bioplasticsMAGAZINE_1306

ioplastics MAGAZINE Vol. 8 ISSN 1862-5258
Films | Flexibles | Bags | 12
Consumer Electronics | 37
New steps in European Bagislation | 46
November/December
06 | 2013
... is read in 91 countries

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Editorial
dear
readers
A proposal to amend the European Packaging Directive in terms of
(what we call) bagislation caused quite a lot of excitement in early November.
A press release by the European Commission was commented
on by associations such as European Bioplastics, the European Plastic
Converters (EuPC), the German Association of Plastic Packaging (IK)
and others. We ourselves also asked the opinion of some stakeholders
and created a kaleidoscope of opinions and facts. However, the question
of whether the problem of marine littering can be solved with certain
legal measures such as bag bans or taxes — or with certain materials
— could not be answered satisfactorily. At least this is a huge field for
discussion, and I am sure we will hear a lot more about it in the future —
and bioplastics MAGAZINE will report on it.
This bagislation question is certainly one of the topics belonging to
our editorial focus in this issue, where we look at the subject of films,
flexibles, bags.
The second highlight is Bioplastics in consumer electronics. One of
the applications has made it into the shortlist of the Bioplastics Award.
From significantly more proposals than last year, the five judges again
selected five submissions (see page 10 for details). The winner will be
presented on December 10 th at the 8 th European Bioplastics Conference
in Berlin. We are looking forward to meeting one or the other of you
there.
As usual this issue is once again rounded off by lots of industry and
applications news…
We hope you enjoy reading bioplastics MAGAZINE.
Sincerely yours
Michael Thielen
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bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/13] Vol.8 3

Content
Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 - 9
Application News . . . . . . . . . . 34 - 36
Event Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Suppliers Guide . . . . . . . . . . . 58 - 60
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 - 57
Companies in this issue . . . . . . . . 62
K’2013 Review . . . . . . . . . . . .28 - 41
06|2013
November/December
Award
Bioplastics Award 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Films | Flexibles | Bags
Compostable packaging nets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Strong and compostable plastic bag alternatives . . . . . . . . .16
New transparent films for mulch and food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Infrared transparent colors for mulch films . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Bags in industrial composting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
New heat-resistant PLA blends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
New PLA copolymers for packaging films . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Consumer Electronics
Linseed epoxides for electronic circuit boards. . . . . . . . . . . .37
Bioplastics for high-end consumer electronics . . . . . . . . . . .38
PHA for electronic applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Bio-Based PPA for Smart Mobile Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
From Science & Research
Biocomposites research for packaging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Politics
New steps in European Bagislation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Imprint
Publisher / Editorial
Dr. Michael Thielen (MT)
Samuel Brangenberg (SB)
Layout/Production
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
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84069 Schierling/Opf., Germany
Print run: 3,500 copies
bioplastics MAGAZINE
ISSN 1862-5258
bM is published 6 times a year.
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subscribers (149 Euro for 6 issues).
bioplastics MAGAZINE is printed on
chlorine-free FSC certified paper.
bioplastics MAGAZINE is read in 91 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.
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(Cover and photo page 47)
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News
Biobased PEF
for thermoforming
forming and printing equipment, and the sole company
producing the entire range from sheet extrusion, to
thermoforming, to coating and printing of thermoformed
products. The Swiss company from Fribourg and Avantium
(Amsterdam, The Netherlands) recently announced their
agreement to collaborate on thermoformed products
from 100% biobased PEF. This collaboration will be
complementary to collaborations Avantium has in place with
The Coca-Cola Company, Danone and ALPLA. Both parties
are excited about the market opportunity of PEF in the
novel application area of thermoforming of cups, containers
and trays, which are used today for the packaging of food
products like meats, nuts, or dairy products like cheese and
yoghurt.
The YXY technology for the production of PEF (polyethylene
furanoate) is running in Avantium’s pilot plant in Geleen,
and converts plant based feedstock into chemical building
blocks. PEF is a next generation plastic. It has superior
properties over existing materials, it can be produced cost
competitively and is 100% biobased, resulting in a more
than 50% reduction in carbon footprint and non-renewable
energy usage.
“Thermoforming is an excellent application for PEF
plastics”, commented Gert-Jan Gruter, Avantium CTO.
“Since PEF has superior barrier, thermal and mechanical
properties over PET, it offers exciting new growth
opportunities. Due to its ten times higher oxygen barrier,
PEF could extend the shelf life of perishable goods like
meats or cheeses. The higher thermal stability of PEF
compared to PET could enable packaging opportunities for
microwaveable products.” Tom van Aken, CEO at Avantium,
adds: “Thermoforming can be a potential outlet for recycled
PEF, providing an additional end-of-life solution for our PEF
bottles. MT
www.polytype.com
www.avantium.com
Jean-Marc Chassagne (Evonik), Carmen Michels (FKuR)
FKuR now offering
Evonik’s bio-polyamides
Evonik Industries AG, High Performance Polymers
Business Line (Marl, Germany), and FKuR Kunststoff GmbH
(Willich,Germany) announced their distribution agreement
for VESTAMID ® Terra during K’2013 in Düsseldorf. With
immediate effect FKuR will market, sell and distribute
Evonik’s full line of biobased polyamides Vestamid Terra
products worldwide.
“We value our partnership with FKuR, a specialist in the
field of bioplastics promotion. We are excited to share our
experiences and, combined, strengthen our expertise” said
Jean-Marc Chassagne, Director Biopolymers - Resource
Efficiency, High Performance Polymers, Evonik.
For Edmund Dolfen, CEO of FKuR, the new distribution
agreement is a consistent implementation of FKuRs
philosophy ‘Plastics - made by nature’. “As The Bioplastic
Specialist we offer innovative solutions for all processing
methods and applications for our customers’ product of
choice. With Vestamid Terra we have extended our range of
products by a high-tech engineering plastic. Thus we enable
our customers to open up new areas of applications with
biobased plastics”, stated Dolfen.
Vestamid Terra polymers are partially or entirely based
on renewable feedstock. The raw materials are the castor
bean and its oil derivates, which are synthesized into
monomers that form the basis of the Vestamid Terra product
range. There are currently three products within this new
group of polyamides available: Vestamid Terra HS (PA610),
DS (PA1010) and DD (PA1012)
Thanks to their excellent chemical resistance, low water
absorption, and good dimensional stability, Vestamid Terra
polyamides are suitable for a large number of applications
and processing techniques. This makes them unique in the
field of biopolymers, as the Vestamid Terra line enables
durable products providing high performance with the added
benefit of a reduced ecological impact. MT
www.evonik.com
www.fkur.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 5

News
Bioplastic Feedstock
Alliance
Eight of the world’s leading consumer brand
companies and conservation group World Wildlife
Fund (WWF) announced in mid November the
formation of the Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance
(BFA) to support the responsible development of
plastics made from plant material, helping build
a more sustainable future for the bioplastics
industry. These are The Coca-Cola Company,
Danone, Ford, H.J. Heinz Company, Nestle, Nike,
Inc., Procter & Gamble and Unilever.
The primary focus of BFA will be on guiding
the responsible selection and harvesting of
feedstocks—such as sugar cane, corn, bulrush,
and switchgrass—used to make plastics from
agricultural materials. As the development of
these renewable materials has grown, so has the
opportunity to address their potential impacts
on land use, food security, and biodiversity. BFA
intends to bring together leading experts from
industry, academia and civil society to develop
and support informed science, collaboration,
education, and innovation to help guide the
evaluation and sustainable development of
bioplastic feedstocks.
Consumers across the world increasingly are
looking for more sustainable products, including
those made from plant-based plastics. With
increasing market demand for food and fiber
in the coming decades, responsible sourcing
of these materials is the key to enabling
sustainable growth.
“This alliance will go a long way in ensuring
the responsible management of natural
resources used to meet the growing demand
for bioplastics,” said Erin Simon, of WWF.
“Ensuring that our crops are used responsibly to
create bioplastics is a critical conservation goal,
especially as the global population is expected
to grow rapidly through 2050.”
The Alliance’s eight founding companies,
along with WWF, are supported by academic
experts; supply chain partners; suppliers; and
technology development companies, all of whom
are focusing on a variety of issues, challenges,
and possible tools within the growing bioplastic
industry.
www.bioplasticfeedstockalliance.org
Latest generation
of Mater-Bi
Novamont (Novara, Italy) recently presented its products from the
3 rd and 4 th generation of Mater-Bi ® , the family of biodegradable and
compostable bioplastics designed to resolve specific environmental
problems, but also to offer opportunities for reindustrialisation through
the creation of integrated Biorefineries. In this way it is possible to
manufacture bioplastics capable of optimising the use of resources
and minimising environmental risks associated with end-of-life, while
also complying with the following requirements:
a percentage of renewable carbon ( 12 C/ 14 C) over the 50% threshold;
cradle-to-grave greenhouse emissions significantly lower than
those of traditional plastics;
recyclability in accordance with the standards of national recycling
consortiums;
compliance with certain standards for marine biodegradation;
biodegradability in composting in accordance with the EN 13432
standard;
sustainable biomass used in production.
The new generation of materials, that integrate the two consolidated
technologies of complexed starches and polyesters from oils with
two new technologies, can be used in a wide range of applications,
including flexible and rigid films, coatings, printing, extrusion and
thermoforming. It contains an even higher proportion of renewable raw
materials than before, leading to an even lower level of greenhouse
gas emissions and dependence on fossil feedstock.
The industrialisation of the two new highly innovative technologies
will make it possible to produce two monomers from renewable
sources. The first is from the vegetable oil production chain, obtained
using a world leading technology which transforms oils into azelaic
acid and other acids through a chemical process (in the advanced
stage of development by Matrìca). The other comes from the sugars
transformed through fermentation into 1.4 BDO, using Genomatica
technology.
Novamont had presented the roadmap for future generations of
Mater-Bi products at the European Bioplastics Conference held in
Berlin in 2009; the objectives set then have been rigorously pursued
thanks to the creation of a system of strategic alliances, with
investments in the order of 300 million euro.
“The creation of the third and fourth generations of our bioplastics
marks an important milestone in the strategy for developing the
Novamont model of the integrated biorefinery, based on connected
proprietary technologies applied to declining industrial sites. In
Europe these sites can become catalysts for the regeneration of areas
which are currently facing serious difficulties, as part of a regional
development model with local roots and a global vision, encouraging
entrepreneurship and teaching the efficient use of resources through
a real school in this field,” said Alessandro Ferlito, Novamont’s
Commercial Director. MT
www.novamont.com
6 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

News
Meredian announces
full production
capabilities
Meredian, Inc. (Bainbridge, Georgia, USA), a
privately held manufacturer of fully renewably sourced
and completely biodegradable PHAs, with a range
of Fortune 500 clients anticipating their products,
expects to be operating at full capacity by the second
quarter of 2014.
“Our team has worked tirelessly to design, install
and deliver developmental quantities of PHA from our
pilot facility for client selected high value applications.
Today, we have committed to providing yet another four
million lbs. (1,814 tonnes) in the near term to complete
these joint development activities while enabling the
launch of multiple commercial applications in mid-
2014” said S. Blake Lindsey, President, Meredian. “This
timing aligns perfectly as we come on line with the
Bainbridge facility and optimize our PHA production
systems”.
Meredian’s next steps include preparing the
Bainbridge plant for full production for their clients,
as well as continuing to educate consumers regarding
this innovative technology. “It is especially gratifying to
note our ability to offer highly functional cost effective
biodegradable alternatives to petro based plastics,”
explained Paul Pereira, Executive Chairman of the
Board, Meredian.
“Having the largest PHA production facility in the
world, Meredian will produce over 30,000 tonnes of
PHA per year at the Bainbridge facility. We recognize
that growth is required for bioplastic materials.
Engineering plans are now completed for right sized
Meredian facilities to be placed globally to best serve
our customers. The company expects multiple projects
to be underway simultaneously in order to meet the
demand of our customers,” states Michael Smith, VP
Manufacturing & Engineering, Meredian. MT
www.meredianpha.com
Green revolution in the
polyester chain
M&G Chemicals, headquartered in Luxemburg, announced
in late November its decision to construct a second-generation
bio-refinery in the region of Fuyang, Anhui Province of China
for the conversion of one million tonnes of biomass into bioethanol
and bio-glycols.
The project is expected to be realized through a joint-venture
with Chinese company Guozhen which will make available one
million tonnes of straw biomass and use the lignin resulting as
a by-product from the bio-refinery to feed a 45 MW cogeneration
plant which will be constructed at the same time as the biorefinery
in the same site. M&G Chemicals will be majority
partner of the bio-refinery and minority partner of the power
plant.
The bio-refinery will employ PROESA technology licensed
from Beta Renewables, a joint venture between Biochemtex
(a company belonging to the Mossi Ghisolfi Group), US private
equity fund TPG and Danish enzyme producer Novozymes.
The second-generation bio-refinery will be approximately
four times the size (measured by volume of biomass processed)
of that built by Beta Renewables in Crescentino, Italy, which was
recently inaugurated.
The plant, which is expected to require capital expenditures
of approximately half a billion US dollars, is expected to be
brought on stream in mid 2015.
Necessary enzymes will be supplied by Novozymes, one of
the world’s largest enzymes producers and one of the partners
in the Beta Renewables joint venture, which owns the rights of
the Proesa technology.
“This is the first act of a green revolution that M&G Chemicals
is bringing to the polyester chain to provide environmental
sustainability to both PET beverage packaging and polyester
textile” said Mr. Marco Ghisolfi, CEO of M&G Chemicals. “The
timing and scope of our green polyester revolution and our
manufacturing entry in China from the green PET raw materials
avenue is even more relevant considering The Coca-Cola
Company has announced plans to use PlantBottle packaging,
which is partially made from plants, for all of their PET plastic
bottles across the globe by 2020.”, Marco Ghisolfi added.
“The second-generation bio-refinery and power cogeneration
project is the core part of the Biomass Utilization Park that
Guozhen plans to build in Fuyang City. Fuyang is rich in biomass
resources; Guozhen is experienced in biomass collections
and logistics; and M&G Chemicals owns the proven cuttingedge
technology. Our cooperation will open a new era of
biomass utilization and provide an effective solution for the full
exploitation of biomass to tackle Chinese energy demand and
environmental issues,” said Mr. Li Wei, Chairman of Guozhen
Group.
www.mg-chemicals.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 7

People News
(Source: iStock; pepj)
FTC cracks down
on misleading claims
Actions challenge deceptive biodegradable
claims for both plastics and paper
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of the United States of America
recently announced six enforcement actions, addressing biodegradable
claims for both plastics and paper products, as part
of the agency’s ongoing crackdown on false and misleading environmental
claims.
The plastic cases include complaints against both an additive supplier
(ECM BioFilms) and and four customers using biodegradable additives.
The four converters agreed to proposed consent orders agreeing to stop
making unsupported claims that their products were biodegradable.
Additionally, the FTC reached a consent order with AJM Paper, which
made unsupported biodegradable and compostable on their line of
paper bags and paper plates. The company was fined $450,000 as this
is the second time the FTC found their claims wanting.
All of these cases are part of the FTC’s program to ensure compliance
with the agency’s recently revised Green Guides (cf. bM 06/2012). The
Commission publishes the Guides to help businesses market their
products accurately, providing guidance as to what constitutes deceptive
and non-deceptive environmental claims.
“It’s no secret that consumers want products that are environmentally
friendly, and that companies are trying to meet that need,” said Jessica
Rich, Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer
Protection. “But companies that don’t have evidence to support the
environmental claims they make about their products erode consumer
confidence and undermine those companies that are playing by the
rules.”
ECM Biofilms, Inc. is based in Ohio and markets its additives (which
allegedly make plastic products biodegradable) under the trade name
MasterBatch Pellets. It advertises its additives on its website and
through marketing materials. According to the complaint, ECM also
issues its own “Certificates of Biodegradability of Plastic Products,”
which ECM allegedly uses to convince its customers and end-use
consumers that its additive makes plastic products biodegradable.
ECM allegedly claimed, for example, that “plastic products made with
(its) additives will break down in approximately nine months to five years
in nearly all landfills or wherever else they may end up.” The complaint
alleges, among other things, that ECM has no substantiation to support
its claims that its additive makes plastic biodegradable.
8 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

News
Only claim biodegradability if
you can substantiate the claim,
ideally through a certification
body and according to ASTM
D6400 or EN 13432.
The Commission complaint charges ECM with violating
the FTC Act by misrepresenting four claims. The FTC’s
complaints against the following companies charge them
with misrepresenting that plastics treated with additives are
biodegradable, biodegradable in a landfill, biodegradable in a
certain timeframe, or shown to be biodegradable in a landfill
or that various scientific tests prove their biodegradability
claims. The FTC also alleges that the companies lacked
reliable scientific tests to back up these claims.
American Plastic Manufacturing is based in Seattle,
Washington, and was an ECM customer until at least
December 2012. The FTC alleges that APM advertised its
plastic shopping bags on its website as biodegradable, and
sold them to distributors nationwide. APM’s marketing
materials claimed that its products were biodegradable
based on the use of the additives sold by ECM.
CHAMP, located in Marlborough, Massachusetts, also
was an ECM customer, and advertised on its website that its
plastic golf tees were biodegradable. CHAMP sold the tees
both online and in brick and mortar stores throughout the
United States. The company’s marketing materials claimed
that the ECM additive made its products biodegradable.
Clear Choice Housewares, Inc. based in Leominster,
Massachusetts, was a customer of an additive manufacturer
called Bio-Tec Environmental. Clear Choice sold what it
claims are biodegradable, reusable plastic food storage
containers on its website, as well as in retail stores all over
the US. Clear Choice’s marketing materials claimed its
products were biodegradable based on the application of a
Bio-Tec product called Eco Pure. The FTC alleges that Clear
Choice made false and unsubstantiated claims that Eco Pure
made its products “quickly biodegradable in landfills”.
Carnie Cap, Inc., based in East Moline, Illinois, incorporated
Eco-One, an additive manufactured and marketed by
Ecologic, into its plastic rebar cap covers. Carnie Cap
advertised the caps on its website and sold them through
various distributors throughout the United States. It claimed,
with no qualification, that the Eco-One product makes it
plastic rebar cap covers “100 % biodegradable”.
The proposed consent orders settling the FTC’s
complaints are essentially the same. They prohibit the four
companies from making biodegradability claims unless the
representations are true and supported by competent and
reliable scientific evidence. Consistent with the FTC Green
Guides, the companies must have evidence that the entire
plastic product will completely decompose into elements
found in nature within one year after customary disposal (…)
before making any unqualified biodegradable claim.
For qualified claims, the companies must state the time
required for complete biodegradation in a landfill or the time
to degrade in a disposal environment near where consumers
who buy the product live. Alternatively, the companies may
state the rate and extent of degradation in a landfill or other
disposal facility accompanied by an additional disclosure that
the stated rate and extent do not mean that the product will
continue to decompose.
The proposed consent orders also make it clear that
ASTM D5511 (a test standard commonly used in the additive
industry) cannot substantiate unqualified biodegradable
claims or claims beyond the results and parameters of
the test, and that any testing protocol used to substantiate
degradable claims must simulate the conditions found in the
stated disposal environment.
The complaint against AJM marks the 2 nd time in 5 years
that the FTC has found that unqualified “biodegradable
claims for paper products were misleading”. Manufacturers
of paper products will need scientific support for these
claims, in the same way as plastic manufacturers.
www.ftc.gov
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 9

