bioplasticsMAGAZINE_1206

ioplastics magazine Vol. 7 ISSN 1862-5258 

Basics 

Blown Film Extrusion | 44 

November/December 

06 | 2012 

Highlights 

Electronics | 35 

Films, flexibles, bags | 16 

... is read in 89 countries

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Phone: +49 2154 92 51-0 

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Editorial 

dear 

readers 

Again we saw a late summer and autumn with a lot of events. 

Besides innovations in materials, applications or end-of-life solutions, 

legal issues such as a ban on plastic shopping bags, waste 

directives or the TFC green guides, were much-discussed topics at 

most of these conferences and symposiums. Among other things 

we report about both the innovations and the legal discussions in 

this, our last issue of 2012. 

The year’s end and the holidays are approaching fast. So maybe 

our cover-girl is a good inspiration for presents made of bioplastics. 

While dolls of this kind were among the pioneering applications for 

the first ‘bioplastics’ such as celluloid in the early part of last century, 

it is good to see that such applications are now starting to appear 

made of modern bioplastics. Toys were also well represented 

among the finalists of the 7 th Bioplastics Award. So for one of our 

future issues we might want to have an editorial focus on bioplastic 

toys. If you are producing toys or are in any other way involved in 

toys made of bioplastics, please let us know. 

The winners of the Bioplastics Award 2012, however - and this 

year we had two - are both from the automotive business… See 

page 12 for details. 

A number of articles about new materials, applications, events 

and politics are accompanied by further highlights. In several articles 

we report about films, flexibles and bags, and we present some 

articles about applications in the electronics sector. 

We wish all our readers at least some relaxing time over the 

holidays before we start another exciting year, with lots of innovations, 

new applications and events. For Chinaplas we are planning 

a joint booth - contact us if you are interested in participating. And 

for K’2013 we are already preparing our B³ - Bioplastics Business 

Breakfast … 

Follow us on twitter! 

www.twitter.com/bioplasticsmag 

Be our friend on Facebook! 

www.facebook.com/bioplasticsmagazine 

Until then, we hope you enjoy reading bioplastics MAGAZINE 

Sincerely yours 

Michael Thielen 

bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/12] Vol. 7 3

Content 

Editorial ...................................3 

News .................................05 - 07 

Application News .......................32 - 34 

Event Calendar .............................49 

Suppliers Guide ........................50 - 52 

Companies in this issue .....................54 

Events 

08 Biopolymers Symposium 2012 

10 7th European Bioplastics Conference 

11 Conference on CO 2 

as feedstock 

06|2012 

November/December 

Bioplastics Award 

12 Automotive wins Bioplastics Award 2012 

Market 

14 Fivefold growth by 2016 

Films | Flexibles | Bags 

16 Plastic Bags in California 

18 Green films in all colours 

26 High barrier PLA films 

Materials 

22 Turning biomass into bioplastics and carbon fibers 

28 Waste cooking oil makes bioplastics cheaper 

30 Renewable naphtha for producing bioplastics 

Electronics 

35 Electronic housings made from cellulosic bioplastic 

36 Bioplastics for IT-applications 

Politics 

38 FTC Green Guides for BioPlastics 

42 Compostable Bioplastics Packaging in Germany 

Basics 

44 Blown film extrusion 

Imprint 

Publisher / Editorial 

Dr. Michael Thielen (MT) 

Samuel Brangenberg (SB) 

contributing editor: Dr. Thomas Isenburg (TI) 

Layout/Production 

Julia Hunold, Christos Stavrou 

Mark Speckenbach 

Head Office 

Polymedia Publisher GmbH 

Dammer Str. 112 

41066 Mönchengladbach, Germany 

phone: +49 (0)2161 6884469 

fax: +49 (0)2161 6884468 

info@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Media Adviser 

Elke Hoffmann, Caroline Motyka 

phone: +49(0)2161-6884467 

fax: +49(0)2161 6884468 

eh@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Print 

Tölkes Druck + Medien GmbH 

47807 Krefeld, Germany 

Print run: 3,600 copies 

bioplastics magazine 

ISSN 1862-5258 

bM is published 6 times a year. 

This publication is sent to qualified 

subscribers (149 Euro for 6 issues). 

bioplastics MAGAZINE is printed on 

chlorine-free FSC certified paper. 

bioplastics MAGAZINE is read 

in 89 countries. 

Not to be reproduced in any form 

without permission from the publisher. 

The fact that product names may not be 

identified in our editorial as trade marks is 

not an indication that such names are not 

registered trade marks. 

bioplastics MAGAZINE tries to use British 

spelling. However, in articles based on 

information from the USA, American 

spelling may also be used. 

Editorial contributions are always welcome. 

Please contact the editorial office via 

mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com. 

Envelopes 

A part of this print run is mailed to the readers 

wrapped in BoPLA envelopes sponsored by 

Taghleef Industries, S.p.A. Maropack GmbH & 

Co. KG, and SFV Verpackungen 

Cover 

Photo: Philipp Thielen 

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News 

PolyOne launches 99% bio-based plasticizer 

In early November, PolyOne Corporation introduced 

reFlex 300 bioplasticizer. Derived from rapidly renewable 

feedstocks and certified to contain 99% bio-based content, 

this non-phthalate alternative provides a one-for-one 

replacement for general-purpose plasticizers used in flexible 

vinyl formulations. 

PolyOne reFlex 300 bioplasticizer can help customers 

reduce their carbon footprint and eliminate phthalates 

without compromising in-service performance. Further, this 

new technology assists manufacturers and brand owners in 

satisfying the requirements of the Consumer Product Safety 

Improvement Act (CPSIA), which bans certain phthalates in 

products used by children. 

Certified to be 99% bio-based (ASTM D6866), reFlex 300 

bioplasticizer can enable users to explore certification of 

their own products to this standard, potentially resulting 

in preferential procurement status with the United States 

Federal Government in the USDA BioPreferered ® program. 

Flexible vinyl markets and applications that can benefit 

from reFlex 300 bioplasticizer include: 

• Healthcare – tubing and connectors 

• Electrical components – plugs and insulators 

• Building and construction products – weather stripping, 

gaskets, office furniture, and flooring 

• Consumer goods – toys and shoes 

PolyOne reFlex 300 bioplasticizer is the second technology 

to be commercialized as a result of a development alliance 

between PolyOne and Archer Daniels Midland Company 

(ADM). In April of this year, PolyOne introduced fast-fusing 

reFlex100 bioplasticizer. 

www.polyone.com 

The business directory iBIB as iPad App 

The new International Business Directory for Innovative Bio-based Plastics and Composites 

(iBIB2012/2013), co-published by nova-institute (Huerth/Germany) and bioplastics MAGAZINE 

is the most successful 

ever: Six month after 

its publication date the 

directory experienced more 

than 15,000 downloads of 

single company profiles 

and over 2,000 downloads 

of the complete directory 

- in addition to mailings 

(to 34,000 customers) and 

distribution at fairs and 

exhibitions of the printed 

version (4,000). 

Jahreskalender 

von Kindern mit 

Behinderung 

Jetzt kostenlos reservieren: 

Tel. 06294 428170 

E-Mail: kalender@bsk-ev.org 

www.bsk-ev.org 

The iBIB 2012/2013 can be 

downloaded from 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/ 

iBIB2012-2013.pdf 

The iBIB online database is 

accessible via 

www.bio-based.eu/iBIB 

Info: 

Now the unique and informative directory can also be 

used offline on any iPad - for free! To get the app, visit: 

www.bio-based.eu/iBIB/app 

App 


News 

BIOTEC with new sole 

shareholder 

The Biopolymer 

Network 

On Monday, October 1 st , 2012 the SPHERE group purchased 

all shares in the BIOTEC Holding GmbH (Emmerich am Rhein, 

Germany), that were previously owned by Biome Technologies plc. 

BIOTEC, specialized in the research, development and 

production of materials derived from renewable, recyclable 

and fully biodegradable materials, holds more than 200 

patents worldwide a in the sector of bioplastics. 

BIOTEC will supply its products and services directly its 

customers. Therefore changes in the management team, 

research functions and commercialization network will be 

implemented in view to underline its total independence from the 

Sphere Group. lt is planned that new technological breakthroughs 

will be patented shortly, completed by new investments in the 

technical lab. 

With an annual capacity of more than 20.000 tons BIOTEC 

has achieved in 2011 a turnover of 30.1 million EURO (+ 40.6 % 

compared to previous year) only in Europe. The bioplastic 

market worldwide shows high growth. As a consequence 

it is planned that BIOTEC will review its bioplastic market 

opportunities worldwide. MT 

www.biotec.de 

6th 

6 

Int. Conference 

2013 

6on Industrial Biotechnology and 

Bio-based Plastics & Composites 

April 10 – 12 2013, 

Maternushaus, Cologne, Germany 

6. Biowerkstoff-Kongress 

www.bio-based.eu/conference 

Highlights from the world wide leading countries in 

bio-based economy: USA & Germany 

Early bird subscription: 15% 

discount until 15 December 2012 

The Biopolymer Network at the Agency for Renewable 

Resources (FNR), an emerging initiative set up in Germany 

by the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer 

Protection (BMELV), just recently launched its German 

language website. Focusing on current topics and 

issues of using bio-based materials and their products 

the network addresses a broad array of stakeholders, 

initiates discussions and develops important background 

information. 

The Biopolymer Network is an information and 

communication platform in the field of bio-based materials 

and their applications, open to industry, research, 

academia, politics and the civil society. It is a forum for a 

critical and positive debate about all parts of the life cycle 

process as well as about economical, ecological and social 

questions. 

Renewable resources can contribute to the substitution/ 

replacement of fossil resources and to the security of 

supply. Regarding this, the BMELV has funded about 300 

projects in the fields of manufacturing, processing, and 

application of bio-based materials in Germany in the 

recent years. However, those innovative products meet 

a market with established value chains and fixed basic 

conditions where they have to fit in. This is where the 

Biopolymer Network starts working by supporting the 

application of bio-based materials in a reasonable and 

sustainable way. Current key aspects are ‘Processing of 

bio-based materials’, ‘Recycling & Disposal’, ‘Life cycle 

assessment of bio-based materials and products’ as well 

as ‘Application of bio-based materials in the automotive 

industry’. The network gets support by an advisory board 

made up of representatives from the industry, research and 

politics. 

Several national expert meetings have already been 

taken place, and on-going funded projects have been 

embedded in the Biopolymer Network’s activities. 

Results and activities are published e.g. via the website, 

newsletters, prints and other means. Furthermore, the 

Network invites stakeholders along the value chains of biobased 

materials to participate in the discussion and share 

common information. 

www.biopolymernetzwerk.de 

Organiser 

Sponsor of the Conference 

Pictures: Ashland, BioAmber, Evonik, FKUR, Hiendl, Polyone 

Sponsor Innovation Award 

www.nova-institute.eu www.biotec.de 

6 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/12] Vol. 7 

www.coperion.com

News 

World’s largest PHA 

production facility 

JV for biobased 

succinic acid 

Meredian, Inc., a privately held biopolymer manufacturer 

from Bainbridge, Georgia, USA, officially opened its 

polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) biopolymers plant end of 

October. During a Grand Opening Meredian’s guests got 

the chance to view the largest PHA production facility in 

the world. Following the successful startup of this initial 

production facility with current production rate of 15,000 

tonnes per year, Meredian plans to continue to grow its 

output in an effort to maintain pace with global customer 

demand. The manufacturing facility will be producing over 

300,000 tonnes of PHA per year when at full capacity, as was 

mentioned during the Grand opening. 

“Meredian PHA provides value to our customers by 

way of its many attributes and performance capabilities. 

Additionally, we can compete with traditional petro-based 

plastics on price, based upon our cost effective production 

systems,” says Blake Lindsey, President and Co-founder of 

Meredian. “Our PHA resins will be made using a technology 

Meredian acquired from P&G in 2007. We have spent the last 

three years confirming production systems and efficiencies 

while jointly developing specific end-use applications with 

our strategic customer partners.” 

Meredian PHA expects food contact OK status for its PHA 

products and is fully certified by leading third party firms for 

meeting strict ASTM biodegradation requirements including 

marine water conditions. Meredian supports its technology 

with a global patent portfolio of over 150 patents for this 

innovative, highly functional biopolymer plastic material. 

“The Meredian fermentation process utilizes sustainably 

produced renewable plant derived feedstocks to create 

PHA,” added Lindsey. “The production of PHA is not only 

safe for the environment, but we are producing a product 

that will address many of the health and human safety 

concerns found in certain packaging materials today.” MT 

www.meredianpha.com 

BASF and Purac, a subsidiary of CSM, are establishing 

a joint venture for the production and sale of biobased 

succinic acid. The company will be named Succinity 

GmbH and will be operational in 2013. The establishment 

of Succinity GmbH is subject to filing with the relevant 

competition authorities. The company headquarters will be 

in Düsseldorf, Germany. 

BASF and CSM have been conducting research on 

succinic acid under a joint development agreement since 

2009. The complementary strengths in fermentation and 

downstream processing led to the development of 

a sustainable and highly efficient manufacturing process 

based on a proprietary microorganism. The bacterium used 

is Basfia succiniciproducens, which produces succinic acid 

through natural processes. It is capable of metabolizing a 

variety of renewable feedstocks into succinic acid. The new 

process combines high efficiency with the use of renewable 

raw materials and the fixation of the greenhouse gas carbon 

dioxide (CO 2 

) in the production of succinic acid. This makes 

biobased succinic acid an economically and ecologically 

attractive alternative to petrochemical raw materials. 

The demand for succinic acid is anticipated to grow 

strongly in the years ahead, driven mainly by bioplastics, 

chemical intermediates, solvents, polyurethanes and 

plasticizers. 

BASF and CSM are currently modifying an existing 

fermentation facility at Purac’s Montmélo site near 

Barcelona, Spain, for the production of succinic acid. This 

plant, which will commence operations in late 2013 with an 

annual capacity of 10,000 tonnes of succinic acid, will put 

the new joint venture company in a leading position in the 

global marketplace. This is complemented by plans for a 

second large-scale facility with an annual capacity of 50,000 

tonnes of succinic acid to enable the company to respond 

to the expected increase in demand. The final investment 

decision for this facility will be made following a successful 

market introduction. MT 

www.basf.com 

www.csmglobal.com 


Events 

Biopolymers Symposium 2012 

The Biopolymers Symposium 2012 by Smithers-Rapra 

was held on 16-17 October in San Antonio, Texas, USA. The 

day before the conference, the delegates had the chance to 

participate in a special ‘anaerobic digestion forum’. This new 

half day event explored the role that AD could play including 

policy initiatives, feedstock supply etc. The forum was held by 

key stakeholders and US government adopters. 

The symposium itself saw more than 100 delegates from 

(mostly) the Americas but also some visitors from Europe 

and Asia. Professor Ramani Narayan chaired the first session 

about the ‘state of the bioplastics business’ supported by 

speakers from companies such as Goodyear, Ford and Nike. 

The ‘sustainable feedstock’ session covered topics such as 

forest products and agricultural waste, brazilian sugar cane 

and more. During the first day’s luncheon Rick Eno informed 

the audience that Metabolix is back with their Mirel PHA 

biopolymers. This was followed by a public policy session 

that focused on the role of various policy mechanisms – 

legislation, regulations, standards and others. In the next 

session presentations were given on how new technology 

push & pull can be combined in efficient partnering. It turned 

out that innovators, producers, recyclers and users should 

cooperate. The first day was closed by some interesting 

insights about opportunities and challenges that were shared 

by start-up companies in the bioplastics arena. 

The second day was about innovative management 

strategies for End of Life, new innovations in performance 

and technology as well as some sustainability insight from 

Europe. The conference was rounded off by an interactive 

panel discussion on labelling and certification. MT 

organized by 

17. - 19.10.2013 

Messe Düsseldorf, Germany 

Bioplastics in 

Packaging 

Bioplastics 

Business 

Breakfast 

B 3 

PLA, an Innovative 

Bioplastic 

Injection Moulding 

of Bioplastics 

Subject to changes 

Call for Papers now open 

www.bioplastics-breakfast.com 

Contact: Dr. Michael Thielen (info@bioplastics-magazine.com) 

8 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/12] Vol. 7 

At the World’s biggest trade show on plastics and rubber: 

K’2013 in Düsseldorf bioplastics will certainly play an 

important role again. 

On three days during the show from Oct 17 - 19, 2013 (!) 

biopolastics MAGAZINE will host a Bioplastics Business 

Breakfast: From 8 am to 12 noon the delegates get the 

chance to listen and discuss highclass presentations and 

benefit from a unique networking opportunity. 

The trade fair opens at 10 am.

Events 

The significance of bioplastics as a central component of 

the European bioeconomy strategy is undisputed. This 

was the core message of the plenary talks by Alfredo Aguilar 

Romanillos, European Commission, Clemens Neumann, 

Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection 

Germany, and John Williams, NNFCC, during the 7 th European 

Bioplastics Conference on 6 and 7 November in Berlin. 

Bioplastics 

still on the rise 

7 th European Bioplastics 

Conference demonstrates the 

future potential of the industry 

(Photos: European Bioplastics) 

Numerous questions connected to the growth of the 

bioplastics industry were discussed during the 7 th European 

Bioplastics Conference – such as: How is the growing supply 

of bioplastics affecting public awareness? Which market 

segments will grow in particular and what impacts will this 

growth have? What are the potential side-effects of adding 

bioplastics to existing recycling streams? In particular the 

latter was a hot topic at the conference. “Give us a sufficient 

amount of any plastic – be it PLA or any other bioplastic – and 

we can sort it and recycle it”. This was the main message of 

the recycling industry to the bioplastics industry during a 

podium discussion moderated by Thomas Probst of the Federal 

Association of Secondary Raw Materials and Disposal (BVSE). 

The ‘7 th Annual Global Bioplastics Award’ ceremony by 

bioplastics MAGAZINE was another highlight of this year’s 

conference. 2012, saw two winners take the award (see page 12). 

European Bioplastics addressed the significant topic 

of ‘environmental communication for bioplastics’ in 

a half-day workshop the day prior to the conference 

(5 November). Representatives of the bioplastics industry, 

the communications industry, and experts of environmental 

initiatives as well as public institutions discussed various cases 

concerning the essential issue, “Where does greenwashing 

start?”. “The workshop discussion reflected a very open 

atmosphere and we are pleased that we were able to welcome 

a diverse range of participants – amongst them representatives 

of Deutsche Umwelthilfe (German Environment Aid DHU) and 

Greenpeace,“ said Andy Sweetman, Chairman of European 

Bioplastics. “Regular exchanges on important topics such as 

environmental communication are essential, particularly in the 

case of a vibrant growth area such as the bioplastics industry“. 

European Bioplastics intends to continue its promotion of best 

practice communication in the area of bioplastics with a series 

of workshops during the next year. 

Now in its seventh year, the European Bioplastics Conference, 

with around 400 participants and 240 companies from around 

the world, has once again shown itself to be the leading 

information platform globally. Participants this year came 

from the following regions: approx. 85% of participants came 

from Europe, 10% visited from Asia, and the majority of the 

remaining 5% came from North and South America. 

www.european-bioplastics.org 

10 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/12] Vol. 7

Events 

Conference on CO 2 

as feedstock 

The use of carbon dioxide to produce chemical materials 

of various types using biotechnical processes is at present 

being actively researched and further developed, 

and the potential end products even include plastics (cf. bM 

05/2012). 

Alongside this chemists would like to convert CO 2 

gas, 

using catalysts, into important basic raw materials such as 

formic acid, polycarbonates and polyurethanes. 

The central idea here is to use CO 2 

as a source of carbon. 

However this raw material is very low in energy and has a 

very slow reaction time. A chemical device to overcome this is 

the use of a catalyst, since these speed up the reaction time 

significantly when converting the gas in other substances 

and reduce the activation energy required for the conversion. 

