bioplasticsMAGAZINE_0905

ioplastics magazine Vol. 4 ISSN 1862-5258 

Highlights: 

Fibre Applications | 10 

Paper Coating | 18 

Basics: 

Land Use - part 2 | 34 

Starch Bioplastics | 42 

05 | 2009 

bioplastics MAGAZINE 

is read in 

85 countries

Plastics For Your Future 

Another New Resin For a Better World 

Knife handle made of BIO-FLEX ® P 7550 

FKuR Kunststoff GmbH | Siemensring 79 | D - 47877 Willich 

Tel.: +49 (0) 21 54 / 92 51-0 | Fax: +49 (0) 21 54 / 92 51-51 | sales@fkur.com 

www.fkur.com

Editorial 

dear 

readers 

bioplastics MAGAZINE Vol. 4 ISSN 1862-5258 

Highlights: 

Paper Coating / 

Laminating | XX 

Fibres, Textiles, 

Nonwovens | XX 

Coverphoto courtesy DuPont 

05 | 2009 

bioplastics MAGAZINE 

is read in 

85 countries 

September is over, and so too is our 2 nd PLA Bottle Conference. The very well 

received event in Munich again attracted a good number of delegates and a 

great deal of positive comment. For those interested in bottle applications 

please see the detailed report on page 8. 

Otherwise you might prefer to read more about paper coating or fibre and 

textile applications. These are the two topics of our editorial focus in this 

issue. Furthermore, we present an extract from the new book’Technische 

Biopolymere‘, effectively serving as part two of the ‘land use for bioplastics‘ 

discussion. 

In the ‘Basics‘ section you‘ll find out about starch and starch based biopolymers, 

and last but not least we also cover the ‘oxo-subject‘ once again. 

This summer a number of press publications reported on different standpoints 

concerning the ‘pros‘ and ‘cons‘ of oxo-degradable plastics. However, instead 

of the rather tabloid way of reporting, and calling the debate a “lively spat“, a 

“rumbling row“ or even a “battle“, bioplastics MAGAZINE is trying a more factual 

approach. Thus we contacted the main stakeholders and offered to let them 

put their points of view in our magazine and to provide the scientific support for 

their claims. In this issue we publish a slightly shortened version of the position 

paper from European Bioplastics. And while we are still waiting for Symphony‘s 

scientifically based article on their products and their compliance with ASTM D6594 the 

Canadian supplier EPI sent us copies of old scientific papers by Chiellini et. al and Wiles 

& Scott. 

I hope you enjoy reading this issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE and look forward to your 

comments, opinions or contributions. 

Yours 

Michael Thielen 

bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/09] Vol. 4

Content 

Editorial 03 

News 05 

Application News 22 

Event Calendar 49 

Suppliers Guide 46 

September/October 05|2009 

Fiber Applications 

Meltblown PLA Nonwovens 10 

End of Life 

A new Cradle-to-Cradle Approach for PLA 

0 

PLA Floor Mat 11 

New carpet made from PLA fibres 11 

Innovative Tea-Bags From PLA Fibres 12 

Plant-Based Materials for Automobile Interiors 13 

Fibers of PTT Receive New U.S. Generic, ‘Triexta’ 14 

Processing 

Twin-Screw Extruders for Biopolymer Compounding 17 

Report 

Fraunhofer IAP 

2 

Basics 

Raw Materials and Arable Land for Biopolymers 34 

Position Paper ‘Oxo-Biodegradable‘ Plastics 38 

Basics of Starch-Based Materials 42 

Paper Coating 

Improved Paper Coatings 18 

Sustainable Cups from Georgia-Pacific 20 

Materials 

Biobased Engineering Plastic 26 

Injection Moldable High Temperature Bioplastic 27 

Versatile Precursor Made From Cashew Nuts 28 

Impressum 

Publisher / Editorial 

Dr. Michael Thielen 

Samuel Brangenberg 

Layout/Production 

Mark Speckenbach 

Head Office 

Polymedia Publisher GmbH 

Dammer Str. 112 

41066 Mönchengladbach, Germany 

phone: +49 (0)2161 664864 

fax: +49 (0)2161 631045 

info@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Media Adviser 

Elke Schulte 

phone: +49(0)2359-2996-0 

fax: +49(0)2359-2996-10 

es@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Print 

Tölkes Druck + Medien GmbH 

47807 Krefeld, Germany 

Total Print run: 3,500 copies 

bioplastics magazine 

ISSN 1862-5258 

bioplastics magazine is published 

6 times a year. 