People Award
2013
Supla and Kuender (Taiwan)
Kuender & Co., Ltd. and SUPLA
Material Technology Co. Ltd. together
bring bioplastics into durable
applications.
Kuender presents an AIO (All-In-
One) PC with 21.5” touch screen, and
a naked-eye 3D media player, by using
SUPLA’s new grade of durable PLA
blend in their housings. This is the first
time that PLA has been used for mass
production of consumer electronics
and implies that PLA can replace oilbased
plastics such as HIPS and ABS,
and alleviate our dependency on fossil
fuels.
Facing the challenge of demanding
physical properties of the material and
the stability of dimensions, SUPLA
started the first step by choosing PLA
homopolymers from Corbion/Purac’s
lactide monomers, which are GMO free
and have better potential in physical
properties to rival their oil-based
counterparts. SUPLA then balanced
the properties of the resulting blend to
the heat resistance, flame retardant,
toughness and dimensional stability
with fast cycle time during injection.
Under a close partnership with
SUPLA, Kuender was able to master
the technology for injection of PLA
blends. The resulting new front and
back covers of the AIO PC passed
the test standards originally used
for ABS. Kuender launched this new
project to provide brand customers
with a greener solution by choosing
a biobased material in addition to
Kuender’s green display technology,
OGS (One Glass Solution for touch
panel) design and sustainable
materials. (More details can be found
on page 38 in this issue of bioplastics
MAGAZINE)
www.kuender.com
www.supla.com.tw
Helmut Lingemann
(Germany)
Helmut Lingemann GmbH & Co.KG
have been involved for more than 30
years as an innovative market leader
in the sector insulation glass spacers.
The new spacer system NIROTEC
EVO is applied in windows and facades
with a high level of insulation to reduce
the energy losses by using double and
triple glazing.
The technological requirements
are high strength and structural
reinforcement (e.g. tensile modulus),
low thermal conductivity, no fogging
when used in insulating glass, no
incompatibility with other components
in the insulation of windows and
facades. In combination with the
target of reducing the use of fossil
fuels this can only be achieved by
using a biopolymer. Together with
Tecnaro, a tailor-made blend of
different biopolymers based on PLA,
biopolyester and further additives
were developed, which met the
requirements 100%.
Until now about 2 million metres of
NIROTEC EVO have been processed
into insulating glass units. The
biopolymer ratio is approximately
40 tonnes. If NIROTEC EVO were
used for the total annual production
of insulating glass units in Europe,
about 18,000 tonnes of this bioplastic
material could be applied.
The material selection of stainless
steel foil and this bioplastic material
for the manufacture of such spacers
is unique. The applicability and
thermal characteristics of the
material combination for the spacer
NIROTEC EVO represents a milestone
in innovation for the insulating glass
industry.
www.helima.de/1
10 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

Award
Qmilk (Germany)
Every year globally more than 100
million tonnes of milk, which is no
longer marketable and subject to
legislation, should not be used as food,
but is scrapped
Qmilch Deutschland GmbH is the
owner of a unique technology for the
production of textile fibres made from
the milk protein casein coming from
dairy waste and 100% solely natural
and renewable resources in an efficient
and ecological manufacturing process.
The textile fibres can be used for
apparel applications, home textiles,
industrial applications, medical and
automotive equipment. Qmilk is
working to further develop the unique
biopolymer for excellent product
quality and outstanding products in
the field of man-made fibres.
The advantage of the new
manufacturing process is the ability to
produce a biopolymer comprising 100%
natural and renewable raw materials.
To produce 1 kg a maximum of 2 litres
of water are needed. Qmilk is a crosslinked,
thermoset material. The crosslinking
of the molecules makes the
material (including the fibres) water
resistant, as opposed to approaches in
the past when chemicals had be added
to achieve water resistant caseinbased
fibres.
In addition to the manufacturing of
the fibres (a 1,000 tonnes per annum
plant is being installed right now)
Qmilk is also setting up a decentralised
system for collection of the waste
milk and pre-processing into casein.
(More details can be found in bM issue
05/2013)
www.en.qmilk.eu
Natural Plastics
(The Netherlands)
We plant trees for CO 2
reduction.
But to plant trees we need wooden
tree stakes. For this we sacrifice a tree
that is 10 to 15 years old! Everyone is
familiar with the streetscape: initially
everything looks tidy and stands up
straight, but after a few years the tree
and tree stakes are poorly cared for.
All that we are left with is a ‘lazy’ tree
supported by two dead or dying trees. A
sad, but above all, unnecessary image!
The Eco Keeper is a patented
product that is the most important
part of Natural Plastics’ underground
tree anchoring system. Eco Keeper
anchors the tree robustly, easily and
sustainably. No supporting tree stakes
are necessary.
The system comprises the following
elements (made from either PLA or
Cradonyl, a bioplastic material from
Biome):
Eco-Keeper (anchors)
NatuRope, a rope/cable made from
PLA. The quality, strength and
usage are similar to rope made of
polypropylene and nylon.
NatuDrain, a venting and watering
drain (perforated flexible hose)
which supports trees in their growth.
Natusheet, for watering purposes,
root guidance and protection.
Driver and pre-driver (metal, to be
re-used as tool)
In Northern Europe (Scandinava,
France, Germany, Netherlands and
Belgium), each year 10 million trees
are planted with stakes. If these trees
were planted with Eco Keeper this
would save 70 million Euros and a lot
of CO 2
by not using traditional plastics
for ropes, drains etc.
Pharmafilter (The Netherlands)
Pharmafilter offers a complete new
waste management system for care
centers (hospitals, nursing homes,
etc.). It is a revolutionary system where
a hospital’s waste water stream is
purified (removal of hormone disturbing
substances, medication rests, blood,
urine, food rests, other organic waste
and bioplastics) in an anaerobic digester
functioning at the hospital’s premises.
The bioplastic components include
bedpans (Metabolix PHA) and urine
bottles (Kaneka PHBH) with more than
200 applications under development,
such as dinner plates, cutlery, blood
bags, medication packaging and much
more). (More details can be found in
bM issue 04/2011)
The liquid product is clean water,
which can be discharged to the sewer
or used for toilet flushing or watering
the garden. This reduces the waste
water charges / costs by 99.9%.
The gaseous product is methanerich,
which is used on-site for energy.
One tonne of bio-waste can generate
120 m3 of biogas, which results in 200
- 250 kWh of electricity.
The solid digestate is part of the
solid waste stream from the hospital.
However, this solid waste stream has
been reduced significantly, therefore
delivering a vast reduction in road
movements of waste trucks and
costs for removal, transportation and
processing.
Currently there are two Dutch
hospitals running with the
Pharmafilter waste management
system. Today Pharmafilter has 10
more projects for similar systems
with hospitals in Belgium, Denmark,
Germany, Holland, Ireland, Sweden
and the United Kingdom.
www.naturalplastics.nl/en
www.pharmafilter.nl
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 11

People Films | Flexibles | Bags
Compostable
packaging nets
Acknowledgements:
The work received funding
of CIP Eco-innovation
program of European
Community
www.aimplas.es
www.ows.be
By
Chelo Escrig-Rondán
Head of Extrusion, AIMPLAS
Paterna, Spain
Steven Verstichel
Head of BCE, OWS
Gent, Belgium
orldwide polyethylene nets are abundantly used for packaging
organic products, such as potatoes, onions, green
beans, garlic, shellfish, etc. However, the disposal of these
nets causes problems to household waste treatment due their low
apparent density and high strength (i.e. material is difficult to be cut
and the nets may get entangled and collapse treatment machines).
The ECOBIONET project tackles this end of life treatment problem
by the development of compostable nets. The project aims to promote
the industrialization of the process and technology of obtaining
different types of biodegradable and compostable nets, obtained
through the Extrusion Melt Spinning (EMS) process for the packaging
of agricultural and shellfish products.
The different types of nets collect most of the variations that are
present in the market:
Oriented nets which retain their original shape with the product
inside: for garlic and shellfish products, for example)
Non-oriented nets for citrus fruits, potatoes and a large variety of
fruit and vegetables
Combined nets designed to see the product and to let it breathe,
but prevent waste and dust from falling out of the packaging.
These nets have progressed from a biodegradable composite
developed in a previous EU project (PICUS) to obtain non oriented
nets.
The innovations to be achieved throughout the development of the
project were the following:
Optimize an adequate biodegradable material for the manufacture
of net packaging.
Expansion of the use of biodegradable materials to oriented nets.
Maintain the packaging weight, taking into account that the density
of the biodegradable materials is 30% higher than polyolefins,
while maintaining the mechanical resistance properties that the
current nets have.
The partners involved were research centre Aimplas, compostability
testing lab OWS and producers Meseguer, Ecoplas and Tecnaro.
New bio-compound developed for oriented nets
In the ECOBIONET project two new grades of biodegradable
materials (BM) were developed from commercial compostable
12 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

From Science & Research
Figure1. Nets obtained for both applications.
materials. The applied modifications
have provided changes in rheological
and mechanical properties that permit to
achieve the desired characteristics.
The key in this type of modifications is to
define the best melt compounding system
to achieve a homogeneous compound,
taking into account rheological behavior
of each biodegradable material and
components, the compatibility between
them, the melting temperature and
processing. The equipment selected was
a co-rotating extruder machine due to its
modularity. During the project, the best
screw configuration, defining the length
and position of the transport and mixing
(dispersive and distributive) elements and
the feeding port for each component was
defined.
The compounds developed show the
following properties in comparison with
the target materials and the commercial
biodegradable materials available in the
market (Table 1).
Industrial validation of the nets
The BM developed has been processed in
conventional equipment to obtain oriented
nets for two applications: oriented nets for
shellfish products and nets for garlic (Fig. 1).
Finally, the nets obtained were validated
taking into account the useful life of
products, mussels and garlic during 16
and 20 days, respectively. After that the
nets were characterized before and after
the validation for comparative purposes.
After the tested days, both nets showed
good appearance and the changes are still
acceptable (Table 2).
Table1. Properties of the materials tested for nets manufacturing.
MFR g/10 min
(190°C , 2.16 kg)
Maximum Tensile
stress (MPa)
Maximu, tensile
Strain (%)
Target material 0.2 - 1
10 - 25 400 - 600
Commercial
BMs
ECOBIONET
BM
> 1.5 35 - 60 5 - 10
≈ 0.7 (*) 30 - 40 300 - 400
MFR determined according to EN-ISO 1133-1.
Mechanical properties according to EN-ISO 527-3
(test specimen type 5, 50 mm/min)
(*): MFR measured at process temperature, 150 ºC.
Table2. Mechanical properties of the nets obtained.
Type of nets Tested nets Net
weight
(g/m)
Shellfish nets
(5 ± 2) °C
Oriented nets
stored to:
(23 ± 2) °C
(50 ± 10) % RH
Maximum
Tensile
stress(N)
Elongation
at break
(%)
Reference material 7,29 33,0 (1,5) 180 (12)
BM before validation
34,6 (0,7) 52 (3)
7,06
BM after validation 31,8 (2,4) 46 (10)
Reference material 11.6 15,1 (0.4) 150 (10)
BM before validation
17,0 (0.8) 340 (21)
12.2
BM after validation 20,1 (1,4) 250 (17)
Mechanical properties according to EN-ISO 527-3
(test specimen type 5, 50 mm/min)
In bracket the standard deviation (s).
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 13

Films | Flexibles | Bags
Figure 2: Evolution of
biodegradation of New BM
developed compound under
controlled composting
conditions (ISO 14855).
Biodegradation (%)
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
30
20
0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Time (Days)
Industrial compostability of nets (EN 13432)
Figure 3: Evolution of disintegration
of Ecobionet net during composting
(ISO 16929).
1 week composting
2 week composting
The European standard 13432 stipulates 4 requirements that all need to be fulfilled in
order to call a packaging product compostable under industrial processes:
1) Chemical composition (volatile solids content, heavy metals and fluorine)
2) Biodegradation
3) Disintegration
4) Compost quality, including plant toxicity testing
The ECOBIONET nets demonstrated to fulfill these criteria. The requirements on
chemical composition were easily reached with a volatile solids content of more than
95% on total solids and heavy metals and fluorine concentration well below the stipulated
limit levels.
Biodegradation, which is the breakdown of the organic compound by micro-organisms
to carbon dioxide, water, and mineral salts and biomass, is often the most difficult hurdle
to pass. The developed compounds showed complete biodegradation under controlled
composting conditions (ISO 14855) with a relative biodegradation, with cellulose as the
suitable reference substrate, above 90% within the prescribed maximum duration of 180
days. Figure 2 shows the evaluation in biodegradation of new BM developed compound.
During composting a material must physically fall apart into fragments in order to
not visually disturb the compost outlook. The disintegration is strongly influenced by
the thickness. The nets developed showed a thread thickness around 0.3 mm and did
easily pass the 90% disintegration requirement in a 12 weeks pilot-scale composting test
according to ISO 16929. Figure 3 gives an example of the disintegration rate of one of the
developed nets. Already after 4 weeks of composting the nets were almost completely
disappeared. The disintegration proceeded and no test material could be retrieved at
the end of the composting process. Moreover also no negative effect on the composting
process and on compost quality, including plant toxicity was observed for the developed
compound.
Based on these results several
net types were certified according
to EN 13432 and are allowed to
bear the seedling logo, which is the
registered trademark of European
Bioplastics.
4 week composting
At start
14 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

People Films | Flexibles | Bags
Strong and compostable
plastic bag alternatives
As global demand for compostable and biodegradable
bags grows, by some estimates as much as 15% over
the next five years, a range of compostable bag options
are being developed to address all desired performance
profiles for compostable materials. One important formulation
is biodegradable shopping bags that can also be repurposed
and reused as compostable kitchen food waste bags.
These bags are suitable as drop-in replacements for traditional
polyethylene or polypropylene grocery bags.
Even as global demand increases for compostable bag
alternatives for traditional polyethylene and polypropylene
single-use bags, finding the balance between compostability
and in-use performance remains a challenge. While the
biodegradation profile of the material is an important
consideration, if the bags cannot perform comparably
to a traditional bag, it doesn’t present a viable option for
manufacturers nor consumers. In addition
to performing as well as a traditional bag,
a compostable bag must also provide
excellent barrier properties and odor
control for its second use collecting food
waste.
Metabolix, Cambridge, Massachusetts,
USA recently developed two
compostable resins for films and
bags that combine compostability
with processability and a robust
performance profile. These
two certified compostable
resins are Mvera B5010 and
Mvera B5011, and together
they provide a range of
appearance options,
while delivering strong
performance. Both
Mvera products offer a
good balance of strength and stiffness for high load carrying
capacity and can be processed on standard equipment.
Metabolix launched Mvera B5010 compostable resin in
September 2013 and was the first product that Metabolix
launched following their collaboration with Samsung Fine
Chemicals. Certified industrial compostable, Mvera resins
can be used for shopping bags, yard waste collection, and
kitchen compost bags.
Metabolix launched Mvera B5011 compostable resin in
December 2013 and provides converters with a transparent,
compostable bag. With nearly identical performance to Mvera
B5010, and only 16% haze, Mvera B5011 opens the door to a
new range of compostable film and bag applications.
With two effective solutions, Metabolix helps film and bag
manufacturers address several needs at once. Compostable
bags are effective retail shopping bags. They can be
repurposed as bags for collecting household food
waste for collection to municipal composting
and save the consumer from buying additional
bags for this purpose. Finally, they promote
bag litter reduction, and diversion of food
waste from increasingly scarce landfills to
composters – two important public policy
agendas that are very relevant today.
With more cities and countries
looking to reduce or eliminate their
dependence on polypropylene and
polyethylene single-use bags, the
need for reliable options is important
to the growth of the compostable
bag market. Metabolix continues
to develop new formulations,
offering a range of biocontent and
degradation profiles to address
the needs of customers.
www.metabolix.com
16 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

Films | Flexibles | Bags
New transparent films
for mulch and food
Novamont from Novara, Italy during K’2013 unveiled what they call another milestone
for Novamont research. It is a new grade of Mater-Bi ® specifically designed for the
production of transparent mulching film which biodegrades in the soil.
In keeping with its philosophy that bioplastics should represent a virtuous case of
bioeconomy, for years Novamont has decided not to market transparent mulching film
that could biodegrade in the soil until it had developed UV stabilisers that were natural and
biodegradable like the polymeric matrix. These stabilisers are necessary to ensure this type
of product has an adequate lifespan in the field. Based on its own environmental standards it
did not consider it sustainable to use the same additives as non-biodegradable mulching film
because this would have left deposits in the soil after the film had biodegraded, presenting
a risk of accumulation.
Novamont therefore decided to study natural substances, including substances extracted
from experimental crops for its own non-food agricultural lines.
After years of intensive work, Novamont is delighted to present now farmers with the results
of its research: a transparent mulching system which is resistant to UV radiation thanks to
substances as natural and biodegradable as the polymeric matrix encasing them, which do
not alter the product’s initial properties and which, once in the field, maintain performance
for a period similar to traditional products.
“The development of transparent mulching film with natural resistance to UV radiation
which biodegrades completely in the soil is a concrete demonstration of Novamont’s
position regarding bioeconomy: finding effective and original technical solutions using raw
materials from integrated bioreffineries to support virtuous practices, in this case in the
area of sustainable agriculture, which also provide maximum protection for the quality of
water, air and the soil during use and at the product’s end-of-life, thereby preventing possible
accumulation,” said Catia Bastioli, Managing Director of Novamont.
Also presented at K’2013 for the first time are the new rigid and transparent grades for
blown, double bubble and bi-oriented cast film which were already tested in a range of food
packaging applications
These products contain a high proportion of renewable raw materials and an even lower
level of greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on fossil feedstock. Specifically, the new
grades, which have been tested in a range of food packaging applications (bread, cold meats,
small fruits, coffee, chocolate, etc.), have demonstrated the following characteristics:
biodegradability and compostability in compliance with the EN 13432 standard;
full compliance with the directive on ‘contact with food’;
multiple mechanical properties;
excellent twistability;
excellent clarity;
high gas barrier;
excellent sealability;
well suited to metalisation;
can be printed with water and solvent based inks.
www.novamont.com
MT
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 17

People Films | Flexibles | Bags
Infrared transparent colors
By Dr. J. Carlos Caro
Export Manager,
Grafe Color Batch GmbH
Blankenhain, GERMANY
Mulch films can be used when cultivating crops in order to achieve earlier
and higher yields as well as to enhance the quality of many different types
of vegetables, such as tomatoes, eggplants, water melons, peppers and
cucumbers.
Listed below are the advantages of using plastic mulch films as described by
W.J. Lamont, of the Department of Horticulture at Kansas State University (www.
agnet.org).
1. Earlier yields: Raising the temperature of the soil makes it possible to achieve
earlier yields. Using a black plastic mulch film can result in a 7 to 14-day
earlier yield. Transparent mulch films can reduce time to yield by 21 days.
2. Soil moisture: The use of plastic mulch films considerably decreases the loss
of soil moisture through evaporation. This means that the soil remains moist
and the cost of irrigation can be reduced. Under these conditions, vegetable
yields can be almost doubled in comparison to the yields of crop plantings
without plastic mulch.
3. Weeds and unwanted flora: Black and combinations of black / white plastic
mulch films prevent unwanted flora from appearing and suppress the growth
of weeds.
4. Leaching of agrochemicals and fertilizers: The protection provided by plastic
mulch films prevents leaching and run off of valuable agrochemicals and
fertilizers.
5. Reduced soil compaction: The protective mulch film keeps the soil below
it loose. There is reduced soil compaction because of low moisture loss.
Formation and growth of roots is guaranteed by the improved absorption of
oxygen and the production of nutritive mediums.
6. Control of roots: Outside of the areas covered by plastic mulch film, the
formation of undesirable weed roots can be kept under control through the
use of pesticides and agrochemicals.
7. Cleaner produce: Fruit and vegetables under plastic mulch films can be kept
cleaner as they are protected from dirt and soil.
8. Higher growth and yield: Photosynthesis for plant growth requires the
absorption of CO 2
and its transformation into oxygen. The use of plastic mulch
raises the CO 2
concentration beneath the film as the gas cannot diffuse out of
the film. This allows the green leaves to perform the process of photosynthesis.
9. Retention of gaseous nutrients and fertilizers: Plastic mulch films protect
sprayed chemical fertilizers from diffusing out through the film so that they
can be better absorbed.
10. Flooding: Fields covered with plastic mulch are typically laid out with drains
so that excess water can run off in the case of heavy rains. This reduces the
danger of flooding and the risk of crops drowning.
18 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

