Bioplastic News: Boom and concerns

Claims that PLA can be recycled with PET are refuted

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The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) today refuted the premise that polylactic acid (PLA) containers can be successfully mixed in to the existing stream of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers, citing concerns over cost of separation; increased contamination and yield loss; and impact on recycled PET (RPET) quality and processing.

Bioplastics maker Cereplast wins new funding

Bioplastics maker Cereplast Inc. has received new funding from a group of European investors led by a Swedish bank.

In a July 20 news release, officials with Hawthorne, Calif.-based Cereplast did not specify the amount of funding they received from the group, which was led by an unnamed Swedish bank and included Zurich Cantonal Bank of Switzerland. But Cereplast Chairman and CEO Frederic Scheer said the additional capital “allows [Cereplast] to move forward aggressively in a very challenging economic environment.”

Obama's green message boosts biopolymer profile

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama's focus on curbing greenhouse gas emissions is raising the profile of polymers based on renewable resources. The president's proposed new energy and environment bill is alerting consumers and retailers to the importance of cutting carbon emissions, says Marc Verbruggen, chief executive of US-based biopolymer producer NatureWorks.

Listen to an audio clip from the interview with Marc Verbruggen

BIO update - Next generation bioplastics

Microsoft Power Point Antec 2009

View more documents from James Lunt .

Pakbec : déjà 1 an…le bilan et le pouvoir du web 2.0

Cela fait déjà un an que Pakbec propose aux producteurs et utilisateurs de l’emballage une veille informative sur les dernières innovations et tendances en matière de packaging.

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Depuis le début de sa création, ce blogue a tenté de partager avec vous les nouvelles tendances, notamment en matière de bioplastiques, de plastiques oxo-biodégradables, d’emballages éco-responsables, et d’emballages intelligents.

Bien que ma formation de base ne me prédestine pas à travailler dans le domaine de l’emballage, les plastiques biodégradables m’ont amené à découvrir ce secteur en pleine expansion. Le monde de l’emballage s’avère passionnant et dynamique, marqué par une innovation et une création sans limite. Le temps où les emballages ne jouaient qu'un rôle de barrière inerte et imperméable entre le produit et l'environnement extérieur est désormais révolu. Aujourd’hui, « emballer, c'est penser » ou, autrement dit : penser au-delà de la boîte.

Il est vrai qu’un blog implique un investissement en temps, beaucoup de motivation et de persévérance, mais les fruits que l’on peut en récolter sont surprenants et parfois même au-delà des espérances. Pakbec m’a permis d’être toujours aux aguets des nouvelles tendances et innovations dans le domaine des emballages et des bio-matériaux. Il m’a permis également de développer un réseau de contacts professionnels et même amicaux à travers le monde. Ce blog m’a offert beaucoup de visibilité et de crédibilité envers de nombreux interlocuteurs y compris certains médias (télé, Radio, et presse écrite).

Certains billets peuvent faire des mécontents, comme ce fût le cas pour les plastiques oxo-biodégradables, mais il faut désormais s'adapter à la nouvelle réalité du Web 2.0, de l'information continue et de la veille citoyenne. Il s’agit donc d’une nouvelle contrainte que les producteurs doivent intégrer, et qui pousse à davantage de transparence et de rigueur; un progrès que personne ne peut regretter dans la mesure où cela amènera les consommateurs à faire des choix éclairés.

Finalement, je pense que les acteurs de l’industrie de l’emballage notamment, gagnent à se doter d’un blog. Il s’agit en effet, d’un excellent canal pour communiquer auprès d’un public cible, des clients, voire des médias.

Merci à toutes celles et tous ceux qui passent sur ce blogue. Un blog ne vit que par ses lecteurs et par leurs commentaires et suggestions.

Je vous souhaite à toutes et à tous un bel été et de bonnes vacances.

Nb: ce blogue prend une petite pause. De retour début août avec, je l’espère des nouvelles encore plus emballantes, intelligentes et éco-responsables !

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European Bioplastics Distances Itself from the "Oxo-biodegradable" Industry

European Bioplastics today published a position paper distancing itself from the so-called "oxo-biodegradable” industry. The paper sheds some light on the technology behind the so-called "oxo-biodegradable" industry, its failure to live up to international established and acknowledged standards that effectively substantiate claims on biodegradation and compostability, and the implications resulting from the different approaches.