Additionally the reactive epoxides are available as partners in 

the reaction, 

The nova-institute organised, on October 10 th and 11 th in 

Essen, Germany, the ‘1 st Conference on CO 2 

as Feedstock’. 

In total 180 participants from 22 countries responded to the 

invitation. Among others Bayer, BASF and DSM, as well as 

Novomer of the USA, spoke on the development of polymers. 

Within the framework of the ‘Dream Productions’ project at 

Bayer Material Science besides petroleum, biomass, carbon 

and natural gas, carbon dioxide is being introduced as a 

source of raw material. There is in fact already a pilot plant 

in existence for the production of CO 2 

-based polyurethanes. 

Bayer is working here very closely with the Technical 

University of Aachen in Germany (RWTH) and with the energy 

supplier RWE AG. The energy company can supply CO 2 

from 

their coal-fired power plants. 

At the beginning of 2012 BASF finished a project for the 

use of ‘CO 2 

as a basic input material for polymers’, in which 

the availability and low cost of the CO 2 

played an important 

part. The polymers can contain up to 43% of CO 2 

so that it 

is possible to partially forgo the use of crude oil as a raw 

material. 

Furthermore some of such products can be biodegradable, 

which opens up new avenues for biopolymers (cf. bM 05/2012). 

Together with Siemens, the Technical University of Munich 

and the University of Hamburg, BASF are developing blends 

with up to 70% PLA. 

The raw materials manufacturer DSM produces, in a 

related way, poly(ester-co-carbonate). The starting materials 

here are acid anhydrides, epoxides and CO 2 

. The chemicals 

company uses chromium catalyst systems and works in 

close association with the Technical University of Eindhoven. 

Already well into the market in the USA is the company 

Novomer with ‘High Performance CO 2 

-based Polyols’. Here 

too they are deeply involved with the development of catalysts 

for the manufacture of polypropylene carbonates. The 

company has already produced for some time polymers with 

CO 2 

as a raw material. 

The conference event was rounded off with the presentation 

of an ’Innovation Award’. The first prize went to Dr. Sean 

Simpson from New Zealand for his work in the field of 

biotechnology and the innovative production of ethanol, 

alongside other chemicals, in a simply built reactor. Here 

genetically modified bacteria are used. The other prizewinners, 

plus more details on the projects and the conference, 

can be found at www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/201206 - TI 

www.nova-institut.de 

Info: 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/201206 



Automotive wins 

Bioplastics Award 2012 

This year the prestigious Bioplastics Award was given 

to two winners, both from the automotive sector. 

The 7 th Bioplastics Award, proudly presented by 

bioplastics MAGAZINE for the 3 rd time now, went to 

TAKATA AG and IfBB - Institute for Bioplastics and 

Biocomposites. The awards were given to the winners on 

November 6 th during the 7 th European Bioplastics Conference 

in Berlin. 

The annual Bioplastics Award was established in 2006 

by the English trade publication European Plastics News. 

It recognizes innovation, success and achievements by 

companies and institutions in the field of bioplastic materials. 

Five judges from the academic world, the press and industry 

associations from America, Europa and Asia have chosen 

the two winners in a head-on-head race. For the judges it 

was significant that both automotive related developments 

in an exciting way show the huge potential that bio-based 

plastics offer. With the need for lightweighting and the goal 

of reducing the fossil energy consumption and thus global 

warming, these projects are very good approaches that can 

lead the way. Both projects show the versatility that biobased 

plastics, with or without natural fibre reinforcement can offer 

today and in future. 

left to right: Dr. Michael Thielen (bioplastics MAGAZINE), Udo Gaumann (TAKATA), Prof. Hans-Josef Endres (IfBB Hannover) 

(Photo: European Bioplastics) 



TAKATA AG: Bioplastic steering wheel and 

airbag showcase project 

Takata presented a ‘showcase’ of a complete real steering 

wheel system. Here TAKATA elaborated the possibilities and 

limits of using biobased plastics in such sensitive products 

like airbags and steering wheels. Available biopolymers were 

benchmarked according the requirements and converted 

in to real components which were then tested according 

the specifications of the automotive industry to verify the 

material limits in steering wheels and airbags. 

With this project Takata illustrates their competence to 

develop biobased steering wheels and airbags and support 

their customers to define the technical limits of biopolymers. 

IfBB - Institute for Bioplastics and 

Biocomposites: Biobased tailgate of a racing car 

The biobased tailgate of the ‘Bioconcept’-racing car of the 

race team Four Motors is part of a joint project (supported 

by BMELV/FNR) to convert as many automotive parts into 

biobased plastic parts as possible. The tailgate, which is 

being produced from linen (flax fibres) and an epoxy resin 

made from renewable resources. The amount of biobased 

components in the resin is currently at 30 - 35% (together with 

the fibres about 65%). IfBB also evaluates series production 

methods such as injection moulding of thermoplastic natural 

fiber reinforced biocomposites for the mass production of 

such parts. 

In issue 01/2013 bioplastics MAGAZINE will publish 

comprehensive articles about both award winning projects. 


Market 

Fivefold growth by 2016 

An above-average positive development in bioplastics 

production capacity has made past projections obsolete. 

The market of around 1.2 million tonnes in 2011 

will see a fivefold increase in production volumes by 2016 – to 

an anticipated almost 6 million tonnes. This is the result of 

the current market forecast, which the industry association 

European Bioplastics published in mid October in cooperation 

with the IfBB Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites 

from the University of Hannover. 

The worldwide production capacity for bioplastics 

will increase from around 1.2 million tonnes in 2011 to 

approximately 5.8 million tonnes by 2016. By far the strongest 

growth will be in the biobased, non-biodegradable bioplastics 

group. Especially the so-called ‘drop-in’ solutions, i.e. 

biobased versions of bulk plastics like PE and PET, that 

merely differ from their conventional counterparts in terms 

of their renewable raw material base, are building up large 

capacities. Leading the field is partially biobased PET, which 

is already accounting for approximately 40 % of the global 

bioplastics production capacity. Partially biobased PET 

will continue to extend this lead to more than 4.6 million 

tonnes by 2016. That would correspond to 80% of the total 

bioplastics production capacity. Following PET is biobased 

PE with 250,000 tonnes, constituting more than 4 % of the 

total production capacity. 

“But also biodegradable plastics are demonstrating 

impressive growth rates. Their production capacity will 

increase by two-thirds by 2016,”states Hasso von Pogrell, 

Managing Director of European Bioplastics. Leading 

contributors to this growth will be PLA and PHA, each of 

them accounting for 298,000 tonnes (+60 %) and 142,000 

tonnes (+700 %) respectively. 

“The enormous growth makes allowance for the constantly 

increasing demand for sustainable solutions in the plastics 

market. Eventually, bioplastics have achieved an established 

position in numerous application areas, from the packaging 

market to the electronics sector and the automotive industry”, 

says von Pogrell. 

A disturbing trend to be observed is the geographic 

distribution of production capacities. Europe and North 

America remain interesting as locations for research and 

development and also important as sales markets. However, 

establishment of new production capacities is favoured 

in South America and Asia. “European Bioplastics invites 

European policy makers to convert their declared interest 

into concrete measures. “We are seeing many general supportive 

statements at EU level and in the Member States”, 

says Andy Sweetman, Chairman of European Bioplastics. 

“There is, however, a lack of concrete measures. If Europe wants 

to profit from growth at all levels of the value chain in our industry, 

it is high time the correspon- ding decisions are made.” 


Info: 

Download market data charts in English and German from 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/201206 

Global production capacity of bioplastics 

5.000 

5,779 

776 

1.000 metric t 

4.000 

3.000 

2.000 

5,003 

1.000 

0 

23 

1,016 

1,161 

342 486 

249 

226 

674 675 

2009 2010 2011 2016 

Biodegradable 

Forecast 

Biobased/non-biodegradable 

Total capacity 

Source: European Bioplastics / Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (October 2012) 


Cover Story 

The Eco-baby doll 

For its hundredth birthday the PETITCOLLIN doll 

is again biobased and more eco-friendly 

(Photo: Michael Thielen) 

Petitcollin is the oldest and ultimate French doll maker. 

One hundred years ago a new type of toy was born at 

Petitcollin. It would progressively revolutionize the doll 

market. Strong, washable, unbreakable and above all affordable, 

the Petit Colin doll was born using celluloïd (regarded to 

be the first plastic on the market) as the basic material until 

1960. Over the course of time it has become the symbol of 

many generations of little girls and the icon of the Petitcollin 

brand. It is still manufactured today and certainly holds the 

record of longevity for toys on the market. 

To celebrate its hundredth birthday, as indeed it should, 

Petitcollin has decided to break new ground by introducing 

its new Petit Colin Eco-baby from a new bio-based plastic 

instead of fossil-based HDPE. 

The Eco-baby doll, like its predecessors is fully manufactured 

in France by blow moulding, followed by assembling and 

decoration. Its body is made from GAÏALENE ® , a starchbased 

plastic industrially produced by Roquette in France. 

Petitcollin chose this plastic because it comes from a non- 

GMO plant-based resource, widely available and produced 

locally. In addition, this plant-based plastic is eco-friendly, 

presents certified environmental benefits, – in particular a 

65% lower carbon footprint than fossil-based HDPE - and is 

100% recyclable at the end of its life cycle. 

The Eco-baby doll wears clothes made from organic cotton 

grown without pesticides. Very soft to touch and with a silky 

appearance, the Petit Colin Eco-baby is the first doll to be 

mainly made from a natural, fully recyclable material. This 

doll combines sustainable development and local production with 

environmental protection - values which the brand holds dear. 

Jouets Petitcollin is today a subsidiary of Vilac S.A.S., 

a manufacturer of wooden toys established in 1911. The 

Petitcollin factory in Etain has been open to the public since 

1998 and the company shares its long tradition of know-how 

and its unrivalled history in a musicological space devoted to the 

brand that has been receiving visitors since September 2009. 

www.petitcollin.com 

www.vilac.com 

www.gaialene.com 



Plastic bags 

in California 

A discussion of plastic bag bans and the 

future of biobased bags in California 

by 

Sue Vang 

Californians Against Waste 

Sacramento, California, USA 

California is leading the way in phasing out unnecessary 

single-use plastic carryout bags. 

San Francisco was the first city in the state, and the 

USA, to ban plastic bags in 2007. Currently, it is also the only 

California jurisdiction to allow the sale of compostable plastic 

shopping bags and provide residents a curbside composting 

program where they can properly dispose of them. 

Along with San Francisco, 51 other local governments 

across the state have banned plastic carryout bags since 

then [1]. The most recent ordinances are designed to shift 

consumers towards reusable bag use by banning plastic 

bags and placing a charge on paper bags. 

Why Plastic Bags? 

Plastic carryout bags are not only causing harm to our 

wildlife and environment, they also cost the state upwards 

of $300 million each year for litter management, repairs of 

clogged equipment, and inflated product prices. 

Recycling or placing a deposit on these bags (similar to the 

Bottle Bill deposit) will not work. Despite having a statewide 

collection infrastructure, the last reported recycling rate for 

plastic grocery bags was 3% [2]. 

Moreover, the material has a tendency to get caught in 

the bearings and shafts of sorting machinery, resulting in 

expensive repairs and lost revenue. Not only did the City of 

San Jose report $1 million annual loss during its short-lived 

curbside collection program for plastic bags, it also noted 

that the market for the material was so dismal the city ended 

up paying someone to take them away instead [3]. 

Voluntary efforts to decrease plastic bag use have been 

nowhere near as successful as plastic bag bans or charges. 

Los Angeles County’s plastic bag ban recently reported 

a 95% reduction of all single-use bags [4], and a five cent 

bag charge in Washington DC dropped single-use bag 

distribution from an estimated 22.5 million to 3.3 million in 

the first month alone, an 85% decrease [5]. Meanwhile, an 

extensive program in Santa Clara County, CA to encourage 

reusable bags resulted in a 2% increase[6], and South San 

Francisco’s voluntary bag ban reported noncompliance from 

several large stores after the first nine months [7]. 

History 

At the state level, legislation to reduce plastic bag usage 

has been introduced several times but remains unsuccessful 

for the time being. 

In 2003, Assembly Bill (AB) 586 (Koretz) proposed a two 

cent charge on single-use plastic bags and cups, with the 

proceeds going into a litter cleanup fund. The bill did not 

pass out of the legislature. Several years later, AB 2449 

(Levine) became the first major plastic bag regulation passed 

in the state. In 2006, it mandated a statewide bag recycling 

infrastructure while at the same time prohibiting local 

governments from requiring a charge on plastic bags. San 

Francisco, which had been poised to vote on a plastic bag 

charge prior to AB 2449’s passage, subsequently adopted an 

outright ban of the product. 

In the years after AB 2449, the legislature introduced 

several measures for a statewide solution charging for 



single-use plastic bags (AB 2058/AB 2769/AB 2829 in 2007- 

2008 and AB 68/AB 87/AB 1141 in 2009-2010), all of which 

were unable to make it out of the legislature. 

Meanwhile, local governments continued to ban plastic 

bags in the wake of San Francisco’s leadership, with LA 

County becoming the first to add a paper bag charge in 2010. 

A few months earlier, a similar proposal in the state (AB 1998) 

by Assembly Member Brownley had failed by just a few votes 

to pass the final house on the last day of session. 

Recent News 

The California state legislature runs on a two year cycle. 

The last cycle started in January 2011 and ended on August 

31, 2012. During this session, it was no surprise that several 

bag-related bills were introduced. Two of those bills were AB 

298 and Senate Bill (SB 1219). 

AB 298 (Brownley) proposed to ban plastic bags and require 

a charge on allowed bags (ie. paper, compostable plastic, 

and reusable bags). The bill was still in a policy committee 

at the end of session, but can be reintroduced under a new 

author and bill number in the next session. In the interim, 

environmental advocates continue to build on the momentum 

at the local ordinance level. 

SB 1219 (Wolk) extends the AB 2449 sunset from 2013 to 

2020 while at the same time removing the preemption on 

local bag charges. The bill passed out of the legislature and 

was signed into law this year. 

Outlook for Bioplastic Bags 

While San Francisco remains the only California 

jurisdiction to ban all single-use plastic carryout bags except 

for compostable plastic bags, other cities could potentially 

consider including the bags in their ordinances as well. One 

major benefit, as San Francisco has realized, is that these 

bags could be reused to help collect and compost residential 

food and yard waste, eliminating the contamination issues 

associated with non-compostable bags in organic waste. 

But a major concern is whether or not there is local 

infrastructure for proper disposal of compostable plastic 

bags. For example, AB 298 would have allowed the sale of 

compostable bags, provided that a “majority of the residential 

households in the jurisdiction have access to curbside 

collection of foodwaste for composting.” If there isn’t a 

pathway to commercial composting, the compostable plastic 

bags will not meet their intended end-of-life destination. 

Nearly 1.2 million households [8], or roughly 10%, in the 

state are reported to have curbside composting programs. 

And this number could likely increase with the passage and 

implementation of AB 341 (Chesbro), placing a 75% recycling 

goal for the state by the year 2020. 

Another concern is whether or not these bioplastic bags 

are actually environmentally beneficial. False claims could 

lead to increased littering behavior, or contamination in the 

compost and recycling streams if the material doesn’t break 

down as promised. 

Fortunately, under SB 567 (DeSaulnier) all plastic products 

in the state must meet specific environmental marketing 

requirements, e.g., passing ASTM Standard Specifications 

D6400 or D6868 before being labeled as ‘compostable’. For 

the past few years, CAW (Californians Against Waste) has 

worked on an enforcement campaign against greenwashed 

plastics, resulting in several successful investigations and 

removals of illegally labeled ‘biodegradable’ products from 

the marketplace [9]. 

As decision makers recognize the potential benefits and 

utility of biobased plastic bags—from collecting more food 

waste to shifting away from oil-based plastics and towards 

renewable resources—this could result in a growing trend of 

proposed plastic bag legislation and ordinances which include 

these products. But before that happens, certain obstacles 

must be overcome. Although the future of biobased bags in 

California is still unwritten, state legislation sponsored by 

CAW could pave the way for more truly compostable bags 

by encouraging food scrap composting and discouraging 

greenwashing. 

www.cawrecycles.org 

[1] http://www.cawrecycles.org/issues/plastic_campaign/plastic_ 

bags/local (accessed October 29, 2012) 

[2] http://calrecycle.ca.gov/plastics/atstore/AnnualRate/2009Rate. 

htm (accessed October 29, 2012) 

[3] http://www.sanjoseca.gov/planning/eir/SingleUseBagBan/ 

SINGLE-USE CARRYOUT BAG ORDINANCE.pdf (accessed 

October 29, 2012) 

[4] http://dpw.lacounty.gov/epd/aboutthebag/index.cfm (accessed 

October 30, 2012) 

[5] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ 

article/2010/03/29/AR2010032903336.html (accessed October 

30, 2012) 

[6] http://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/voluntary-plasticbag-reductions-dont-work 

(accessed October 30, 2012) 

[7] http://southsanfrancisco.patch.com/articles/voluntary-singleuse-bag-ban-nine-months-in 

(accessed October 30, 2012) 

[8] Biocycle Nationwide Survey, Residential Food Collection in the 

US, January 2012 

[9] http://cawrecycles.org/issues/bioplastics_enforcement 



Green films 

in all colours 

Fig. 1: Variety of Huhtamaki‘s coloured PLA films 

Huhtamaki Films is an internationally recognised manufacturer 

of special films of the highest quality - individually 

developed according to customer requirements. 

Within the last two decades the company completed 

its range of innovative products by developing films from materials 

with a sustainable background, which means that they 

are biodegradable, compostable or derived from renewable 

resources. Having been a pioneer in bio-films Huhtamaki 

is one of today‘s most experienced producers in this sector 

with an outstandingly broad know-how covering production 

and converting processes, that was gathered throughout the 

years, in part in cooperation with a multiplicity of customers. 

Recently, besides biodegradability, the origin of the 

materials used for creating sustainable packaging hasbeen 

gaining in importance. Therefore, the focus is more and 

more on renewable materials as a source for deriving biopolymers. 

With Huhtamaki, the development of new films 

based on these renewable materials such as, polylactic acid 

(PLA), thermoplastic starch (TPS), green polyethylene (PE) 

and polyethylene furanoate (PEF) is an ongoing process. A 

broad range of inventive films also offers the possibility 

to integrate new functionalities by combining bio-based 

materials with conventional ones. These films, which may 

additionally be biodegradable, consist mainly of polymers 

derived from renewable raw materials and are able to meet 

the multiple requirements of the very diverse customers 

within the bio-packaging market. 

Bio-films 

Huhtamaki‘s bio-films, with a thickness in the range of 20 

to 100 µm, are all produced using blown film extrusion lines 

with up to 5 different layers. 

PLA Films 

Films made from PLA are highly transparent and glossy, 

enabling an uninterrupted view of the goods packed inside. 