From Science & Research
for mulch films
Colored plastic mulch and its effects on plant growth by means of photoselectivity
are now, and have been for years, the subject of numerous studies.
The theory maintains that colored plastic mulch, when it is transparent, displays
advantages over traditional black plastic mulch due to the transmission and
absorption of certain wavelengths of light. This can lead to higher temperatures in
the earthbanks and under the earth.
There have been many more studies done on this topic in the USA and Israel
than here in Europe. The range of commercially available products supplied by film
manufacturers and plastic granulate producers is also more extensive in these
countries.
Plastika Kritis and Kafrit are two manufacturers of additive and color masterbatches
for agrofilms that have supplied similar products in earlier years.
Plastika Kritis offers the products Brown 70964 and Brown 70869 as masterbatches.
Recommended addition is 20% for mulch films with a thickness of 20-30 µm. Both
masterbatches suppress weed growth due to the dark color and keep the underlying
soil warmer by allowing heat to pass through. 70964 contains an additional IR
absorber (such as chalk / talc) which traps the warmth by preventing heat from
escaping at night.
Kafrit in Israel added the product LDPE MB Brown & PA L -8660 to its portfolio in
2006. This is also a color masterbatch that is used to produce brown plastic mulch.
Kafrit recommends adding 5 to 15% depending on the film thickness of the mulch and
on the desired degree of heat permeability.
Research being conducted in the Department of Horticulture at Pennsylvania State
University is also worth mentioning. M.D. Orzolek and L.Otjen have been performing
extensive research on tomatoes using different colored polyethylene mulches.
Studies performed at the Weihenstephan University of Applied Science (under
the direction of Ms. K. Kell) in 2006 examined the effect of different colored plastic
mulches on the cultivation of kohlrabi and lettuce and looked at the influence of
temperature on growth.
An article published in the year 2007 (bioplastics MAGAZINE issue 02/2007) by FKuR
introduced an innovative black plastic mulch made of polylactide. FKuR announced
that it had been working together with Oerlemans Plastics and the Fraunhofer
UMSICHT since 2004 on the development of this product and was now ready for
market launch. The release described the PLA blends as a mixture of PLA (polylactide)
and other biodegradable polymers and additives. Oerlemans Plastics b.V. Genderen,
Netherlands, had carried out the industrial production and application testing of
the PLA mulch. It was reported that the innovative mulch film had the advantage
over other biodegradable films, of decomposing significantly slower and being
more resistant to fluctuating climatic conditions. Already in the year 2004, the FKuR
Kunststoff GmbH had begun with the first tests for biodegradable mulch films. The
degradation behavior of the film under open-air conditions was studied in the lab. The
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 19

Films | Flexibles | Bags
Plastics b.V. since 2005. The most important factor for Oerlemans Plastics in
choosing the FKuR PLA mulch film was, among others, the unproblematic
production of the film on conventional extruders, such as those used in the
production of LDPE films. Before they went ahead with industrial production, the
use of the Bio-Flex ® mulch film was successfully tested on a variety of crops
by different research institutes and testing stations. Since 2005 Oerlemans
Plastics‘ biodegradable PLA mulch films have been tested all over the world
on a wide range of crops in various climate zones. The crop yields attained with
this biofilm are comparable to conventional PE mulch films. Laying out the PLA
mulch films can be done with the usual laying machines and is no more difficult
than conventional biofilms. A big advantage over other biofilms, e.g. starch-based
films, is its significantly slower decomposition and its resistance to fluctuating
climatic conditions. Another advantage of bio mulch films in agriculture, is that
the films can simply be ploughed into the soil after harvest, where they continue
to degrade. The application of Bio-Flex mulch films reduces the amount of work
required and lowers the costs of film disposal. The granules and the film are
completely biodegradable in accordance with EN 13432. In addition, they are
certified in accordance with DIN Certco, OK Compost, NFU 52001 und Ecocert.
As mentioned above, the most important reason for the application of mulch
film is weed suppression as a function of light absorption in the UV and visible
(VIS) ranges. In addition, there is strong heat absorption (from the near infrared
range NIR) because of the added carbon black. This means that the mulch film
heats itself up and passes the absorbed heat on to its immediate environment.
The second generation of mulch films represents the transition from LDPEbased
film to films made of biodegradable plastics. Black carbon is still being
used as pigment here. The focus is on sustainability through the guaranteed
biodegradability in industrial composting.
Heat absorption out in the open air really puts biodegradable mulch film to a
hard test in terms of longevity and functionality. The idea of prolonging longevity
by adding additives or aggregates would be in contradiction to the original goal
of sustainability.
Figure 2: Image of a standard mulch
film colored with carbon black (1) as
compared with an IRT-colored GRAFE
mulch film (2 and 3). (Thanks to the
friendly support of RKW).
It was only a matter of time before studies began on colored, infrared transparent
(IRT), biodegradable plastic mulch. The idea is to suppress weed growth through
the complete absorption of lightwaves from the UV and the visible (VIS) ranges.
However, the highest possible amount of energy from the near infrared (NIR)
should be allowed to pass through.
Figure 1 provides an overview of the UV-VIS-NIR spectra in transmission mode
with dark colored mulch films (50 µm) made of various biodegradable plastics.
It shows the continuous absorption from 200 nm to 750 nm and the increased
transmission in the NIR range of values from 70% to 80%.
It is obvious that this effect cannot be achieved with carbon black and this
presents some disadvantages: The percentage of colorants used in thin films
must be higher and this automatically increases the costs for raw materials.
The color formulations that have been developed are based on the simple color
mixture theory, which says that it is possible to create black (dark) colors by
mixing a combination of pigments.
Figure 2 shows the behavior of films that have been colored with black carbon
against those that have been colored with IRT mixtures.
The thermal imaging camera shows clearly the temperature differences under
an infrared lamp.
The advantages of using infrared transparent colors in mulch films can be
summarized as follows:
20 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

From Science & Research
High heat transmission
This results in a higher soil / earth bank temperature
Excellent conditions for plants that keep their roots in
winter.
No weeds or unwanted flora
Reduced attacks from rodents and worms.
Fruits, such as strawberries, are not damaged at contact
points with overheated mulch film.
No chemicals needed to suppress weeds and other vermin,
enabling a change to organic farming.
Earlier and increased yield.
Improvement in crop quality – and amount.
Based on these experiences, field tests were performed
with tomatoes and cucumbers in 2012 with funds from the
Thüringer Aufbaubank (Project Number 2010FE9048) at the
Education and Research Institute for Horticulture Erfurt
(LVG) The results are shown in the two figures below.
Mulch films based on biodegradable plastics with IRT
coloring were used in these field tests. LDPE-based standard
black mulch films were compared to LDPE-based films with
IRT coloring. The goal was to measure the effect of the films‘
biodegradability alone (PLA or cellulose) on the growth
behavior of the crops.
There are differences between the growth of the cucumbers
and tomatoes. The data for the tomatoes show that in the
early weeks all films independent of their composition display
similar effects. In the later weeks, the PLA film with IRT
coloring performs better than all the others. The differences,
however, between the different film types are not significant.
The field tests with the cucumbers, however, show
differences from the beginning. The ranking of the yields
from highest to lowest reads as follows: PLA + IRT, cellulose
+ IRT, LDPE + IRT and at the end the standard black mulch
film can be found.
Further tests (conducted by the Institute for Materials
Research and Testing at the Bauhaus University Weimar
MFPA) have confirmed the required minimum 90%
biodegradability of the IRT-colored film in accordance with
DIN EN ISO 14855-1. Ecotoxicity tests in accordance with DIN
EN 13432 have also been successfully completed.
On the basis of these tests, Bioflex F 1130 produced by
FKuR has been selected as the most suitable material with
a wide processing window and a high level of flexibility,
independent of the machinery used. The combination with
IRT color mixtures has resulted in a high-performance
product representing the next generation of mulch film on
today’s market.
Figure 1: UV-VIS-NIR spectra of various
biopolymeres in transmission mode
%T
Film Projects 2012 with Freeland tomato
Marketable Harvest in weeks (kg)
kg
kg
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200
300
200
100
0
30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43
Film Project 2012 with cucumbers
700
600
500
400
300
200
Film
PE
LDPE
MB
FK (1)
FK (2)
Type
PE
LDPE
UV 50 MB
UV 50 FK (1)
UV 50 FK (2)
nm
11-07392.sp Film d = 0,05 mm 11-07392 CH-11-25522
11-07393.sp Film d = 0,05 mm 11-07393 CH-11-25523
11-07688.sp Film d = 0,05 mm 11-07688 CH-11-25524
Week
Added Harvest (kg)
100
www.grafe.com
0
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 34 35
Week
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 21

Films People| Flexibles | Bags
Bags in industrial composting
Do biowaste bags decompose fast enough
in industrial composting or AD plants?
By
C. Letalik, B. Schmidt, A. Ziermann
C.A.R.M.E.N. e.V
Straubing, Germany
Industrial composting has widely implemented across in Germany for over
20 years. During the last decade and driven by legislation, the separate
collection of organic waste has grown more and more popular. As a result,
a broad variety of technologies of industrial composting and anaerobic digestion
are in place. According to the Bundesgütegemeinschaft Kompost’s
(BGK; the German Quality Assurance Association for Compost) classification
scheme, there are eight major types of process, so-called Hygiene-Baumusterkategorien,
which differ a lot with regard to their technical components
and composting/digestion times.
Compostable biowaste bags have been on the market for more than 15
years. As soon as biodegradability and compostability according to DIN
EN 13432 or DIN EN 14995 have been demonstrated under laboratory
conditions and have then been certified, the product can be labelled with
the compostability logo. Nevertheless, compostable biowaste bags have
not systematically been field-tested in all of the different types of industrial
composting or anaerobic digestion plants until now. As a result, there is
still uncertainty among operators and local authorities as to whether or
not compostable bags are technically compatible with on-site technology,
especially as to whether the bags decompose fast enough within the usual
decomposition times. At the same time, the interest in the subject is
increasing, as compostable bags may increase the amount and quality of
organic waste collected by households.
This article is based on a more comprehensive paper [1] which outlines
a project performed in Germany from April 2010 to November 2011. Part
of this project was to evaluate the relevant industrial composting and
anaerobic digestion technologies for the treatment of organic waste. On the
one hand, there are partly enormous procedural differences between these
processes. On the other hand, the composting time is typically much shorter
in practice than the twelve or five weeks required in DIN EN 13432/14995.
Plant operators and representatives of local authorities who are critical of
compostable biowaste bags conclude from this that the bags do not meet
the requirements of composting practices because they do not degrade fast
enough.
For this purpose, all plants that are members of the BGK were evaluated.
The results showed that six types of process cover approximately 50 % of the
total number of plants and the annual capacity of all composting and anaerobic
digestion plants listed by BGK. In a second part, the specifications of these
types of process were first determined by means of telephone interviews.
Subsequently, five different kinds of biowaste bags were practically tested,
each on one plant of a certain plant design. The biowaste bags for testing
were added to the plants’ normal bio-waste streams. Samples were taken at
different times. Material degradation was documented by photographs and
by weight determination.
22 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

Films | Flexibles | Bags
Product type Bioplastics type Bioplastics manufacturer Supply source Filling volume [l]
Wenterra T-shirt bag Mater-Bi ® NF Novamont (I)
Profissiomo
biowaste bag
Mater-Bi ® CF
Novamont (I)
biomasse (D), retailer of
biobased products
dm-drogerie markt (D),
chemist’s shop
Biowaste bag Bioplast ® Biotec (D) Rewe (D), grocery store 10 +
Bio4Pack waste bag Ecopond Flex ® KingFa (Hong Kong) www.hygi.de, internet portal
for the purchase of detergents
Biowaste bag Bio-Flex ® FKuR (D) Real (D), grocery store 10 +
< 10
10 +
< 10
Table 1:
Overview of the
sample materials
tested
Number and type of
process
Active
Composting time
Turning process
Additional
Aeration
Humidification
1.1 Herhof boxes 7 days not applicable forced aeration
process water, industrial water
3.6 Horstmann WTT tunnel 7 days not applicable forced aeration
process water, industrial water
5.2 Bühler-Wendelin 9 weeks ≥ 9x forced aeration industrial water, process water up
to 4.5 weeks
6.2 triangular wind-row, not
covered
6.3 trapezoidal windrow,
open- air (I)
6.8 triangular wind-row,
covered
6 weeks ≥ not later than once
every four weeks
not applicable
During the turning process when
required. Industrial and process
water up to 3 weeks.
5 weeks ≥ 4x not applicable During the turning process when
required. Industrial and process
water up to 2.5 weeks.
4 weeks wheel loader or
compost turner ≥ 1x
not applicable
During the turning process when
required. Industrial and process
water up to 2 weeks.
Table 2:
Practice-relevant types
of process with process
description (BGK 2010)
Type of process 6.3 6.8 1.1 5.2 3.6 6.2
Number of plants 22 26 19 8 7 127
Capacity of the smallest plant [t/a] 2,900 4,500 8,000 15,000 10,000 6,500
Capacity of the largest plant [t/a] 50,000 85,000 36,000 80,000 85,000 87,500
Average capacity [t/a] 15,782 13,842 17,924 36,937 34,286 10,392
Total capacity [t/a] 347,199 359,885 340,550 295,500 240,000 1,319,792
Table 3:
Number and annual
capacity of practicerelevant
types of
process (plants listed
at BGK)
In summary, it can be said that standard types of bio waste bags quickly
achieved high degradation rates in the field test. The test showed that the
degradation requirements according to DIN EN 13432 or 14995 were met in
nearly all kinds of plants. It can thus be concluded that these bio waste bags
do not cause any visible compost contamination or technical problems in all
the practice-relevant plant types that were tested.
German legislation and current situation
In 2015 the biowaste bin will be introduced nationwide throughout
Germany (BMU 2011). Many people, however, refuse to collect their kitchen
waste separately because they consider it unhygienic. Thus, large amounts
of valuable biowaste are not utilised for the production of compost and
bioenergy. Another problem is that households use conventional plastic
bags for collecting their kitchen waste. These are not biodegradable or
compostable and can cause technical problems in composting and anaerobic
digestion plants and may also contaminate the compost.
Different types of bags tested
Within this project four types of standard certified compostable biowaste
bags and one T-shirt bag were field-tested. All products are available in
German retail stores or online shops. All bags were filled with fresh biowaste
and then put into the different composting systems.
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 23

Films | Flexibles | Bags
Composting with aeration screw
Different types of composting facilities
From the above mentioned eight major types of composting
facilities six types of process cover approximately 50 % of
the total number of plants and the annual capacity of all
composting and anaerobic digestion plants listed at BGK.
Table 2 lists these plants and some of their specifications.
Table 3 shows an overview of the number of plants and
annual capacities of these types of process.
From each of the types of process named above one plant
operator was chosen for the field test.
Fig. 1: Overview of the sample weights in
% at the time of screening
sample weights in %
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Plant 1 Plant 2 Plant 3 Plant 4 Plant 5 Plant 6 Plant 6 +
storage in
biobin
12th week 12th week 4th week 12th week 8th week 12th week 12th week
Mater-Bi ® NF
Mater-Bi ® CF
Bioplast ®
Ecopond Flex ®
Bio-Flex ®
Results
The field tests show that the majority of samples meet
the degradation requirements according to DIN EN 13432 or
14995 in nearly all plant types (Fig. 1). The red line marks 10%
of the original weight of the sample weight which, according
to the standards, may still be found after a composting time
of twelve weeks in the sieve fraction > 2 mm. The remnants
of film which were still present were often knots. However,
these were obviously heavily decayed, too, because they
could be easily crushed between fingers.
In plant 4 (type of process: Bühler-Wendelin), the products
made of Bio-Flex and Mater-Bi CF did not meet the rates of
degradation. Due to the remnants of film that were found, it
can be assumed that the biowaste bags were unfilled when
put into system – against the test protocol. So the empty
biowaste bags were crumpled, thus multiplying the material
strength. The rate of degradation directly depends on the
sample thickness thus the degradation took considerably
longer. Moreover, the low degradation rates in the plant are
presumably a result of the special test form.
In the course of test in plant 6 a group of test materials
had been stored in a household-biobin for one week before
the test with the following observations made: While no or
just minor traces of degradation were optically detected on
the products made of Ecopond Flex, Bio-Flex, and Bioplast,
both products made of Mater-Bi were already visibly affected.
The weight determination of the samples at the end of the
test showed the following results: All samples that had been
24 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

Films | Flexibles | Bags
stored in the biobin for one week were clearly more degraded
than the samples that had been put directly into the windrow.
Furthermore, the analysis showed that that the composting
time is much shorter in many plants than the 12 weeks
required in the standards. In nearly all cases the biowaste
bags were also degraded within the shorter composting
times. In plant 3 (type of process: Herhof boxes) the compost
was already sifted after four weeks. Even after this short
time, only insignificant remnants of the biowaste bags were
found (a maximum of 8% of the original material, mostly even
< 5%). In plant 5 (type of process: Horstmann WTT tunnel)
only the samples made of Ecopond Flex and Mater-Bi CF just
dipped below the 10% mark.
Conclusion
In summary, it can be said standard biowaste bags quickly
achieved high degradation rates in the field test. So it can
be assumed that they do not cause any technical problems
in relevant plant types, do not contaminate the compost
optically and are thus suitable for municipal biowaste
collection. Against the background of a planned increase in
biowaste col- lection and the aspired increase in the rates
of food waste capture, the citizen, who is an important link
in the chain, must be motivated to participate. Water-proof
compostable bags can make an important contribution
here. If the consumers fill the bags completely and do not
fasten them with a knot, even better degradation rates could
possibly be achieved.
In spite of the compostability logo printed on the bags, the
recognisability of all tested biobags is difficult amidst the
mass of biowaste. The labelling for compostable biowaste
bags could be improved. All five product types that were
tested look very different. When sorted by hand, they do
not clearly differ from conventional plastic bags. So there
is room for improvement on the part of the bioplastics’
converters. For instance, C.A.R.M.E.N., the Bavarian Agency
for Renewable Raw Resources, recommends a standardised,
hexagonal design for compostable bio-waste bags. This
design is accepted and supported by a growing number of
local authorities using bio-waste bags.
www.carmen-ev.de
Referenzens
[1] Letalik C.; Schmidt, B.; Ziermann, A.;
C.A.R.M.E.N. e. V., How compatible are
compostable bags with major industrial
composting and digestion technologies?,
ORRBIT 2012, Rennes, France
[2] Bidlingmaier, W. (2000): Biologische
Abfallverwertung, Eugen Ulmer,
Stuttgart, p. 95.
[3] Bundesgütegemeinschaft Kompost
(BGK), Ed. (2010): Hygiene
Baumuster-Prüfsystem (HBPS)
– Kompostierungsan- lagen
Vergärungsanlagen, Cologne.
[4] Bundesministerium für
Umwelt, Naturschutz und
Reaktorsicherheit (BMU), Ed. (2011):
Kreislaufwirtschaftsgesetz – KrWG,
Berlin.
[5] Comité Européen de Normalisation
(CEN), Ed. (2000): Anforderungen an die
Verwertung von Verpackungen durch
Kompostierung und biologischen Abbau
- Prüfschema und Bewertungskriterien
für die Einstufung von Verpackungen;
Deutsche Fassung DIN EN 13432:2000,
Brussels.
[6] Comité Européen de Normalisation
(CEN), Ed. (2006): Kunststoffe -
Bewertung der Kompostierbarkeit
– Prüfschema und Spezifikationen;
Deutsche Fassung DIN EN 14995:2006,
Brussels.
[7] Kehres, B.: Mündliche Aussage vom
25.02.2010, Cologne.
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 25