Fragmentation Is Not the Same as Biodegradation

Fragmentation of "oxo-biodegradable" plastics is not the result of a biodegradation process but rather the result of a chemical reaction. The resulting fragments will remain in the environment. The fragmentation is not a solution to the waste problem, but rather the conversion of visible contaminants (the plastic waste) into invisible contaminants (the fragments). This is generally not considered as a feasible manner of solving the problem of plastic waste, as the behavioural problem of pollution by discarding waste in the environment could be even stimulated by these kinds of products.

An Answer to Littering or the Promotion of Littering ?

Oxo-fragmentable plastic products have been described as a solution to littering problems, whereby they supposedly fragment in the natural environment. In fact, such a concept risks increasing littering instead of reducing it. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) stresses that littering is a behavioural problem and must be resolved by raising environmental awareness and by the establishment of appropriate waste management systems. “Oxo-biodegradable” plastics are not specified as a solution by UNEP. Long standing efforts for the prevention of littering could actually be damaged by giving users of plastic items the impression that those items might vanish harmlessly if discarded in the environment.

The European Bioplastics position paper on "oxo-biodegradable” plastics can be read by clicking here.

***Update***

Following this position paper, Symphony has made the following response.

Following this position paper, Canadian EPI Environmental Technologies has made the following response.

---Vous pouvez consulter ici le dossier sur les plastiques oxo-biodégradables

Pack news of the week: compostable and sustainable

Compostable Products Go Mainstream

The market for compostable products is expanding, due in part to a growing composting infrastructure.

With major companies like Solo Cup, Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart (in Canada), Whole Foods, International Paper, Glad and Dixie Cup offering branded compostable products, there is overwhelming evidence that this marketplace has gone mainstream. Manufacturers, consumers and composters are also paying more attention to whether the products are actually compostable, seeking out the BPI logo. “The composting industry increasingly understands that BPI-approved products will compost appropriately, and that products with faulty claims stand out on the screens at the end,” says Mojo. “This is coupled with legislation in California and Minnesota allowing ASTM D6400 compliant compostable bags in municipal programs instead of ordinary plastic bags. And a number of major retailers like Wal-Mart and Shopper’s Drug Mart in Canada and Whole Foods are utilizing BPI-approved compostable products for their store brand, showing that a broader range of customers are paying attention.”

Food Industry Continues Move to Sustainable Packaging

The food and beverage industry including processors, packagers and tableware manufacturers continues to deliver a greater number of sustainable products to meet growing demand from environmentally-conscious consumers and retailers to lower the environmental impact of their packaging.

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According to a recent Datamonitor survey, consumers are starting to make their buying decisions based on concerns about excessive packaging.

As one recent example, Bumble Bee Foods LLC introduced its first 100 percent biodegradable packaging for multipacking its 5-oz cans of Prime Fillet Atlantic Salmon, reports Greener Packaging. The four-pack cans are packaged together by shrink-sleeve labeling supplied and printed by Printpack, Inc., which are manufactured from Earthfirst PLA plant-based, biodegradable, compostable film from Plastic Suppliers, according to the article.

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Walmart Announces Sustainable Product Index

Index will drive higher quality, lower costs and measure sustainability of products for first time.

Walmart announced yesterday plans to develop a worldwide sustainable product index during a meeting with 1,500 of its suppliers, associates and sustainability leaders at its home office. The index will establish a single source of data for evaluating the sustainability of products.

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“Customers want products that are more efficient, that last longer and perform better,” said Mike Duke, Walmart’s president and CEO. “And increasingly they want information about the entire lifecycle of a product so they can feel good about buying it. They want to know that the materials in the product are safe, that it was made well and that it was produced in a responsible way.

“We do not see this as a trend that will fade. Higher customer expectations are a permanent part of the future,” Duke continued. “At Walmart, we’re working to make sustainability sustainable, so that it’s a priority in good times and in the tough times. An important part of that is developing the tools to help enable sustainable consumption.”
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The company will introduce the initiative in three phases, beginning with a survey of its more than 100,000 suppliers around the world. The survey includes 15 questions that will serve as a tool for Walmart’s suppliers to evaluate their own sustainability efforts. The questions will focus on four areas: energy and climate; material efficiency; natural resources, and; people and community.