Using special masterbatches, it is possible to homogeneously 

tint them in a variety of different colours with the option of 

preserving their original transparency (cf. fig. 1). As pure 

PLA is very rigid, Huhtamaki‘s PLA films are all flexibilised 

with a biodegradable modifier to enhance their mechanical 

properties. Because of the flexibilisation, especially the 

reduction of Young‘s modulus, these films are less noisy 

during processing and application. All PLA films are approved 

for food contact. They do not contain migrating substances, 

are grease resistant and exhibit a good barrier for aroma 

and alcohol. As PLA films possess an excellent deadfold and 

twisting behaviour, they are suitable for all kinds of wrapping 

applications such as candies, cheese or bread. Due to the 

relatively high transmission rates for oxygen and water 

vapour normally no additional anti-fog coating of the film 

is required when packing fresh food. If there is a need for a 

perforated packaging, the films can easily be die-cut. All PLA 

films can be sealed at temperatures lower than film made 

from conventional polyolefins, thus, saving energy while 



by 

Larissa Zirkel 

R&D Manager Technical 

Markets & Speciality Packaging 

Huhtamaki Films Germany 

Forchheim / Germany 

Fig. 3: Fully biodegradable, embossed, metallised and hot stamped 

Huhtamaki PLA films on cardboard boxes 

being processed. If necessary, the films can be equipped 

with excellent antistatic properties. Customers in general 

prefer packaging that offers them the utmost convenience 

while handling. One option to generate such a packaging 

is to incorporate an easy-to-open function. Due to the coextrusion 

process for producing Huhtamaki‘s PLA films, one 

of the outer layers can be equipped with a peel function. By 

varying the amount of peeling agent, the resulting sealing 

strength of the films can be adjusted to exactly meet the 

customer’s specific requirements. Therefore, the perfect 

opening force can be achieved by adapting the peel layer 

composition to the geometry of the seal and sealing device. 

The continuous reduction of sealing strength with increasing 

amount of peeling agent is shown in figure 2. 

Another added value is the individualization of the 

packaging. Besides colour, a print design can help attract 

the customer‘s attention. Due to their high surface tension, 

PLA films can easily be printed. For decoration purposes, 

Huhtamaki also offers various embossing designs, 

metallised and silk matt films (cf. fig. 3). All these films are 

based on more than 80% renewable resources.They are fully 

industrially compostable in accordance with DIN EN 13432 

and therefore physiologically harmless. 

Due to the co-extrusion process, the combination of PLA 

with conventional polymers offers the possibility of integrating 

new functions such as barrier properties. In contrast to a 

barrier coating, the benefit of the co-extruded structure is 

the protection of the barrier layer in the middle of the film by 

the PLA outer layers. Protection against scratching, peel-off 

or splintering, which would cause a leakage in the barrier 

layer, is a key feature. Moreover, due to the co-extrusion 

technique the films remain sealable on both sides. With 

this technology, transparent barrier films can be produced 

with transmission rates of < 3 cm³/m²*d for oxygen and 

< 25 g/m²*d for water vapour. However, these films are no 

longer biodegradable but are mainly based on renewable 

resources, and can be certified according to the star system 

of Vinçotte (based on renewable carbon content 14 C/ 12 C as per 

ASTM D6866) with up to three stars for a content of 60-80% of 

bio-based materials. 

Sealing Strength in N/15mm 

30 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

Amount of Peeling Agent 

Fig. 2: Variation of sealing strength of Huhtamaki PLA films 

with increasing amount of peeling agent 



Fig. 4: Huhtamaki’s bio-bags for baby napkins 

TPS Films 

Another bio-polymer for producing films, that are biodegradable, 

is TPS. Compared to PLA films, those made of thermoplastic starch 

show totally different properties. As TPS is a very soft material, films 

based on it exhibit a velvet soft touch. Unlike PLA these films are not 

transparent and glossy, but have an opaque and matt appearance. 

Due to their softness, these films are ideal for very discreet 

packages, preferred mainly in the hygiene and health care sector for 

packing goods such as baby diapers, sanitary napkins, tampons and 

incontinence products. Due to their PE-like mechanical behaviour 

they are also suitable for producing all kinds of bags. All TPS films 

are antistatic and superbly printable. They do not show migration, 

are physiologically harmless and have a low coefficient of friction. 

Most of the TPS resins today are fully biodegradable but are, for 

mechanical reasons, often blended with biodegradable but mineral 

oil based co-polyesters. As the focus of the bio-plastics industry 

has shifted more and more from biodegradability to bio-based 

materials, Huhtamaki is developing new biodegradable films with 

a content of polymers derived from renewable resources of more 

than 50%. 

Green PE Films 

After already being established for injection moulding 

applications, green PE, based on bio-ethanol from, for example 

sugar cane, is increasingly gathering importance within the polymer 

film sector as well. Films produced from green PE do not differ from 

common polyolefin films in terms of mechanical properties, barrier 

characteristics and processing behaviour. They can be sealed, 

printed, coloured and coated like conventional PE films. At below 

1 g/cm³ their density is significantly lower than that of PLA or TPS. 

Films from green PE can be classified as PE waste and, thus, be 

integrated into established waste and recycling streams. Therefore, 

they can serve as drop-in solutions for already existing packaging 

applications, bringing a sustainable benefit thanks to their biobased 

origin reducing the overall CO 2 

content in the atmosphere. 

Recently, Huhtamaki realized its first films from green PE with 

a content of more than 85% material derived from renewable 

resources and with a thickness between 20 and 75 µm, which can 

be certified according to the Vinçotte star system with up to 4 stars. 

Bio-bags 

Besides films for packaging or further converting, Huhtamaki 

Films Germany additionally offers the possibility of providing 

customer-tailored bags for diapers made from various kinds of biofilms, 

i.e. TPS, bio-blends or green PE (cf. fig. 4). Like conventional 

PE bags, they can be 8-colour flexo-printed with individual designs, 

have excellent welding seams, and can automatically be filled by 

high speed diaper packaging machines. Certifications are available 

depending on the respective bio-material used. 

As only few bio-materials are available today it is still challenging 

to achieve the properties exhibited by conventional polymers. 

However, new bioplastics like PEF (cf. bM 04/2012) will further 

broaden the range of sustainable films at Huhtamaki in the future. 

www.films.huhtamaki.com 


POWERING 

PERFORMANCE 

Lighter vehicles, powerful photovoltaic cells, highly resistant paints and coatings, plentiful 

drinking water, long-lasting batteries, winning sports equipment: these are important 

challenges for industries, today and in the future. These are also what drive 

Arkema, now a global chemical specialties company, to develop 

with our customers competitive and sustainable innovations. 

Arkema, from chemistry to performance. 

ADVANCED MATERIALS 

CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGIES 

BIOSOURCED PRODUCTS 

arkema.com 


Materials 

Turning biomass into 

bioplastics and 

carbon fibers 

Conceptually, to be able to use naturally synthesized biopolymers 

from plant biomass, one needs to devise a 

‘sorting mechanism’ that separates at high yield and 

high purity the products of interest. This, however, is not an 

easy task since plants are a natural composite material, 

where the components making it are organized in a highly 

intricate way. 

This challenge of devising an efficient extraction process 

for carbohydrates from cellulosic polymers and lignin 

polymers is well met by the CASE TM process of Virdia. In 

this process, the biomass is first pre-treated to extract by 

chemical means much of the hemi cellulose sugars along 

with a great deal of the extractives and the ash components 

present in the feedstock; the sugars are then refined and 

concentrated from this stream. The remaining ‘clean’ (preextracted) 

wood is then hydrolyzed in high concentration 

HCl at low temperatures, where all the remaining cellulose 

is hydrolyzed to saccharides while lignin is collected as 

solid. Both sugars and lignin are then refined to high purity 

in sequential processes. All chemicals including the acid 

are recycled effectively in these processes to minimize 

environmental effects and to reduce costs. 

As implied by the process name - CASE stands for 

Concentrated Acid Solvent Extraction, it utilizes HCl at 42- 

43% to fully hydrolyze the cellulose including the cellulose 

crystalline fraction, thus enabling the harvest of ca. 95% of 

the theoretical carbohydrates in the biomass. Typically the 

overall cellulose and hemi cellulose fractions consist about 

65% of the dry biomass weight. Hydrolysis of the crystalline 

fraction, that can constitute up to 63% of the cellulose in 

biomass, is not possible in enzyme based saccharification, 

and is typically not attained neither in sulfuric based 

hydrolysis nor in organosolv technologies. 

Another factor that contributes to achieving high yield of 

sugars is the low operation temperature of the process of 

10-15°C in the concentrated acid solution, in contrast to 

other processes which require high temperatures (~200°C). 

Consequently only a small fraction of the hydrolyzed sugars 

degrade despite the high acidity of the solution. 

This is an old-new approach to the challenge of producing 

from biomass. A similar hydrolysis process was utilized in 

industrial scale in Germany in the 1930’s to 1940’s, only the 

acid was diluted with water, which made recycling complex 

and too costly. Virdia’s technology relies on recycling of the 

acid through solvent extraction. 

One more essential element is the quality of the product: 

to support use of cellulosic sugars in fermentation processes 

other than ethanol production, high purity of the sugar syrup 

is an absolute must, as many of the fermenting microbe 

species, particularly engineered ones as envisioned for the 

production of new plastic materials, are highly sensitive to 

impurities that are typically found in biomass hydrolysate 

such as furfurals, soluble lignin fractions, ash elements and 

organic acids. 

Virdia sugars are compatible with the best of corn sugars 

(DEX95 standard). This is achieved by removing as much 

as possible extractive and ash upfront in the pretreatment 

stage, by working at low temperature and hence minimizing 

degradation of sugars, and by designing purification steps 

in the final stages of the process. The Virdia team enjoys 

many years of experience in sugar production of its leading 

engineers, who earlier spent a lifetime career in the sugar 

industry giants of the world. 

The quality of the sugars has been repeatedly demonstrated 

by partnering companies that fermented the sugars or applied 

them in chemically catalyzed processes to produce amino 

acids, citric acid, yeast, plastic monomers and polymers, jet 

fuel, as well as ethanol and butanol. 

Similarly, the quality of the lignin was designed to meet the 

requirements of high end applications. Lignin makes some 

20-30% of the dry weight in most biomass. Current use of 

lignin for any purpose other than burning it for its energy is 

very minimal. Nonetheless, sustainable development of a biobased 

value chain necessitates that high value applications of 


Materials 

by 

Noa Lapidot, EVP R&D and 

Eran Baniel, General Manager 

& VP Business Development 

Virdia 

Danville, Virginia, USA and 

Herzlia, Israel 

Figure 2: Potential applications: 

carbon fibers for automotive applications 

(iStockphoto/BrooksElliott) 

lignin be developed and commercialized. The poor volume of 

lignin use in the world is not for lack of wanting; much efforts 

have been and still are being directed to the development of 

such applications. In many cases a major obstacle to utilizing 

lignin as raw material was the high percent of impurities 

present in available lignin streams, particularly high levels of 

sulfur compounds and ash. 

Carbon fibres from lignin 

Through the CASE process, lignin remains as solid and 

is washed to recover acid and sugars which are held by its 

sponge-like form. The purity of this lignin is high (~93-95%), 

but still insufficient for high end applications such as the 

manufacturing carbon fibers from this lignin or using it as 

raw material for catalytic cracking. To that end, a further 

refining process was designed whereby residues of acid, 

carbohydrates and ash are removed to obtain lignin which 

is 99% pure. Recently, Oak Ridge National Laboratories 

(ORNL) Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA successfully prepared 

carbon fiber prototypes from high purity pine lignin prepared 

this way. According to ORNL, the lignin sample performed 

well in spinning and stabilization/carbonization trials 

and shows promise of being a commercial carbon fiber 

precursor. Virdia continues its collaboration with ORNL 

to develop lignin as a source for low cost carbon fibers, to 

be incorporated in common vehicles for weight reduction. 

Cellulosic sugars, from plant-derived biomass, can be 

a game changer for the sugar market, with the potential 

to reach quantities able to supply much of the bioproduct 

industries as well as meet up to a third of global liquid fuel 

demand. Cellulosic sugars can be made from a variety of 

easily available and interchangeable sources of biomass, 

such as wood and wood waste, agricultural products and 

agricultural waste, and municipal and green waste, and can 

easily endure market fluctuations that plague traditional 

sugar production. The conditions for making this possible 

simply require a cost-effective solution to turn biomass into 

sugars, and the know-how to cheaply refine the sugars and 

remove all impurities. All this Virdia has compiled under one 

roof, with the proposal for an additional critical condition – 

creation of a high-value co-product solid lignin stream. 

Current economic evaluation of lignin price is done according 

to its energy value: 0.07-0.13 €/kg (0.04-0.08 US$/lb). Any 

higher price that can be obtained from other lignin products will 

contribute dramatically to the value proposition of the technology. 

Several directions seem to be a good valorizing opportunity for 

lignin, including the above mentioned use as source for carbon 

fiber, but also cracking lignin to small molecules (phenols, BTXs 

(= benzene, toluene and xylene isomers)) or using lignin as 

polymer, to substitute petroleum derived polymers and as flame 

retardant, anti oxidant and UV absorber. 

Cellulosic sugar and lignin as a commodity 

A crucial aspect in the establishment of this emerging 

technology is the cost aspect. Cellulosic sugars have to 

compete in price with traditional sugars. Sugar prices, whether 

sourced from cane, beet or corn sugars, have fluctuated 

from 0.35 €/kg (0.20 US$/lb) to 0.70 €/kg (0.40 US$/lb) 

over the past five years on US and World commodity exchanges. 

This high volatility has been a result both of environmental 

impacts of changing weather conditions, as well as from 

quickly growing end-user markets for bioproducts and ethanol. 


Materials 

American industry, Israeli know-how and an 

old military technology make this possible 

Virdia is the brainchild of two Israeli scientists, Professor 

Avraham Baniel and Professor Aharon Eyal, who have 

together for many years pioneered a number of now 

standardized extraction processes used in industries 

worldwide. Prof. A. Baniel has long had his eye on improving 

a costly but proven method to use concentrated hydrochloric 

acid (HCl) hydrolysis of biomass as an analytical method to 

determine the composition of the sugars, lignin and tall oils 

in ligno-cellulose, which was pioneered over a 100 years 

ago. The industrial potential of scaling up this technology 

was proven during World War II, when the Germans pursued 

alternative sources of energy in anticipation of Allied 

attacks on their supplies of fossil fuel. They chose a process 

developed by Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Friedrich Bergius that 

used concentrated hydrochloric acid (HCl) to make sugars 

from biomass. Dr. Bergius’s process, although reliable, was 

not used after the war, as it was uneconomical and highly 

damaging to the environment. Based on a collaboration 

spanning decades, scaling up bench-scale processes to 

industrial levels, this Israeli duo has colluded with a group 

of American engineers from the traditional sugar industry, 

led by Robert Jansen, to apply a series of extraction and 

separation process to the Bergius process, and create a 

viable, economic and environmentally sound solution to mass 

produce cellulosic sugars for a price that can revolutionize 

many industrial markets. 

The company Virdia evolved since its conception 5 years 

ago to a US based company Redwood City, California) with 

a subsidiary in Herzlia/Israel. It is operating a Process 

Development Unit at its technology center in Danville Virginia 

as of April 2012. 

Figure 2: Solid lignin fraction 

www.virdia.com 


Polylactic Acid 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer has expanded its product portfolio to include the innovative stateof-the-art 

PLAneo ® process. The feedstock for our PLA process is lactic acid, which can 

be produced from local agricultural products containing starch or sugar. 

The application range of PLA is similar to that of polymers based on fossil resources as 

its physical properties can be tailored to meet packaging, textile and other requirements. 

Think. Invest. Earn. 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH 

Holzhauser Strasse 157–159 

13509 Berlin 

Germany 

Tel. +49 30 43 567 5 

Fax +49 30 43 567 699 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer AG 

Via Innovativa 31 

7013 Domat/Ems 

Switzerland 

Tel. +41 81 632 63 11 

Fax +41 81 632 74 03 

marketing@uhde-inventa-fi scher.com 

www.uhde-inventa-fi scher.com 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer 



High barrier 

PLA films 

by 

Peter Ettridge 

Product Development Manager 

Technical Specialties 

Amcor Flexibles Europe & Americas 

Over recent years, Amcor Flexibles has carried out extensive 

research into SiOx coating of renewable films. 

PLA (polylactic acid) has proved to be a suitable base 

film and Amcor Flexibles has developed a thin film coating 

technology to SiOx coat this special film. 

The result is an innovative, renewable and compostable 

(certified) Ceramis ® -PLA barrier film. The thin SiOx coating 

offers excellent barrier properties against oxygen and water 

vapour and thus provides the necessary barrier for using PLA 

films in shelf-stable food packaging. 

Ceramis-PLA fulfils the requirements of the DIN EN 

13432:2000-12 standard and is certified by DIN CERTCO. 

Unlike other barrier coatings, the SiOx material is an 

inert inorganic material, and as such it does not affect the 

compostability or recyclability of the PLA film. As Ceramis- 

PLA is halogen free, it also avoids any potential environmental 

hazards associated with halogenated barrier materials. 

Fig. 1 shows the barrier performance of Ceramis-PLA. 

When used as part of a laminate structure, Ceramis-PLA 

gives barrier levels suitable for cheese, cured meat and 

sensitive dry food. 

Fig. 1: Barrier performance of Ceramis-PLA 

OTR [cm 3 / (m 2 24h bar)] at 23°C, 50% RH 

10000 

1000 

100 

10 

1 

0,1 

0,1 1 10 100 1000 

WVTR [g / (m 2 24h)] at 23°C, 85% RH 

Retort food 

Dry bread, cereals, snack food 

Cheese, cured, meat, dry food 

Fresh products (MAP), confectionary 

Fig 2: Coating process 

Ceramis ® -PLA/PLA 

(laminate) 

Ceramis ® -PLA 20 µm 

PLA 20 µm, plain 

Manufacturing Process 

The Ceramis coating mainly consists of silicon dioxide. 

Silicon dioxide, known in its crystalline form as quartz, is the 

most common mineral in the earth’s crust. It is also the most 

common base material for glass manufacturing. When quartz 

sand is melted it transforms from a crystalline to an amorphous 

state. In the amorphous state it turns clear and transparent. 

When cooled down fast enough, the silicon oxide remains in the 

amorphous state and stays clear, like quartz glass. 

Ceramis films are manufactured in a high vacuum process. 

As the coating material, silicon dioxide, is heated by electron 

beams, it evaporates (Fig 2). It then condenses on the PLA 

film and forms a very thin glass layer that is conveyed on a 

cooling roll. The silicon oxide, however, has been modified 

in such a way that the ‘glass layer’ is flexible and can 

withstand typical movements of the film. No solvents or other 

chemicals, which could result in harmful emissions to the 

environment, are used during the production process; just 

sand and electricity. 



Consumers should not take the word ‘glass’ too literally, 

because the layer is approximately 1,000 times thinner than 

a human hair and thus cannot be seen by the human eye 

(Fig 3). Furthermore it can be easily flexed without cracking. 

Since the layer is so thin, it is necessary to protect it with 

another plastic film in a laminate structure. 

Fig 3: Thickness of Ceramis Layer 

Pinhead 2-3 mm 

10 -2 m 

10 -3 m 

1 millimeter 

More and more, consumers appreciate the ability to see 

the product inside the packaging before they buy it, especially 

in the food market. Ceramis films offer highest clarity, with 

special grades that provide built-in UV protection. 

Ceramis-PLA films are finding increasing applications in 

the market, offering outstanding clarity, excellent product 

shelf life, in combination with renewability and usability for 

compostable packaging. 

Dust mite 200 micron 

10 -4 m 

10 -5 m 

10 -6 m 

1 µm (micron) 

www.amcor.com/ceramis 

Human hair 60 micron 

10 -7 m 

Ceramis ® layer 

thickness range 

10 -8 m 

10 -9 m 

1 nanometer 

10 -10 m 

New ‘basics‘ book on bioplastics 

This new book, created and published by Polymedia Publisher, maker of bioplastics 

MAGAZINE is now available in English and German language. 

The book is intended to offer a rapid and uncomplicated introduction into the subject 

of bioplastics, and is aimed at all interested readers, in particular those who have not 

yet had the opportunity to dig deeply into the subject, such as students, those just joining 

this industry, and lay readers. It gives an introduction to plastics and bioplastics, explains 

which renewable resources can be used to produce bioplastics, what types of bioplastic 

exist, and which ones are already on the market. Further aspects, such as market 

development, the agricultural land required, and waste disposal, are also examined. 