People Films | Flexibles | Bags
New heat-resistant
By
Mohammad Kazem Fehri a ,
Patrizia Cinelli a , Thanh Vu Phoung a ,
Irene Anguillesi a , Sara Salvadori a ,
Monia Montorsi b , Consuelo Mugoni b ,
Stefano Fiori c ,
Andrea Lazzeri a
a
Inter University Consortium
Materials Science and Technology
(INSTM),University of Pisa
Pisa, Italy
b
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
Modena, Italy
c
Condensia Química S.A
Barcelona, Spain
uring the last decade, among biodegradable and biocompatible
polymers, polylactic acid PLA has been considered as a potential
alternative for synthetic plastic materials on the basis of its
good processability, and relatively low cost. However applications using
conventional PLA are limited by low mechanical properties, poor thermal
stability and a slow crystallization rate. In particular amorphous
PLA is not suitable for packaging of hot-filled food or beverage bottles
or other containers, i.e. filled at the food-manufacturing or beveragebottling
plant while the food or beverage is still hot from pasteurization.
Examples include tomato ketchup or some kinds of fruit juice. In order
to modify some of the limitations in properties, additives such as plasticizers,
coupling agents and fillers can be used.
As part of the EC Project DIBBIOPACK (Development of injection
and extrusion blow moulded biodegradable and multifunctional
packages by nanotechnologies), the project team considered the use of
a biodegradable plasticizer, GLYPLAST OLA8, (a low molecular weight
modified PLA produced from renewable raw materials by Condensia
Quimica, Spain), in combination with two nucleating agents, PDLA and
LAK301. To compare the relative effectiveness of PDLA and LAK301
(LAK) the crystallization time of PLA in the blends was measured since
this in an extremely important parameter in polymer processing and in
industrial production.
Using a DoE (Design of Experiments) approach, a mixture design was
prepared to study the effect of OLA8 as a plasticizer and of LAK301 and
PDLA as nucleating agents on the time to reach 50% of crystallization of
PLLA in the blends. Some of the studied blends are reported in Table I.
Tensile tests were performed with an Instron 4302 at room temperature
and with a crosshead speed of 10 mm/min. Dynamic Mechanical
Thermal Analysis (DMTA) was carried out by means of a GABO Eplexor
100N.
Table I: Compositions
Sample Code Composition in Weight [%]
PLA OLA8 LAK PDLA
STD 1 90 10 - -
STD 2 78.2 20 - 1.8
STD 3 72.2 20 2.8 5
STD 4 70 20 5 5
STD 5 75 20 5 -
Table II : Mechanical properties
STD Composition by weight [%] Mechanical Properties
E
[GPa]
σ y
[MPa]
σ U
[MPa]
ε b
[%]
STD1 (PLA-OLA8 10) 2.7 47 38 5.6
STD2 (PLA 78.2-OLA8 20 - PDLA 1.8) 1.24 16 23 310
STD3 ( PLA 72.2 - OLA 20 - LAK 2.8 - PDLA 5) 2 18 23 285
STD4 ( PLA 70 - OLA8 20 - LAK 5 - PDLA 5) 1.2 11.2 20 278
STD5 ( PLA 75 - OLA8 20 - LAK 5 ) 2.2 28 18 247
(E: Modulus of elasticity, σ y
: yielding stress, σ U
: ultimate stress, ε b
: elongation at break)
26 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

From Science & Research
PLA blends
(310%) in presence of 20 % by wt OLA8 and 1.8 % by wt
PDLA (STD2) attest for a good interaction among all
components that induce good dispersion, with no phase
separation. While the addition of a plasticizer normally
causes a drop in storage modulus the concurrent addition
of a nucleating agent such as LAK leads to a higher degree
of crystallinity and to an improvement in elastic modulus.
In Table III, interesting values can be observed in
terms of percent crystallinity, evaluated from melting
enthalpy, glass transition temperature and crystallization
kinetic, for the blend based on OLA8 20 % by wt, LAK
2.8 % by wt PDLA 5 % by wt (STD3). Dependence between
the time of crystallization and the type of nucleating
agent, LAK301 versus PDLA; and the relative amounts
was observed. By this study it can be seen that both PDLA
and LAK reduce the time of crystallization but the LAK
seems to have a more relevant effect.
In conclusion, LAK and PDLA are efficient nucleating
agents for PLA. The effect of LAK is higher than the
effect of PDLA. Fine tuning of the type and/or amount
of nucleating agent can allow us to control the time of
crystallization and adapt it to the industrial requirements.
OLA8 confirmed to be an efficient plasticizer for PLA. For
production of heat resistant packaging based on PLA the
formulation including PLA, OLA8 (20 % by wt), and LAK
(5 % by wt) exhibited relatively good values of elongation
at break, associated with a reduced time of crystallization,
and a moderate content of nucleating agent (5%).
Table III : Thermal properties
STD Compostion by weight [%] t 1/2
[sec]
ΔH m
[J/g]
ΔH c
[J/g]
Cryst.
[%]
STD 1 (PLA-OLA8 10) n.d. 1.5 23.4 25.1
STD 2 (PLA 78.2-OLA8 20 - PDLA 1.8) 152 4.3 21.4 23.0
STD 3 ( PLA 72.2 - OLA 20 - LAK 2.8
- PDLA 5)
STD 4 ( PLA 70 - OLA8 20 - LAK 5 -
PDLA 5)
46 6.8 12.2 13.1
48 6.1 14.7 15.9
STD 5 ( PLA 75 - OLA8 20 - LAK 5 ) 61 3.9 16.2 17.4
(t 1/2 :half time crystallization, ΔH m
: melting enthalpy, ΔH c
: crystallization
enthalpy, Cryst: percent crystallinity, n.d.: not determined)
www.dibbiopack.eu
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 27

People Films | Flexibles | Bags
New PLA copolymers
for packaging films
Stress (MPa)
30
25
10
15
10
5
By
Vu Thanh Phuong*, Patrizia Cinelli
and Andrea Lazzeri
University of Pisa, Department of
Chemical Engineering,
Pisa, Italy
Steven Verstichel
Organic Waste Systems (OWS)
Gent, Belgium
*Vu Thanh Phuong
is currently on leave from Department
of Chemical Engineering, Can Tho
University, Can Tho City, Vietnam.
http://cet.ctu.edu.vn/cnhoa/en/
0
0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225 250
Strain (%)
Figure 1: Mechanical properties of films
he increasing concern about the environmental impact and sustainability
of traditional plastics has led to the development of new
materials derived from renewable sources, in particular for use
in the production of bags (shoppers). On the market there are many
compostable products based on PLA and polyesters, but none of these
has mechanical properties comparable to many conventional commodity
plastics. Despite the undoubted advantages compared to traditional
plastics, PLA is characterized by a glass transition temperature (Tg) of
around 60°C, which makes the material too rigid for applications such
as packaging film. There are several techniques available to improve
the flexibility of PLA, such as copolymerization, mixing with elastomeric
polymers, addition of a plasticizer, etc. In particular the copolymerization
of PLA and elastomeric polymers through reactive extrusion produces
materials with the necessary properties to produce flexible films,
but the products that are currently available on the market contain high
amounts of elastomeric aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters such as poly
(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) or poly (alkylene succinates)
such as poly (butylene succinate) (PBS).
Such polyesters are biodegradable, but are not (yet) produced from
renewable sources, and they have a very high cost. The products
currently on the market, in addition to containing only a small part of
raw materials from renewable sources, are opaque due to the limited
compatibility of these elastomers with PLA, which is attributed to the
substantial difference in the chemical structure of the two components.
This causes the formation of a microstructure in two phases, with a
continuous phase (usually formed primarily from polyester elastomer)
and a dispersed phase (usually made from PLA) in the form of
approximately spherical particles with a diameter of several microns.
Even if the adhesion between these two phases is generally good, such
a microstructure does not allow the passage of visible light and the
material is opaque.
To overcome these limits the research group has produced a new
type of copolymer based on PLA, with a higher content from renewable
resources and a lower cost than products actually present on the
market. The material is also transparent and has optimum mechanical
characteristics for the production of packaging film and for shopping
bags. In particular it presents an increased mechanical strength, a good
deformability and good elastic recovery, accompanied by being soft to the
touch. Specially, the film in a thickness of 15 µm disintegrated almost
completely within 4 weeks of composting under industrial conditions
28 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

From Science & Research
figure 2 – Evolution of the visual disintegration (or degradation)
of sample UNIPI-05 under industrial composting conditions.
At Start After 1 Week After 2 Weeks After 3 Weeks After 4 Weeks
(ISO 16929) and proved to be biodegradable under controlled
composting conditions (ISO 14855).
The new copolymers have been prepared by a process of
reactive blending in the molten state, starting from mixtures
of:
- Polylactic acid (PLA),
- Different types of reactive plasticizers
- Elastomeric copolyesters such as polybutylene
adipate-co-terephthalate-co-(PBAT),
or polybutylene-co-adipate-co-succinate (PBAS), etc.
After extrusion, the material is then granulated with the
common techniques used in the field of compounding and
subsequently transformed into a film by means of the known
techniques of blown film extrusion.
The transparent films were produced by creating new
copolymers characterized by a block structure containing
polylactic acid (PLA) covalently linked to segments of reactive
plasticizers and functionalized elastomeric copolyesters
which maintain optimum mechanical characteristics at
temperatures below 40°C with a consequent and significant
improvement in flexibility within the temperature range
mentioned. The molecules of plasticizer are incorporated
in a stable manner (internal plasticizer) in the acid
polylactic through a covalent bond that is formed during
the copolymerization process. This avoids on the one hand
that the plasticizer can migrate to the surface of the film, in
particular in the presence of water or other polar solvents, and
also allows a better compatibilization with the elastomeric
polyesters added to ensure good elastic characteristics to
the finished product.
This copolymer film is not only characterized by excellent
mechanical properties, transparency and compostability
in industrial processes but it is also economical since it
uses only 20 to 30% elastomeric copolyester. Moreover, the
reactive plasticizers cost about 4 to 6 USD/kg. This copolymer
compostable film will find a strong potential market for
packaging.
Code PLA (%) Plas1 (%) Plas2 (%) Ecoflex (%)
UNIPI-01 82 18
UNIPI-02 84 16
UNIPI-03 64 14 22
UNIPI-04 86 14
UNIPI-05 68 12 20
Table 1. Formulations used to produce the films
Figure 3. Photograph of a sample UNIPI-05with a thickness of
15 μm which shows the high degree of transparency of the film.
http://materials.diccism.unipi.it
www.ows.be
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 29

K‘2013 Review
Show
Review
K’2013 - Oct. 16 - 23, 2013
At K’2013 some 218,000 trade visitors came from well over
120 countries around the world to Düsseldorf, Germany,
between October 16 th and 23 rd , 2013. At the world’s biggest
trade fair for plastics and rubber, held every three years,
it again became clear that the K-Show remains the most
important event in the rubber and plastics industry
In our K-show preview we already presented a large
number of the bioplastics related products and services.
This review will round off our report with a couple of news
items and highlights that we found in Düsseldorf. MT
becausewecare
Using bioplastic technology, becausewecare (Derrimut,
VIC, Australia) has scientifically developed products that are
made with a combination of organic plant and biodegradable
components to break down into compost within weeks.
In addition, they have programmes in place to educate
business people and consumers worldwide about the negative
impact that conventional plastics have on the environment. They
also encourage Government moves to ban non-compostable
bags, and support strict policies to ensure that all claims of
biodegradation and compostability are substantiated.
Most importantly, becausewecare endeavours to keep its
costs to a minimum so that customers and end-users can be
environmentally responsible at the lowest cost possible.
The range of products of becausewecare includes retail
checkout bags, waste bin liners, doggy bags, nappy bags,
produce bags, food prep and related products, garden products,
fashion bags, and the BotanicBag.
Even the soy-based non-toxic inks used to print on the
products will not leave any harmful residue in the process of
breaking down.
becausewecare can also extrude film, thermoform, injectionmould,
and blow-mould articles to customers’ specifications,
as well as supplying rigid and flexible packaging options.
BIOTEC
BIOTEC (Emmerich, Germany) presented their new
film grade BIOPLAST 500 with a biobased carbon content
of more than 50%, which biodegradable according to
EN 13432, and home compostable (OK compost Home
certified). Biodegradable bags made with Bioplast 500 are
ready to meet the challenges of European waste disposal
regulations that now require more than 40% biobased
contents. The OK compost home certification also allows
bags made of BIOPLAST to comply with waste disposal
policies, which put a real focus on home composting.
“We are extremely proud to announce that Bioplast 500
can be extruded down to a film thickness of 18 µm,” says
Harald Schmidt CEO of Biotec.
Bioplast 500 is designed for blown film extrusion used
in short life packaging, multi-use bags (e.g. carrier bags
and loop-handle bags), single-use bags (biowaste bags,
bin liners, etc.) and agricultural film. Such film products
are recyclable, printable by flexographic and offset
printing without pretreatment and have a soft touch.
The films can be coloured with masterbatches and are
sealable (hot, RF, ultra-sonic)
www.biotec.de
Texchem
Texchem (Penang, Malaysia) introduced their
proprietary biobased materials, which consist of
thermoplastic starch derived from agricultural waste.
This bio-based material (40% PP plus 60% non-edible
food residues such as rice hull or palm fibre, corn
residue, sugar cane residue, soy bean shell, cassava
residue, kernel powder, etc.) can be thermoformed with
a surface smoothness, texture and finish that brings
elegance to different packaging applications whilst
maintaining all the characteristics of conventional
petroleum based plastic material. In addition, Texchem
exhibited biobased injection moulding grades to replace
conventional HIPS as well as to reduce destruction of
forests to produce wood-based packaging. One of the
benefits of the material is its good processability. There
is no need for any additional equipment or processing
in order to make products using this biobased material.
www.becausewecare.com.au
www.texchem-polymers.com
30 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

K‘2013 Review
Solvay
acetate bioplastic, manufactured using wood pulp obtained from
SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) certified forests. This it has
a much lower CO 2
manufacturing footprint when compared to
petroleum-based products. A new and amorphous engineering
bioplastic, it is a non-toxic material.
Together with a bio-plasticizer the biobased content of Ocalio
compounds is at present 50 % (ASTM D6866).
Gehr
Mannheim (Germany) based GEHR has relaunched its
bioplastic product line ECOGEHR. Gehr is a manufacturer
of plastic sheets, rods, tubes and profiles, active in the
bioplastic market since 2007.
During K 2013 Gehr has shown its new sheets produced
from Ecogehr PLA-LF and Ecogehr CL. PLA-LF is a blend
of PLA, lignin, wood fibres and some additives. CL is a
blend of cellulose and lignin. These wood-like sheets at a
size of 1000 x 2000 mm and with a thickness of 2 mm, are
dedicated to point of sale applications. Gehr is convinced
that these sheets will be used for product displays,
marketing materials and interior design elements.
Besides their new products Gehr also exhibited the
well-known Ecogehr PA 6.10 and Ecogehr WPC-30PP.
The interest for semi-finished products based on
renewable resources was again very high during the
exhibition. Gehr’s Sales and Marketing director Thorsten
Füßinger pointed out: “Now brand owners have, with
these sheets, the possibility of presenting their ecofriendly
products on eco-friendly product displays.”
www.gehr.de
GreenWorks
Zhejiang Huju GreenWorks Technology Co., Ltd is a hightech
enterprise that mainly produces and sells products
which are completely biodegradable and compostable, such
as: deliware, cutlery, tableware and related products, as well
as raw material granules.
The resources of the raw materials for biodegradable
products are several, but mainly corn and tapioca starch.
They are natural and can completely biodegrade in a short
time.
GreenWorks claim to be leading the industry into a new
era of petroleum-free bioplastics that recycle agricultural
by-products and eliminate both the use of food crops and the
use of petroleum in plastics. This can greatly reduce the food
service and retail packaging industries reliance on materials
that contribute to global warming, and help create new jobs
and new opportunities for sustainable business practices at
the same time.
www.zjgreenworks.com
With excellent technical properties and performance,
such as better mechanical and heat resistance, enhanced
transparency and outstanding processability, Ocalio cellulose
acetate compounds can not only replace applications made with
engineering plastics such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)
and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) but also polycarbonates
(PC). The material is designed for use in a wide range of end-use
consumer goods such as containers for cosmetics and personal
care, food packaging, electronic devices, toys and mobile phones.
In addition to the beneficial range and balance of mechanical
properties and ease of processing, Ocalio plasticized cellulose
acetate displays excellent surface aesthetics such as a high
gloss, smooth and silky tactile qualities and an exceptional depth
of colour, for both opaque and transparent grades.
Manufactured in Europe in back-integrated and completely
self-sufficient facilities, Ocalio cellulose acetate compounds will
be commercially available in Q1 of 2014.
www.solvay.com
Ningxia
Ningxia Qinglin Shenghua Technology Co., Ltd. is a hightech
enterprise specialized in nanometer sized biological
based biodegradable environmental protection plastics and
their preparation, as well as their technology research, plus
manufacturing and sales. Products can be widely applied in
industry, agriculture and other fields. The registered trademark
of their products is Jia Jia Gu.
The company’s products use potato, cassava, sweet potato
and other natural plant starch and straw fibre nanometerfine
powder as the main raw material, as well as food grade
or pharmaceutical grade modified materials and additives. The
company developed special technologies and uses advanced
equipment. All of their biodegradable plastic products have
properties Info: comparable to traditional plastics. The performance
is between that of polyethylene and polypropylene. Under natural
conditions, the products can be completely biodegradable with
an adjustable and controlled degradation cycle.
Currently the development and production of products include
disposable snack-boxes, plates, bowls, knives, forks, spoons,
chopsticks, water cups, coffee cups, toothpicks, toothbrushes,
combs, shopping bags, and much more, including children’s
toys and 3D glasses frames
www.nqst.com.cn
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 31

K‘2013 Review
Kafrit
Kafrit Industries Ltd based in Negev, Israel introduced three
new products. Ecocomp 420 is a biodegradable compound for
twin-wall sheet applications. It is comprised of 100% renewable
resources and fulfils the standards: EN 13432, ASTM D6400-
04, ISO 17088. Ecomp 420 compound is starch-based with the
addition of plasticizers and biopolymers. This combination can
be easily processed on conventional sheet extrusion equipment,
with only minor process parameter changes, namely reduced
temperature and controlled screw speed. Sheets of 4 mm (300
µm wall thickness) may be produced. They have a first class
welding performance, excellent mechanical properties and
good printability.
Ecocomp 131 is a grade to produce tie layers for
biodegradable multilayer films. Details will be subject of a more
comprehensive article in one of the next issues of bioplastics
MAGAZINE.
Ecocomp 142 is a compostable PHA based compound for
film applications. It is a soft, flexible compound designed for
shopping bags and applications that can be easily processed on
conventional film extrusion equipment. Ecomp 142 biodegrades
quickly in a composting environment and in soil.
www.kafrit.co.il
Kuraray
Kuraray Europe (Hattersheim, Germany) presented Mowiflex
TC 232 C14, a partly biobased polyvinyl alcohol. Mowiflex TC 232
C14 is produced from bio-VAM (Vinyl Acetate Monomers) which
is acquired from renewable raw materials (bio-ethylene). The
use of Mowiflex TC 232 C14 allows the manufacture of biobased
products such as water-soluble foils, packaging and fibres.
The biobased portion of the material (measured using ASTM
D6866 procedure 12 C/ 14 C) was determined to be 89%.
Cathay
Cathay Industrial Biotech has been a pioneering industrial
biotechnology company with commercial-scale production
since 2003. It is the world leader in the production of long chain
dibasic acids used primarily for nylons, polyesters and adhesives
and bio-solvents. Cathay’s leading-edge technological
innovations allow the manufacturing of chemicals and fuels
from renewable resources. Cathay is managed by a globally
experienced team of technology, business and finance experts.
Cathay Biotech’s Terryl Green Nylons are a series
of polyamides based on their unique 100% biobased
1.5-pentanediamine, C-BIO N5 polyamide 56 and based on
this new diamine has similar performance properties to PA 66.
In addition to potentially substituting HMDA with C-BIO
N5, Cathay’s five carbon diamine, offers new performance
properties in certain polyamide applications due to the even/
odd carbon arrangement. Available Terryl polyamides include
PA 510, 512 and copolymers.
www.cathaybiotech.com
DongChen
ShanDong DongChen Engineering Plastic Co. Ltd.
(Shandong, China)‚ is specialized in the synthesis, modification
development and sales of long carbon chain PA1212, and
the synthesis of PA1012, PA612, and PA1010, PA 610 and
transparent PA. Their annual capacity of long carbon chain
nylon resins is 6,000 tonnes.
The PA1212 developed solely and uniquely by the Technical
R&D Center of the company has filled a gap of China and has
been rated to meet PA11 and PA12 standards of similar foreign
products in respect of performances.
www.dongchenchem.com
www.kuraray.eu
Lifocolor
Lifocolor produces colour masterbatches and offer these
under the brandname Lifocolor BIO. These masterbatches
are for colouring applications made from bioplastics. By using
pigments that fulfil the requirements of the standard DIN
EN 13432 the customers can — provided a correct dosing —
get certification as biodegradable per EN 13432. The colour
pallet developed by Lifocolor comprises a multitude of colour
shades, offering customers good opportunities to differentiate
their products from competition in the various fields of
applications for biobased as well as biodegradable plastics.
www.lifocolor.de
Greemas
Greemas is the brand of the biosourced materials from
the Getac Technology Corporation (Taiwan). They focus on
the research of the fundamental characteristics of biomass
materials and provide green plastic solutions. Greemas
includes three main product lines. These are PLA series, bio-
PA (bio-nylon) series and NFRC series (natural fibre-reinforced
composites). Based on the material features, Greemas can
be applied in household items, furniture supplies, tableware,
kitchenware, stationery, toys, baby and child products,
packaging, and even automotive components and electronic
products.
www.getac.com.tw
32 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

