Issue 02/2017

daily upated news at
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com
News
PepsiCo looking into
compostable resins for
snacks packaging
An agreement between PepsiCo and Danimer Scientific will
require the Georgia-based compoany to boost production of
its Nodax PHA. Biodegradable film resins will be developed
to meet the sustainable flexible packaging requirements of
PepsiCo’s global food and beverage business.
In October 2016 PepsiCo announced its 2025 sustainability
agenda, which includes the intent to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions across its value chain and design 100 % of
its packaging to be recoverable or recyclable. This goal is
part of PepsiCo’s decade-long Performance with Purpose
initiative to deliver top-tier financial performance over the
long term by integrating sustainability into its business
strategy. This collaboration is also expected to help expedite
PepsiCo’s transition to packaging that is completely
biodegradable for their snack food portfolio by incorporating
Nodax PHA bioplastic into certain of its next-generation
snacks packaging.
“From the start PepsiCo has taken a holistic approach to our
sustainability work,” said PepsiCo Vice Chairman and Chief
Scientific Officer Dr. Mehmood Khan. “Our first objective
is achieving long-term profitability and that requires
sustainable solutions to grow our business while minimizing
our environmental impact. Our plan to scale Danimer
Scientifics’ technology is a step toward achieving both our
greenhouse gas emission reduction and our recoverable
and recyclable packaging goals.”
“Danimer Scientifics’ partnership with PepsiCo marks
a significant milestone as we continue to expand our
biopolymer technology to provide innovative bioplastic
solutions to a wider range of applications and products,”
said Danimer Scientific’s CEO, Stephen Croskrey. “We’ve
been developing a relationship with PepsiCo for the last
seven years, and as one of the largest food and beverage
companies in the world, their commitment to limiting the
environmental impacts of their products can actuate real
change in the way of sustainability.”
Nodax PHA is a naturally occurring biopolymer produced
by microbial bacteria as they ferment organically sourced
oils. Traditional plastics are manufactured from chemicals
obtained from mined crude oil or natural gas sources.
Danimer Scientifics’ Nodax PHA received the first ever
OK Marine Biodegradable certification from Vinçotte
International, validating that the biopolymer safely
biodegrades in salt water environments, leaving no toxins
behind. Nodax PHA possesses seven Vinçotte certifications
and statements of industrial and home compostability,
biodegradability in anaerobic, soil, fresh water, and marine
environments, and is bio-based. All of Danimer Scientifics’
biopolymers, including Nodax PHA, are FDA approved for
food contact. KL/MT
www.danimerscientific.com
www.pepsico.com
Construction on new
PHA production plant
set to go forward
Bio-on (Bologna, Italy) has announced that work will
soon start on the construction of a new plant dedicated
solely to production of PHA special biopolymers for
niche and rapidly developing product categories, and
particularly for the cosmetics sector.
This new plant, based in Castel San Pietro Terme in
the province of Bologna, has 3,700 covered m 2 , 6,000 m 2
land for development and a total area of 30,000 m 2 . The
plant will have a capacity dedicated to the research
into and production of 1,000 tonnes per year rapidly
expandable to 2,000 tonnes per year. The plant will be
equipped with the most modern technologies and the
most advanced research and development laboratories.
New carbon sources from agricultural waste will be
continuously tested to produce biopolymers to increase
the range of technologies offered by Bio-on, which will
invest 15 million Euro and will create 40 new jobs.
The PHA bioplastics (polyhydroxyalkanoates)
developed by Bio-on are made from renewable
plant sources with no competition with food supply
chains. They guarantee the same thermo-mechanical
properties as comparable conventional plastics
with the advantage of being 100% sustainable and
biodegradable at ambient temperature.
“We have received excellent support from the local
authorities,” said Marco Astorri, Chairman and CEO of
Bio-on, “which has allowed us to meet the schedule we
set out in November 2016 when our new industrial plan
2017-20 was submitted to Borsa Italiana.”
“It is a challenge to work alongside a company
with international ambitions that successfully team
innovation and research in the bio and natural
microplastics sector,” declared Fausto Tinti, Mayor of
Castel San Pietro Terme (Bo). “Both employment and
our territory stand to benefit from Bio-on’s investment
and the Administration wants to be a significant
presence in this important project.” KL/MT
www.bio-on.it
Design: Enrico Iascone
bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/17] Vol. 12 5