An extensive index allows the reader to find specific aspects quickly, and is 

complemented by a comprehensive literature list and a guide to sources of additional 

information on the Internet. 

The author Michael Thielen is editor and publisher bioplastics MAGAZINE. He is a 

qualified machinery design engineer with a degree in plastics technology from the 

RWTH University in Aachen. He has written several books on the subject of blowmoulding 

technology and disseminated his knowledge of plastics in numerous 

presentations, seminars, guest lectures and teaching assignments. 

110 pages full color, paperback 

ISBN 978-3-9814981-1-0: Bioplastics 

ISBN 978-3-9814981-0-3: Biokunststoffe 

Order now for € 18.65 or US-$ 25.00 (+ VAT where applicable, plus shipping and handling, ask for details) 

order at www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/books, by phone +49 2161 6884463 or by e-mail books@bioplasticsmagazine.com 


Materials 

Waste cooking oil makes 

bioplastics cheaper 

Waste cooking oil 

Bacterial fermentation 

PHA within bacterial cells 

Isolated bioplastic! 

Bioplastics that are naturally synthesized by microbes 

could be made commercially viable by using waste cooking 

oil as a starting material. This would reduce environmental 

contamination and also give high-quality plastics suitable 

for many applications, according to scientists who presented 

their work at the Society for General Microbiology‘s Autumn 

Conference (03 - 05 Sept. 2012) at the University of Warwick, UK. 

Even though there are plenty measures in place to collect 

and recycle waste cooking oil, for example into soap or 

biodiesel, data from the UK environmental agency [1] suggest 

that still large amounts of these end up incinerators. Or they 

are disposed off into the environment despite the increasing 

level of sensitisation. 

Using waste cooking or deep frying oil to make bioplastics 

which can be used as household’s utensils as well as 

industrial and biomedical plastics will help create an 

alternative use of waste cooking oil. This is also likely to aid 

sensitisation programmes such as a suggested ‘waste oil to 

household plastic campaign’. 

The Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) family of polyesters is 

synthesized by a wide variety of bacteria as an energy source 

when their carbon supply is plentiful. Poly 3-hydroxybutyrate 

(PHB) is the most commonly produced polymer in the PHA 

family. Currently, growing bacteria in large fermenters 

to produce high quantities of this bioplastic is expensive 

because glucose is used as a starting material. 

Work by a research team at the University of Wolverhampton 

suggests that using waste cooking oil as a starting material 

reduces production costs of the plastic. “Our bioplasticproducing 

bacterium, Ralstonia eutropha H16, grew much 

better in oil over 48 hours and consequently produced 

three times more PHB than when it was grown in glucose,“ 

explained Victor Irorere who carried out the research. 

“Electrospinning experiments, performed in collaboration 

with researchers from the University of Birmingham, showed 

that nanofibres of the plastic produced from oils were also 


Materials 

Shaping the 

future of 

biobased plastics 

less crystalline, which means the plastic is more suited 

to medical applications.“ 

Previous research has shown that PHB is an attractive 

polymer for use as a microcapsule for effective drug 

delivery in cancer therapy and also as medical implants, 

due to its biodegradability and non-toxic properties. 

Improved quality of PHB combined with low production 

costs would enable it to be used more widely. Potential 

applications include every day articles such as pens, 

cutlery, mobile phone housings or plastic containers. In 

agriculture, PHA can be used in seed encapsulation, slow 

release of fertilizers, making bioplastic mulch films and 

containers for hothouse facilities. 

The disposal of used plastics - which are largely nonbiodegradable 

- is a major environmental issue. Plastic 

waste on UK beaches has been steadily increasing over 

the past two decades and now accounts for about 60% 

of marine debris. If plastic parts made of PHB end up in 

a marine environment by mistake, they would degrade 

and not increase this debris. They can however be no 

solution against littering. “Unfortunately the cost of 

glucose as a starting material has seriously hampered 

the commercialization of bioplastics, said Dr Iza Radecka 

who is leading the research. “Using waste cooking oil is 

a double benefit for the environment as it enables the 

production of bioplastics but also reduces environmental 

contamination caused by disposal of waste oil.“ 

The next challenge for the group is to do appropriate 

scale-up experiments, to enable the manufacture of 

bioplastics on an industrial level. 

C 

M 

Y 

CM 

MY 

CY 

CMY 

K 

www.purac.com/bioplastics 

magnetic_148,5x105.ai 175.00 lpi 15.00° 75.00° 0.00° 45.00° 14.03.2009 10:13:31 

Prozess CyanProzess MagentaProzess GelbProzess Schwarz 

Magnetic 

544.175 purac adv 105x148mm.indd 1 19-03-2012 

www.plasticker.com 

for Plastics 

• International Trade 

in Raw Materials, 

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Free of Charge 

• Daily News 

from the Industrial Sector 

and the Plastics Markets 

• Current Market Prices 

for Plastics. 

• Buyer’s Guide 

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and Services. 

• Job Market 

for Specialists and 

Executive Staff in the 

Plastics Industry 

www.wlv.ac.uk 

[1] Waste Vegetable Oil - A technical report on the manufacture 

of products from waste vegetable oil. WRAP, 2007 

(http://en.calameo.com/read/00142079145335bcfca12) 

Up-to-date • Fast • Professional 


Materials 

Renewable naphtha for 

producing bioplastics 

Neste Oil, Espoo, Finland - the world´s largest producer 

of renewable diesel - has launched the commercial 

production and sales of renewable naphtha for corporate 

customers. Among others NExBTL renewable naphtha 

can be used as a feedstock for producing bioplastics. Neste 

Oil is one of the world´s first companies to supply bio-naphtha 

on a commercial scale. NExBTL naphtha is produced as 

a side product of the biodiesel refining process at Neste Oil´s 

sites in Finland, the Netherlands, and Singapore. NExBTL 

biodiesel is made of more than 50% crude palm oil, over 

40% of waste and residue (such as waste animal fat), and 

the rest out of various vegetable oils. Thus the bio-naphta is 

100% based on renewable resources. “All our raw materials 

are fully traceable and comply fully with sustainability criteria 

embedded in biofuels-related legislation (e.g. EU RED)”, as 

Kaisa Hietala, Vice President, Renewable Fuels at Neste Oil 

explained to bioplastics MAGAZINE. 

All ethylene, propylene, butylene, and butadiene-based 

polymers can be derived from NExBTL Renewable Naphtha. 

These are for example PE, PP, PVC, Acrylates, PET, ABS, 

SAN, ASA, Epoxies, Polyurethanes and include biodegradable 

polymers such as PBAT or PBS. Bioplastics produced from 

NExBTL naphtha can be used in numerous industries 

that prioritize the use of renewable and sustainable raw 

materials, such as companies producing plastic parts 

for the automotive industry and packaging for consumer 

products. The mechanical and physical properties of 

bioplastics produced from NExBTL renewable naphtha are 

fully comparable with those of plastics produced from fossil 

naphtha; and the carbon footprint of these plastics is smaller 

than that of conventional fossil-based plastics. 

Bioplastic products produced from NExBTL renewable 

naphtha can be recycled with conventional fossil-based 

plastic products, and can be used as a fuel in energy 

generation following recycling. 

www.nesteoil.com 


BIOADIMIDE TM IN BIOPLASTICS. 

EXPANDING THE PERFORMANCE OF BIO-POLYESTER. 

NEW PRODUCT LINE AVAILABLE: 

BIOADIMIDE ADDITIVES EXPAND 

THE PERFOMANCE OF BIO-POLYESTER 

BioAdimide additives are specially suited to improve the hydrolysis resistance and the processing stability of bio-based 

polyester, specifically polylactide (PLA), and to expand its range of applications. Currently, there are two BioAdimide grades 

available. The BioAdimide 100 grade improves the hydrolytic stability up to seven times that of an unstabilized grade, thereby 

helping to increase the service life of the polymer. In addition to providing hydrolytic stability, BioAdimide 500 XT acts as a 

chain extender that can increase the melt viscosity of an extruded PLA 20 to 30 percent compared to an unstabilized grade, 

allowing for consistent and easier processing. The two grades can also be combined, offering both hydrolysis stabilization and 

improved processing, for an even broader range of applications. 

Focusing on performance for the plastics industries. 

Whatever requirements move your world: 

We will move them with you. www.rheinchemie.com 


Application News 

PLA flexible packaging 

for Pet-food 

The global pet food industry, of which Europe and the U.S. make up 

80%, is expected to grow to $56.4 billion (€44 billion) by 2015 according 

to Pet Foods: A Global Strategic Business Report by Global Industry 

Analysts, Inc. Trends in the pet food industry strongly correlate with 

societal ideas about nutrition. 

PLA Sunshades 

M+N Projecten in Delfgauw, The Netherlands, 

manufactures polyester-based sunshade systems 

for commercial buildings. The green building 

revolution and proliferation of green building 

certifications had been on the company’s 

development radar for a number of years. In 2010, 

the company began a research and development 

project into fabrics that would meet green 

building certification guidelines while providing 

the performance equivalent of polyester in 

sunshade applications. 

Initial research into Ingeo PLA showed 

promising results. With the help of supplier/ 

partners, M+N Projecten developed a new 

sunshade material, which is now being marketed 

under the Revolution ® brand name. Revolution 

is an Ingeo-based sunshade fabric that meets 

the company’s green design and performance 

criteria. M+N Projecten says, “Revolution 

performs just as well as (conventional) polyester 

fabrics. It is very stable and durable. In terms of 

manufacturing there is less fossil fuel consumed 

and less greenhouse gases emitted than 

conventional polymers used in synthetic fibers.” 

M+N took its new sunscreen fabric to the 

largest electric supplier in the Netherlands, 

Eneco NV in Rotterdam which was then engaged 

in construction of a headquarters facility. 

Armed with environmental benefits calculations 

prepared by NatureWorks, M+N presented its 

case for the new solution. Appreciative of the 

low carbon, lightfast and durable performance 

solution that the fabrics provided, Eneco NV 

specified the Ingeo-based sunshade system for 

its new building and consequently gave M+N’s its 

first major customer for Revolution. 

High nutrition frozen dog food from Steve’s Real Pet Food (Murray, 

Utah, USA) is now available in an innovative Ingeo PLA based NVIRO ® 

flexible bag from Eagle Flexible Packaging (Batavia, Illinois, USA). The 

new package incorporates a ZIP-PAK ® press-to-close seal, made 

from Ingeo. This flexible package also features water-based inks that 

contain less than 5% volatile organic compounds. “I really wanted a 

solution that was green, not one that just sounded green,” says Nicole 

Lindsley, project manager at Steve’s. 

Cardinal Pet Care (Azusa, California, USA) and Tuffy’s Pet Food 

(Perham, Minnesota, USA) recently began using ECOTERAH brand 

packaging from Precision Color Graphics (Wilmington Delaware, 

USA). Introduced late last year, Ecoterah packaging consists of a 

multiwall paper bag lined with EarthFirst ® PLA film made by Plastic 

Suppliers (Columbus, Ohio, USA) from NatureWorks’ Ingeo. The 

new packing is FDA approved for people and pet food, the company 

reports. It is BPI certified ASTM D6400 and is suitable for commercial/ 

industrial composting facilities where available. 

One application of the new multi-wall PLA-lined paper bag is 

Cardinal Pet Care’s Pet Botanics Healthy Omega Gourmet. Tuffy’s 

Pet Food features Ingeo-lined bags on several brands such as Nutri 

Source or Natural Planet Organics, a premium organic food for dogs 

and cats with fresh, organic ingredients including chicken, select 

grains, fruits and vegetables. 

“Ingeo bioplastic has been a perfect addition to our sustainable 

packaging initiative,” said Dan Brulz, vice president of Precision Color 

Graphics. “Ingeo offers a more than adequate oxygen and moisture 

barrier for many products. It also acts as a great sealant on pouches 

and roll stock items. Our clients have been proud to highlight the fact 

that they are making efforts to use more sustainable packaging.” 

About future projects, Dan Brulz told bioplastics MAGAZINE that 

they are currently in the process of doing shelf life testing on a variety 

of products including, potato chips, pasta, ground coffee, freeze dried 

vegetables, trial mix, nuts, and several others. “We feel the future is 

extremely bright for home grown polymers”. MT 

www.eagleflexible.com 

www.stevesrealfood.com 

www.cardinalpet.com 

www.tuffyspetfoods.com 

www.precisioncolor.com 

www.plasticsuppliers.com 

www.natureworksllc.com 

www.mnprojecten.nl 

www.natureworksllc.com 



Football boot 

The new Nike GS football boot is the lightest, fastest, most 

environmentally-friendly production boot the company has 

ever made. It is constructed using renewable and recycled 

materials, designed for explosive performance on the pitch 

and lower impact on the planet. Every component has been 

optimized to reduce weight and waste, creating Nike’s 

lightest football boot ever at 160 grams (size 9). 

Stylish office baskets 

The French Company ELISE, a specialist in office paper 

recycling, has adopted ROQUETTE’s plant-based plastic 

GAÏALENE ® for a new baskets that it is going to place at 

the disposal of companies next year. 

These new baskets, designed by the famous designer 

Philippe Starck, are intended for all kinds of companies 

that want to have a really professional solution for solving 

the question of waste on their premises. 

The elegant and refined baskets are available in various 

colours in order to encourage the recycling of office paper 

and also, for example, the recycling of used batteries, light 

bulbs, bottles or tins in companies. 

Unique and unrivalled on the market, these baskets 

combine both innovative design and functionality with 

sustainable production. 

They are produced by injection moulding of a rigid grade 

of Gaïalene that gives them a warm and soft feel. This 

bio-plastic is produced locally from vegetable crops of 

European origin. It is made industrially in France through 

starch grafting according to an innovative technology 

patented by Roquette. 

In addition the ELISEbyS+ARCK ® baskets offer a very low 

carbon footprint and are themselves recyclable at the end 

of their lives. They thus perfectly translate the ethical and 

social commitment of the Elise Company to sustainable 

development that is respectful of the environment. 

Just recently Roquette and Elise were distinguished with 

an ‘Eco-Design’ award for the office basket at the Annual 

Sustainable Development and Enterprise Days (JADDE) 

held in Lille, France 

“We were honoured to have been selected as the 

material supplier by both Elise and Philippe Starck for 

the new office baskets, which combine innovative design 

and sustainable manufacturing. With their very low 

environmental footprint these baskets totally reflect the 

ethical and social responsibility of both companies with 

regard to sustainable development.” commented Léon 

Mentink, Gaïalene Product Manager. 

Conceived and engineered in Italy, the Nike GS features 

recycled and renewable materials throughout the upper and 

plate design. 

The sole traction plate is made of 50% renewable Pebax ® 

Rnew (a polyether block amide by Arkema made from 

97% castor oil). The other 50% is Pearlthane ® ECO TPU by 

Merquinsa. The Pearlthane ECO product line has an 82 to 95 

Shore A hardness and covers a range of 32 to 46% bio-based 

carbon content (as per ASTM D-6866). The plate is 15% 

lighter than a traditional plate composition. The traction 

plate includes a minimalist diamond-silhouette spine, 

which provides optimal flex and agility in plate performance. 

Anatomically positioned studs maximize speed in multiple 

directions to ensure responsive and assured movement on pitch. 

The lightweight and chemical-free sock liner is made 

of a 100% castor bean based material (more details were 

not disclosed by Nike) and eliminates any layers for a snug 

fit and enhanced touch on the ball. The boot laces, lining 

and tongue are made from a minimum of 70% recycled 

materials. The toeboard and collar, feature at least 15% 

recycled materials. 

Anatomical and asymmetrical heel counter and heel 

bucket locks the foot down for stability and support. The 

counter is also made of Pebax Rnew. 

“The Nike GS is the lightest and fastest football boot we’ve 

ever made and really defines a new era in how we create, 

design and produce elite football boots,” said Andy Caine, 

global design director for Nike Football. “When you can 

deliver a boot that combines high end performance and a 

low environmental footprint that’s a winning proposition for 

players and planet.” MT 

www.nike.com - www.arkema.com - www.merquinsa.com 


www.elise.com.fr 



World first for skin 

care industry 

International sustainable resins supplier, Cardia 

Bioplastics Limited from Mulgrave, Victoria, 

Australia and emerging organic skincare company, 

Ecocare Natural Pty Ltd (Sydney, Australia), have 

partnered to produce a world first in the skin care 

industry – ECOCARE eco-friendly facial wipes 

enclosed in eco-friendly packaging. 

The biodegradable facial wipes are made 

from 100% natural certified organic cotton. The 

packaging incorporates Cardia’s renewable and 

recyclable Biohybrid resin which is derived 

from renewable resources. The resulting ‘green’ 

combination has a significantly lower carbon 

footprint than its competitors. 

“There is a growing trend for companies to look 

at ways to reduce the impact of their operations on 

the environment,” said Dr Frank Glatz, Managing 

Director of Cardia Bioplastics. “Product packaging 

is a good place to start. 

“Our thermoplastic starch resins have a high 

renewable content – when they are incorporated 

into standard packaging or plastic products, the 

carbon footprint is reduced by up to 50%,” said Dr 

Glatz. 

“Ecocare has built its business on environmentfriendly 

products and we are proud to partner with 

them to develop packaging solutions that align with 

this philosophy.” 

Callan Taylor, Marketing Director of Ecocare, 

said: “Environmental sustainability is engrained in 

the Ecocare business model, and our range of skin 

care wipes have been built around this philosophy. 

“We are looking forward to working with Cardia 

to access environmentally-friendly and renewable 

packaging that complements our products and our 

principles,” Mr Taylor said. MT 

www.cardiabioplastics.com 

www.ecocarenatural.com 

Coffee packs 

The Farmer First pack from Pistol & Burnes 

is a laminate construction of compostable 

NatureFlex film to paper, converted by Genpak 

McCullagh Coffee, a US coffee roasting company (Buffalo, 

New York), has introduced a compostable pack, for its Rainforest 

Alliance Certified Ecoverde Coffee brand, using NatureFlex 

from Innovia Films. The cellulose-based films are certified to 

meet ASTM D6400, EN13432 and Australian AS4736 standards for 

compostable packaging. Their renewable biobased carbon content 

is typically 95% (ASTM D6866) 

The pack is constructed using transparent, heat-sealable 

NatureFlex NE, which is surface printed using a videojet machine. 

“We were delighted to assist McCullagh Coffee in realizing 

their sustainability goals. In applications such as this, where fast 

product turnover requires much shorter shelf life, a single mono 

web structure is one option. However, we would recommend coffee 

producers requiring very long shelf life to use high barrier tri-laminate 

type structures.” said Christopher Tom, Innovia Films Americas. 

Natureflex was also recenty introduced for a fully compostable 

pack, for the Farmer First brand by Pistol & Burnes, a leading 

Canadian coffee roasting company. 

The Fair Trade, organic coffee is packed in a paper bag laminated 

to transparent NatureFlex film. According to Roy M Hardy, President, 

Pistol & Burnes, “Most roasted coffee sold in the world is packaged 

in either foil bags (coated in plastic) or paper bags (with a plastic 

liner). These usually end up going straight to landfill as they can 

prove difficult to recycle. However our enviro–friendly coffee bag 

can be organically recycled (composted), which means it breaks 

down in a home compost bin.” 

The bags were developed by Genpak, a Canadian-based converter. 

Bill Reilly, Technical Manager, explained, “We recommended 

NatureFlex to Pistol & Burnes for several reasons. First and 

foremost, the film performs well technically, having high barrier 

properties and good seal integrity that enhance shelf life, keeping 

oxygen out and aroma in – very important for packaging coffee. 