K‘2013 Review
Celanese
Clarifoil ® cellulose diacetate film from Celanese was among
the world’s first thermoplastics. In the 1950s and 1960s it
was the number one material for transparent thermoform
packaging. Today, cellulose diacetate is again gaining popularity
as an alternative to oil-based plastics.
Clarifoil thermoform film from Celanese is produced
from cellulose obtained sustainably from managed forestry
plantations and without genetic modification. The outstanding
clarity means the film has an excellent appearance and has
good properties for thermoforming of outer packaging,
containers, lids etc.
The high thermal stability of the Clarifoil thermoform film
means that the softening temperature is 120°C. This makes
it especially attractive for packaging hot foods and beverages.
Additionally, this environmentally friendly film is ideal for the
storage and transport of goods in hot climates.
The manufacturing process is very flexible, allowing for easy
integration of other functions in the materials such as for UV
blockers, tint or flame retardant additives.
The film is approved for direct food contact and is, therefore,
ideal for packaging organic fruits and vegetables, pastries or
confectionary. Clarifoil film also reliably protects cosmetics,
upscale electronics devices or other luxury goods and lends
them a glamorous packaging design.
Polyblend
POLYBLEND GmbH, a company of the Polymer-Group,
started offering highly flexible biodegradable compounds under
the name BioBlend. These polymers consist of biopolymers and
special additives that are being certified in accordance with DIN
EN 13432 as well as ASTM D6400 by DIN CERTCO. Applications
are landscape and agricultural films, garbage bags, hygiene
and packaging films.
BioBlend 1851 and 1852 are composed of biobased as
well as fossil raw materials. BioBlend is highly suitable for
printing without pre-treatment, welding and bonding. Of
course, BioBlend compounds can also be coloured and the
company Masterbatch Winter, part of the Polymer Group, offers
appropriate masterbatches.
Particular emphasis is on processability using standard
converting machines. Film lines processing PE-LD or PE-
LLD can be changed to BioBlend without any modifications.
Due to good compatibility with polyethylene, changeover can
be achieved without stopping the production process. Merely
adjustments of temperature profiles might be necessary.
Polyblend is in the process of developing a variety of new
formulations in the bio sector and will soon offer bio-based and
biodegradable formulations.
www.polyblend.de
www.celanese.com
Shanghai Disoxidation
Shanghai Disoxidation Macromolecule Materials Co. Ltd.
(DM) is a manufacturer of biodegradable starch resins and
related derivatives, such as shopping bags, garbage bags, films
and external packaging. The company is located in the Xiangshi
Road Jin Ban Industrial Zone of Kunshan, Jiangsu Province and
runs 10 Coperion dual screw extruders, with automatic feeding
and packaging. DM has a capacity of 32,000 tonnes/year. Their
product BSR-09 was developed for blown film application and
is EN 13432/ASTM 6400 certified compostable.
www.dmmsh.com
Editor’s note
On a big show like K’2013, with more than 3000 exhibitors,
it is of course inevitable to come across some black sheep.
A total of 38 out of the 145 companies (more than 25%) listed
in the official catalogue of K’2013 under bioplastics s did not
offer any bioplastics related products or services at all. Or they
offered products that we do not consider as bioplastics, such
as oxo-additives or additives that claim not to be oxo, but rather
enzymatic or organic additives. None of these companies was,
however, able or willing to provide scientifically backed evidence
for a complete biodegradation (per EN 14855) so far. We are still
waiting for some of such promised evidence. MT
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 33

Application News
New biobased
coated fabric
CHOMARAT (Le Cheylard, France ) recently rolled
out the world premiere of a new line of biobased
coated fabric called OFLEX Bio-based, which is
made from Gaïalene ® produced by ROQUETTE.
For this product Chomarat, specializing in coated
textiles, is using a specific flexible grade of Gaïalene
to coat a textile material or foam. As developed,
the coating lends itself readily to dyeing, is free
of plasticizers, and is recyclable in the polyolefin
stream. If offers numerous design options with a
high level of performance.
“The technical partnership with Roquette allowed
us to develop an entire line of fabrics coated
with kind of biobased TPOs (soft thermoplastic
polyolefins) that are free of phthalates and PVCs.
Thanks to their great flexibility and softness, our
products offer a genuine alternative to coated PVCs
and leathers. The soft touch and ease of dyeing
open up new prospects in our traditional markets
of leather products, luggage, telephony, sport &
leisure activities, and event furnishings. Gaïalene
offers us an excellent solution for responding to
a clientele that is increasingly demanding and
sensitive to sustainable development in their daily
environment,“ points out Philippe Chomarat,
Manager of Chomarat’s Plastics business line.
The Oflex bio-based line contains 25 to 35%
plant-based resources, which sets it apart from
conventional coated fabrics made solely from nonrenewable
materials.
“We are very proud of this development with
Chomarat, which is a major innovation in the field
of coated fabrics. The company combines unique
know-how and respect for the environment in its
developments. Oflex bio-based is the result of
an excellent partnership and we are convinced
that this innovation will meet with success on the
market,“ underscores Jean-Luc Monnet, Product
and Business Development Manager at Roquette.
Bioplastics facade
mock-up
The bioplastics facade mock-up was created within the framework
of Research Project Bioplastic Facade, a project supported by EFRE
(European Fund for Regional Development). It demonstrates one
of the possible architectonic and constructional applications of the
bioplastic materials developed in the course of this project. The
blueprint is based on a triangular net made up of mesh elements of
varying sizes. The mock-up was publicly presented on October 17,
2013 on the Stuttgart, Germany University campus.
The ITKE (Institute for Building Construction and Structural
Design, University of Stuttgart, Germany; Faculty for Architecture
and Urban Planning) can look back on numerous years of
experience in both teaching and researching the computer based
planning, simulation, and production of cladding for buildings with
complex geometries. Currently, materials made from petroleumbased
plastic, glass, or metal are used to encase such structures.
Thermoformable sheets of bioplastics will constitute a resourceefficient
alternative in the future as they combine the high
malleability and recyclability of plastics with the environmental
benefits of materials consisting primarily of renewable resources.
Collaborating materials scientists, architects, product designers,
manufacturing technicians, and environmental experts were able to
develop a new material for facade cladding which is thermoformable
and made primarily (>90%) from renewable resources. Developed
by project partner TECNARO within the framework of the research
project, ARBOBLEND ® , a special type of bioplastic granules, can
be extruded into sheets which are further processable as needed:
They can be drilled, printed, laminated, laser cut, CNC-milled, or
thermoformed to achieve different surface qualities and structures
and various moulded components can be produced. The semifinished
products serve as cladding for flat or free-formed interior
and exterior walls. The material can be recycled and meets the
high durability and inflammability standards for building materials.
The goal of the project was to develop a maximally sustainable
yet durable building material while keeping petroleumbased
components and additives to a minimum.
The ecological audit was completed by project partner
ISWA (Institute for water engineering, water quality,and waste
management). Furthermore, the materials’s resistance to microbial
degradation was determined.
www.chomarat.com
www.gaialene.com
www.itke.uni-stuttgart.de
www.tecnaro.de
34 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

Application News
New compostable coffee pods
Biome Bioplastics (Marchwood, Southampton, UK) has helped to develop a
biodegradable coffee pod, offering one of the first sustainable packaging alternatives
in the single-serve market.
The global coffee capsule market is worth 5 billion Euros and is considered to be
a rare bright spot in the global food and drink industry. There are now around 50
different coffee pod or capsule systems on the market, but their convenience comes
at a price.
For example an estimated 9.1 billion single-serve coffee and drink cartridges wind
up in US landfills every year, amounting to some 540,000 m³ of waste. Coffee-pod
machines are also increasingly popular in Britain with usage up by 45.1% between
February 2012 and 2013, equating to around 186 million capsules.
Unfortunately, single serve coffee pods are not easily recyclable. Mixed material
pods are sent to landfill and those brands that do offer a recycling service have
few recycling points and limited collection service. With
mounting pressure around the environmental impact of
their success, the coffee industry urgently needs more
sustainable packaging options.
In response to this challenge, Biome Bioplastics has
developed a portfolio of compostable materials for coffee
pods based on renewable, natural resources including plant
starches and tree by-products (lignin). These bioplastics
will degrade to prescribed international standards (such
as EN 13432 or AST D 6400) in composting environments.
As coffee is also a compostable resource the big advantage
is, that the coffee and the pods can be disposed off to
composting systems, e.g. via a biowaste bin collection
system in areas where such systems are in place.
“Single–serve coffee pods are an excellent example of
the fundamental role that packaging plays in delivering
quality and convenience in the food service sector”,
explains Biome Bioplastics CEO Paul Mines. „The
challenge is to reduce environmental impact through
packaging optimisation without impacting on food quality
or safety, or inconveniencing the customer. Bioplastics are
an important part of the solution”.
Based on the success of the biodegradable pods,
Biome Bioplastics is working with manufacturing and
brand partners to develop a number of natural polymerbased
solutions for the hot drinks industry, with further
announcements expected in the coming months. MT
www.biomebioplastics.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 35

Application News
Breathability
enhances safety
A US company has developed a ground breaking
fabric that offers high level chemical protection, using
NatureFlex from Innovia Films (Wigton, Cumbria, UK)
within its construction.
Bio-based
surfboard foam
TECNIQ LLC, San Diego, California, USA, a leading developer
of environmentally conscious materials and products, and
SYNBRA BV, Etten-Leur, The Netherlands, leading innovators
in expanded rigid foam technology, announced in October the
creation of the worlds first certified 100% biodegradable and
99% bio-based surfboard foam.
“Surfboards have been overwhelmingly made out of
petroleum products since the 1950’s,” says Rob Falken,
Tecniq’s Managing Director. “We’ve worked really hard to
create an alternative that doesn’t compromise performance
and that delivers tried–and–true characteristics for surfers,
shapers, and glassers alike,” he continued.
The foam is produced in a patented process that utilizes
converted locally abundant sugarcane biomass (certified
GMO-free) provided by Corbion Purac that is polymerized to
PLA by Synbra Technology BV and expanded into rigid foam
by Synprodo BV. “For me, the best parts are that the foam is
created entirely from a renewable resource and that dangerous
chemicals are not used in production. This means the foam
is drastically less toxic for the surfboard craftsmen during
shaping” stated Falken.
Holding their companies to an examined approach, Tecniq
and Synbra will have full transparency in the life cycle of the
surfboard foam. An independent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
has already been secured, as have certificates of validation
including decomposition, compostability, bio-based content,
GMO-free, and Cradle to Cradle. In addition to the environmental
claims validations, the foam boasts the ultra-eco use of benign
CO2 as the sole blowing agent in the expansion process.
The brand name for this new surfboard foam technology
is BIÓM (pronounced BY-ohm). The first manufacturing
site will be located in the Netherlands with production
commencing in the third quarter of 2014. There are plans
to develop US manufacturing in late 2014 or early 2015. In
addition to surfboard foam, BIÓM will find use in stand up
paddleboards, wakeboards, skimboards, kiteboards, and other
types of watercraft. MT
www.synbra.com
www.tecniq.com
www.biomblanks.com
For thirty years Kappler ® based in Guntersville,
Alabama has defined the protective garment industry
with patented fabrics, innovative seaming technology and
unique garment designs. Their latest product Lantex
300, a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1994
Class 3 certified Chemical, Biological, Radiological and
Nuclear (CBRN) breathable protective suit, allows users
in a hazardous chemical emergency situation to wear
them for longer.
George Kappler, President proudly states “For years the
Holy Grail of chemical protective clothing has been the
quest for comfortable, breathable yet chemical protective
fabrics. We, at Kappler believe we have achieved this
quest with Innovia Films’ help. Our Lantex fabric gives
good general chemical protection while reducing the
heat stress associated with chemical protective fabrics.“
He continued “The breathable properties of NatureFlex
have enabled us to develop an improved lighter fabric
while maintaining essential chemical and gas barriers.
In the environments for which this was developed, Lantex
300 is a significant improvement over existing safety
chemical suits.”
Thomas Gwin, Innovia Films’ Sales Executive, explained:
“We are delighted that our renewable NatureFlex film’s
moisture vapour transmission rate (MVTR) ensured that
it provided the necessary performance to be included in
this unique fabric.”
NatureFlex film’s inherent
properties make them an ideal
choice for this application. They
are naturally permeable, allowing
loss of moisture from within the
suit as well as bi-directional
gas transfer. At the same time,
the barrier to micro-bacterial
contamination from outside the
suit is maintained.
NatureFlex’s natural permeability
can be controlled and tailored
to the moisture barrier needs of
the application or product by using
a wide range of special coatings
applied during production.MT
www.NatureFlex.com
www.kappler.com
36 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

Consumer Electronics
Ciruit board (iStock thiel_andrzej)
Linseed (flax) in bloom (photo FNR/H. Habbe)
Linseed epoxides for
electronic circuit boards
In the electrical industry about 1.5 million tonnes of petrochemical
epoxides are processed annually for circuit boards,
printed circuit boards and similar. It is the goal of a research
network, comprising Hobum Oleochemicals GmbH, the Fraunhofer
Institute for Applied Polymer Research and Siemens AG,
to develop a bio-based alternative for this kind of application.
The project is being funded until early 2015 by the Federal Ministry
of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV)
and their Agency for renewable Resources (FNR).
Vegetable oils provide the essential basic component for biobased
resins. A specific fatty acid composition, especially with
a high content of linolenic acid, is crucial for this. Linseed has a
high linolen content, so the plant was selected for this project.
In Germany, system solutions for reactive resins made from
pure linseed oil epoxides and the corresponding cross-linking
hardeners are still in their infancy. Among other things, within
the now started project, the researchers are looking for the
optimum additives. The Fraunhofer IAP relies on phosphoruscontaining
compounds that allow a burn-off without halogencontaining
substances. Thus, there would be huge benefits
in terms of easier disposal because petrochemical epoxides
with brominated flame retardants are classified as hazardous ,
requiring a special combustion process.
Epoxy resins are used for electronic devices, but also for
the production of paints, coatings and waterproofing agents,
as well as adhesives and sealing foams. For electronic
components, the epoxy resin is reinforced with glass fibers or
paper.MT
FNR project numbers 22025612, 22012110 und 22023109.
www.fnr.de
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 37

People Consumer Electronics
Bioplastics for high-end
consumer electronics
By:
Dr. Chung-Jen (Robin) Wu
Chairman
Supla Material Technology Co. Ltd.
Tainan City, Taiwan
olylactic acid (PLA) is a thermoplastic aliphatic polyester
derived from renewable resources (mainly starch or sugar,
currently). One of the attractive characteristics of the PLA
is the nature of crystallinity. With a melting point above 150°C, it
opens a wide potential on various applications. However, there
are factors affecting the application of PLA. One is the rather low
glass transition temperature (Tg) of around 60°C. Another is its
low rate of crystallization. These two factors result in a low heat
deflection temperature around Tg, which limits PLA’s applications.
Based on above facts, the development of PLA used to being
focused under ambient environment or none durable usage,
say disposable food containers, bags and so on.
But even within these applications, there are some critical
limitations still affecting the performance of PLA. For example,
a traditional PLA copolymer cup can’t hold hot coffee and
temperatures above 70°C will result in deformation of products.
These factors limit the use of PLA in durable and high-end
application.
There are many approaches to solve the shortage of PLA
mentioned above. To enhance the heat resistance fillers can be
added. In the case of semi crystalline plastics, adding nucleating
agents is another approach, however for standard PLA copolymer,
which crystallizes at a rather slow rate, such treatment does
not bring about a significant improvement in heat resistance. In
bioplastics MAGAZINE issue 01/2010, SUPLA announced a novel,
heat-resistant PLA. By means of novel recipes and process
38 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

Consumer Electronics
equipment, Supla have developed SUPLA C1001 that has a
unique crystallization behavior, which results in a high HDT at
around 100°C (HDT B 120 K/h, 0.45 MPa). Furthermore, because
not much fillers were added, the density was kept at a level almost
equivalent to native PLA. This low-density characteristic results in
a higher Melt Flow Rate of 31.9 g/10min (190°C, 2.16 kg), which
makes Supla C advantageous over other types of modified PLA in
injection molding. Supla C1001 with superior heat resistance is a
great product for markets such as food wares, stationery, gifts and
toys.
Furthermore, for most of the 3C (Computer, Consumer,
Communication electronics) housings, a PLA blend with flame
retardant is a must. Based on the development of a heat resistant
PLA blend with 99% by wt content of PLA (Supla C1001) SUPLA
developed a flame retardant PLA blend (Supla C1003) which meets
the V0 standards of UL-94 Vertical Burning Test in 1/8”, 1/16” and
even 1/32”, while its PLA content is kept as high as 90% by weight
and its heat resistance (HDT B) is kept to over 100°C. The flame
retardant package in Supla C1003 is halogen free. Therefore, this
is the greenest flame retardant PLA blend available (bM issue
05/2010).
However, for PLA to be a commercially viable alternative, the
injection molding cycle time is of critical importance. The cycle time
of standard PLA copolymer blends during injection are too long in
comparison with current materials like ABS or PC/ABS blends.
Moreover, this low crystallization rate might give rise to another
drawback on the dimensional stability. A housing often has several
parts to be assembled with limited tolerance. Moreover, a very
complicated structure in the injection part arose from the need
for compromising the needs of placing many electronic parts and
the mechanical strength. Meanwhile, the complicated assembling
method itself is a very critical to the PLA materials, since there are
many fasteners, and screws locations.
To solve the above challenges, the choice of the right PLA base
materials will be a very important factor. Due to the chiral nature
of lactic acid, there are several forms of PLA: poly-L-lactide (PLLA)
is the product resulting from polymerization of L,L-lactide (also
known as L-lactide), and PDLA (poly-D-lactide), which is the product
resulting from polymerization of D,D-lactide. PLLA and PDLA are
considered PLA homopolymers. Most currently commercially
available PLA’s are PLA copolymers. A percentage of L,D-Lactide
(also known as meso-Lactide) is polymerized together with L,L
Lactide. This PLA copolymer has limitations. However, if high
purity PLLA and PDLA homopolymers are available, the melting
temperature of PLLA can be increased by 40-50 °C and its heat
deflection temperature can be increased by physically blending the
polymer with PDLA (poly-D-lactide). PDLA and PLLA form a highly
regular stereo-complex with increased crystallinity. In this case,
PDLA or the resulting stereo-complex acts as a nucleating agent
to increase the speed of crystallization.
By a closed cooperation with Corbion Purac, Supla are able
to produce PLLA and PDLA homopolymers. This gives Supla a
great opportunity into durable applications. At Corbion Purac’s
booth at the K 2013 (Düsseldorf, Germany), Kuender showed an
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 39

