seuil minimum de biodégradabilité, en centre de compostage devant être de 90 %, dans un délai maximum de 6 mois ;
• La fragmentation s’illustre par la décomposition physique de la matière en fragments de petite taille ;
• Les métaux lourds avec la vérification du niveau de présence de certains métaux tels que le mercure, le plomb, le cadmium…
• L’écotoxicité qui consiste à confirmer l’absence d’effet néfaste sur la croissance des plantes.

Notons que la biodégradabilité est un processus de décomposition qui, sous l’action combinée de 4 éléments - l’oxygène, l’eau, les micro-organismes et la chaleur -, aboutit à la bio-assimilation non toxique pour l’environnement.

Communiqué de Presse

Sied Emballage (Altea Packaging Group), Certifiée ISO 22000

Tunis, TUNISIE, 27 janvier 2010. Sied Emballage, filiale du Groupe Altea Packaging, vient d’être certifiée conformément à la norme ISO 22000 version 2005 par l’organisme AFAQ-ASCERT International. Elle devient ainsi la 2ème unité du groupe, à recevoir cette certification. En décembre 2008, sa consœur Cogitel était la première et unique entreprise du secteur de l’emballage flexible en Afrique du Nord à détenir une telle certification.

Comme le souligne à cet égard Monia Ben Amor, Responsable Qualité Maghreb pour Altea Packaging: « ce choix vers la certification ISO 22000 nous permet d’anticiper les demandes des clients et de répondre à la réglementation en vigueur ». L'ISO 22000 est le fruit d'un consensus international qui harmonise les exigences pour un management systématique de la sécurité dans les chaînes logistiques alimentaires et offre une solution unique pour les bonnes pratiques sur une base mondiale.

Cette démarche a permis de fédérer l’ensemble du personnel autour d’un projet d’entreprise très motivant et impliquant chaque collaborateur dans un processus d’amélioration continue. Cette certification a également permis de consolider et de valider toutes les techniques de bonnes pratiques et d’analyses du danger sur le site de l’entreprise.

Pour le Directeur Général de Sied emballage, Khalil Sellami, « adhérer aux valeurs de la norme ISO 22000 était une évidence car assurer la sécurité des denrées alimentaires des produits emballés est primordiale. Notre plus grand souci est d’assurer la sécurité du consommateur et de préserver l’image de marque de nos clients majoritairement des industriels du secteur agro-alimentaire».

Selon M. Hedi Zeghal, Président du Groupe Altea Packaging, une telle certification n’est pas seulement un atout supplémentaire pour améliorer la pénétration du Groupe dans des marchés aussi exigeants que le marché européen, c’est aussi un moyen d’offrir à l’ensemble des acteurs de la région qui s’engagent eux-mêmes dans une démarche ISO 22000 d’avoir un partenaire capable de leur apporter une solution adaptée au niveau de l’emballage.

A propos d’Altea Packaging :

Altea Packaging est le leader de l’emballage flexible de la région MENA avec une présence industrielle en Europe. Avec une capacité installée de plus de 40 mille tonnes par an, plus de 780 collaborateurs et 9 unités industrielles du Maroc à l’Égypte en passant par la France et bien sûr la Tunisie, berceau du Groupe et noyau de son développement, Altea Packaging possède un savoir-faire rivalisant avec les plus grands groupes internationaux du secteur. Altea Packaging est l’unique acteur à offrir un service de proximité aux multinationales présentes sur l’ensemble de la région et aux entreprises souhaitant un service de qualité par un fournisseur fiable disposant d’une longue expérience du secteur.

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Pour plus d’informations : http://www.altea-packaging.com/
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A propos de Sied Emballage :

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Sied Emballage, SA au capital de 3,4 MD, créée en 1980, est classée numéro 2 dans le secteur de l’emballage flexible en Tunisie, après Cogitel. Avec un chiffre d’affaires dépassant les 11 MD en 2009, elle emploie plus de 80 personnes sur un site d’environ 8000 m2 situé dans la zone industrielle Ksar Said à Tunis. Certifiée ISO 9001-2008 et ISO 22000-2005, Sied emballage intègre des activités d’impression Hélio et Flexo, de contre-collage, d’enduction et de découpe d’étiquettes et d’opercules en aluminium.

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Pour plus d’informations : http://www.sied.com.tn/

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Can Consumers Change Plastics?

With a growing demand to increase the sustainable attributes of consumer products, “innovation” is the name of the game in almost every industry – including plastics.

What’s New – And Why?

Innovations in plastics are aplenty, and many of them involve technically intensive lingo and terminology that we’re probably not qualified to comment on here (polymer nanocomposites, anyone?). But to give it to you short and sweet, here are a few concepts that we’re particularly excited to see roll out:

• Greater use of easily recycled materials - Of all the plastics you can recycle, PET offers one of the most widely available recycling options. And rather than develop new types of plastics, some companies are opting to increase the chance their product will be recycled by using materials widely collected, like plastic #1. For example, Sprint recently updated its accessory packaging, which is now made from PET, a plastic that’s easier to recycle than its predecessor, PVC.
• Greater use of bioplastics – While the jury is still out on the benefits of bioplastic materials (stay tuned for a new article next month where we explore this topic in greater depth!), the idea that natural materials are being used to substitute fossil fuels is intriguing. Additionally, innovative products are rolling out on the market this year. Now, consumers may have the opportunity to compost plastic at home, something we hadn’t seen before.
• Increased use of post-consumer waste – Sometimes, the easiest plastic to get is the plastic that’s already in the form you need. Many companies are opting to find ways to continually improve their use of recycled materials, like Nestle’s re-source water bottle project. But ideally, product-to-product life cycles (for example, the bottle-to-bottle paradigm Coca-Cola Recycling is adopting with its new plant) are the wave of the future.