Secondly, NatureFlex is perfectly aligned with the ethos of their Fair 

Trade, organic Farmer First brand.” MT 

www.mccullaghcoffee.com 

www.pistolandburnes.com 

www.innoviafilms.com 


Electronics 

Electronic housings made 

from cellulosic bioplastic 

A 

new design of ‘Bio-enclosure’ has been announced by 

OKW for housing electronic controls. Used in diagnosis, 

therapy, measuring and control engineering, peripheral, 

interface equipment, and in the house, the list of enclosure 

or housing applications in the field of electronics for 

using all kinds of bioplastics could be continued endlessly. 

For many years, OKW Gehäusesysteme from Buchen/ 

Germany has been pursuing the strategy of developing 

functional enclosures which are made from bioplastic. This 

new SOFT-CASE series of enclosures is a ‘wide format’ 

pocket-box. Using this design of enclosure the display 

elements can be accommodated in a small user-friendly 

space, while still being possible to use the enclosure in an 

upright position if required. 

Following comprehensive tests using various different 

biomaterials, OKW has decided in favour of using different 

types of BIOGRADE ® which is produced by FKuR. Biograde 

offers a very good surface finish, has properties similar to 

those of ABS and can be processed using the normal injection 

moulding process. In addition, this bio-material is ideally 

suited for long-term indoor use. Furthermore Biograde’s 

heat distortion temperature (HDT-ISO 75/B) can be as high 

as 100°C (for selected grades). 

The path to designing the standard ‘Soft-Case’ enclosure 

in biomaterial began with the publication of the European 

ecodesign directive 2005/32/EC in 2005. In this directive, the 

environmental impact of products and services has to be 

continuously improved throughout their entire life cycles, 

from the mining of the raw materials through production, 

distribution and utilisation to recycling. The ecological balance 

of the final electronic unit can fluctuate widely depending on 

its use, the electronics installed and the electricity supply. In 

order to carry out an ecological contribution analysis, OKW 

had to define several marginal conditions. As a result they 

finally decided in favour of a Soft-Case enclosure operated as 

a mobile remote control. 

In the search for alternatives to standard ABS, suitable 

materials were required to have similar electrical, 

mechanical, physical and chemical properties. Materials 

that could be produced on existing moulds and with standard 

injection moulding machines were also important criteria. 

Experiments with enclosure parts made from natural fibre 

filled PP and PE showed a marbled, non-reproducible surface 

finish. PLA was somewhat difficult to process, as problems 

occurred at the drying and preheating stages leading to the 

agglomeration of the granules. However, even if the injection 

moulding of PLA had worked well, then sample parts did not 

exhibit sufficient heat stability. 

After consultation with FKuR one of their products, 

Biograde which demonstrates sufficient heat resistance, 

was chosen in off-white colour . For future bright coloured 

products OKW will use Biograde C 6509 CL along with 

a suitable colour masterbatch. Biograde is a polymer 

compound based on cellulose acetate (CA). The cellulose 

used in Biograde is derived from the renewable resources of 

wood or cotton linters. MT 

www.okw.com 

www.fkur.com 


Electronics 

Bioplastics for 

IT-applications 

by 

Joe Kuczynski* and Dylan Boday^ 

Systems Technology Group 

IBM Corporation 

*Rochester, Minnesota, USA 

^Tuscon, Arizona, USA 

The past decade has witnessed explosive growth in bioplastics 

with new product announcements occurring on 

a weekly basis. Biobased compositions based on starch 

or resins such as polylactic acid (PLA) have achieved significant 

penetration in the non-durable goods market. However, 

stringent product requirements have slowed the adoption of 

biobased plastics for the electronics industry. 

Within the electronics industry, hardware designs have 

focused on miniaturization and weight reduction. Since 

engineering thermoplastics can be injection molded 

into complex shapes at very thin wall thicknesses, they 

have rapidly become the material of choice for complex 

enclosures. Moreover, as traditional petroleum-based 

thermoplastics can be rendered ignition resistant, the 

demand for flame retardant thermoplastics has experienced 

steady growth. The American Chemical Industry estimates 

that 725,000 tonnes of thermoplastics were sold to the 

electrical/electronics industry in 2010. Coupled with the fact 

that plastics represent the largest volume component of 

electronic scrap, a significant opportunity exists to drive the 

industry toward a more sustainable design point. 

A typical product offering within the information technology 

marketplace is a server. A server is a complex hardware 

device composed of numerous components that typically 

includes a printed circuit board, daughter cards, processors, 

a power supply, hard drives, network connections, and the 

associated cabling required to interconnect various servers. 

The entire system must meet various industry standards such 

as those specifying permissible radiated emission levels, 

flammability classification, and noise levels. To comply with 

these requirements, electromagnetic compatibility gaskets, 

ignition-resistant thermoplastic housings, and acoustic foam 

are strategically designed into the server. Although numerous 

potential applications exist where biobased alternatives can 

displace petroleum-based materials, acoustic foams and 

thermoplastic covers are considered to be the two most 

easily addressed applications. 

Acoustic foam 

Acoustic foam is typically an open cell, polyurethane foam 

synthesized via the reaction of an isocyanate with a polyol. 

Acoustic foam is fabricated to a targeted density and pore 

count (0.0320 g/cm³ and 27 pores/cm, respectively, being the 

most common). Although there is presently no renewable 

source for the isocyanate, either soy bean or castor bean 

oil may be used as a sustainable source for the polyol. 

A direct substitution of biobased polyols for petroleumbased 

polyols is not presently possible as the physical 

properties of the resulting foam produced from biopolyols 

have been determined to be inferior (from IBM’s point of 

view). Consequently, commercially available acoustic foams 

contain less than 20 wt% biobased polyol. For acoustic 

foam applications, where the primary material property of 

interest is the sound absorption coefficient, theoretically 

greater bio-polyol content is possible. However, such foams 

have yet to be commercialized. Nevertheless, two biobased 

acoustic foams have been qualified for use in servers based 

on functional evaluation in a reverberation room (Fig. 1). 

At frequencies below 1000 Hz, which tend to be the most 

problematic to attenuate in server computers, the biobased 

polyurethane foams outperform their petroleum-based 

counterparts. Moreover, both of these bio-based foams meet 

the flammability requirements (UL 94 HBF) in all thicknesses 


Electronics 

Figure 1. The frequency dependence of the absorption coefficient of 

acoustic foams (courtesy M. Nobile, IBM Poughkeepsie). 

Figure 2. Physical property comparison of petroleum-based 

PC/ABS and PLA/PC blends. 

1.2 

Absorption Coefficients of Acoustic Foams 

Tensile Stress @ yield 

120% 

100% 

80% 

60% 

40% 

20% 

HDT B @ 0.45 MPa 

Tensile elongation 

@ yield 

Absorption Coefficient, 

0.8 

0.6 

0.4 

0.2 

Petroleum-based foam 

Bio-based foam; Vendor A 

Bio-based foam; Vendor B 

Notched Izod Impact 

Tensile elongation 

@ break 

0 

50 80 125 200 315 500 800 1250 2000 3150 5000 

63 100 160 250 400 630 1000 1600 2500 4000 

Flexural modulus 

Flexural stress @ 5% Strain 

Tensile modulus 

One-Third Octave-Band Center Frequency, Hz 

30 wt% PLA Blend 

40 wt% PLA Blend 

PC/ABS 

of interest (generally 2.5-6 cm) and do so without the use of 

brominated flame retardants, some of which are prohibited 

by various regulations in the global market. Furthermore, the 

flame retardants used are non-halogenated, an important 

feature as the current trend in the electronics industry is 

migration away from such materials. Finally, both of these 

commercially available foams are essentially cost neutral, an 

extremely important consideration in driving these materials 

into products. Consequently, IBM has been shipping product 

incorporating the biobased acoustic foam since the fourth 

quarter of last year. 

Electronic enclosures 

Due to its excellent combination of physical properties, 

polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene- styrene (PC/ABS) 

resin has been the material of choice for electronic enclosures. 

The ability to mold complex geometries in very thin wall cross 

sections (down to 1.5 mm), coupled with creep resistance 

and a high flexural modulus required for latches and snap 

fits, has garnered PC/ABS the majority of share in the IT 

equipment market. In addition to these properties, server 

computers must meet stringent flammability requirements 

(UL 94 V0 classification at the minimum wall thickness of 

the part). Although various bio-based thermoplastics may 

be envisaged to replace PC/ABS blends, those based on 

polylactic acid (PLA) hold the greatest promise. However, 

since the homopolymer of PLA is very brittle (Notched Izod 

impact strength of 26 J/m compared to 747 J/m for a typical 

PC/ABS blend), it must be toughened. In addition, PLA has 

proven more difficult than PC/ABS to render ignition resistant. 

In blends with Polycarbonate (PC) where the PLA content 

exceeds 20 wt%, it has been found that straight compounding 

of PLA with traditional nonhalogenated flame retardants 

resulted in blends with inferior properties. However, specialty 

compounders have successfully addressed these issues 

and have developed PLA blends at 20-40 wt% loading levels 

that compete favorably with flame retardant PC/ABS with 

respect to physical properties (Fig. 2). It can be seen that the 

physical properties of the PLA blends are within 80% of the 

PC/ABS benchmark material with the exception of the room 

temperature notched Izod impact strength. Impact strength 

decreases dramatically as the PLA content is increased from 

30 wt% to 40 wt%, but functional part testing at the system 

level demonstrated that this reduction in impact strength 

is not a concern. Enclosure covers for server products that 

are currently installed in the field were molded from both of 

the PLA blends. The renewable resins passed all technical 

qualifications required for use in IT hardware. 

A major concern associated with the use of PLA blends 

is cost. However, it is projected that the cost of PC/ABS 

will continue to rise at 3-5%/year whereas the price 

for PLA blends should decrease as both demand and 

volume increase. Joint development efforts with material 

suppliers and plastic compounders will result in higher 

PLA concentrations within blends with acceptable physical 

properties. Although this effort is currently focused on plastic 

enclosures and housings, numerous other applications exist 

where renewable materials may displace petroleum based 

materials. 

www.ibm.com 


Politics 

FTC Green Guides 

for BioPlastics 

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently issued 

new Green Guides, on Environmental Marketing 

Claims to help marketers avoid deceptive environmental 

claims [1-3]. Previous versions of the Green Guides were 

issued in 1992, 1996, and 1998. These have important and 

serious implications for the marketing of bioplastic products 

in the USA. They do not have the force and effect of law and 

are not independently enforceable. However, the Commission 

can take action under the FTC Act if a marketer makes an 

environmental claim inconsistent with the Guides. 

This article reviews the current status and understandings 

of biobased and biodegradable/compostable plastics and 

the implications of the new FTC green guides for making 

marketing claims. The term Bioplastics describes two 

separate but inter-linked concepts: 

• Biobased plastics – plastics made from biomass/plant 

feedstocks as opposed to petro/fossil feedstocks – the 

‘beginning of life’. It refers to replacing petro/fossil carbon 

with biobased carbon. Biobased plastics derives its value 

proposition from having a zero material carbon footprint 

arising from the short (in balance) sustainable carbon 

cycle (different from process carbon footprint – the carbon 

and environmental footprint arising from converting the 

feedstock to product, use life and ultimate disposal) [4]. It 

does not address the end-of-life of the product and they 

are not necessarily biodegradable or compostable. 

• Biodegradable/compostable plastics – these are plastics 

designed to be completely biodegradable in the targeted 

disposal environment (composting, soil, marine, anaerobic 

digestor) in a short defined time period – they are 

assimilated by microorganisms present in the disposal 

environment as food to drive their life processes. They are 

not necessarily biobased and can be petro/fossil based. 

There are also additive based plastics - oxo and organic 

additives added at 1-2% levels to conventional polyethylenes 

(PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene 

terephthalate (PET) and other plastics that are claimed 

to make them ‘biodegradable’. However, as discussed 

extensively in two articles in this magazine and in peer 

reviewed publications biodegradability claims needs to be 

substantiated by competent and reliable scientific evidence 

that microorganisms present in the disposal environment 

are utilizing the plastic carbon substrate in defined and 

measurable time period [5-6]. 

Fig 1: Measuring Biodegradability 

% C consumed by microorganisms (as measured 

by % evolved CO 2 

) % biodegradability 

Need to show +90% biodegradability in 180 days 

or less to establish safe, efficacous, and complete 

removal from the environmental compartment 

100 

90 

80 

plateau phase 

70 

60 

50 

40 

microbial assimilation phase 

30 

20 lag 

10 phase 

0 

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 

Time (days) Basis for ASTM D6400; ISO 14855; EN 13432 

O 2 

CO 2 

Compost 

& Test 

Materials 


Politics 

by 

Ramani Narayan 

University Distinguished Professor 

Michigan State University 

East Lansing, Michigan, USA 

Science of biodegradability 

Microorganisms utilize carbon substrates as ‘food’ to 

extract chemical energy for their life processes. They do so 

by transporting to the C-substrate inside their cells and: 

• Under aerobic conditions, the carbon is biologically 

oxidized to CO 2 

releasing energy that is harnessed by the 

microorganisms for its life processes – Scheme 1 

• Under anaerobic conditions, CO 2 

+CH 4 

are produced – 

Scheme 2 

Thus, a measure of the rate and amount of CO 2 

or CO 2 

+CH 4 

evolved as a function of total carbon input to the process is 

a direct measure of the amount of carbon substrate being 

utilized by the microorganism (percent biodegradation) (cf. 

Figure 1). 

This forms the basis for various national (ASTM, EN, 

OECD) and international (ISO) standards for measuring 

biodegradability or microbial utilization of chemicals, and 

biodegradable plastics. Therefore, claims of biodegradability 

must be substantiated by showing the percent carbon of the 

plastic substrate utilized by the microorganisms present in 

the target disposal environment (composting, soil, marine, 

anaerobic digestor, landfill) as measured by the evolved CO 2 

(aerobic) or CO 2 

+CH 4 

(anaerobic) as a function of time in days 

(cf. Figure 1) 

The FTC green guides defines “competent and reliable 

scientific evidence” as “tests, analyses, research, studies 

or other evidence based on the expertise of professionals in 

the relevant area, conducted and evaluated in an objective 

manner by persons qualified to do so, using procedures 

generally accepted in the profession to yield accurate and 

reliable results. The evidence “should be sufficient in quality 

and quantity based on standards generally accepted in the 

relevant scientific fields, when considered in light of the 

entire body of relevant and reliable scientific evidence, to 

substantiate that [a] representation is true” 

More importantly, the FTC goes on to say “To be certified, 

marketers must meet standards that have been developed 

and maintained by a voluntary consensus standard body 

(Voluntary consensus standard bodies are “organizations 

which plan, develop, establish, or coordinate voluntary 

consensus standards using agreed-upon procedures. An 

independent auditor applies these standards objectively)”. 

ASTM, EN, ISO are examples of voluntary consensus standard 

bodies. 

Given the above understanding, we can review the FTC 

guidance on making unqualified and qualified degradability 

and biodegradability claims. This includes oxo-degradable; 

oxo-biodegradable, photodegradable, and additive based 

biodegradability. 

Scheme 1: biodegradation under aerobic conditions 

Glucose/C-bioplastic + 6 O 2 

6 CO 2 

+ 6 H 2 

O; G 0‘ = -686 kcal/mol 

Scheme 2: biodegradation under anaerobic conditions 

Glucose/C-bioplastic 

2 lactate; 

G 0‘ = -47 kcal/mol 

CO 2 

+ CH 4 


Politics 

Degradable and biodegradable claims 

The FTC guides state that an “unqualified degradable 

claim for items entering the solid waste stream should be 

substantiated with competent and reliable scientific evidence 

that the entire item will fully decompose (break down and 

return to nature; i.e. decompose into elements found in 

nature) within one year after customary disposal”. It also 

emphasizes that unqualified degradable/biodegradable 

claims for items that are customarily disposed in landfills, 

incinerators, and recycling facilities are deceptive because 

these locations do not present conditions in which complete 

decomposition will occur within one year. 

The term fully decompose into elements found in nature 

equates to the complete abiotic and biotic breakdown of the 

plastic to CO 2 

, water, and cell biomass. This is discussed in 

detail earlier in the section on ‘Science of biodegradability’. 

Degradable claims can be made if it is qualified clearly and 

prominently to the extent necessary to avoid deception about: 

• The product’s or package’s ability to degrade in the 

environment where it is customarily disposed and 

more importantly the rate and extent of degradation or 

biodegradation. 

In the case of biodegradability claims, one has to provide 

‘reliable and competent evidence’ of the rate and extent 

of biodegradation in the target disposal environment – a 

graphical plot of percent biodegradability as measured by the 

evolved CO 2 

(aerobic) or CO 2 

+CH 4 

(anaerobic) vs time in days. 

The FTC guides do not identify any specific testing protocol 

or specification and therefore reserve the right to evaluate 

the data which forms the basis of the claims. However, 

they clearly require that the evidence should be based on 

standards generally accepted in the relevant scientific fields. 

So ASTM, EN, ISO standards can be used to provide the 

evidence for validating the rate and extent of biodegradation 

in the selected disposal environment/s 

Compostable Claims 

FTC guides states that “A marketer claiming that an item 

is compostable should have competent and reliable scientific 

evidence that all the materials in the item will break down 

into, or otherwise become part of, usable compost (e.g., soilconditioning 

material, mulch) in a safe and timely manner 

(i.e., in approximately the same time as the materials with 

which it is composted) in an appropriate composting facility, 

or in a home compost pile or device”. 

Based on this guidance, a claim of compostability in 

commercial and municipal composting can be made if the 

product satisfies the requirements of Specification Standards 

ASTM D6400, or EN 13432, or ISO 14855 as determined by 

an approved, independent third-party laboratory – satisfies 

the FTC requirements of competent and reliable scientific 

evidence based on standards generally accepted in the 

scientific field. However, the FTC green guide requires an 

additional statement that states “Appropriate facilities 

may not exist in your area” or words to that effect to avoid 

deception as the local area may not have commercial or 

municipal composting operations. It may also be useful to 

provide information on how to find a composter in the area. 

In the USA, an independent, qualified third party, 

NSF International, certifies products as compostable in 

commercial and municipal facilities based on ASTM standard 

D6400 – as discussed earlier this is in compliance with the 

FTC green guides - independent certifier using voluntary 

consensus standards from ASTM. However, third-party 

certification does not eliminate a marketer’s obligation to 

ensure that it has substantiation for all claims reasonably 

communicated by the certification. 

There is a provision in the FTC green guides to make 

unqualified general compostability claim if the product can 

be converted safely to usable compost in a timely manner in a 

home compost pile or device. However, there are no standards 

or guidance on what constitutes a home compost pile – it 

could be a rotting pile in the garden, or a poorly managed 

home compost pile that turns anaerobic. So it is unclear as to 

how one can provide substantiation for compostability claim 

in a home compost pile or device. 

Renewable Materials, biobased materials, 

biobased content 

FTC guidance is that unqualified renewable materials 

claims are deceptive because consumers are likely to 

interpret the claim to mean recycled content, recyclable, and 

biodegradable. It is possible to make qualified renewable 

materials claims like “the package is made from 100% plant 

based renewable materials in which the rate and time scales 

of use is in balance with the rate and time scales of growth. 

The FTC did not issue any guidance on biobased claims 

and deferred to the USDA to ensure accurate communication 

of information to consumers on products USDA certifies as 

‘biobased’ ASTM D6866 forms the basis for measuring and 

reporting biobased content. 