Consumer Electronics
Kuender & Co., Ltd. has been established since 1990, with
a vision is to offer customers reasonable price together with
the best service and also creates win-win business and long-
term relationship with customers. In addition to its Taipei
headquarter (Taiwan), Kuender also have manufacture plants
both in Taoyuan, Taiwan and Wujang, China. Kuender group
is a professional OEM/ODM manufacturer to provide total
solution for brand customers in various products, say air
cleaner, consumer electronics, etc. From tooling design and
mold injection to assembly of complete unit, Kuender offers
customers tremendous advantages on cost, speed and service.
As a good citizen of the world’s responsibility, Kuender decided
to become a green partner to all his customers by providing a
range of greener choices.
www.kuender.com
SUPLA has dedicated itself in producing high performance
PLA since 2007. SUPLA’s achievements in PLA blends of high
heat resistance and flame retardant have been reported in
bioplastics MAGAZINE in the issues of 01/2010 and 05/2010,
respectively. SUPLA has its manufacture plants both in Taiwan
and Suqian, China. SUPLA recently announced it is constructing
a 10,000 tonnes/a PLA polymerization plant in China that will be
become operational in 2014.
www.supla-bioplastics.cn, www.supla.com.tw
in Raw Materials,
Machinery & Products
Free of Charge
from the Industrial Sector
and the Plastics Markets
for Plastics.
for Plastics & Additives,
Machinery & Equipment,
Subcontractors
and Services.
All-In-One (AIO) PC with 21.5” touch screen, and
an naked-eye 3D media player, by using Supla’s
new grade of durable PLA blend (Supla 155) on
their housings. This is the first time that PLA has
proven itself ready for a mass production line of
consumer electronics. And it implies that PLA can
replace oil-based plastics such as HIPS and ABS,
and alleviate our dependency on fossil fuels.
The AIO PC is the latest version of personal
computer combining PC and the monitor. Kuender’s
AIO PC has a 21.5” touch screen, which makes the
keyboard an optional component. Since this All-In-
One PC includes all the devices under one housing,
the structure and functional requirements for the
housing are much more demanding. The front and
back covers have more demanding on the physical
properties of the material and the stability of
dimensions.
Facing this challenge, Supla started by choosing
PLLA and PDLA homopolymers from Corbion
Purac’s lactide monomers, which are GMO free,
as the base. PLLA and PDLA homopolymers have
better potential for further blending and balancing
other properties including heat resistance, flame
retardant, toughness and dimensional stability
while keeping the injection molding cycle time as
short as possible. A new mold was designed for
the production of this AIO PC accordingly.
Under a close partnership with Supla, Kuender
was able to master and optimize the injection
molding process of these PLA homopolymer
blends. This includes for example the proper mold
temperature, the arrangement of heating sources
in the mold, the flow pattern of the polymer melt,
and the control of dimensional stability. The
resulting new front and back covers of the AIO PC
pass the test standards originally developed for
ABS covers. For this AIO PC’s, the retail price will
be around $700 USD. The change of material from
ABS to PLA will increase the cost less than 2%.
As an OEM/ODM professional, Kuender launches
this product to provide brand customers a greener,
biobased material for the housing in addition to
Kuender’s green display technology, OGS (the OGS
stands for One Glass Solution for touch panel) with
an excellent cost/performance ratio.
for Specialists and
Executive Staff in the
Plastics Industry
40 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

Consumer Electronics
With 50 million tonnes of waste produced worldwide
every year, electronics (smartphones, tablets,
computers, etc.) are now a serious problem for
the environment. To reduce the impact of the so called e-
waste, a new contribution has arrived in the form of bioplastics
designed by bio-on, as stated in a recent press release
by the Bologna, Italy based Intellectual Property Company.
Their product is a PHA made from beet and cane sugar
(in Italy in collaboration with Co.Pro.B.), using a natural
production process without the use of organic chemical
solvents. It is 100% naturally biodegradable in water and
soil and can be used as a substrate for electrical circuits.
When combined with suitable nanofillers, it can act as an
electricity conductor, with extraordinary, as yet unexplored
potential.
PHA for
electronic
applications
“In this way it’s possible to build electronic devices with
a reduced environmental impact”, Marco Astorri, CEO and
co-founder of bio-on, explained during Maker Faire 2103 in
Rome, Italy. “But the use of bioplastics will not be restricted
to smartphones and tablets. We can extend it to highly
advanced technological sectors, thanks to the multiple
features of our bioplastics, their outstanding technical
performance and excellent biocompatibility. In the future
this will also enable us to develop sensors and electromedical
equipment for health care,” added Astorri.
The possibility of incorporating electrical and electronic
circuits in plastic substrates, to obtain flexible, lightweight
and easily integrated electronics, has been the subject
of investigation by a team of Italian researchers from
the Departments of Engineering of the Universities of
Modena-Reggio Emilia and Perugia. They integrated
carbon nanoparticles like nanotubes and graphene into
bioplastics produced by bio-on, making them suitable
for the development of sustainable electronics. The
preliminary results of this research were presented in
Rome during BIOPOL 2013, the International Conference
on Biodegradable and Biobased Polymers.
“This type of plastic reduces the environmental impact of
the device”, according to Paola Fabbri, a researcher at the
Enzo Ferrari Department of Engineering of the University
of Modena and Reggio Emilia, “making recovery easier
and cheaper.” “As much of the plastics currently used
in electronics can now be replaced by biopolymers such
as bio-on’s”, the researchers say, “many businesses can
already benefit by reducing the impact of the life cycle
analysis (LCA) of electronic devices, as recommended by
the European legislation”.
Bio-on is an Italian company that develops new
materials in the modern biotechnologies sector
and this recognition completes the industrial
research project, started in 2007, aimed at
producing naturally biodegradable plastic, starting
from sugar beets and, as of today, also from sugar
cane. The idea is especially innovative since, for the
first time in the world, PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate
polyhydroxyalkanoate)
was obtained from molasses or intermediate sugar
cane juices or from its by-products and not from
oils or cereal starches like many other biopolymers
on the market today. MINERV ®
PHA bioplastics
are thus made from waste materials and not
from products intended for food production. This,
combined with their complete biodegradability in
water, is the big environmental advantage of the
bioplastics developed by Bio on.
www.bio-on.it
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 41

Consumer Electronics
Bio-Based PPA for
Smart Mobile Devices
http://solvay.com
Solvay Specialty Polymers LLC (Alpharetta, Georgia, USA) recently announced
the launch of a new portfolio of bio-based high-performance polyamides
(HPPA) offered for use in smart mobile devices such as smart phones, tablets,
laptops, and other smart mobile electronics. The introduction includes the
Kalix ® HPPA 3000 series, the first bio-based amorphous polyphthalamides (PPAs),
and the Kalix 2000 series, a family of bio-sourced semi-crystalline polyamide (PA
610) grades that provide outstanding impact performance.
The Kalix 3000 series breaks new ground as the industry’s first bio-based
amorphous PPA which delivers exceptional processability. The two new grades
- Kalix 3850 and Kalix 3950 – provide less warp, reduced shrinkage, and low to
no flash. This improved processability results in tighter dimensional tolerances
and more cost-effective manufacturing due to fewer secondary operations
such as deflashing. The two compounded grades consist of 16% renewable
content (according to ASTM D6866). One of the key raw materials for the Kalix
3000 series is a renewably sourced material supplied by sister company Solvay
Novecare, a specialty supplier of surfactants, polymers, amines, solvents, guar,
and phosphorus derivatives.
Under the development work, Solvay utilized the specialized resources of its
R&D teams in India, Belgium, China, and the U.S. while also taking advantage of
new Solvay raw materials captively available since the Rhodia acquisition in 2012.
Meanwhile, the new Kalix 2000 series of semi-crystalline materials, based on
PA 610, consists of Kalix 2855 and Kalix 2955. They provide strong mechanical
properties, high impact, exceptional surface finish, and low moisture absorption.
These two compounded grades consist of 27% renewable content (ASTM D6866).
Both the Kalix 2000 and 3000 series compounds offer manufacturers more
sustainable options while providing the exceptional physical attributes and
processing capabilities that are required in demanding structural applications
such as injection molded chassis, housings, and covers, according to Sebastien
Petillon, global market manager for mobile electronics for Solvay Specialty
Polymers.
Both the 2000 and 3000 series contain monomers that come from the sebacic
acid chain which is derived castor oil. Overall, in addition to their renewable
content, the new grades (between 50-55% glass fiber loading) provide greater
strength and stiffness than most competing glass-reinforced materials including
high-performance polyamides and lower-performing engineering plastics such as
polycarbonate.
The introduction of the new series represents a major expansion of Solvay’s longtime
offering of Ixef ® polyarylamide (PARA) and Kalix HPPA grades which have
served the mobile electronics market the past 15 years. The new bio-based grades
are expected to penetrate a greater share of smart mobile device applications due
to their easier processability compared to Ixef PARA, according to Petillon. The non
biobased products Ixef and the Kalix 9000 series will continue to be offered.
Both the Kalix 2000 and 3000 series offer an excellent surface finish. They can
be matched to a wide range of colors including the bright and light colors of the
smart device industry and can be painted using existing coatings commonly used
for portable electronic devices. The new materials are available globally and Solvay
intends to primarily manufacture in the region of sale, according to Petillon. The
company expects most production to be conducted at its Changshu, China, facility
since Asia is the primary manufacturing center for smart mobile devices.
Both Kalix 2955 and 3950 have been qualified and specified by OEMs for use
in smart mobile devices. Solvay is already developing next-generation biobased
products with enhanced flow, better mechanical performance, and higher
renewable content for constantly redesigned and innovative smart mobile devices.
42 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

Sustainable Solutions
for Plastics, Elastomers & Foams
Priamine TM – Dimer diamines for polyamides & polyimides
Priplast TM – Polyester polyols for TPU, foams, COPE & COPA
Pripol TM – Dimer diols for polyesters & TPU
B-Tough TM A – Toughening agents for structural epoxy resins
www.crodacoatingsandpolymers.com Follow us on Twitter @CrodaCP
Croda Coatings & Polymers – your natural choice
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choice

From PeopleScience & Research
Biocomposites
research for packaging
By
Davide Bandera
Laboratory for Biomaterials and
Laboratory for Applied Wood Materials
Swiss Federal Laboratories for
Materials Science and Technology
St. Gallen and Dübendorf, Switzerland
Schematic of nacre’s structure (top)
and Seashell (bottom)
The Laboratory for Biomaterials at the Swiss Federal Laboratories
for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) in St. Gallen, Switzerland,
is actively searching for new solutions in the area of bio-based
packaging materials. The goal is to expand and improve the range of applications
of biopolymers in this field, focusing on those materials, which
are accessible through more sustainable and efficient routes, rendering
them suitable alternatives to more conventional oil-based packaging. In
particular, their inspirational sources are natural inorganic-organic composites,
like nacre, which is found in mother of pearl and other seashells.
These systems are composed by relatively weak constituents, mainly inorganic
platelets, proteins and polysaccharides, but their hierarchical arrangement
imparts exceptional mechanical and barrier properties. The
structure resembles that of an array of bricks glued together by the bio
polymers. From the barrier viewpoint, it is clear that gases need to go
through a rather long and tortuous path in order to pass them; mimicking
similar constructions should allow for the preparation of materials displaying
good barrier properties. The researchers tackle the issue by using
biopolymers [like PLA, chitosan, etc.] and pristine or modified inorganic
layered silicates.
Biomimetic films from PLA and organically modified layered silicates
have been prepared by blade coating in order to improve barrier properties
of PLA. The resulting films, prepared at high layered silicate loadings,
mostly preserved the natural PLA transparence. It was also found that
the crystallization behavior of the PLA was not heavily influenced with
up to 50% by wt. in content of layered silicate. The water vapor barrier
was 10-fold enhanced in the bionanocomposite with comparison to the
original PLA. Chitosan and layered silicate composites films were also
developed. Usually, these materials display high mechanical strength but
their ductility is low. The addition of an ionic liquid type of plasticizer to the
mixture improved the ductility by a factor of two, even with a plasticizer
amount that was a third compared to the one required with the commonly
used glycerol. The oxygen barrier properties of these films had 6-fold
enhancement compared to pristine chitosan. It is reasonable to foresee
future industrial applications where multilayered systems, based on these
naturally occurring polymers and layered silicates, can provide more
environmentally friendly packaging solutions for food and other goods.
In a collaborative industrial project funded by the Swiss Commission for
Technology and Innovation [CTI], the scientists deal with the improvement of
the barrier properties of paper materials for food packaging. In particular,
the task is to develop a solution to the manufacture of PLA water-based
dispersions used as coatings for paper and paperboard. The biopolymer-
44 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

From Science & Research
Chitosan/Layered
silicate film (cross
section SEM picture)
5.00 um
PLA water-based
dispersion
(SEM picture)
10 µm
based coating has to provide better water vapor and oxygen barrier
properties, but also comply with the strict industrial requirements of
low viscosity and high solid content. To face this challenge we started
from a solution of polymer and prepared the water based dispersion that
contains also a layered silicate. An innovative formulation was obtained
with relatively high solid content (up to 25%), rather homogeneous
particle size distribution, low viscosity and capable of improving the
water barrier properties of paper when applied to it. The solutions and
knowledge of the Swiss research team sets them as ideal partners for
industries which are looking for innovative biopolymer-based packaging
applications.
www.empa.ch/biomaterials
INTAREMA
THE NEW DIMENSION OF
PLASTIC RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 45

People Politics
By Michael Thielen
New steps in
European Bagislation
(Photo: iStock, MikaelEriksson)
n early November a new proposal by the European Commission
(EC) to amend the European Packaging and Packaging
Waste Directive (PPDW) caused quite some excitement
throughout the industry. This article comprises some facts
and some opinions.
The proposal of the EC [1] requires Member States to reduce
their use of lightweight plastic carrier bags. Lightweight
carrier bags under this definition are bags with a thickness
below 50 µm. These bags are less frequently reused than
thicker ones, and often end up as litter, as stated in a press
release by the European commission [2]. Member States of
the European Union can choose the measures they find most
appropriate, including charges, national reduction targets or
a ban under certain conditions. Lightweight plastic bags are
often used only once, but can persist in the environment for
hundreds of years, often as harmful microscopic particles
that are known to be dangerous to marine life in particular.
EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said:
“We’re taking action to solve a very serious and highly visible
environmental problem. Every year, more than 8 billion
plastic bags end up as litter in Europe, causing enormous
environmental damage. Some Member States have already
achieved great results in terms of reducing their use of plastic
bags. If others followed suit we could reduce today’s overall
consumption in the European Union by as much as 80%.” So
the overall aim is to promote waste prevention and reduce
littering [3].
Bioplastic bags could be a good alternative
The industry association European Bioplastics basically
welcomes this proposal. “The proposal of the European
Commission aiming to reduce the consumption of plastic
carrier bags in the EU is an important first step in the
direction of a more sustainable economy“, said François de
Bie, Chairman of European Bioplastics [4].
Keeping in mind the guiding principles of a circular economy
and increased resource efficiency, the initiative should also be
the opportunity for legislators to promote biobased products,
such as bioplastics. European Bioplastics recommends that
the measures brought forward to reduce the consumption of
plastic bags should also allow for flexibility in Member States
when dealing with bioplastic shopping bags. Exempting
biobased and/or biodegradable/compostable plastics, due
to their different specific environmental benefits (see below),
from any measures intended to reduce the consumption of
lightweight plastic carrier bags should be considered [4].
European Bioplastics advocates the reduction of carrier bag
consumption in general, and endorses the basic approach
of the Commission’s proposal to amend the PPWD. This
proposal allows Member States to derogate from Article 18
of the PPWD (which obliges Member States not to impede
the placing on the market of their territory of packaging
which satisfies the provisions of that Directive [3]). European
Bioplastics further advocates considering specific promoting
measures for bioplastic alternatives [4].
46 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

Politics
“Under this Directive, the Italian plastic bag law would be finally validated. This law
banned fossil-based lightweight plastic carrier bags, and allows only single use bags
that are compostable according to EN 13432 to be utilised,” added Francois de Bie.
European Bioplastics supports also the exemption of biobased, non-biodegradable
shopping bags, that contain at least 50% biobased content, from restricting
market regulations. Promoting measures for bioplastic alternatives would address
environmental issues and drive building a biobased economy at the same time” [4].
Some more opinions
Harald Kaeb, narocon, added: “Positioning bioplastics as an exemption to a widely
accepted reduction target which addresses over-use and environmental issues,
is not the most elegant way of promoting their use. I am missing advocacy of the
industry for the use of durable, reusable and recyclable bioplastic bags. I have seen
fantastic nonwoven bags for life made of PLA and biobased PE is much more used
for reusable bags. Such products would not benefit from bagislation as it stands
today.”
Braskem is a producer of biobased polyethylene. Marco Jansen (Commercial
Director Renewable Chemicals Europe & North America at Braskem) said:
“Braskem’s biobased polyethylene is a renewable raw material to produce a wide
variety of plastic products including carrier bags, both single-use and durable ones.
The product offers a more sustainable alternative for fossil based polyethylene
products. It is fully recyclable within existing polyethylene waste streams and nonbiodegradable.
The biobased PE bags offer a contribution to the circular economy,
a reduction in carbon footprint and after recycling (the preferred option) a potential
feedstock for bioenergy. So for both, multiple and single use carrier bags the target
must be to collect, recycle and finally incinerate carrier bags” [5].
“Not the wallthickness of the bags should be considered, but their weight, as
the Commission’s proposal is related to lightweight bags,” said Stefano Facco,
Novamont’s director of new business development. “Bag producers could easily
overcome a 50 µm rule by adding calcium carbonate, recycled material or foaming
agents, all of which would also reduce the quality of a bag,” he said. “I suggest that
bags below 50 grams (!) should be compostable and heavier bags should be made of
biobased plastics. By the way, the weight of a bag is much easier to police than the
gauge” [5].
Marco Versari, Chairman of the Board of the Italian association Assobioplastiche
said: “The adoption of the draft directive recognizes our country’s efforts, since
we have been working successfully for years to reduce the use of bags made from
traditional plastics, supporting the uptake of reusable and compostable bags. It has
now been proved, including at European level that the ban on the sale of non-reusable
traditional plastic shopping bags falls fully within the measures that Member States
can adopt in order to reduce usage, thereby addressing associated environmental
problems.” And he added: “Assobioplastiche will continue to work at the European
level to follow the path of the directive and promote application of the Italian law
which has now finally and officially been approved” [6].
The German IK (Association of Plastic Packaging) stated that for Germany there
is no need for a plastic bag ban. Today, 98% of all plastic packaging is disposed
of within an excellent disposal and recycling system, a high quota which has
officially been confirmed by the EU commission. The successful implementation
of this disposal concept has largely been achieved thanks to the highly motivated
participation of German consumers. German plastic bags therefore do not end up
either in the European seas nor do they constitute a littering problem on dry land. A
further suggestion by the EU commission to reduce the use of plastic carrier bags
by means of penalty taxes as an alternative, is not very constructive. „Only suitable
disposal systems in combination with educating the population will prevent marine
litter on a large scale,“ IK managing director Ulf Kelterborn stated [7].
Our Covergirl Irina says:
“In this world we really do
need more solutions against
pollution. Like bioplastics. I
feel that for my health and for
the environment bioplastics
are a safer solution and
makes a better world.
Everyone should use it.”
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 47

Politics
Multiple Use Plastic Bags
Single Use Plastic Carrier Bags
Single and multiple use plastic carrier
bags unsed per person in EU member
States and EU-27 average
(Source [12])
Estonia
Hungary
Lativa
Lithuania
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Slovenia
Czech Republic
Romania
Bulgaria
Greece
Italy
EU-27 (average)
UK
Cyprus
Spain
Malta
Sweden
Belgium
France
Netherlands
Germany
Austria
Ireland
Luxembourg
Denmark
Finland
100 200 300 400 500
Benefits of biobased and biodegradable bags
Biobased and biodegradable plastic bags offer different
specific advantages [8]:
The biobased content of bioplastic shopping bags ensures
that they have a lower carbon footprint than oil-based bags,
helping to reduce CO 2
emissions.
In countries where organic waste is collected, compostable
bags can be used to collect organic waste, in effect making
it a dual use bag. Studies have shown that compostable
biowaste bags help to increase the amount of biowaste
collected and improve the quality of compost. Dual use also
reduces the number of bags that are thrown away or end
up in landfills.
In countries where plastic waste is recovered for recycling,
the bioplastic shopping bags can be mechanically
recycled into new plastic products. This topic, however is
rather complex and needs additional efforts as to source
separation of the waste. Biobased (and non-biodegradable)
plastics, such as 100% sugar cane based Polyethylene
for example can be recycled together with traditional PE
without any problems.
In countries where waste is incinerated, the biobased
content contributes to the generation of renewable energy.
landfill is the least preferable end-of-life option. However, in
case of biobased (and non-biodegradable) plastic shopping
bags ending up in landfill, the biobased content will help
to ‘sequester’ CO 2
. An important factor in this context is
the fact, that a huge amount of marine litter in the oceans
originates from landfills that are not closed or properly
managed (see more details below) [9].
Some more background
The properties that make plastic bags commercially
successful – low weight and resistance to degradation – have
also contributed to their proliferation in the environment.
They escape waste management streams and accumulate in
our environment, especially in the form of marine litter. Once
discarded, plastic carrier bags can last for hundreds of years.
Marine littering is increasingly recognised to be a major global
challenge posing a threat to marine eco-systems and animals
such as fish and birds. There is also evidence indicating large
accumulation of litter in European seas [2].
In 2010, an estimated 98.6 billion plastic carrier bags were
placed on the EU market, which amounts to every EU citizen
using 198 plastic carrier bags per year. Out of these almost
100 billion bags, the vast majority are lightweight bags, which
are less frequently re-used than thicker ones. Consumption
figures vary greatly between Member States, with annual use
per capita of lightweight plastic carrier bags ranging between
an estimated 4 bags in Denmark and Finland and 466 bags in
Poland, Portugal and Slovakia [2].
48 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