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Read more…

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Boost for innovative environmental sandwich packaging solutions

The current increased concern about saving the planet is boosting interest in sustainable packaging solutions for food products such as sandwiches where easy disposal is an issue.

This trend is particularly strong in Europe where there is growing interest in a variety of sandwich types. In the UK, the largest sandwich market in the world for example, more than 2 billion ready-made sandwiches are consumed each year. The French eat 1.8 billon sandwiches and Germany is showing a growing interest in these take-away snacks.

Consumers are more and more interested in packages' green credentials; excess packaging is frowned upon. At the same time, food producers are looking for ways to save in waste and recycling charges without compromising the high protection values.

Read the full article in the winter 2010 issue of Central and Eastern European Packaging magazine.

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Pouches to lead the way in packaging

According to a new study “Beverage Packaging Market Assessment — A Benchmark Study,” conducted by Proactive Worldwide, Inc., on behalf of PMMI, pouches are expected to show the greatest percentage growth between 2010 and 2020, increasing as much as 105.9 percent, from $545 million to 1,378,000,000: New processing and packaging equipment has made pouches cost-effective for high volume operations, as companies can now run pouches as fast as other packaging formats.

Environmentally, pouches require much less landfill space than plastic bottles and some pouches are completely biodegradable. In addition, when compared to glass bottles, pouches require a small fraction of the space and shipping infrastructure: The beverage volume transported in a truckload of quart-sized pouches would require nine trucks of glass or plastic bottles.

Read more

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Sustainable Packaging: Threat or Opportunity?

Packaging leaders agree on the growing importance of sustainability, but there remains a great deal of frustration in the industry at the ‘disproportionate’ focus placed on packaging and confusion about what ‘sustainable packaging’ means, according to a new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Sustainable Packaging: Threat or Opportunity? is based on 20 in-depth interviews with senior executives from leading packaging companies in Europe. The research found that over 70% of respondents feel that sustainable packaging solutions offered a competitive advantage, but that although producers, retailers and customers all claim to want a more sustainable packaging product, they are, in general, unwilling to pay a premium, unless their brand is already built around a sustainable or environmentally responsible message.

Another finding from the discussions is that there is no industry consensus on what constitutes ‘sustainable packaging’. The debate, notably in the UK, has been dominated by a narrow focus on reducing packaging weight and arguments around whether one material is more or less sustainable than another. A consensus-based definition from our respondents on the attributes that sustainable packaging should have includes the following:

• The packaging weight and volume has been considered and effectively reduced;
• Waste-to-landfill has been reduced through designed-in recyclability, reusability or degradability of the substrate;
• The packaging has a lower environmental footprint in terms of resources used in production as well as emissions to air and water;
• The packaging effectively reduces waste through extending shelf life and prevents damage or contamination; and
• The packaging is able to communicate effectively and engage consumers as to brand attributes and sustainable credentials.

Spotlight on bioplastics: Not a panacea for sustainable packaging

Although currently a niche product with c. 300k tonnes of production a year, the supply of bioplastics is forecast to grow to more than 1m tonnes globally by 2011.

Bioplastics are seen by some as a sustainable alternative to petrochemical-based plastics, as they are produced from renewable sources and are theoretically biodegradable. However, certain issues with bioplastics have led many in the industry to believe that they are not the panacea that they were first thought to be.

• The relative lack of supply of bioplastics means that prices remain higher than those for the mainstream petrochemical-based plastics.
• Many of the bioplastics are only biodegradable under very specific circumstances
• The presence of a certain proportion of some bioplastics in the waste stream can contaminate the stream and make it more difficult to identify and recycle petrochemical-based plastics.

It is still early days and their usefulness and impact are not fully researched. It may be necessary to introduce a separate recycling loop for those products, as the contamination of the conventional recycling loops may render other materials unusable.

In the short term bioplastic-based packaging is likely to remain a niche market segment

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La boite de conserve, "la MiAM BOX", un emballage en perte de vitesse

L'UPPIA, Union inter-professionnelle pour la Promotion des Industries de la conserve appertisée, impulse un nouveau ton et une nouvelle image à la conserve. En choisissant pour la première fois le média télévision, elle ambitionne de toucher le plus grand nombre, avec une cible prioritaire les 25-34 ans.

Autant dire que la tâche sera rude pour que cette campagne atteigne sa cible. La boîte de conserve est en perte de vitesse et risque de l'être davantage encore dans les années à venir.

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Primo, à cause de la polémique entourant le BPA utilisé dans la fabrication de résines de revêtement pour les boîtes de conserves alimentaires. Secundo, l’augmentation des consommations nomades et les nouvelles exigences des consommateurs, surtout en terme de praticité, pousse vers de plus en plus d’emballages flexibles plus pratiques et innovants; la conserve, quant à elle, donne résolument l'image d'une consommation d'une autre époque. Tertio, le prix de la boîte de conserve a augmenté d'au moins 40% partout dans le monde. Et finalement, les nouveaux emballages flexibles possèdent un meilleur bilan environnemental; moins lourds, ils nécessitent moins de matériaux et consomment moins d’espace lors du transport.

Bref pour de nombreux produits, les boîtes de conserve ont tendance à être mises au rancart au profit de sachets flexibles (Stand-up Pouch).

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