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La marque NAYA introduit 50% de plastique recyclé dans ses bouteilles

La marque québécoise d'eau de source NAYA est fière d'annoncer l'arrivée de sa toute dernière innovation, des bouteilles composées de 50% de plastique recyclé. A ce jour, la marque NAYA est la seule à garantir ce pourcentage de matière recyclée dans des bouteilles de plastique de type PET (polyéthylène téréphtalate) au pays. Le taux de 50% a été rendu possible grâce à sept années de recherche et développement de la part de l'entreprise.

Impact environnemental

La réduction de l'empreinte environnementale est au centre de la stratégie de la marque NAYA depuis de nombreuses années. Depuis 2005, NAYA œuvre continuellement à introduire des innovations sur le marché des eaux embouteillées. En voici quelques exemples :

• Réduction de 16% de la quantité de plastique utilisée pour fabriquer la bouteille 500ml.
• Réduction de 2.5% de la quantité de plastique utilisée pour fabriquer les bouchons.
• Diminution de 23.7% de la quantité de carton d'emballage.

Source

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Inkjet Printing: Bioactive paper and e-paper

Bioactive paper research team develops biosensor that can detect harmful toxins

SENTINEL Bioactive Paper Network researchers working to develop inexpensive paper that can destroy, deactivate and detect deadly pathogens announced today that it has developed novel inkjet-printed biosensors that quickly and easily detect two test neurotoxins. The paper-based sensors provided reproducible results, after storage at 4º C for two months, showing the system is suitable for storage and use in the field.

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In a paper published in the July 1 issue of Analytical Chemistry, John Brennan and his research team at McMaster University describe a method for printing a toxin-detecting biosensor on paper using FUJIFILM Dimatix Materials Printer. The paper entitled, “Development of a Bioactive Paper Sensor for Detection of Neurotoxins Using Piezoelectric Inkjet Printing of Sol-Gel-Derived Bioinks,” has demonstrated that inkjet deposition is a simple, portable and cost-effective method of adhering biochemical reagents to paper. The research team has brought the concept of bioactive paper a significant step closer to commercialization.

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Gartner rewrites e-paper futures

Gartner has predicted the use of electronic paper could increase steadily over the next few years, but only if the cost of e-paper displays falls far enough to challenge print media.

E-paper is a display medium intended to mimic the appearance or ordinary ink on paper while being rewritable. The technology has been in the labs for at least 10 years.

Notably, HP is looking at development of new viewing surfaces using bi-stable liquid crystal displays which can hold their image even when disconnected from their power supply. It is also looking into the use of new light-emitting devices that incorporate nanocrystals in polymers which could be manufactured using inkjet printing techniques.

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Naked Juice, Earthbound Farms Switch to Recycled Packaging (rPET)

This month, Earthbound Farm and Naked Juice have announced they're each putting out products in plastic packaging made with 100 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) content.

Each company's recycled products are PET plastic (identified by the resin code 1), the most widely-recycled plastic. Naked Juice is converting all of its 32 ounce bottles to its recycled reNEWabottle this month, and the company plans to have all of its plastic packaging switched to the recycled alternative in 2010.

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All of the recycled content bottles will be clear, instead of translucent like the current bottles. Once the full conversion is complete, Naked Juice will have transitioned 8.1 million pounds of virgin plastic a year to recycled plastic.

Earthbound Farm has already converted its entire line of plastic clamshell packages for its salads to 100 percent PCR plastic. By switching to only recycled plastic, the company estimates it's conserving 424,000 million BTUs of energy and 68,307 gallons of water, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 16,191 tons and using 1.3 million pounds of post-consumer plastic a year.

The two companies' efforts are the first in each of their industries to utilize 100 percent PCR plastic. Some companies like Method have been using 100 percent PCR content, but not in food or drink applications. And few in the food and drink industry have attained high levels of PCR content. Coca-Cola, for example, has less than 4 percent recycled material in its PET bottles and is trying to work that up to 10 percent.
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Source

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Bioplastic promotion in Brazil, Thailand and India

Cargill’s NatureWorks take sugar-derived plastics to Brazil

Cargill is to introduce its Ingeo bioplastics to Brazil, offering the food, cosmetics and other industries a new packaging material derived from sugar instead of petroleum.