Politics
Doubtful figures
However, looking at these figures a little more closely,
some doubts arise about the accuracy of the data. Just a
few exemplary figures to circumstantiate these doubts: The
people in Denmark for example need 75 heavy multiple use
bags and 4 single use bags per person per year… while the
people in Germany use 64 single use bags and 7 multiple
use? In Ireland on the other hand, people carry home their
purchases of a whole year in 18 single use bags and 2
multiple use bags? Seems that the Irish still use a lot of
shopping baskets. And in Bulgaria – the opposite. Here
people seem to need about 250 single use plus 150 multiple
use bags – Wow!
In addition to the figures above, the EC (in an Impact
Assessment paper [12] for the proposal) mention a total
of 1.6 to 1.8 million tonnes of plastic being converted into
carrier bags each year in the European Union. EuPC (the
association of the European Plastics Converters) however
state that this figure is still far too high (in 2008 the EC hat
estimated a total of 3.4 million tonnes). EuPC estimate a
total market volume in Europa of about 800,000 tonnes. The
biggest mistake in the proposal is — according to a press
release of EuPC [13] — the statement, “that in the case of a
ban on plastic carrier bags, 147.6 Million t of CO 2
emissions
would be saved. In reality, the correct emissions savings
would be 1.44 Million tonnes and not a factor 100 times
higher, as stated in the Commission’s proposal”.
As a matter of fact, and Commissioner Potočnik admitted
this recently, it seems that good and reliable data is simply
not available — or the available data is being evaluated and
compared without a common background and thus like
comparing apples and pears.
After all – littering is a behavioural question
At the end of the day — Littering is not a product-intrinsic
problem of shopping bags. It is caused by careless or
thoughtless disposal behaviour on the part of consumers. In
order not to encourage this behaviour, bioplastic producers,
retailers and brandowners should refrain from advertising
biodegradability and compostability of bioplastics bags as
a solution to littering. However, all products should inform
the consumer about their useful end-of-life options [8, 10].
On the other hand UNEP (United Nations Environment
Programme) published findings that only 20% of the garbage
patch in the pacific is created by direct littering by man —
the other 80% are said to origin from open and improperly
managed landfills. The plastic bags find their way to the sea
on indirect ways, e.g. by wind, animals etc. [9].
References
[1] Proposal to reduce plastic bag consumption, European
Commission, http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste
tp://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/ e/
packaging/legis.htm#plastic_bags (accessed Nov. 6th,
2013)
[2] Environment: Commission proposes to reduce the use of
plastic bags, Press release by the European Commission,
4 Nov 2103, http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-
1017_en.htm (accessed Nov. 6th, 2013)
[3] Potočnik, J.: Questions and answers on the proposal to
reduce the consumption of plastic bags, Memo related
to the proposal [1], 04 Nov 2013, http://europa.eu/rapid/
press-release_MEMO-13-945_de.htm (accessed Nov. 6th,
2013)
[4] N.N.: Press release of European Bioplastics, 04 Nov
2013, http://en.european-bioplastics.org/wp-content/
uploads/2013/11/EuBP_statement_EC_bags_
proposal_131104.pdf (accessed Nov. 6th, 2013)
[5] personal conversation, November, 2013
[6] EU Directive on the use of plastic bags: important
recognition for Italy, Press release of Assobioplastiche,
Rome, Italy, 06 November 2013
[7] N.N. Press release of IK Industrievereinigung
Kunststoffverpackungen e. V., Nov. 6, 2013
http://www.kunststoffverpackungen.de/index.
php?id=5337&langfront=en (accessed Nov. 13th, 2013)
[8] Plastic shopping bags, Position of European Bioplastics,
http://en.european-bioplastics.org/EuBP_PositionPaper_
Plastic_shopping_bags.pdf (accessed Nov. 6th, 2013)
[9] http://www.unep.org/regionalseas/marinelitter/
[10] Bioplastic carrier bags – a step forward, Fact Sheet of
European Bioplastics http://en.european-bioplastics.
org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/EuBP_FS_shopping_
bags_2013.pdf (accessed Nov. 6th, 2013)
The full text of the Proposal can be downloaded here:
[11] http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/packaging/pdf/
proposal_plastic_bag.pdf (accessed Nov. 6th, 2013)
[12] Impact Assessment for a Proposal for a DIRECTIVE OF
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
amending Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging
waste to reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic
carrier bags http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/
packaging/pdf/swd_plastic_bag.pdf (accessed Nov. 17th,
2013)
[13] EuPC criticises contents of Commission’s plastic
carrier bags proposal; Press release EuPC, Nov. 6, 2013;
http://www.plasticsconverters.eu/uploads/EuPC%20
response%20to%20Commission%20bags%20proposal.pdf
(accessed Nov. 6th, 2013)
Most of these sources can be downloaded from
www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/201306
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 49

People Basics
Biobased carbon vs biomass ?
Understanding terminology and value proposition in the bioplastics
space – biobased vs biobased carbon vs biomass based
There are a growing number of terms being used in the bioplastics space
with the potential to confuse and mislead the various industry stake
holders and the general audience - from regulators, to NGOs, to brand
owners, to consumers, and the general public. In this article we will sort
through the technical jargon of terminology usage and more importantly the
relationship between these terms and to the ultimate value proposition bioplastics
has to offer. Many of these terms are originating in the various International
standards (ISO, EN, ASTM) being developed and under development.
It is critical that the various bioplastics stakeholders including standards writers,
certification organizations, and the representative trade organizations
have a clear understanding of the terms and definitions and the linkages to
each other.
We begin with the basic terminology – bioplastics, biobased plastic,
biodegradable-compostable plastics. The term bioplastics encompasses
two separate but interlinked concepts: (a) biobased plastics representing
the beginning of life of the plastic and (b) biodegradable-compostable plastic
representing the end-of-life.
Biobased plastics – plastics made from plant biomass/agricultural crops.
These are photoautotrophs that convert (remove) CO 2
in the environment to
organic materials (like carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins in plant biomass)
using water and sunlight energy (photosynthesis). This is in contrast to
plastics made from petro/fossil resources (like Oil, Coal, Natural gas) which
are formed from plant biomass over millions of years. The rate and time scale
of CO 2
conversion to organic materials in plant biomass is typically one year
(an agricultural or biomass crop) or around 10 years (wood/ tree plantation).
Therefore plastics made from plant biomass/agricultural crop is consistent
with removal of CO 2
from the environment in a short time (1-10 years) and
incorporating them into plastic polymer molecule. In the case of plastics made
from fossil resources the carbon present has formed over a million year time
frame and so cannot be credited with any CO 2
removal from the environment
even over a 100 year time scale ( the time period used in measuring global
warming potential, GWP100). Figure 1 illustrates this natural biological
carbon cycle.
By:
Ramani Narayan
Michigan State University,
East Lansing, Michigan, USA
To illustrate this carbon footprint reduction (CO 2
removal/sequestration
from the environment), consider the manufacture of biobased polyethylene
from sugarcane (plant biomass). Figure 2 shows the stoichiometric equations
starting with CO 2
in the environment being converted to sugar (in sugarcane) by
photosynthesis, fermentation of the sugar to ethanol; dehydration to ethylene,
and polymerization of the ethylene to biobased polyethylene. Summing up, the
net reaction is the removal of 88 kg of CO 2
in the atmosphere to manufacture
28 kg of biobased polyethylene – that is every kg of biobased PE manufactured
results in 3.14 kg of CO 2
removal from the environment. This illustrates the
clear, unambiguous, quantitative carbon foot print reductions achieved from
switching to biobased carbon and that is the fundamental value proposition.
Using similar basic stoichiometric, it can be shown that for every kg of 100%
biobased PET (polyethylene terephthalate) manufactured results in 2.29 kg of
50 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

Politics Basics
Biological Carbon Cycle
sunlight energy
CO 2
+ H 2
O (CH 2
O) X
+ O 2
photosynthesis
1-10 years
Biomass, Agr. & Forestry
crops & residues
NEW CARBON
CO 2
removal from the environment. For the current
Coca-Cola PET plant bottle with 20% biobased
carbon content, 0.46 kg of CO 2
is removed from the
environment per kg of plant bottle PET. For every kg of
PLA (polylactic acid) manufactured there is 1.83 kg of
CO 2
removed from the environment. For fossil based
products there would be zero removal of CO 2
from the
environment as discussed above and illustrated in
Figure 1 of the biological carbon cycle.
The above discussions and calculations represent a
cradle to gate (in LCA terminology) assessment of the
material carbon in the polymer. It does not reflect the
end-of-life and ultimate release of the carbon bound
in the polymer to the environment as CO 2
. As can be
seen from Figure 1, this does not change the basic
value proposition of reducing the carbon footprint.
For example when the biobased carbon in biobased
PE is released back to the environment as CO 2
(as
it would be) then the 3.14 kg CO 2
e/kg of PE removal
would become zero – zero material carbon footprint.
By the same token the fossil based PE carbon would
result in +3.14 kg of CO 2
e/kg of PE released to the
environment – the net result being the same.
Biodegradable-compostable plastics – these are
plastics designed to be completely biodegradable in
the targeted disposal environment (composting, soil,
marine, anaerobic digester) in a short defined time
period. They are assimilated by micro-organisms
present in the disposal environment as food to drive
their life processes. They are not necessarily biobased
and can be petro / fossil based.
Biobased plastics are not necessarily
biodegradable-compostable, and as discussed earlier
they derive their value proposition from contributing
to a reduced carbon footprint during the beginningof-life
stage. The fundamental intrinsic carbon
footprint reduction value proposition described above
does not address the carbon emissions and other
environmental impacts for the process of converting
the feedstock to products, use, and ultimate disposal –
the process carbon and environmental footprint. LCA
methodology and standards (ISO 14040 standards)
are the accepted tools to compute the process carbon
and environmental footprint, and is required for all
products irrespective of whether it is biobased or
fossil based.
1-10 years > 10 6 years
USE – for materials,
chemicals and fuels
Rate and time scales of CO 2
utilization is in balance using biobased/plant
feedstocks (1-10 years) as opposed to using fossil feedstocks
Short (in balance) sustainable carbon cycle using bio based carbon feedstock
Material carbon footprint (
Fig. 1: Understanding the Value Proposition based on the origins of
the carbon in the product - biobased carbon vs petro/fossil carbon [1])
NET
6nCO 2
+ 6nH 2
O
nC 6
H 12
O 6
2nC 2
H 5
OH
2nC 2
H 4
4nCO 2
+ 4nH 2
O
(88 kg)
photosynthesis
fermentation
dehydration
polymerization
nC 6
H 12
O 6
+ 6nO 2
2nC 2
H 5
OH + 2nCO 2
2nC 2
H 4
+ 2nH 2
O
2—CH 2
—CH 2 —
n
2—CH 2
—CH 2 — + 6nO 2
n
(28 kg)
Stochiometric equation showing CO 2
‘removal’ from
the environment and incorporation the carbon into
biobased polyethylene molecule
14
CO 2
- Solar radiation
12
CO 2
C-14 signature forms the basis to
measure biobased carbon content
(ASTM, EN, ISO standard)
Cosmic
radiation
ation
14 14 14
N C CO 2
Fossil Resources (Oil, Coal, Natural gas)
OLD CARBON
12 CO 2
Biomass
( 12 CH 2
O) x
( 14 CH 2
O) x
NEW CARBON
Defining biobased carbon and differentiating from fossil
carbon using radiocarbon analysis [1]
> 10 6 years
Fossil Recources
(petroleum, natural gas, coal)
( 12 CH 2
O) n
( 12 CHO) x
OLD CARBON
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 51

Basics
kg of CO 2
removed per kg of resin
3.5
3.14
3.0
2.5 2.29 229
2
2.0 1.87 187
1.5
1.0
0.5
0
Experimentally determined using ASTM D6866
based on the principle of 12C/14C analysis
Bio-PE / -PP Bio-PET PLA PE / PET
Figure 4. Material carbon footprint, illustrating amount of CO 2
removal from the environment and incorporating into polymer
0
Biobased carbon content
A key requirement for biobased plastics is the need for a
transparent and accurate test method to unequivocally identify
and quantify biobased carbon present in the plastic. Recall that
biobased plastics are plastics made from plant biomass which
have recently fixed CO 2
present in the environment (new carbon
– see Figure 1). The carbon dioxide (CO 2
) in the atmosphere has
12
CO2 in equilibrium with radioactive 14 CO 2
. Plants and animals
that use carbon in biological food chains take up 14 C during their
lifetimes. They exist in equilibrium with the 14 C concentration
in the atmosphere; that is, the numbers of 14 C atoms and
non-radioactive carbon atoms stay approximately the same
over time. As soon as a plant or animal dies, the metabolic
function of carbon uptake ceases; there is no replenishment
of radioactive carbon, only decay. Since the half-life of carbon
is around 5730 years, the petro-fossil feedstock formed over
millions of years will have no 14 C signature. However, all
biobased plastics will have this small but measurable 14 C
signature associated with it. This forms the basis to identify and
quantity the percent biobased carbon in the product. The test
method calls for combusting the biobased plastic and analyzing
the CO 2
gas evolved to provide a measure of its 14 C/ 12 C content
relative to the modern carbon-based oxalic acid radiocarbon
standard reference material (SRM) 4990c (referred to as HOxII).
This methodology to determine bio-based carbon content
has an accuracy of +/–3% and was first codified into an ASTM
standard D6866 titled “Standard Test Methods for Determining
the Biobased Content of Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Samples
Using Radiocarbon Analysis”. This test method also forms the
basis for determining biobased carbon content in the EN and
ISO standards.
Percent biobased carbon content = mass of biobased
(organic) carbon /total mass of (organic) carbon * 100.
Inorganic carbon like calcium carbonate is excluded from
the calculations and in ASTM D6866 method for measuring
biobased carbon content, any carbonate present is removed
before measuring the biobased carbon content. However, EN,
and ISO standards also provide for reporting percent biobased
carbon content using total carbon present in the plastic – that
is without removing the inorganic carbonates.
Percent biobased carbon content TC = mass of biobased
(organic) carbon /total mass of carbon * 100.
It should be noted that the principle and methodology is the
same, the biobased carbon content value obtained would be
different depending on whether one used total mass of organic
carbon or total mass of all carbons present in the plastic.
The percent biobased carbon content using radiocarbon
analysis like in ASTM D6866 gives the ratio of the mass of
biobased (organic) carbons to total mass of (organic) carbons or
total mass of all carbons present in the product, for example if
52 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

Basics
a product A contains 60% biobased carbon, it means that for
every 100 kg of carbon present in product A there are 60 kg of
biobased carbon. It is not that for every 100 kg of Product A,
there is 60 kg of biobased carbon! This is because product A
includes elements other than carbon, like hydrogen, oxygen,
and other elements.
This does not pose a problem, because it is straightforward
and well established method in organic chemistry to
experimentally determine elemental analysis – which gives
the percent carbon present in product.
In the above example let us assume that elemental analysis
of Product A gives us 50% organic carbon; 5% hydrogen, and
45% oxygen -- in other words 100 kg of Product A contains
50 kg of carbon.
If the biobased carbon content determined experimentally
(using ASTM D6866) is 60%; then 100 kg of Product A will
contain 30 kg of biobased carbon [60/100 *50]
This can be extended to calculating the biobased carbon
content of a complex product comprising n components as
shown in the equation below. However, the biobased carbon
content (using ASTM D6866), organic carbon content,
and mass of each of the n components should be known.
Alternatively, the complex product can be directly tested for
biobased carbon content using ASTM D6866.
BCC (product)= ∑w n
*BCC n
*OCC n
/∑w n
*OCC n
w n
= mass of the n th component
BCC n
= biobased carbon content of n th component
OCC n
= organic carbon content of the n th component
Biobased mass content
The earlier discussion showed calculations based on
carbon mass. This seems logical given that the value
proposition for using biobased plastics arises from carbon
footprint reductions (CO 2
removal from the environment)
achieved. The biobased carbon content calculations can
readily provide the CO 2
reductions obtained as discussed in
the earlier sections. It may be useful to report the biobased
mass content (not just on a carbon content basis) for better
communication and understanding by general audiences and
to satisfy other requirements. However, there is no verifiable,
accurate test methodology that can directly measure the
biobased mass content of a product. To calculate and report
total biobased mass content of a plastic product, one needs
to experimentally measure the biobased carbon content,
and know the chemical structure of the polymer material
(the chemical structure should be validated by established
chemical and spectroscopic techniques). This is best
illustrated with the biobased PET bottles and containers
in commercial use today. PET has the chemical structure
shown below:
–CO-C 6
H 4
-CO - O-CH 2
-CH 2
-O
Fossil based acid
8 carbon atoms
68.75% by mass
20% biobased carbon content (ASTM D 6866)
31.25% by mass/weight of plant biomass
The biobased PET is made from the condensation
polymerization of fossil based terephthalic acid and biobased
ethylene glycol. So, there are 2 biobased carbons and 8
fossil carbons in the product giving it 20% biobased carbon
content. Any PET bottle in the market can be collected and
experimentally analyzed (ASTM D6866) for biobased carbon
content as discussed earlier, and should give a result of
20% biobased carbon content. Based on this experimental
observation and knowing the chemical structure of PET, one
can readily calculate and report that the biobased PET has a
biobased mass (plant biomass) content of 31.25%. However,
there is no direct experimental methodology or protocol that
can take a PET bottle or a PE film and conclude that there is
biobased content, let alone the amount of biobased content
in the product.
Biomass content
biobased glycol
2 carbon atoms
31.25 by mass
There are ongoing efforts to directly calculate and report
biomass content; however to-date there is no simple, direct
experimental methodology or protocol to do this without
going through the biobased carbon content experimental
determinations. There is research directed at using CO 2
from smoke stacks and growing algal biomass. Plastics
made from this algal biomass will not be able to be identified
and quantified using the established radiocarbon test
method. While, this may be environmentally beneficial and
has value, it is different from the biobased plastics made
from plant biomass that photosynthetically fixes CO 2
from
the environment and is part of the sustainable, natural
biological carbon cycle (as shown in Figure 1). A vast majority
of biobased plastics in the market and under development
follow this natural biological carbon cycle. The biobased
plastics industry needs to be careful to not confuse the
marketplace and the general audience by using terms like
biomass content or renewable materials or similar terms to
describe the current generation of biobased plastics from
plant biomass/agricultural crops that remove CO 2
present in
the environment through the sustainable, natural biological
carbon cycle.
[1].Ramani Narayan, Biobased & Biodegradable Polymer
Materials-, ACS Symposium Ser. 1114, Chapter 2, pg 13-31,
2012; ACS Symposium Ser. 939, Chapter 18, pg 282, 2006
[2] Ramani Narayan, Carbon footprint of bioplastics using
biocarbon content analysis and life cycle assessment, MRS
Bulletin, Vol 36 Issue 09, pg. 716 – 721, 2011
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 53