References 

1. Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 197 / 2012 / Rules and Regulations; FEDERAL TRADE 

COMMISSION 16 CFR Part 260 Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims 

2. www.ftc.gov/os/2012/10/greenguides.pdf 

3. www.ftc.gov/os/fedreg/2012/10/greenguidesstatement.pdf 

4. Ramani Narayan, Carbon footprint of bioplastics using biocarbon content analysis and life cycle 

assessment, MRS (Materials Research Society) Bulletin, Vol 36 Issue 09, pg. 716 – 721, 2011 

5. bioplastics MAGAZINE (01/09) vol 4; http://www.bioplasticsmagazine.com/bioplasticsmagazinewAssets/docs/article/0901_p29_bioplasticsMAGAZINE.pdf 

6. bioplastics MAGAZINE (01/10), vol 5 http://www.bioplasticsmagazine.com/bioplasticsmagazinewAssets/docs/article/1001_p38_bioplasticsMAGAZINE.pdf 


ioplastics MAGAZINE [06/12] Vol. 7 41

Opinion 

Compostable Bioplastics 

Packaging in Germany 

Some thoughts and considerations about 

the change in the legal framework conditions 

by Michael Thielen 

Bioplastics packaging has enjoyed a remarkable legal 

privilege in Germany since 2005, if certified compostable. 

Such packaging was exempted from the obligations 

defined in the German Packaging Ordinance concerning take 

back and recovery – resulting in a considerable waiving of the 

usual plastics recovery fee in the range of approx. 650,- €/t, 

which is to be paid for traditional plastics packaging. This legal 

privilege, intended by the government as a support for the early 

phase of market introduction, will end December 31st, 2012. 

From 2013 on, also bioplastics packaging needs to be licenced 

in one of the so-called ‘Dual Systems’ in Germany. 

Clearer than before, it will be steered through the yellow collection 

system and be sorted and recovered in the plastics 

waste stream. For the time being, bioplastics packaging will 

not be accepted in the biowaste collection for composting any 

more, even if certified compostable. The reason for this arrangement 

is, that lately the biowaste ordinance has been 

changed in May 2012. 

Reichtstag Berlin (Photo iStockphoto) 

While the revised Biowaste Ordinance, on the one hand, 

reduced necessary biobased content for bioplastics to enter 

the municipal biowaste collection system from 100% to 

‘a mimimum threshold of 50 %’, it has, on the other hand, 

narrowed down the list of eligible applications to mulch film 

and biowaste liners (biowaste collection bags), only – by ruling 

out ‘packaging made from bioplastics’ explicitly from the list 

of allowed materials. Compostable shopping bags might be 

an exemption from this: although defined as a packaging 

under German law, it is not yet ultimatively clear if such bags 

also fall within this regulation. After all, one could argue 

that their actual deployment during their end-of-life phase 

can be similar to that of a dedicated biowaste collection bag 

– provided that the consumer is aware that compostable 

shopping bags can be used for biowaste collection. 

At first glance, this change of regulation may be 

perceived as a significant blow against compostable 

packaging and its market penetration in Germany. But 

before drawing conclusions from this, one should first 

have a look at the facts. 


Opinion 

from left: Biowaste bin (may be green in some areas), yellow bin for Dual 

Systems collection, residual waste bin, blue paper bin (in some areas) 

(picture fotalia) 

The facts are: 

• Compostable plastics packaging never really achieved 

a significant market in Germany – despite government 

support for nearly a decade. The exemption from the 

mandatory licence fee of the ‘dual systems’ in Germany 

had limited effect due to the very price sensitive German 

markets – bioplastics packaging suffered from it’s just 

too high prices – and in some cases also due to technical 

limitations. 

• The German composting industry always had concerns 

over compostable plastics, which have not been addressed 

actively enough by the bioplastics industry. The efforts 

of the bioplastics industry to convince the composters of 

the advantages of compostable plastics, e.g. with local 

demonstration projects, may have been successful in 

single cases, but have failed, as a whole, to convince the 

composting industry and their political representation so far. 

• Presumably, the most important reason for the lack of 

dynamic market development for compostable plastics is 

the political and public shift concerning waste issues. The 

push towards compostable plastics in Germany started in 

the 1990s, when landfills where overflowing and plastics 

waste was seen as a dangerous nuisance because of its 

durability. Today, after 20 years of legislation, Germany 

boasts one of the highest recycling rates for plastics 

packaging, and landfilling has been completely phased out. 

So the real issue is not whether to compost or to incinerate 

bioplastic packaging, but to properly sort and recover it, 

so to achieve a substantial contribution to valorisation of 

wastes and thus increase resource efficiency. 

Even though organic recovery of compostable packaging 

did not seem really viable in Germany any longer, a ban of 

all non-biowaste-bag-products from the biowaste collection 

system does not seem the best solution. The significant 

advantage of compostable packaging, for example in the case 

of the disposal of spoiled fruit and vegetables at the point 

of sale, is completely lost. The same is true for the disposal 

of compostable catering serviceware at large events, as long 

as these are properly and separately collected together with 

food residues. And there are certainly more examples. Here 

the compostability of plastic products exhibits significant 

added value. These solutions, together with biowaste bags, 

help to divert biowaste from landfill sites. Thus, even though 

landfill is not a critical topic in Germany any longer, the ban 

is a wrong signal to other countries where landfill is still used 

with biowaste causing a potential methane problem. 

In conclusion, the recovery of these materials through the 

packaging waste collection system (yellow bin) seems the 

most adequate recovery route. Implementing (real!) material 

recycling is, according to all known life cycle assessments, 

the most preferable option in terms of ecology, and, often 

enough, quite promising also in economic terms 

All trends, as well as the legal framework and the political 

landscape, show that Germany, with its highly environmentconscious 

consumers and politicians, has a high potential to 

become a large market for bioplastics. But it seems the industry 

will only succeed if it offers solutions that fit local circumstances 

and meets the demands of all involved stakeholders. 


Basics 

Blown film extrusion 

by Michael Thielen 

Fig 3: Multilayer Blown film line (Photo: Reifenhäuser) 

Fig 1: schematic of a blown film line (here multilayer 

coextrusion) (Picture Reifenhäuser) 

7 

9 

10 

EVOLUTION W-P 

KIEFEL EXTRUSION 

12 

6 

5 

11 

8 

3 

4 

2 

1a 

1 

Blown film extrusion is a technology that is one of the 

most common methods of manufacturing plastic 

films, especially for, but not limited to, packaging applications. 

The process basically consists of the extrusion of a 

molten polymer upwards through an annular slit die and the 

inflation of the tube to form a bubble. This bubble of thin film 

is then laid flat and can be used directly as a tube, converted 

into bags or sacks, or can be slit to form one or two flat films. 

It is not unusual to see this type of film blowing installation as 

a 10 metre high tower [1, 2, 3, 4]. 

Process 

In the first step of blown film extrusion plastic melt is 

extruded {1 in Fig. 1} through an annular slit die {2}, usually 

vertically upwards, to form a thin walled tube. Air is introduced 

via a hole in the die to inflate the tube to a multiple of its 

initial diameter {3}. By inflating the tube it is stretched and 

the molecules are oriented in the circumferential direction. 

The bubble is now pulled continually upwards from the die 

and a cooling ring {4} blows air onto the film. At a certain 

level (the so-called frost-line), the plastic is cooled such that 

the melt will solidify. The film moves upwards into a lay-flat 

device or collapsing frame {5}, pulled by a set of nip rollers {6} 

on top of the blown film tower. The lay-flat device (often also 

referred to as A-frame or V-boards) collapses the bubble and 

flattens it into two flat film layers {7}. 

A so-called calibration cage (or basket) {8}, which defines 

and stabilizes the film size (bubble diameter), is arranged 

between the die and the lay-flat device. The calibration cage 

thus has a direct influence on the film quality [5]. 

The haul-off speed of the puller rolls is usually higher 

than the extrusion speed so that the film is also stretched 

in the longitudinal (or machine) direction. Together with the 

inflation stretch this leads to a certain biaxial stretching of 

the film. The film passes through idler rolls {9} to ensure that 

there is uniform tension in the film. The puller rolls pull the 

film onto windup rollers {10}. There can be one windup roller 

if the film is wound up as a tube or slit only once to become 

a wide flat film. If the film is slit at both sides, two windup 

rollers are used for two flat films. 


Basics 

Fig 2: oscillating turner bar haul-offs 

(Picture: General Extrusion Technology [6]) 

Some special devices 

Internal bubble cooling (IBC) 

Usually the air entering the bubble through the die 

replaces air leaving it, so that an even and constant pressure 

is maintained to ensure uniform thickness of the film. For 

better controlling the process in terms of cooling and thus 

wall thickness the film can also be cooled from the inside 

using internal bubble cooling (IBC). Here a higher flow of air 

is introduced into the film and exhausted through a separate 

bore in the die. This reduces the temperature inside the 

bubble, while maintaining the bubble diameter. 

Wall thickness control 

Circumferential stretching by inflating, longitudinal 

stretching by haul-off speed in combination with cooling 

air, lead to a certain wall thickness (gauge) of the film. In 

order to perfectly control the thickness of the film over its 

length and over its circumference, a contacting or contactfree 

oscillating wall thickness measuring sensor {11} can be 

installed. 

Turner bar haul-offs 

Even with the best wall thickness control devices, and 

sophisticated extrusion equipment, it cannot be avoided, 

that certain locations in the circumference of the film tube 

have slightly different wall thicknesses. If a small zone of a 

higher wall thickness remains at the same location it will 

inevitably lead to an accumulation on the final roll and create 

a problem. To avoid this, the ‘thick spot’ should somehow 

rotate in order to be evenly distributed on the reel. Solutions 

are rotating or oscillating extrusion dies or even complete 

extruder platforms. Other solutions are rotating or oscillating 

turner bar haul-offs {Fig 2 and 12 in Fig. 1}. 

Multilayer coextrusion 

By installing several extruders {Fig. 3 and 1a in Fig. 1} for 

different types of plastic, multi-layer film can be produced. 

The orifices in the die are arranged such that the layers merge 

together before cooling. Each plastic takes on a specific role, 

such as firmness, a barrier function, the ability to be welded 

etc. Co-extrusion lines with up to 9 layers are available today. 

Materials 

Polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE and LLDPE) are the most 

common resins in use, but a wide variety of other materials 

can be used as blends with these resins or as single layers in 

a multi-layer film structure, for example PP, PA, EVOH. 

Bioplastics that can be blown film extruded include PLA 

and PLA blends, TPS and TPS blends, PBAT, PBS and many 

more. Most of these can be processed on existing equipment, 

however, the process parameters such as temperature and 

extrusion speed have to be adjusted accordingly. 

The processing of biobased polymers compared with 

petroleum-based products requires special attention during 

the production. The raw materials are partly or mostly made 

of natural products and have a higher volatility in terms of 

melt index and in the range of the density. This has to be 

compensated by a modern extrusion technology [8]. 

Applications 

Products made from blown film are, for example, 

agricultural film, industry packaging, consumer packaging, 

rubbish sacks and bags for biological waste, hygienic foil for 

nappies, mailing pouches, disposable gloves and shopping 

bags, food wrap, transport packaging, shrink film, stretch 

film, bags, laminating film, and much more. 

References 

[1] Thielen, M.: Bioplastics: Basics. Applications. Markets., 

Polymedia Publisher, 2012 

[2] N.N.: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastics_extrusion#Blown_film_ 

extrusion, accessed 14 Nov. 2012 

[3] N.N.: www.appropedia.org/Blown_film_extrusion, accessed 14 

Nov. 2012 

[3] N.N.: http://plastics.inwiki.org/Blown_film_extrusion, accessed 

14 Nov. 2012 

[5] N.N.: http://www.igus.it/wpck/default.aspx?Pagename=app_ 

blownfilmline&C=IT&L=it, accessed 14 Nov. 2012 

[6] N.N. (General Extrusion Technology Ltd): http://www.getextrusion.com, 

accessed 14 Nov. 2012 

[7] Wiechmann R.: personal information, Reifenhäuser GmbH & Co. 

KG Maschinenfabrik, Troisdorf, Germany, 2012 

[8] Buth, K.: personal information, Wentus Kunststoff GmbH, Höxter, 

Germany, 2012 


Basics 

Glossary 3.1 

In bioplastics MAGAZINE again and again 

the same expressions appear that some of our readers 

might not (yet) be familiar with. This glossary shall help 

with these terms and shall help avoid repeated explanations 

Bioplastics (as defined by European Bioplastics 

e.V.) is a term used to define two different 

kinds of plastics: 

a. Plastics based on → renewable resources 

(the focus is the origin of the raw material 

used). These can be biodegradable or not. 

b. → Biodegradable and → compostable 

plastics according to EN13432 or similar 

standards (the focus is the compostability of 

the final product; biodegradable and compostable 

plastics can be based on renewable 

(biobased) and/or non-renewable (fossil) resources). 

Bioplastics may be 

- based on renewable resources and biodegradable; 

- based on renewable resources but not be 

biodegradable; and 

- based on fossil resources and biodegradable. 

Aerobic - anaerobic | aerobic = in the presence 

of oxygen (e.g. in composting) | anaerobic 

= without oxygen being present (e.g. in 

biogasification, anaerobic digestion) 

[bM 06/09] 

Anaerobic digestion | conversion of organic 

waste into bio-gas. Other than in → composting 

in anaerobic degradation there is no oxygen 

present. In bio-gas plants for example, 

this type of degradation leads to the production 

of methane that can be captured in a controlled 

way and used for energy generation. 

[14] [bM 06/09] 

Amorphous | non-crystalline, glassy with unordered 

lattice 

Amylopectin | Polymeric branched starch 

molecule with very high molecular weight (biopolymer, 

monomer is → Glucose) 

[bM 05/09] 

Amylose | Polymeric non-branched starch 

molecule with high molecular weight (biopolymer, 

monomer is → Glucose) [bM 05/09] 

Biobased plastic/polymer | A plastic/polymer 

in which constitutional units are totally or in 

part from → biomass [3]. If this claim is used, 

a percentage should always be given to which 

extent the product/material is → biobased [1] 

[bM 01/07, bM 03/10] 

updated 

such as ‘PLA (Polylactide)‘ in various articles. 

Since this Glossary will not be printed 

in each issue you can download a pdf 

version from our website 

bioplastics MAGAZINE is grateful to European Bioplastics for the permission to use parts of their Glossary (see [1]) 

Readers who would like to suggest better or other explanations to be added to the list, please contact the editor. 

[*: bM ... refers to more comprehensive article previously published in bioplastics MAGAZINE) 

Biobased | The term biobased describes the 

part of a material or product that is stemming 

from → biomass. When making a biobasedclaim, 

the unit (→ biobased carbon content, 

→ biobased mass content), a percentage and 

the measuring method should be clearly stated [1] 

Biobased carbon | carbon contained in or 

stemming from → biomass. A material or 

product made of fossil and → renewable resources 

contains fossil and → biobased carbon. 

The 14 C method [4, 5] measures the amount 

of biobased carbon in the material or product 

as fraction weight (mass) or percent weight 

(mass) of the total organic carbon content [1] [6] 

Biobased mass content | describes the 

amount of biobased mass contained in a material 

or product. This method is complementary 

to the 14 C method, and furthermore, takes 

other chemical elements besides the biobased 

carbon into account, such as oxygen, nitrogen 

and hydrogen. A measuring method is currently 

being developed and tested by the Association 

Chimie du Végétal (ACDV) [1] 

Biodegradable Plastics | Biodegradable Plastics 

are plastics that are completely assimilated 

by the → microorganisms present a defined 

environment as food for their energy. The 

carbon of the plastic must completely be converted 

into CO 2 

during the microbial process. 

The process of biodegradation depends on 

the environmental conditions, which influence 

it (e.g. location, temperature, humidity) and 

on the material or application itself. Consequently, 

the process and its outcome can vary 

considerably. Biodegradability is linked to the 

structure of the polymer chain; it does not depend 

on the origin of the raw materials. 

There is currently no single, overarching 

standard to back up claims about biodegradability. 

As the sole claim of biodegradability 

without any additional specifications is vague, 

it should not be used in communications. If it is 

used, additional surveys/tests (e.g. timeframe 

or environment (soil, sea)) should be added to 

substantiate this claim [1]. 

One standard for example is ISO or in Europe: 

EN 14995 Plastics- Evaluation of compostability 

- Test scheme and specifications 

[bM 02/06, bM 01/07] 

Biomass | Material of biological origin excluding 

material embedded in geological formations 

and material transformed to fossilised 

material. This includes organic material, e.g. 

trees, crops, grasses, tree litter, algae and 

waste of biological origin, e.g. manure [1, 2] 

Blend | Mixture of plastics, polymer alloy of at 

least two microscopically dispersed and molecularly 

distributed base polymers 

Bisphenol-A (BPA) | Monomer used to produce 

different polymers. BPA is said to cause 

health problems, due to the fact that is behaves 

like a hormone. Therefore it is banned 

for use in children’s products in many countries. 

BPI | Biodegradable Products Institute, a notfor-profit 

association. Through their innovative 

compostable label program, BPI educates 

manufacturers, legislators and consumers 

about the importance of scientifically based 

standards for compostable materials which 

biodegrade in large composting facilities. 

Carbon footprint | (CFPs resp. PCFs – Product 

Carbon Footprint): Sum of → greenhouse 

gas emissions and removals in a product system, 

expressed as CO 2 

equivalent, and based 

on a → life cycle assessment. The CO 2 

equivalent 

of a specific amount of a greenhouse gas 

is calculated as the mass of a given greenhouse 

gas multiplied by its → global warmingpotential 

[1, 2] 

Carbon neutral, CO 2 

neutral | Carbon neutral 

describes a product or process that has 

a negligible impact on total atmospheric CO 2 

levels. For example, carbon neutrality means 

that any CO 2 

released when a plant decomposes 

or is burnt is offset by an equal amount 

of CO 2 

absorbed by the plant through photosynthesis 

when it is growing. 

Carbon neutrality can also be achieved 

through buying sufficient carbon credits to 

make up the difference. The latter option is 

not allowed when communicating → LCAs 

or carbon footprints regarding a material or 

product [1, 2]. 

Carbon-neutral claims are tricky as products 

will not in most cases reach carbon neutrality 

if their complete life cycle is taken into consideration 

(including the end-of life). 

If an assessment of a material, however, is 

conducted (cradle to gate), carbon neutrality 

might be a valid claim in a B2B context. In this 

case, the unit assessed in the complete life 

cycle has to be clarified [1] 

Catalyst | substance that enables and accelerates 

a chemical reaction 

Cellophane | Clear film on the basis of → cellulose 

[bM 01/10] 

Cellulose | Cellulose is the principal component 

of cell walls in all higher forms of plant 

life, at varying percentages. It is therefore the 

most common organic compound and also 

the most common polysaccharide (multisugar) 

[11]. C. is a polymeric molecule with 

very high molecular weight (monomer is → 

Glucose), industrial production from wood or 

cotton, to manufacture paper, plastics and fibres 

[bM 01/10] 

Cellulose ester| Cellulose esters occur by the 

esterification of cellulose with organic acids. 

The most important cellulose esters from a 

technical point of view are cellulose acetate 


Basics 

(CA with acetic acid), cellulose propionate (CP 

with propionic acid) and cellulose butyrate 

(CB with butanoic acid). Mixed polymerisates, 

such as cellulose acetate propionate 

(CAP) can also be formed. One of the most 

well-known applications of cellulose aceto 

butyrate (CAB) is the moulded handle on the 

Swiss army knife [11] 

Cellulose acetate CA| → Cellulose ester 

CEN | Comité Européen de Normalisation 

(European organisation for standardization) 

Compost | A soil conditioning material of decomposing 

organic matter which provides nutrients 

and enhances soil structure. 

[bM 06/08, 02/09] 

Compostable Plastics | Plastics that are 

→ biodegradable under ‘composting’ conditions: 

specified humidity, temperature, 

→ microorganisms and timefame. In order 

to make accurate and specific claims about 

compostability, the location (home, → industrial) 

and timeframe need to be specified [1]. 

Several national and international standards 

exist for clearer definitions, for example EN 

14995 Plastics - Evaluation of compostability - 

Test scheme and specifications. [bM 02/06, bM 01/07] 

Composting | A solid waste management 

technique that uses natural process to convert 

organic materials to CO 2 

, water and humus 

through the action of → microorganisms. 