This publication is sent to qualified 

subscribers (149 Euro for 6 issues). 

bioplastics MAGAZINE is printed on 

chlorine-free FSC certified paper. 

bioplastics MAGAZINE is read 

in 85 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. 

Envelope 

A large number of copies of this issue 

of bioplastics MAGAZINE is wrapped in 

a compostable film manufactured and 

sponsored by alesco (www.alesco.net) 

Coverphoto courtesy DuPont 


News 

Comprehensive 

biopolymer database 

with new features 

Certification of 

Bio-Based Content 

The content of renewable resources of products, which can 

be measured by 14 C determination as the fraction of ‘bio-based 

carbon content’, enjoys much attention in the environmental 

and resource discussion. It is also the focus of several political 

initiatives like for example in the U.S.A. (USDA’s ‘biopreferred’ 

program) Japan (Biomass Nippon Plan) and the EU Lead Markets 

Initiative (LMI). One of the core activities within the LMI focuses 

on the development of suitable standards for defining ‘bio-based 

products’ and for the determination of the bio-based content 

– similar to ASTM D-6866. Industry is involved in a dialogue with 

the European Commission about the LMI and participates actively 

in the respective working groups, also at the CEN level. Based 

on the future standards, it is intended to develop independent 

certification and market surveillance of claims concerning the 

bio-based content. So far however, the LMI working groups 

have not arrived yet at the certification part, so independent 

certification is not available yet. 

European Bioplastics (EuBP) has now started to coordinate 

with partners along the bioplastic value chain for a joint approach 

towards the development of a ‘bio-based content’ certification 

system. Says Joeran Reske of EuBP, coordinator of the project 

within the association: “We are aiming at a system as simple as 

possible, on the other hand we think that independent certification 

is a must, so that users have a both transparent and reliable 

basis for their product-related communication. We consider the 

bio-based content only one out of several parameters influencing 

the environmental performance of a product.” Consequently, 

labelling is seen as a very sensitive topic which needs a careful 

and well balanced approach to be trustworthy. “Therefore we 

thought we ought to deliver our contribution to the discussion 

about the criteria of bio-based content certification”, adds EuBP- 

Chairman Andy Sweetman. 

European Bioplastics is seeking cooperation along the whole 

product value chain, with the European Commission and with 

other (national) authorities. It is intended to develop a system 

that could be used finally also in policy making. The association 

is in a dialogue with test laboratories, certification institutes and 

other partners in and beyond Europe to include the best available 

knowledge. - MT 

The Biopolymer Database includes more than 

100 biopolymer manufactures and more than 

370 material types. Until now the data from the 

material suppliers have been reported against 

many different test standards and it has not been 

possible to make a fair comparison between 

different grades. Therefore the materials are now 

tested under uniform and comparable conditions 

in the University of Applied Science and Arts 

(Hannover, Germany). The results of these tests 

are to be made available in October 2009. 

Through the biopolymer database customers, 

converters and end users will be connected 

with the bioplastic manufacturers. With the 

biopolymer database it will also be much easier to 

find information. At the first stage the users can 

indicate whether their interest is pellets or film. 

The biopolymer database allows extensive search 

options for both variants, e.g. manufacturers, 

including contact addresses, polymer types, 

trade names, mechanical and thermal 

properties, barrier properties, information about 

certifications, biobased material content etc. 

Furthermore the opportunity of comparing 

functions is also given, i.e. a comparison of the 

properties of different biopolymers. It is also 

possible to search in the published literature. 

All data are printable as datasheets. Datasheets 

from the manufacturers are also available. 

The database is available via the Internet in 

German and English. Access is free of charge. 

www.materialdatacenter.com 

biobased@european-bioplastics.org 


News 

from left: Patrick Gerritsen, Frank 

Eijkman, Jhon Bollen, Oliver Fraaije. 

Bio4Pack offers 

One-Stop Shopping 

Two Dutch thermoforming companies, Nedupak 

Thermoforming BV (of Rheden, NL) and Plastics2Pack (of 

Uden, NL), recently announced the forming of ‘Bio4Pack‘ 

as a new packaging supply company. The new company is 

headed by Managing Director Patrick Gerritsen, who brings 

with him several years of know-how and expertise in the area 

of biobased and biodegradable packaging. 

Bio4Pack not only offers thermoformed packaging but 

also all other kinds of packaging made from biobased and/or 

biodegradable materials, including films, bags and netting, 

and through to sugar cane trays made from the bagasse, a 

by-product from the sugar cane industry. 

