Issue 06/2018

Films/Flexibles/Bags
By:
Martin Bussmann, Jörg Auffermann, Dirk Stärke
BASF SE
Ludwigshafen, Germany
Conventional mulch films made of polyethylene (PE) have to
be collected from the fields and recycled after harvesting.
Because of earth and plant remnants sticking to the films
recycling is more difficult or even impossible. Mulch films
made of ecovio M2351 are completely and biologically
degraded by microorganisms like bacteria and fungi that
exist naturally in the soil. Farmers can simply plow the
ecovio mulch films back into the ground along with the
plant debris. This saves time and money.
ecovio M2351 is a ready-to-use compound that can
be processed into soil-biodegradable mulch films on
conventional PE film extrusion lines without the need for
any additional slip or anti-block agents. Because of the
material’s excellent mechanical properties, down-gauging
up to 12, 10 and 8 μm thickness is possible.
Bags made from ecovio can be both welded and printed, so they
can be clearly labeled as compostable, for example.
After more than ten years’ product development, versatile
film applications for different industry sectors can be made
of certified compostable plastics like ecovio. They benefit
from the optimum balance of easy processing, tailormade
material properties and the promotion of a circular
economy.
www.ecovio.basf.com
stability, are approved for food contact and reduce food losses
due to the good breathability of the material. The ecovio bags
also comply with the recent standards in France and Italy for
compostable fruit and vegetable bags made of renewable
resources. In France, for example, single-use plastic bags
that are thinner than 50 µm have to consist of at least 40 %
of renewable resources and be home-compostable. Thus
bags made of ecovio support a safer, cleaner and easier
food waste collection, closing the loop of the food value
chain.
ecovio F is also suitable for producing compostable
multilayer films with good barrier properties for packaging
applications. The bioplastic, which is approved for direct and
indirect food contact, is used as the sealing layer. The other
film layers are also made from compostable materials such
as cellophane. In order to ensure that the entire packaging
can be disposed of together with the food waste and given
to industrial composting, a holistic approach is possible:
so, for example, closures and vent valves can also be
produced from ecovio. Recycling food waste in this way is
more resource-friendly than incinerating it or sending it to
landfill.
Films are not only employed for bags and packaging,
they also have applications in agriculture and horticulture.
Here, mulch films are used to increase the yield, speed
up harvesting as well as to save water and herbicides.
Mulch films made of ecovio M2351 are completey and biologically
degraded by microorganisms like bacteria and fungi that exist
naturally in the soil.
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/18] Vol. 13 15