When talking about composting of bioplastics, 

usually → industrial composting in a managed 

composting plant is meant [bM 03/07] 

Compound | plastic mixture from different 

raw materials (polymer and additives) [bM 04/10) 

Copolymer | Plastic composed of different 

monomers. 

Cradle-to-Gate | Describes the system 

boundaries of an environmental →Life Cycle 

Assessment (LCA) which covers all activities 

from the ‘cradle’ (i.e., the extraction of raw 

materials, agricultural activities and forestry) 

up to the factory gate 

Cradle-to-Cradle | (sometimes abbreviated 

as C2C): Is an expression which communicates 

the concept of a closed-cycle economy, 

in which waste is used as raw material 

(‘waste equals food’). Cradle-to-Cradle is not 

a term that is typically used in →LCA studies. 

Cradle-to-Grave | Describes the system 

boundaries of a full →Life Cycle Assessment 

from manufacture (‘cradle’) to use phase and 

disposal phase (‘grave’). 

Crystalline | Plastic with regularly arranged 

molecules in a lattice structure 

Density | Quotient from mass and volume of 

a material, also referred to as specific weight 

DIN | Deutsches Institut für Normung (German 

organisation for standardization) 

DIN-CERTCO | independant certifying organisation 

for the assessment on the conformity 

of bioplastics 

Dispersing | fine distribution of non-miscible 

liquids into a homogeneous, stable mixture 

Elastomers | rigid, but under force flexible 

and elastically formable plastics with rubbery 

properties 

EN 13432 | European standard for the assessment 

of the → compostability of plastic 

packaging products 

Energy recovery | recovery and exploitation 

of the energy potential in (plastic) waste for 

the production of electricity or heat in waste 

incineration pants (waste-to-energy) 

Enzymes | proteins that catalyze chemical 

reactions 

Ethylen | colour- and odourless gas, made 

e.g. from, Naphtha (petroleum) by cracking, 

monomer of the polymer polyethylene (PE) 

European Bioplastics e.V. | The industry association 

representing the interests of Europe’s 

thriving bioplastics’ industry. Founded 

in Germany in 1993 as IBAW, European Bioplastics 

today represents the interests of over 

70 member companies throughout the European 

Union. With members from the agricultural 

feedstock, chemical and plastics industries, 

as well as industrial users and recycling 

companies, European Bioplastics serves as 

both a contact platform and catalyst for advancing 

the aims of the growing bioplastics 

industry. 

Extrusion | process used to create plastic 

profiles (or sheet) of a fixed cross-section 

consisting of mixing, melting, homogenising 

and shaping of the plastic. 

Fermentation | Biochemical reactions controlled 

by → microorganisms or → enyzmes (e.g. 

the transformation of sugar into lactic acid). 

FSC | Forest Stewardship Council. FSC is an 

independent, non-governmental, not-forprofit 

organization established to promote the 

responsible and sustainable management of 

the world’s forests. 

Gelatine | Translucent brittle solid substance, 

colorless or slightly yellow, nearly tasteless 

and odorless, extracted from the collagen inside 

animals‘ connective tissue. 

Genetically modified organism (GMO) | Organisms, 

such as plants and animals, whose 

genetic material (DNA) has been altered 

are called genetically modified organisms 

(GMOs). Food and feed which contain or 

consist of such GMOs, or are produced from 

GMOs, are called genetically modified (GM) 

food or feed [1] 

Global Warming | Global warming is the rise 

in the average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere 

and oceans since the late 19th century 

and its projected continuation [8]. Global 

warming is said to be accelerated by → green 

house gases. 

Glucose | Monosaccharide (or simple sugar). 

G. is the most important carbohydrate (sugar) 

in biology. G. is formed by photosynthesis or 

hydrolyse of many carbohydrates e. g. starch. 

Greenhouse gas GHG | Gaseous constituent 

of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic, 

that absorbs and emits radiation at 

specific wavelengths within the spectrum of 

infrared radiation emitted by the earth’s surface, 

the atmosphere, and clouds [1, 9] 

Greenwashing | The act of misleading consumers 

regarding the environmental practices 

of a company, or the environmental benefits 

of a product or service [1, 10] 

Granulate, granules | small plastic particles 

(3-4 millimetres), a form in which plastic is 

sold and fed into machines, easy to handle 

and dose. 

Humus | In agriculture, ‘humus’ is often used 

simply to mean mature → compost, or natural 

compost extracted from a forest or other 

spontaneous source for use to amend soil. 

Hydrophilic | Property: ‘water-friendly’, soluble 

in water or other polar solvents (e.g. used 

in conjunction with a plastic which is not water 

resistant and weather proof or that absorbs 

water such as Polyamide (PA). 

Hydrophobic | Property: ‘water-resistant’, not 

soluble in water (e.g. a plastic which is water 

resistant and weather proof, or that does not 

absorb any water such as Polyethylene (PE) 

or Polypropylene (PP). 

IBAW | → European Bioplastics 

Industrial composting | Industrial composting 

is an established process with commonly 

agreed upon requirements (e.g. temperature, 

timeframe) for transforming biodegradable 

waste into stable, sanitised products to be 

used in agriculture. The criteria for industrial 

compostability of packaging have been defined 

in the EN 13432. Materials and products 

complying with this standard can be certified 

and subsequently labelled accordingly [1, 7] 

[bM 06/08, bM 02/09] 

Integral Foam | foam with a compact skin and 

porous core and a transition zone in between. 

ISO | International Organization for Standardization 

JBPA | Japan Bioplastics Association 

LCA | Life Cycle Assessment (sometimes also 

referred to as life cycle analysis, ecobalance, 

and → cradle-to-grave analysis) is the investigation 

and valuation of the environmental 

impacts of a given product or service caused. 

[bM 01/09] 

Microorganism | Living organisms of microscopic 

size, such as bacteria, funghi or yeast. 

Molecule | group of at least two atoms held 

together by covalent chemical bonds. 

Monomer | molecules that are linked by polymerization 

to form chains of molecules and 

then plastics 

Mulch film | Foil to cover bottom of farmland 

PBAT | Polybutylene adipate terephthalate, is 

an aliphatic-aromatic copolyester that has the 

properties of conventional polyethylene but is 

fully biodegradable under industrial composting. 

PBAT is made from fossil petroleum with 

first attempts being made to produce it partly 

from renewable resources [bM 06/09] 

PBS | Polybutylene succinate, a 100% biodegradable 

polymer, made from (e.g. bio-BDO) 

and succinic acid, which can also be produced 

biobased [bM 03/12]. 

PC | Polycarbonate, thermoplastic polyester, 

petroleum based, used for e.g. baby bottles 

or CDs. Criticized for its BPA (→ Bisphenol-A) 

content. 

PCL | Polycaprolactone, a synthetic (fossil 

based), biodegradable bioplastic, e.g. used as 

a blend component. 

PE | Polyethylene, thermoplastic polymerised 

from ethylene. Can be made from renewable 

resources (sugar cane via bio-ethanol) 

[bM 05/10] 

PET | Polyethylenterephthalate, transparent 

polyester used for bottles and film 


PGA | Polyglycolic acid or Polyglycolide is a 

biodegradable, thermoplastic polymer and 

the simplest linear, aliphatic polyester. Besides 

ist use in the biomedical field, PGA has 

been introduced as a barrier resin [bM 03/09] 

PHA | Polyhydroxyalkanoates are linear polyesters 

produced in nature by bacterial fermentation 

of sugar or lipids. The most common 

type of PHA is → PHB. 

PHB | Polyhydroxybutyrate (better poly-3-hydroxybutyrate), 

is a polyhydroxyalkanoate 

(PHA), a polymer belonging to the polyesters 

class. PHB is produced by micro-organisms 

apparently in response to conditions of physiological 

stress. The polymer is primarily a 

product of carbon assimilation (from glucose 

or starch) and is employed by micro-organisms 

as a form of energy storage molecule to 

be metabolized when other common energy 

sources are not available. PHB has properties 

similar to those of PP, however it is stiffer and 

more brittle. 

PHBH | Polyhydroxy butyrate hexanoate (better 

poly 3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) 

is a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), 

Like other biopolymers from the family of the 

polyhydroxyalkanoates PHBH is produced by 

microorganisms in the fermentation process, 

where it is accumulated in the microorganism’s 

body for nutrition. The main features of 

PHBH are its excellent biodegradability, combined 

with a high degree of hydrolysis and 

heat stability. [bM 03/09, 01/10, 03/11] 

PLA | Polylactide or Polylactic Acid (PLA), a 

biodegradable, thermoplastic, linear aliphatic 

polyester based on lactic acid, a natural acid, 

is mainly produced by fermentation of sugar 

or starch with the help of micro-organisms. 

Lactic acid comes in two isomer forms, i.e. 

as laevorotatory D(-)lactic acid and as dextrorotary 

L(+)lactic acid. In each case two 

lactic acid molecules form a circular lactide 

molecule which, depending on its composition, 

can be a D-D-lactide, an L-L-lactide 

or a meso-lactide (having one D and one L 

molecule). The chemist makes use of this 

variability. During polymerisation the chemist 

combines the lactides such that the PLA 

plastic obtained has the characteristics that 

he desires. The purity of the infeed material is 

an important factor in successful polymerisation 

and thus for the economic success of the 

process, because so far the cleaning of the 

lactic acid produced by the fermentation has 

been relatively costly [12]. 

Modified PLA types can be produced by the 

use of the right additives or by a combinations 

of L- and D- lactides (stereocomplexing), 

which then have the required rigidity for use 

at higher temperatures [13] [bM 01/09] 

Plastics | Materials with large molecular 

chains of natural or fossil raw materials, produced 

by chemical or biochemical reactions. 

PPC | Polypropylene Carbonate, a bioplastic 

made by copolymerizing CO 2 

with propylene 

oxide (PO) [bM 04/12] 

Renewable Resources | agricultural raw materials, 

which are not used as food or feed, but 

as raw material for industrial products or to 

generate energy 

Saccharins or carbohydrates | Saccharins or 

carbohydrates are name for the sugar-family. 

Saccharins are monomer or polymer sugar 

units. For example, there are known mono-, 

di- and polysaccharose. → glucose is a monosaccarin. 

They are important for the diet and 

produced biology in plants. 

Semi-finished products | plastic in form of 

sheet, film, rods or the like to be further processed 

into finshed products 

Sorbitol | Sugar alcohol, obtained by reduction 

of glucose changing the aldehyde group 

to an additional hydroxyl group. S. is used as 

a plasticiser for bioplastics based on starch. 

Starch | Natural polymer (carbohydrate) 

consisting of → amylose and → amylopectin, 

gained from maize, potatoes, wheat, tapioca 

etc. When glucose is connected to polymerchains 

in definite way the result (product) is 

called starch. Each molecule is based on 300 

-12000-glucose units. Depending on the connection, 

there are two types → amylose and → 

amylopectin known. [bM 05/09] 

Starch derivate | Starch derivates are based 

on the chemical structure of → starch. The 

chemical structure can be changed by introducing 

new functional groups without changing 

the → starch polymer. The product has 

different chemical qualities. Mostly the hydrophilic 

character is not the same. 

Starch-ester | One characteristic of every 

starch-chain is a free hydroxyl group. When 

every hydroxyl group is connect with ethan 

acid one product is starch-ester with different 

chemical properties. 

Starch propionate and starch butyrate | 

Starch propionate and starch butyrate can be 

synthesised by treating the → starch with propane 

or butanic acid. The product structure 

is still based on → starch. Every based → glucose 

fragment is connected with a propionate 

or butyrate ester group. The product is more 

hydrophobic than → starch. 

Sustainable | An attempt to provide the best 

outcomes for the human and natural environments 

both now and into the indefinite future. 

One of the most often cited definitions of sustainability 

is the one created by the Brundtland 

Commission, led by the former Norwegian 

Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. 

The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable 

development as development that ‘meets 

the needs of the present without compromising 

the ability of future generations to meet 

their own needs.’ Sustainability relates to the 

continuity of economic, social, institutional 

and environmental aspects of human society, 

as well as the non-human environment). 

Sustainability | (as defined by European Bioplastics 

e.V.) has three dimensions: economic, 

social and environmental. This has been 

known as “the triple bottom line of sustainability”. 

This means that sustainable development 

involves the simultaneous pursuit of 

economic prosperity, environmental protection 

and social equity. In other words, businesses 

have to expand their responsibility to include 

these environmental and social dimensions. 

Sustainability is about making products useful 

to markets and, at the same time, having societal 

benefits and lower environmental impact 

than the alternatives currently available. It also 

implies a commitment to continuous improvement 

that should result in a further reduction 

of the environmental footprint of today’s products, 

processes and raw materials used. 

Thermoplastics | Plastics which soften or 

melt when heated and solidify when cooled 

(solid at room temperature). 

Thermoplastic Starch | (TPS) → starch that 

was modified (cooked, complexed) to make it 

a plastic resin 

Thermoset | Plastics (resins) which do not 

soften or melt when heated. Examples are 

epoxy resins or unsaturated polyester resins. 

Vinçotte | independant certifying organisation 

for the assessment on the conformity of bioplastics 

WPC | Wood Plastic Composite. Composite 

materials made of wood fiber/flour and plastics 

(mostly polypropylene). 

Yard Waste | Grass clippings, leaves, trimmings, 

garden residue. 

References: 

[1] Environmental Communication Guide, 

European Bioplastics, Berlin, Germany, 

2012 

[2] ISO 14067. Carbon footprint of products - 

Requirements and guidelines for quantification 

and communication 

[3] CEN TR 15932, Plastics - Recommendation 

for terminology and characterisation 

of biopolymers and bioplastics, 2010 

[4] CEN/TS 16137, Plastics - Determination 

of bio-based carbon content, 2011 

[5] ASTM D6866, Standard Test Methods for 

Determining the Biobased Content of 

Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Samples Using 

Radiocarbon Analysis 

[6] SPI: Understanding Biobased Carbon 

Content, 2012 

[7] EN 13432, Requirements for packaging 

recoverable through composting and biodegradation. 

Test scheme and evaluation 

criteria for the final acceptance of packaging, 

2000 

[8] Wikipedia 

[9] ISO 14064 Greenhouse gases -- Part 1: 

Specification with guidance..., 2006 

[10] Terrachoice, 2010, www.terrachoice.com 

[11] Thielen, M.: Bioplastics: Basics. Applications. 

Markets, Polymedia Publisher, 

2012 

[12] Lörcks, J.: Biokunststoffe, Broschüre der 

FNR, 2005 

[13] de Vos, S.: Improving heat-resistance of 

PLA using poly(D-lactide), 

bioplastics MAGAZINE, Vol. 3, Issue 02/2008 

[14] de Wilde, B.: Anaerobic Digestion, bioplastics 

MAGAZINE, Vol 4., Issue 06/2009 


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Inno BioPlast 2013 

24.01.2013 - 26.01.2013 - Bangkok, Thailand 

Queen Sirikit National Convention Center 

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The 2013 Packaging Conference 

04.02.2013 - 06.02.2013 - Atlanta, Georgia, USA 

The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead 

www.thepackagingconference.com 

Special offer 

for students and 

young professionals 

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BIO-raffiniert VII 

20.02.2013 - 01.01.1970 - Oberhausen (Rhld.), Germany 

Fraunhofer UMSICHT 

www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de 

Bioplastics - The Re-Innovation of Plastics 

04.03.2013 - 06.03.2013 - Las Vegas, USA 

Cesar‘s Palace 

www.bioplastix.com 

23. Stuttgarter Kunststoff-Kolloquium 

06.03.2013 - 07.03.2013 - Stuttgart, Germany 

University of Stuttgart 

www.ikt.uni-stuttgart.de 

BioKunststoffe 2013 

06.03.2013 - 07.03.2013 - Duisburg, Germany 

Haus der Unternehmer 

www.hanser-tagungen.de/biokunststoffe 

Green Polymer Chemistry 2013 

19.03.2013 - 21.03.2013 - Dongguan, Guangdong 

Maritim Hotel 

www.amiplastics.com/events/Event.aspx?code=C499&sec=2855 

Chinaplas 2013 – Asia’s Number one plastics and 

rubber trade fair 

20.05.2013 - 23.05.2013 – Guangzhou, China 

www.chinaplasonline.com 

K‘2013 - International Trade Fairs for Plastics and 

Rubber 

16.10.2013 - 23.10.2013 – Düsseldorf, Germany 

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Suppliers Guide 

1. Raw Materials 

10 

20 

30 

40 

Showa Denko Europe GmbH 

Konrad-Zuse-Platz 4 

81829 Munich, Germany 

Tel.: +49 89 93996226 

www.showa-denko.com 

support@sde.de 

www.cereplast.com 

US: 

Tel: +1 310.615.1900 

Fax +1 310.615.9800 

Sales@cereplast.com 

Europe: 

Tel: +49 1763 2131899 

weckey@cereplast.com 

Natur-Tec ® - Northern Technologies 

4201 Woodland Road 

Circle Pines, MN 55014 USA 

Tel. +1 763.225.6600 

Fax +1 763.225.6645 

info@natur-tec.com 

www.natur-tec.com 

50 

60 

70 

80 

90 

100 

Simply contact: 

Tel.: +49 2161 6884467 

suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Stay permanently listed in the 

Suppliers Guide with your company 

logo and contact information. 

For only 6,– EUR per mm, per issue you 

can be present among top suppliers in 

the field of bioplastics. 

For Example: 

DuPont de Nemours International S.A. 

2 chemin du Pavillon 

1218 - Le Grand Saconnex 

Switzerland 

Tel.: +41 22 171 51 11 

Fax: +41 22 580 22 45 

plastics@dupont.com 

www.renewable.dupont.com 

www.plastics.dupont.com 

Kingfa Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd. 

No.33 Kefeng Rd, Sc. City, Guangzhou 

Hi-Tech Ind. Development Zone, 

Guangdong, P.R. China. 510663 

Tel: +86 (0)20 6622 1696 

info@ecopond.com.cn 

www.ecopond.com.cn 

FLEX-162 Biodeg. Blown Film Resin! 

Bio-873 4-Star Inj. Bio-Based Resin! 

PolyOne 

Avenue Melville Wilson, 2 

Zoning de la Fagne 

5330 Assesse 

Belgium 

Tel.: + 32 83 660 211 


110 

120 

130 

140 

150 

160 

170 

180 

39 mm 



41066 Mönchengladbach 

Germany 

Tel. +49 2161 664864 

Fax +49 2161 631045 



Sample Charge: 

39mm x 6,00 € 

= 234,00 € per entry/per issue 

Sample Charge for one year: 

6 issues x 234,00 EUR = 1,404.00 € 

The entry in our Suppliers Guide is 

bookable for one year (6 issues) and 

extends automatically if it’s not canceled 

three month before expiry. 

Jincheng, Lin‘an, Hangzhou, 

Zhejiang 311300, P.R. China 

China contact: Grace Jin 

mobile: 0086 135 7578 9843 

Grace@xinfupharm.com 

Europe contact(Belgium): Susan Zhang 

mobile: 0032 478 991619 

zxh0612@hotmail.com 

www.xinfupharm.com 

1.1 bio based monomers 

FKuR Kunststoff GmbH 

Siemensring 79 

D - 47 877 Willich 

Tel. +49 2154 9251-0 

Tel.: +49 2154 9251-51 

sales@fkur.com 

www.fkur.com 

GRAFE-Group 

Waldecker Straße 21, 

99444 Blankenhain, Germany 

Tel. +49 36459 45 0 

www.grafe.com 

WinGram Industry CO., LTD 

Benson Liu 

Great River(Qin Xin) 

Plastic Manufacturer CO.,LTD 

Mobile (China): +86-18666691720 

Mobile (Hong Kong): +852-63078857 

Fax: +852-3184 8934 

Benson@greatriver.com.hk 

1.3 PLA 

Shenzhen Esun Ind. Co;Ltd 

www.brightcn.net 

www.esun.en.alibaba.com 

bright@brightcn.net 

Tel: +86-755-2603 1978 

1.4 starch-based bioplastics 

190 

200 

210 

220 

230 

PURAC division 

Arkelsedijk 46, P.O. Box 21 

4200 AA Gorinchem - 

The Netherlands 

Tel.: +31 (0)183 695 695 

Fax: +31 (0)183 695 604 

www.purac.com 

PLA@purac.com 

1.2 compounds 

Guangdong Shangjiu 

Biodegradable Plastics Co., Ltd. 