“We want to offer our customers a total packaging 

solution,“ says Oliver Fraajie, Commercial Director of 

Nedupack, “not just a thermoformed tray or bulk pack.“ 

And thus the portfolio of Bio4Pack comprises the traditional 

thermoformed packaging made from bioplastics such as 

PLA or new thermoformable materials. 

The range also includes films and bags for all kinds of 

purposes, e.g shopping bags or flow wrap packaging made 

from starch based bioplastics such as Biolice ® , Materbi ® or 

Bioflex ® from FKUR, and also nets for onions, potatoes or 

fruit and, of course, the labelling on the packaging. 

“We also offer meat packaging consisting of a 

thermoformed PLA tray with peelable SiOx coated PLA 

film, having the same properties as conventional packing“ 

adds Frank Eijkman, Managing Director of Plastics2Pack. 

“And for bakery goods such as cakes and cookies we have 

thermoformed trays and folded boxes from a more rigid PLA 

sheet. This kind of box is also available for the packaging of 

bio-chocolate for example.“ 

Blisters for liquor gift packs or batteries round off the 

list of examples. “In a nutshell: We are a trading company 

that offers all types of packaging made from biobased or 

biodegradable materials,“ says Patrick Gerritsen, “Those that 

we don‘t produce ourselves at Nedupack or Plastics2pack, 

we get from partners who I know from the past“. 

Of course all products are certified according to EN 13432 

and Patrick goes even one step further: “We are investigating 

the possibility of having our products certified and labeled 

with ‘Climate Neutral‘ (www.climatepartner.de)“. 

Bio4Pack started operations in early August and is proud of 

the first orders from leading companies in the fresh produce 

and supermarket businesses. Even if the company initially 

targets the European market, clients from all over the world 

can be served via Nedupack‘s partners in many countries. 

“Another big advantage is that Nedupack Thermoforming 

have their own design and tool-making department, so we 

are more flexible and can react much quicker than many 

other suppliers,“ says Jhon Bollen, Technical Director of 

Nedupack. 

Although this new company was founded in a generally 

difficult economic situation, the entrepreneurs have full 

confidence in the development of this market. “We are 

looking forward to convincing more and more supermarkets 

and other suppliers to switch to bioplastic products - and 

not only because the traditional resources are finite,“ says 

Patrick Gerritsen. Oliver Fraaije is convinced that “the 

customers who buy bio-food are also willing to buy biopackaging.“ 

- MT 

www.bio4pack.com 

Erratum: 

In the last issue (04/2009) bioplastics MAGAZINE published an article on the NIR sorting field test of NatureWorks Ingeo PLA 

bottles from a clear PET recycling stream. In table 1 on page 25 the removal efficiency was listed as 3 percent, when it should 

have been 93 percent. 

To be clear, 93 percent of the PLA bottles were removed from the clear PET stream. The resulting clear PET bail contained 

just 453 ppm (parts per million) PLA. The bails were 99.95 percent PET and plastics other than PLA following the storing test. 

We apologize for this error. 


News 

Completely 

Biodegradable Food 

Service for Dallas 

Convention Center 

Centerplate (Stamford, Connecticut, USA), the hospitality 

partner to North America‘s premier convention centers and 

sports stadiums, recently announced the introduction of a 

completely biodegradable food service solution for the Dallas 

Convention Center. All of the facility‘s disposable food 

service items from cups to flatware to napkins will be 100 % 

biodegradable, dramatically reducing the environmental impact 

of the site‘s menu operations. 

The initiative taps Centerplate‘s deep expertise in 

implementing eco-friendly food service programs for major 

convention centers and stadiums across North America 

following its recent work helping the University of Colorado 

at Boulder transform its 53,750 seat Folsom Field football 

stadium into a zero-waste facility. For the Dallas Convention 

Center, the biodegradable program augments the site‘s 

position as one of the most environmentally sound convention 

venues in the nation and one of the few to achieve the elite 

ISO 14001:2004 certification, an international environmental 

standard which helps organizations limit the negative impact 

of their operations on the environment. 