Since the formation of NatureWorks as a 50-50 joint venture between Cargill and Teijin, the plastics have been used by more than 100 brands in the US, Europe and Asia . On 1 July Cargill announced its acquisition of 100 per cent of the NatureWorks business, with the latter becoming an independent company within the wider Cargill fold.

Now the new parent company to become the exclusive distributor of the plastics in Brazil, selling the material through its starches and sweeteners business unit. Marcelo de Andrade, director of the unit, said there Argentina and Chile could be amongst other potential Latin American customers.

The bioplastics, made in Nebraska, USA, are to be imported through the port of Santos and will be stored at Cargill’s centre in San Paolo.

“The product’s sales have started locally,” Andrade said, and efforts are underway to “meet demand from customers looking for sustainable product or packaging solutions that are also extremely environmentally friendly”.

Andrade pointed out the benefits of the material: it is claimed to have the lowest carbon footprint of all commercially available plastics, with its production process generating 60 per cent less green house gases and requiring 50 per cent less fossil fuel than PET.

BASF promotes biodegradable bag project in Thailand

BASF is leading a pilot project to encourage consumers to use biodegradable bags for waste and compost in Thailand.

The pilot project, which will run from July to December in the Samut Songkhram Province, is aimed at encouraging consumers to use biodegradable bags to collect household organic waste and produce high-quality compost that will serve as organic fertilizer for the purpose of soil improvement.

BASF has joined Thailand’s National Innovation Agency (NIA), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ or German Technical Cooperation) and the Thai Bioplastics Industry Association (TBIA).

“Biodegradable plastics present an important contribution to efficient biowaste management. Additionally, as a secondary raw material post-composting, it can also be used to provide an economical and ecologically viable utilization possibility — fertilizer in this case,” said NIA director Supachai Lorlowhakarn.

For the production of the biodegradable bags, TBIA will compound starch with BASF’s Ecoflex resin, a biodegradable, compostable polyester.

“Thailand has an abundant supply of renewable resources, such as tapioca for the production of starch. As such, starch will be an important raw material for the bioplastic industry development in Thailand. The pilot project is another step to build up the domestic market and elaborate on the application of bioplastics for the entire life cycle,” said TBIA chairman Somsak Borrisutthanakul.

India: Government disfavours use of paper bags, says use biodegradable

The government today disfavoured use of paper bags as an alternative to plastic as this would lead to cutting of trees and proposed use of bio-degradable material.

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"Plastic itself is a chemically inert substance, used world-wide for packaging and is not per-se hazardous to health and environment. Recycling of plastic, if carried out as per approved procedures and guidelines, may not be an environmental or health hazard," Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh said in Lok Sabha.

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Responding to supplementaries, he said it was the failure of civic bodies to collect wastes and of solid waste management system that various states including Delhi are resorting to banning use of plastic bags.

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The government, he said, has notified Recycled Plastics Manufacture and Usage Rules, 1999 (amended in 2003) to regulate the use and manufacture of plastics carry bags, containers and recycling of plastics wastes.

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"We are moving towards thicker and bio-degradable bags. Bio-degradable is at a nascent stage... Some establishments have started using it," Ramesh said.

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On the recycling of plastics, the minister said it will be undertaken in accordance with specifications of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). He said jute bag was another alternative as it was eco-friendly.

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Do bioplastics represent the solution for the future?

Like it or not we live in a world in which we currently consume more than the planet can sustain. There is a mindset that encourages us to dispose of what we have and move on to the next. As such it represents a powerful challenge if global society is to move forward in a sustainable way, whilst recognising that resources are limited.

The plastics industry has for some time recognised the need to minimise its impact on the environment through its products and production processes. Such thinking lays at the root of the developments of what are often loosely termed bio-plastics. For many, developments in this area represent something akin to a universal panacea for minimising the impact of plastics on the environment and who believe the industry should focus disproportionally on their development. Unfortunately life is not quite that simple.

For example even the term bio plastics is actually not very precise. Such materials should preferably be termed bio – based and or bio – degradable depending upon a number of factors. The distinctions are subtle but significant.

Read more…

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