Shangjiu Environmental Protection 

Eco-Tech Industrial Park,Niushan, 

Dongcheng District, Dongguan City, 

Guangdong Province, 523128 China 

Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients 

ZAC „Les Portes de Riom“ - BP 173 

63204 Riom Cedex - France 

Tel. +33 (0)4 73 67 17 00 

Fax +33 (0)4 73 67 17 10 

www.biolice.com 

240 

250 

260 

270 

www.facebook.com 

www.issuu.com 

www.twitter.com 

www.youtube.com 

API S.p.A. 

Via Dante Alighieri, 27 

36065 Mussolente (VI), Italy 

Telephone +39 0424 579711 

www.apiplastic.com 

www.apinatbio.com 

Tel.: 0086-769-22114999 

Fax: 0086-769-22103988 

www.999sw.com www.999sw.net 

999sw@163.com 

BIOTEC 

Biologische Naturverpackungen 

Werner-Heisenberg-Strasse 32 

46446 Emmerich/Germany 

Tel.: +49 - 2822 - 925110 

info@biotec.de 

www.biotec.de 



1.6 masterbatches 

3. Semi finished products 

3.1 films 

ROQUETTE Frères 

62 136 LESTREM, FRANCE 

00 33 (0) 3 21 63 36 00 


www.roquette.com 

GRAFE-Group 



Tel. +49 36459 45 0 

www.grafe.com 

Huhtamaki Films 

Sonja Haug 

Zweibrückenstraße 15-25 

91301 Forchheim 

Tel. +49-9191 81203 

Fax +49-9191 811203 

www.huhtamaki-films.com 

Cortec® Corporation 

4119 White Bear Parkway 

St. Paul, MN 55110 

Tel. +1 800.426.7832 

Fax 651-429-1122 

info@cortecvci.com 

www.cortecvci.com 

Grabio Greentech Corporation 

Tel: +886-3-598-6496 

No. 91, Guangfu N. Rd., Hsinchu 

Industrial Park,Hukou Township, 

Hsinchu County 30351, Taiwan 

sales@grabio.com.tw 

www.grabio.com.tw 

PolyOne 

Avenue Melville Wilson, 2 

Zoning de la Fagne 

5330 Assesse 

Belgium 

Tel.: + 32 83 660 211 


2. Additives/Secondary raw materials 

www.earthfirstpla.com 

www.sidaplax.com 

www.plasticsuppliers.com 

Sidaplax UK : +44 (1) 604 76 66 99 

Sidaplax Belgium: +32 9 210 80 10 

Plastic Suppliers: +1 866 378 4178 

Eco Cortec® 

31 300 Beli Manastir 

Bele Bartoka 29 

Croatia, MB: 1891782 

Tel. +385 31 705 011 

Fax +385 31 705 012 

info@ecocortec.hr 

www.ecocortec.hr 

PSM Bioplastic NA 

Chicago, USA 

www.psmna.com 

+1-630-393-0012 

1.5 PHA 

Division of A&O FilmPAC Ltd 

7 Osier Way, Warrington Road 

GB-Olney/Bucks. 

MK46 5FP 

Tel.: +44 1234 714 477 

Fax: +44 1234 713 221 

sales@aandofilmpac.com 

www.bioresins.eu 

Metabolix 

650 Suffolk Street, Suite 100 

Lowell, MA 01854 USA 

Tel. +1-97 85 13 18 00 

Fax +1-97 85 13 18 86 

www.mirelplastics.com 

TianAn Biopolymer 

No. 68 Dagang 6th Rd, 

Beilun, Ningbo, China, 315800 

Tel. +86-57 48 68 62 50 2 

Fax +86-57 48 68 77 98 0 

enquiry@tianan-enmat.com 

www.tianan-enmat.com 

Arkema Inc. 

Functional Additives-Biostrength 

900 First Avenue 

King of Prussia, PA/USA 19406 

Contact: Connie Lo, 

Commercial Development Mgr. 

Tel: 610.878.6931 

connie.lo@arkema.com 

www.impactmodifiers.com 

GRAFE-Group 



Tel. +49 36459 45 0 

www.grafe.com 

The HallStar Company 

120 S. Riverside Plaza, Ste. 1620 

Chicago, IL 60606, USA 

+1 312 385 4494 

dmarshall@hallstar.com 

www.hallstar.com/hallgreen 

Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH 

Duesseldorfer Strasse 23-27 

68219 Mannheim, Germany 

Phone: +49 (0)621-8907-233 

Fax: +49 (0)621-8907-8233 

bioadimide.eu@rheinchemie.com 

www.bioadimide.com 

Taghleef Industries SpA, Italy 

Via E. Fermi, 46 

33058 San Giorgio di Nogaro (UD) 

Contact Frank Ernst 

Tel. +49 2402 7096989 

Mobile +49 160 4756573 

frank.ernst@ti-films.com 

www.ti-films.com 

3.1.1 cellulose based films 

INNOVIA FILMS LTD 

Wigton 

Cumbria CA7 9BG 

England 

Contact: Andy Sweetman 

Tel. +44 16973 41549 

Fax +44 16973 41452 

andy.sweetman@innoviafilms.com 

www.innoviafilms.com 

4. Bioplastics products 

alesco GmbH & Co. KG 

Schönthaler Str. 55-59 

D-52379 Langerwehe 

Sales Germany: +49 2423 402 

110 

Sales Belgium: +32 9 2260 165 

Sales Netherlands: +31 20 5037 710 

info@alesco.net | www.alesco.net 

Minima Technology Co., Ltd. 

Esmy Huang, Marketing Manager 

No.33. Yichang E. Rd., Taipin City, 

Taichung County 

411, Taiwan (R.O.C.) 

Tel. +886(4)2277 6888 

Fax +883(4)2277 6989 

Mobil +886(0)982-829988 

esmy@minima-tech.com 

Skype esmy325 

www.minima-tech.com 

NOVAMONT S.p.A. 

Via Fauser , 8 

28100 Novara - ITALIA 

Fax +39.0321.699.601 

Tel. +39.0321.699.611 

www.novamont.com 

President Packaging Ind., Corp. 

PLA Paper Hot Cup manufacture 

In Taiwan, www.ppi.com.tw 

Tel.: +886-6-570-4066 ext.5531 

Fax: +886-6-570-4077 

sales@ppi.com.tw 



7. Plant engineering 

10 

20 

30 

40 

50 

60 

Simply contact: 

Tel.: +49 2161 6884467 

suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

WEI MON INDUSTRY CO., LTD. 

2F, No.57, Singjhong Rd., 

Neihu District, 

Taipei City 114, Taiwan, R.O.C. 

Tel. + 886 - 2 - 27953131 

Fax + 886 - 2 - 27919966 

sales@weimon.com.tw 

www.plandpaper.com 

6. Equipment 

6.1 Machinery & Molds 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH 

Holzhauser Strasse 157–159 

D-13509 Berlin 

Tel. +49 30 43 567 5 

Fax +49 30 43 567 699 

sales.de@uhde-inventa-fischer.com 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer AG 

Via Innovativa 31 

CH-7013 Domat/Ems 

Tel. +41 81 632 63 11 

Fax +41 81 632 74 03 

sales.ch@uhde-inventa-fischer.com 

www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com 

UL International TTC GmbH 

Rheinuferstrasse 7-9, Geb. R33 

47829 Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany 

Tel: +49 (0)2151 88 3324 

Fax: +49 (0)2151 88 5210 

ttc@ul.com 

www.ulttc.com 

10. Institutions 

10.1 Associations 

70 

80 

90 

100 

110 

120 

130 

140 

150 

160 

170 

180 

190 

200 

39 mm 

Stay permanently listed in the 

Suppliers Guide with your company 

logo and contact information. 

For only 6,– EUR per mm, per issue you 

can be present among top suppliers in 

the field of bioplastics. 

For Example: 



41066 Mönchengladbach 

Germany 

Tel. +49 2161 664864 

Fax +49 2161 631045 



Sample Charge: 

39mm x 6,00 € 

= 234,00 € per entry/per issue 

Sample Charge for one year: 

6 issues x 234,00 EUR = 1,404.00 € 

The entry in our Suppliers Guide is 

bookable for one year (6 issues) and 

extends automatically if it’s not canceled 

three month before expiry. 

Molds, Change Parts and Turnkey 

Solutions for the PET/Bioplastic 

Container Industry 

284 Pinebush Road 

Cambridge Ontario 

Canada N1T 1Z6 

Tel. +1 519 624 9720 

Fax +1 519 624 9721 

info@hallink.com 

www.hallink.com 

Roll-o-Matic A/S 

Petersmindevej 23 

5000 Odense C, Denmark 

Tel. + 45 66 11 16 18 

Fax + 45 66 14 32 78 

rom@roll-o-matic.com 

www.roll-o-matic.com 

ProTec Polymer Processing GmbH 

Stubenwald-Allee 9 

64625 Bensheim, Deutschland 

Tel. +49 6251 77061 0 

Fax +49 6251 77061 500 

info@sp-protec.com 

www.sp-protec.com 

6.2 Laboratory Equipment 

8. Ancillary equipment 

9. Services 

Osterfelder Str. 3 

46047 Oberhausen 

Tel.: +49 (0)208 8598 1227 

Fax: +49 (0)208 8598 1424 

thomas.wodke@umsicht.fhg.de 

www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de 

Institut für Kunststofftechnik 

Universität Stuttgart 

Böblinger Straße 70 

70199 Stuttgart 

Tel +49 711/685-62814 

Linda.Goebel@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de 

www.ikt.uni-stuttgart.de 

narocon 

Dr. Harald Kaeb 

Tel.: +49 30-28096930 

kaeb@narocon.de 

www.narocon.de 

BPI - The Biodegradable 

Products Institute 

331 West 57th Street, Suite 415 

New York, NY 10019, USA 

Tel. +1-888-274-5646 

info@bpiworld.org 

European Bioplastics e.V. 

Marienstr. 19/20 

10117 Berlin, GermanyTel. +49 30 

284 82 350 

Fax +49 30 284 84 359 

info@european-bioplastics.org 


10.2 Universities 

IfBB – Institute for Bioplastics 

and Biocomposites 

University of Applied Sciences 

and Arts Hanover 

Faculty II – Mechanical and 

Bioprocess Engineering 

Heisterbergallee 12 

30453 Hannover, Germany 

Tel.: +49 5 11 / 92 96 - 22 69 

Fax: +49 5 11 / 92 96 - 99 - 22 69 

lisa.mundzeck@fh-hannover.de 

http://www.ifbb-hannover.de/ 

210 

220 

230 

240 

MODA : Biodegradability Analyzer 

Saida FDS Incorporated 

3-6-6 Sakae-cho, Yaizu, 

Shizuoka, Japan 

Tel : +81-90-6803-4041 

info@saidagroup.jp 

www.saidagroup.jp 

nova-Institut GmbH 

Chemiepark Knapsack 

Industriestrasse 300 

50354 Huerth, Germany 

Tel.: +49(0)2233-48-14 40 

E-Mail: contact@nova-institut.de 

Michigan State University 

Department of Chemical 

Engineering & Materials Science 

Professor Ramani Narayan 

East Lansing MI 48824, USA 

Tel. +1 517 719 7163 

narayan@msu.edu 

250 

260 

www.facebook.com 

www.issuu.com 

www.twitter.com 

Bioplastics Consulting 

Tel. +49 2161 664864 

info@polymediaconsult.com 

270 

www.youtube.com 


Bookstore 

Order now! 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/books 

phone +49 2161 6884463 

e-mail books@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

* plus VAT (where applicable), plus cost for shipping/handling 

details see www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/books 

Michael Thielen 

Bioplastics - Basics. Applications. Markets. 

General conditions, market situation, production, 

structure and properties 

New ‘basics‘ book on bioplastics: The book is intended 

to offer a rapid and uncomplicated introduction into 

the subject of bioplastics, and is aimed at all interested 

readers, in particular those who have not yet had the 

opportunity to dig deeply into the subject, such as 

students, those just joining this industry, and lay readers. 

€ 18.65 or 

US-$ 25.00* 

€ 1,500.00* 

reduced price 

Author: Jan Th. J. Ravenstijn 

The state of the art on Bioplastics 

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non-profit organisations upon request) 

‘The state-of-the-art on Bioplastics 2010‘ 

describes the revolutionary growth of 

bio-based monomers, polymers, and 

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variety for the entire global plastics m 

arket in the first decades of this century... 

€ 169.00* 

Edited by Srikanth Pilla 

Handbook of Bioplastics and 

Biocomposites Engineering Applications 

Engineering Applications 

The intention of this new book (2011), written by 

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explore the extensive applications made with 

bioplastics & biocomposites. The Handbook focuses 

on five main categories of applications packaging; 

civil engineering; biomedical; automotive; general 

engineering. It is structured in six parts and a total of 

19 chapters. A comprehensive index allows the quick 

location of information the reader is looking for. 

€ 279,44* 

€ 279,44* 

Hans-Josef Endres, Andrea Siebert-Raths 

Engineering Biopolymers 

Markets, Manufacturing, Properties 

and Applications 

Hans-Josef Endres, Andrea Siebert-Raths 

Technische Biopolymere 

Rahmenbedingungen, Marktsituation, 

Herstellung, Aufbau und Eigenschaften 

This book is unique in its focus on market-relevant 

bio/renewable materials. It is based on comprehensive 

research projects, during which these 

materials were systematically analyzed and 

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such as proteins, but also for engineering 

materials. The reader will also find valuable 

information regarding micro-structure, 

manufacturing, and processing-, application-, 

and recycling properties of biopolymers 

Rainer Höfer (Editor) 

Sustainable Solutions for Modern Economies 

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€ 99.00* 


Companies in this issue 

Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert 

A&O FilmPAC 51 

Alesco 51 

Amcor Flexibles 26 

API 50 

Arkema 33 21, 51 

BASF 7, 11 

Bayer Material Science 11 

Biotec 7 50 

BMELV 6, 10, 13 

BPI 

Braskem 55 

BVSE 10 

Californians Agains Waste 16 

Cardia Bioplastics 34 

Cardinal Pet Care 32 

Cereplast 50 

Cortec 51 

CSM 6 

Deutsche Umwelthilfe DUH 10 

DIN CERTCO 26 

DSM 11 

DuPont 50 

Eagle Flexible Packaging 32 

Ecocare Natural 34 

Elise 33 

Eneco 32 

European Bioplastics 10, 14 52 

European Commission 10 

European Plastics News 12 

Federal Trade Commission FTC 38 

FKuR 35 2, 50 

FNR 6, 13 

Ford 8 

Four Motors 13 

Fraunhofer UMSICHT 

General Extrusion Technology 45 

Goodyear 8 

Grabio Greentech 51 

Grafe 50 

Greenpeace 10 

Guangdong Shangjiu 50 

Hallink 52 

Hallstar 51 

Huhtamaki Films 18 51 

IBM Corporation 36 

Innovia Films 34 51 

Institut for bioplastics & biocomposites (IfBB) 12, 14 52 

Institut für Kunststofftechnik 

Jouets Petitcollin 15 

Kingfa 50 

Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients 50 

M+N Projecten 32 

McCullagh Coffee 34 

Meredian 7 

Merquinsa 33 

Metabolix 8 51 

Michigan State University 38 52 

Minima Technology 51 

narocon 

NatureWorks 32 

Natur-Tec 50 

Neste Oil 30 

NIA (InnoBioPlast) 9 

Nike 8, 33 

NNFCC 10 

nova-Institut 5, 11 6, 52 

Novamont 51, 56 

OKW Gehäusesysteme 35 

Pistol & Burnes 34 

Plastic Suppliers 32 51 

plasticker 29 

polymediaconsult 

PolyOne 5 50 

Precision Color Graphics 32 

President Packaging 51 

ProTec Polymer Processing 52 

PSM 51 

Purac 6 29, 50 

Reifenhäuser 44 

Rhein Chemie 31, 51 

Roll-o-Matic 52 

Roquette 15, 33 51 

RWE 11 

RWTH Aachen 11 

Saida 

Shenzhen Esun Industrial Co. 50 

Showa Denko 50 

Sidaplax 51 

Smithers-Rapra 8 

Sphere 7 

Steve’s Real Pet Food 32 

Taghleef Industries 51 

TAKATA 12 

Technical University Eindhoven 11 

TianAn Biopolymer 51 

Tuffy’s Pet Food 32 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer 25, 52 

UL Thermoplastics 

University Hamburg 11 

University of Warwick 28 

University of Wolverhampton 28 

Vilac 15 

Virdia 22 

Wei Mon 41, 52 

Wentus Kunststoff 45 

WinGram 50 

WRAP 29 

Xinfu Pharm 50 

Editorial Planner 2013 

Issue Month Publ.-Date 

edit/ad/ 

Deadline 

Editorial Focus (1) Editorial Focus (2) Basics Fair Specials 

01/2013 Jan/Feb 04.02.13 21.12.12 Automotive Foams PTT 

02/2013 Mar/Apr 01.04.13 01.03.13 Rigid Packaging Material 

combinations 

Bio-Refinery 

Chinaplas Preview 

03/2013 May/Jun 03.06.13 03.05.13 Injection moulding PLA Recycling succinic acid Chinaplas Review 

04/2013 Jul/Aug 05.08.13 05.07.13 Bottles / Blow 

Moulding 

Bioplastics in Building 

& Construction 

Land use for bioplastics 

(update) 

05/2013 Sept/Oct 01.10.13 01.09.13 Fiber / Textile / 

Nonwoven 

Designer‘s Requirements 

for Bioplastics 

biobased ( 12 C / 14 C 

vs. Biomass) 

K'2013 Preview 

06/2013 Nov/Dec 02.12.13 02.11.13 Films / Flexibles / 

Bags 

Consumer 

Electronics 

Eutrophication 

(t.b.c) 

K'2013 Review 

Subject to changes 


Follow us on twitter! 

www.twitter.com/bioplasticsmag 

Be our friend on Facebook! 

www.facebook.com/bioplasticsmagazine 


A real sign 

of sustainable 

development. 

There is such a thing as genuinely sustainable 

development. 

Since 1989, Novamont researchers have been working 

on an ambitious project that combines the chemical 

industry, agriculture and the environment: “Living Chemistry 

for Quality of Life”. Its objective has been to create products 

with a low environmental impact. The result of Novamont’s 

innovative research is the new bioplastic Mater-Bi ® . 

Mater-Bi ® is a family of materials, completely biodegradable and compostable 

which contain renewable raw materials such as starch and vegetable oil 

derivates. Mater-Bi ® performs like traditional plastics but it saves energy, 

contributes to reducing the greenhouse effect and at the end of its life cycle, 

it closes the loop by changing into fertile humus. Everyone’s dream has 

become a reality. 

Living Chemistry for Quality of Life. 

www.novamont.com 

Inventor of the year 2007 

Within Mater-Bi ® product range the following certifications are available 

The “OK Compost” certificate guarantees conformity with the NF EN 13432 standard 

(biodegradable and compostable packaging) 

3_2012

bioplasticsMAGAZINE_1206

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