“When a two-million square foot plus operation like the 

Dallas Convention Center commits to this level of change, 

the benefits to the overall environment and to the health 

of the immediate community are substantial,“ said Des 

Hague, president and CEO of Centerplate. “As part of our 

commitment to becoming the number one in hospitality 

and a leader in sustainability, we intend to extend this 

biodegradable food service solution to all our clients.“ 

Among the new biodegradable products being introduced 

are cutlery made from potato starch; clear colored, cornbased 

cups for beer and soda; and plates, bowls and togo 

containers made from sugarcane pulp; hot cups that 

are lined with plant-based plastic; and compostable lines 

for trash receptacles.”It‘s a point of pride for us to be 

able to operate a world class venue offering a world class 

experience while simultaneously maintaining one of the 

most environmentally responsible facilities in the country,“ 

said Frank Poe, the director of convention and event services 

at the Dallas Convention Center. “Centerplate has been a 

key partner of ours for several years and their ability to 

successfully implement major changes such as this new 

biodegradable food service program has played a key role in 

our overall success.“ - PRNewswire - MT 

www.centerplate.com. 

PLA Based Masterbatches 

At FAKUMA 2009, to be held in Friedrichshafen, Germany in mid October, Austrian 

Gabriel-Chemie from Gumpoldskirchen is presenting its new MAXITHEN ® BIOL 

range of colour- and additive masterbatches based on Polylactide (PLA). 

At a dosage rate up to 5% MAXITHEN BIOL colour masterbatches comply with 

the composting regulations and the normative standard EN13432. The colour 

masterbatches are characterised by transparency and high colour strength and 

can be well processed on existing machines. All PLA based colour- and additive 

masterbatches are compatible with a lot of other biogenic as well as petrochemical 

(conventional) polymers and offer a wide range of applications. 

MAXITHEN BIOL masterbatches can be used for the production of films, form 

parts, boxes, cups, bottles and other commodities. This new product range is 

mainly recommended for the colouring of short-dated packaging or thermoformed 

products (e.g. beverage- or yoghurt cups, trays for meat, fruits and vegetables); 

but also for the colouring and dressing of agricultural films (mulch and protective 

films) and auxiliary gardening articles (seedling trays, plant holders, single-use 

plant pots). www.gabriel-chemie.com 


Event Review 

2 nd PLA Bottle Conference 

The 2 nd PLA Bottle Conference hosted by bioplastics 

MAGAZINE (September 14-15, Munich, Germany) attracted 

almost 80 experts from 18 different countries. 

Delegates from the beverage industry as well as bioplastics 

experts came from all over Europe, North America and from 

countries as far away from the event venue as South Africa, 

Kuwait and Syria. Organizers, speakers and delegates were 

all well satisfied with the conference, as all presentations 

as well as the discussions were considered to be “very substantial“, 

“very much state-of-the-art“ and offered “many 

opportunities for making valuable contacts“. 

In an extremely well received keynote speech on ‘Land use 

for Bioplastics‘ Michael Carus from the nova Institut gave a 

comprehensive overview of the situation regarding the need 

to use available arable land to feed humans and animals, 

and its use for the production of biofuels and bioplastics. 

The conference itself followed a central theme from 

renewable feedstock to end-of-life. Starting with the 

basics on how starch or sugar is converted into lactic acid 

and then into PLA, the speakers addressed topics such as 

preform making and bottle blowing. Special focuses were 

on certain challenges such as barrier improvement (e.g. by 

SiOx coating) or enhanced thermal stability. Here special 

processing techniques were discussed as well as blending or 

stereocomplexing L and D lactides. Colorants and additives 

were introduced in order to achieve effects such as antiyellowing 

or anti-slip. 

Once a bottle has been produced and filled the next 

steps are capping (with ongoing efforts being made in the 

field of bioplastic caps and closures) and labelling. Shrink 

sleeves made of PLA represent a viable solution that 

neither compromises automated sorting nor compostability 

(where desired). A world premier was the introduction of a 

bioplastics shrink film (see page 24 for more details). 

Reports on their experiences by PLA bottle pioneers 

as well as brand new entrepreneurs gave an inspiring 

impression of the possibilities and challenges. As a surprise 

for all participants a Greek dairy company, together with their 

consultant, gave an almost spontaneous presentation about 

a very recently launched milk bottle in Greece, accompanied 

by a goat‘s milk tasting experience for everybody. 

The conference ended with a session on end-of-life or 

better end-of-use options for PLA. The delegates learned 

that NIR (= Near Infrared) is a technology that works well for 

automated sorting but that, on the other hand, still has some 

limitations. As at the previous two PLA conferences organised 

by bioplastics MAGAZINE, almost all of the attendees agreed 

that composting is not necessarily the best option. However, 

in closed loop systems such as stadiums, big events or 

similar, collection and composting may be a viable solution, 

provided that composting facilities are available. Elsewhere, 

where perhaps the volumes of collected PLA do not reach 

a critical mass for sorting and recycling, incineration with 

energy recovery seems to be a good solution. As one fairly 

new option the chemical recycling of PLA back into lactic 

acid was presented and can be reviewed in more detail on 

page 30. 