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Market study on
Bio-based Polymers in the World
Capacities, Production and Applications: Status Quo and Trends towards 2020
Bio-based polymers – Production capacity
will triple from 3.5 million tonnes in 2011
to nearly 12 million tonnes in 2020
Germany’s nova-Institute is publishing the most
comprehensive market study of bio-based polymers
ever made. The nova-Institute carried out this study
in collaboration with renowned international experts
from the field of bio-based polymers. It is the first
time that a study has looked at every kind of biobased
polymer produced by 247 companies at
363 locations around the world and it examines in
detail 114 companies in 135 locations (see table).
Considerably higher production capacity was found
than in previous studies. The 3.5 million tonnes
represent a share of 1.5 % of an overall construction
polymer production of 235 million tonnes in 2011.
Current producers of bio-based polymers estimate
that production capacity will reach nearly 12 million
tonnes by 2020.
million t/a
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
2011
PLA
Bio-based polymers: Evolution of
production capacities from 2011 to 2020
2012
2013
Starch Blends
2014
2015
PHA
2016
2017
PA
2018
2019
PBAT
2020
PBS
Content of the full report
This over 360-page report presents the
findings of nova-Institute’s year-long
market study, which is made up of three
parts: “market data”, “trend reports” and
“company profiles”.
The “market data” section presents market
data about total production and capacities
and the main application fields for selected
bio-based polymers worldwide (status quo
in 2011, trends and investments towards
2020).
The “trend reports” section contains a
total of six independent articles by leading
experts in the field of bio-based polymers
and plastics. Dirk Carrez (Clever Consult)
and Michael Carus (nova-Institute) focus
on policies that impact on the bio-based
economy. Jan Ravenstijn analyses the main
market, technology and environmental
trends for bio-based polymers and their
precursors worldwide. Wolfgang Baltus (NIA)
reviews Asian markets for bio-based resins.
Roland Essel (nova-Institute) provides an
environmental evaluation of bio-based
polymers, and Janpeter Beckmann (nova-
Institute) presents the findings of a survey
concerning Green Premium within the value
chain leading from chemicals to bio-based
plastics. Finally, Harald Kaeb (narocon)
reports detailed information about brand
strategies and customer views within the
bio-based polymers and plastics industry.
These trend reports cover in detail every
recent issue in the worldwide bio-based
polymer market.
The final “company profiles” section includes
114 company profiles with specific data
including locations, bio-based polymers,
feedstocks, production capacities and
applications. A company index by polymers,
and list of acronyms follow.
“Bio-based Polymers Producer
Database” and updates to the report
To conduct this study nova-Institute
developed the “Bio-based Polymers
Producer Database”, which includes a
company profile of every company involved
in the production of bio-based polymers and
their precursors. This encompasses (state of
affairs in 2011 and forecasts for 2020) basic
information on the company (joint ventures,
partnerships, technology and bio-based
products) and its various manufacturing
facilities. For each bio-based product,
the database provides information about
production and capacities, feedstocks, main
application fields, market prices and biobased
share.
Access to the database is already available.
The database will be constantly updated by
the experts who have contributed to this
report. Buyers of the report will have free
access to the database for one year.
Everyone who has access to the database
can automatically generate graphics and
tables concerning production capacity,
production and application sectors for all
bio-based polymers based on the latest
data collection.
Order the full report
The full 360-page report contains three main
parts – “market data”, six “trend reports”
and 114 “company profiles” – and can be
ordered for 6,500 € plus VAT at:
www.bio-based.eu/market_study
This also includes oneyear
access to the “Biobased
Polymers Producer
Database”, which will be
continuously updated.
©
©
Polyolefins
-Institut.eu | 2013
PET
CA
PU
Thermosets
Evolution of the shares of
bio-based production capacities in different regions
20% 15%
52%
-Institut.eu | 2013
2011 2020
13%
14% 13%
55%
North America South America Asia Europe
18%
Quellen: FEDIOL 2010
BIO-BASED POLYMERS
AVERAGE BIOMASS CONTENT
OF POLYMER
PRODUCING
COMPANIESUNTIL
2020
LOCATIONS
Cellulose Acetate CA 50% 9 15
Polyamide PA rising to 60%* 14 17
Polybutylene Adipate PBAT rising to 50%* 3 3
Terephthalat
Polybutylene Succinate PBS rising to 80%* 11 12
Polyethylene PE 100% 3** 2
Polyethylene Terephthalat PET 30% to 35%*** 4 4
Polyhydroxy Alkanoates PHAs 100% 14 16
Polylactic Acid PLA 100% 27 32
Polypropylene PP 100% 1 1
Polyvinyl Chloride PVC 43% 2 2
Polyurethane PUR 30% 10 10
Starch Blends **** 40% 19 21
Total companies covered with detailed information in this report 114 135
Additional companies included in the “Bio-based Polymer Producer Database” 133 228
Total companies and locations recorded in the market study 247 363
* Currently still mostly fossil-based with existing drop-in solutions and a steady upward trend of the average bio-based share up to given percentage in 2020
** Including Joint Venture of two companies sharing one location, counting as two
*** Upcoming capacities of bio-pTA (purifi ed Terephthalic Acid) are calculated to increase the average bio-based share, not the total bio-PET capacity
**** Starch in plastic compound

Suppliers Guide
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extends automatically if it’s not canceled
three month before expiry.
AGRANA Starch
Thermoplastics
Conrathstrasse 7
A-3950 Gmuend, Austria
Tel: +43 676 8926 19374
lukas.raschbauer@agrana.com
www.agrana.com
Showa Denko Europe GmbH
Konrad-Zuse-Platz 4
81829 Munich, Germany
Tel.: +49 89 93996226
www.showa-denko.com
support@sde.de
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
Evonik Industries AG
Paul Baumann Straße 1
45772 Marl, Germany
Tel +49 2365 49-4717
evonik-hp@evonik.com
www.vestamid-terra.com
www.evonik.com
Shandong Fuwin New Material Co., Ltd.
Econorm ® Biodegradable &
Compostable Resin
North of Baoshan Road, Zibo City,
Shandong Province P.R. China.
Phone: +86 533 7986016
Fax: +86 533 6201788
Mobile: +86-13953357190
CNMHELEN@GMAIL.COM
www.sdfuwin.com
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
Corbion Purac
Arkelsedijk 46, P.O. Box 21
4200 AA Gorinchem -
The Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0)183 695 695
Fax: +31 (0)183 695 604
www.corbion.com/bioplastics
bioplastics@corbion.com
1.2 compounds
API S.p.A.
Via Dante Alighieri, 27
36065 Mussolente (VI), Italy
Telephone +39 0424 579711
www.apiplastic.com
www.apinatbio.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!
GRAFE-Group
Waldecker Straße 21,
99444 Blankenhain, Germany
Tel. +49 36459 45 0
www.grafe.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
PolyOne
Avenue Melville Wilson, 2
Zoning de la Fagne
5330 Assesse
Belgium
Tel.: + 32 83 660 211
www.polyone.com
WinGram Industry CO., LTD
Great River(Qin Xin)
Plastic Manufacturer CO., LTD
Mobile (China): +86-13113833156
Mobile (Hong Kong): +852-63078857
Fax: +852-3184 8934
Email: Benson@wingram.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
www.facebook.com
www.issuu.com
www.twitter.com
www.youtube.com
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
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
56 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

Suppliers Guide
BIOTEC
Biologische Naturverpackungen
Werner-Heisenberg-Strasse 32
46446 Emmerich/Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 2822 – 92510
info@biotec.de
www.biotec.de
PolyOne
Avenue Melville Wilson, 2
Zoning de la Fagne
5330 Assesse
Belgium
Tel.: + 32 83 660 211
www.polyone.com
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
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
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
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
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
4. Bioplastics products
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
PSM Bioplastic NA
Chicago, USA
www.psmna.com
+1-630-393-0012
1.5 PHA
A & O FilmPAC Ltd
9 Osier Way
Olney, Bucks.
MK46 5FP
Tel.: +44 1234 714 477
Fax: +44 1234 713 221
sales@bioresins.eu
www.bioresins.eu
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
1.6 masterbatches
GRAFE-Group
Waldecker Straße 21,
99444 Blankenhain, Germany
Tel. +49 36459 45 0
www.grafe.com
GRAFE-Group
Waldecker Straße 21,
99444 Blankenhain, Germany
Tel. +49 36459 45 0
www.grafe.com
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
Seemore New Material Tech Co., Ltd
Zhe Jiang Overseas High-Level
Talents Innovation Park, 998 West
Wen Yi Road, Hangzhou, China
MP: 86 - 13486379521
Email: 13486379521@163.com
http://www.hzseemore.com
3. Semi finished products
3.1 films
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
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
MODA: Biodegradability Analyzer
SAIDA FDS INC.
143-10 Isshiki, Yaizu,
Shizuoka,Japan
Tel:+81-54-624-6260
Info2@moda.vg
www.saidagroup.jp
7. Plant engineering
EREMA Engineering Recycling
Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH
Unterfeldstrasse 3
4052 Ansfelden, AUSTRIA
Phone: +43 (0) 732 / 3190-0
Fax: +43 (0) 732 / 3190-23
erema@erema.at
www.erema.at
Sonja Haug
Zweibrückenstraße 15-25
91301 Forchheim
Tel. +49-9191 81203
Fax +49-9191 811203
www.huhtamaki-films.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8 57

Suppliers Guide
10.2 Universities
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
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
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
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/
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
nova-Institut GmbH
Chemiepark Knapsack
Industriestrasse 300
50354 Huerth, Germany
Tel.: +49(0)2233-48-14 40
E-Mail: contact@nova-institut.de
www.biobased.eu
Bioplastics Consulting
Tel. +49 2161 664864
info@polymediaconsult.com
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, Germany
Tel. +49 30 284 82 350
Fax +49 30 284 84 359
info@european-bioplastics.org
www.european-bioplastics.org
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
7. Biowerkstoff-Kongress
www.bio-based.eu/conference
International Conference
on Bio-based Materials
8–10 April 2014, Maternushaus, Cologne, Germany
HIGHLIGHTS FROM EUROPE: Bio-based Plastics and Composites –
Biorefineries and Industrial Biotechnology
This conference aims to provide major players from the European bio-based
chemicals, plastics and composite industries with an opportunity to present
and discuss their latest developments and strategies. Representatives of
political bodies and associations will also have their say alongside leading
companies. For the second time, the conference will count with a third day
especially dedicated to the recent achievements in research & development.
One highlight of the conference will be the presentation of the first running
European Biorefineries and the state-of-art of Industrial Biotechnology.
The 7 th International Conference on Bio-based Materials (“Biowerkstoff-
Kongress”) builds on successful previous conferences: in 2013 were 180
participants and more than 10 exhibitors represented. More than 200
participants and 20 exhibitors mainly from industry are expected!
Organiser
www.nova-institute.eu
Venue & Accomodation
Kardinal-Frings-Str. 1–3, 50668 Cologne
+49 (0)221 163 10 | info@maternushaus.de
Contact
Dominik Vogt
Exhibition, Partners,
Media partners, Sponsors
+49 (0)2233 4814-49
dominik.vogt@nova-institut.de
Entrance Fee
Conference incl. Catering, plus 19 % VAT
1 st Day Conference
8 April 2014
2 nd Day Conference
9 April 2014
3 rd Day Conference
10 April 2014
475 € 425 € 400 €
775 €
725 €
950 €
58 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

3 rd PLA World Congress
27 + 28 MAY 2014 MUNICH › GERMANY
PLA
is a versatile bioplastics raw mate-
rial from renewable resources. It is
being used for films and rigid packaging, for
fibres in woven and non-woven applications.
Automotive industry
and consumer electronics are thoroughly
investigating and even already applying PLA.
New methods of polymerizing, compounding
or blending of PLA have broadened the range
of properties and thus the range of possible
applications.
That‘s why bioplastics MAGAZINE is now
organizing the 3 rd PLA World Congress on:
27-28 May 2014 in Munich / Germany
Experts from all involved fields will share their
knowledge and contribute to a comprehensive
overview of today‘s opportunities and challen-
ges and discuss the possibilities, limitations
and future prospects of PLA for all kind of
applications. Like the first two congresses
the 3 rd PLA World Congress will also offer excellent
networking opportunities for all dele-
gates and speakers as well as exhibitors of the
table-top exhibition.
The conference will comprise high class presentations on
Call for Papers
bioplastics MAGAZINE invites all experts
worldwide from material development,
processing and application of PLA to
submit proposals for papers on the latest
developments and innovations.
Please send your proposal, including spea-
ker details and a 300 word abstract to
mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com.
The team of bioplastics MAGAZINE is looking
forward to seeing you in Munich.
› Online registration will be available soon.
Watch out for the Early–Bird discount as well
as sponsoring opportunities at
www.pla-world-congress.com
› Latest developments
› Market overview
› High temperature behaviour
› Barrier issues
› Additives / Colorants
› Applications (film and rigid packaging, textile,
automotive,electronics, toys, and many more)
› Fibers, fabrics, textiles, nonwovens
› Reinforcements
› End of life options
(recycling,composting, incineration etc)
organized by

Events
Subscribe
now at
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the next six issues for €149.– 1)
Event Calendar
Special offer
for students and
young professionals 1,2)
€ 99.-
2) aged 35 and below. Send a scan
of your student card, your ID or
similar proof ...
Fifth German WPC Conference
10.12.2013 - 11.12.2013 - Cologne, Germany
Maritim Hotel Cologne
www.wpc-kongress.de/registration?lng=en
8th European Bioplastics Conference
10.12.2013 - 11.12.2013 - Berlin, Germany
InterContinental Hotel
www.conference.european-bioplastics.org
Innovation Takes Root
17.02.2014 - 19.02.2014 - Orlando FL, USA
Orlando World Center Marriott
www.innovationtakesroot.com
+
or
World Bio Markets 2014
04.03.2014 - 06.03.2014 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
RAI Amsterdam
www.worldbiofuelsmarkets.com
BioPlastics 2014: The Re-Invention of Plastics
04.03.2014 - 06.03.2014 - Las Vegas, NV, USA
Caesars Palace
www.BioplastConference.com
5th International Seminar on Biopolymers and Sustainable
Composites
06.03.2014 - 07.03.2014 - Valencia, Spain
www.biopolymersmeeting.com/en/
Green Polymer Chemistry 2014
18.03.2014 - 20.03.2014 - Cologne, Germany
Maritim Hotel, Cologne
http://amiplastics.com
VDI Tagung: Kunststoffe in Automobil
02.04.2014 - 03.04.2014 - Mannheim, Germany
www.vdi-wissensforum.de/
7th International Conference on Bio-based Materials
08.04.2014 - 10.04.2014 - Cologne, Germany
Maternushaus
www.bio-based.eu/conference
Polyester Sources 2014
06.05.2014 - 07.05.2014 - Duesseldorf, Germany
www.petnology.com/conferences/upcoming-conferences/
3rd PLA World Congress
27.05.2014 - 28.05.2014 - Munich, Germany
www.pla-world-congress.com
Mention the promotion code ‘watch‘ or ‘book‘
and you will get our watch or the book 3)
Bioplastics Basics. Applications. Markets. for free
1) Offer valid until 31 Apr. 2014
3) Gratis-Buch in Deutschland nicht möglich, no free book in Germany
Biobased Materials
24.06.2014 - 25.06.2014 - Stuttgart, Germany
10th Congress for Biobased Materials, Natural Fibres and WPC
www.biobased-materials.com
You can meet us! Please contact us in advance by e-mail.
60 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

A Collaborative Biopolymers
Forum for the Global Ingeo
Community
Orlando, February 17-19, 2014
innovationtakesroot.com
Innovation Takes Root has assembled a worldclass
roster of speakers for an in-depth program
covering the latest innovations involving the
world’s leading biopolymer – Ingeo.
Speakers Include
- Kimberly-Clark - Unilever
- U.S. Green Building Council - Lego
- European Bioplastics - 3M
- Green Sports Alliance - Kodak
- GreenBlue - Danone
Plenary
Market Focus Sessions
Moving from Niche to Mainstream
Expanding Durable Applications with
Ingeo Compounds
Performance Advances in Flexible Packaging
Venue Cost Savings with Ingeo Food
Serviceware
Expanding the Focus in Rigid Packaging
New Frontiers in Fibers and Nonwovens
New Markets - 3D Printing and Beyond
Who Should Attend
- Brand Owners - Process Engineers
- Researchers - Product Designers
- Sustainability Managers - Retailers
- Packaging Professionals - Marketers
Exhibitor and sponsorship
opportunities available
@NatureWorks
Follow us on Twitter!

Companies in this issue
Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert
59
Agrana Starch Thermoplastics 58
AIMPLAS 12
AJM 9
Alpla 5, 6
Amarican Plastic Manufacturing 9
API 58
Arkema 59
Assobioplastiche 47
Avantium 5
Bauhaus Univ. Weimar 21
becausewecare 30
Beta Renewables 7
Biome 35
Bio-on 41
Biotec 23, 50 59
BPI - The Biodegradable Products Institute 60
Braskem 47
Bundesgütegemeinschaft Kompost 22
C.A.R.M.E.N. 22
Can Tho Univ. 28
Carnie Cap 9
Cathay Ind. Biotech 32
Celanese 33
CHAMP 9
Chomarat 34
Clear Choicew Housewares 9
Coca-Cola 5
Condensia Quimica 26
Corbion Purac 10, 36, 39 58
Croda Coating & Polymers 43
Danone 5, 6
DIN Certco 20
DuPont 58
ECM BioFilms 8
Ecoplas 12
EREMA 45, 59
EuPC (European Pl. Converters) 49
European Bioplastics 10, 46 60
Evonik Industries 5 28, 63
FKuR 5, 19, 23 2, 58
FNR 37
Ford 6
Fraunhofer IAP 37
Fraunhofer UMSICHT 19, 60
Gehr 31
Genomatica 6
Getac techn. Corp. 32
Grabio Greentech Corporation 59
Grafe 18 58, 59
Greenmas 32
Hallink 59
Heinz 6
Helmut Lingemann 10
Hobum Oleochemie 37
Huhtamaki Films 59
IK (Ass. of Plastic Packaging) 47
Innovia 36
Inst. of Building Struct. and Struct. Design 34
Institut for bioplastics & biocomposites 60
ISWA 34
Kafrit 19, 32
Kansas State Univ. 19
Kappler 36
Kingfa 23 58
Kuender 10, 39
Kuraray 32
Lifocolor 32
Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients 58
M&G Chemicals 7
Matrìca 6
Meredian 7
Meseguer 12
Metabolix 16
Michigan State University 50 60
Minima Technology 59
narocon 47 60
Natural Plastics 11
Natur-Tec 58
Nestlé 6
Nike 6
Ningxia Quinglin Shenghua 31
nova-Institut 39, 57, 60
Novamont 6, 17, 23, 47 59, 64
Novozymes 7
Oerlemans 19
OWS 12, 28
Pharmafilter 11
Plastic Suppliers 59
Plasticker 40
Plastika Kritis 19
Polyblend 33
PolyOne 58
President Packaging 59
Procter & Gamble 6
ProTec Polymer Processing 59
PSM 35, 59
Qmilch Deutschland 11
Rhein Chemie 59
Roquette 34
Saida 59
Seemore New Materials 59
ShanDong DongCheng 32
Shandong Fuwin New Material Co 27, 58
Shanghai Disoxidation 33
Shenzhen Esun Industrial 58
Showa Denko 58
Sidaplax 59
Siemens 37
Solvay 31, 42
Supla 13, 38
Swiss Fed. Lab. f. Mat. Sc.+ Techn. 44
Synbra 36
Taghleef Industries 59
Tecnaro 10, 12, 34
Tecniq 36
Texchem 30
TianAn Biopolymer 59
TPG 7
Uhde Inventa-Fischer 15, 60
UL International 60
Univ. Modena + Reggio Emilia 26
Univ. Pisa 26, 28
Univ. Stuttgart IKT 60
Wei Mon 59
Weihenstephan Univ. App. Sc. 19
Wifag Polytype 5
WinGram 58
Wuhan Huali 35, 59
WWF 6
Xinfu Pharm 58
Zejiang Huju GreenWorks 31
Editorial Planner 2014
Issue Month Publ.-Date
edit/ad/
Deadline
Editorial Focus (1) Editorial Focus (2) Basics Fair Specials
01/2014 Jan/Feb 10.02.14 27.12.14 Automotive
Foams Land use for bioplastics
(update)
02/2014 Mar/Apr 07.04.14 07.03.14 Thermoforming
(Rigid packaging)
Polyurethanes /
Elastomers
Polyurethanes
Chinaplas &
Interpack Preview
03/2014 May/Jun 02.06.14 02.05.14 Injection moulding Thermoset
Injection Moulding Chinaplas &
Interpack Review
04/2014 Jul/Aug 04.08.14 04.07.14 Bottles /
Blow Moulding
05/2014 Sept/Oct 06.10.14 06.09.14 Fiber / Textile /
Nonwoven
06/2014 Nov/Dec 01.12.14 01.11.14 Films / Flexibles /
Bags
Fibre Reinforced
Composites
Toys
Consumer
Electronics
PET
Building Blocks
Sustainability
Subject to changes
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com
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62 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/13] Vol. 8

VESTAMID® Terra
High Performance Naturally
Technical biobased polyamides which achieve
performance by natural means
VESTAMID® Terra DS (= PA1010) 100% renewable
VESTAMID® Terra HS (= PA610) 62% renewable
VESTAMID® Terra DD (= PA1012) 100% renewable
2
www.vestamid-terra.com

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
Within Mater-Bi ® product