After the second day of the conference the delegates 

were invited to visit drinktec, the world‘s number one trade 

fair for beverage and liquid food technology in Munich. 

And on Wednesday an encouraging number of lime-green 

backpacks could be observed at the fairgrounds … 

www.pla-bottle-conference.com 


4 th 

Next Generation: Green 

SAVE THE DATE ! 

10 / 11 November, 2009 

The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin 

www.conference.european-bioplastics.org 

Conference Contact: 

conference@european-bioplastics.org 

Phone: +49 30 284 82 358


Melt Blown Line (Photo 

Courtesy Biax-Fiberfilm) 

Meltblown 

PLA 

Nonwovens 

Two grades of NatureWorks‘ Ingeo PLA resin are now commercially available for the 

production of meltblown nonwovens, fabrics widely used in such products as wipes and 

filters. 

“As interest grows in polymers made from renewable resources, equipment manufacturers, 

process developers, and researchers have been exploring solutions that offer meltblown 

nonwoven fabrics that both perform well and achieve a lower carbon footprint than the 

existing petroleum-based incumbents,” said Robert Green, director of fibers and nonwovens, 

NatureWorks, at the recent 2009 International Nonwovens Technical Conference (INTC) in 

Denver, Colorado, USA. 

Green was referring to meltblown fiber equipment manufacturer Biax-FiberFilm, Greenville, 

Wisconsin, USA, which earlier this year conducted meltblown tests of Ingeo PLA. Researchers 

at the University of Tennessee Nonwovens Research Lab (UTNRL) also evaluated Ingeo for its 

suitability for meltblown fabric substrates using conventional meltblowing equipment. 

“Our development of an Ingeo meltblown substrate significantly broadens the variety of 

applications in which this material can be used,” said Doug Brown, president, Biax-FiberFilm. “An 

Ingeo meltblown nonwoven offers an estimated 30 to 50 percent cost savings over conventional 

fiber-based nonwoven roll goods and a significant advantage in price stability compared to 

petroleum-based products.” Brown also noted that mixing the meltblown fiber with wood pulp 

or viscose greatly enhanced the material’s absorption, making it suitable for a broad range of 

performance wipes products. 

In its development work, Biax-FiberFilm demonstrated excellent performance of two 

Ingeo grades in their meltblown process. The grades 6252D and 6201D each provided broad 

processing windows and quality fabrics that meet requirements for a range of applications. The 

high pressure die design unique to Biax FiberFilm meltblown lines allow processing of higher 

viscosity grades, such as 6201D, offering even higher fabric strength than seen on conventional 

meltblowing equipment. 

These recent advances provide the nonwoven market with a full range of Ingeo fabrics that 

can now be produced with all major fabric forming technologies from spunmelt to conventional 

carded nonwovens, offering the ability to meet consumers’ convenience needs with an annually 

renewable low environmental impact material. The attached graphic shows the significant 

environmental advantage Ingeo offers over conventional petroleum based products. 

NatureWorks and Biax FiberFilm presented the results of this work in separate sessions at 

the INTC. Also at the conference, Fiber Innovation Technologies presented a paper on thermal 

bonding with Ingeo, and the University of Tennessee as well as Oklahoma University reviewed 

research into Ingeo mulch fabrics and fiber production. MT 

www.natureworksllc.com 

www.biax-fiberfilm.com 

10 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/09] Vol. 4


New carpet 

made from 

PLA fibres 

PLA 

Floor Mat 

A 

special floor mat available for the fully 

remodeled third-generation Toyota Prius uses 

an advanced Ingeo based PLA fiber. Known 

as the world’s most eco-conscious car, Toyota Prius 

features world-leading mileage (2.6 L/100 km or 89 Miles 

per Gallon), a solar powered ventilation system, and 

environmentally friendly plant-derived plastics for seat 

cushion foam, cowl side trim, inner and outer scuff 

plates, and deck trim cover. Now, the new Prius adds to 

these biobased materials by offering optional floor mats 

(deluxe type) using an advanced Ingeo fiber system. 

As a result of reducing the use of fossil resource as much 

as possible in its manufacturing process from feedstock 

to factory shipment, Ingeo reduces the fossil fuel use by 

65% and cuts by 90% the CO 2 

emission when compared to 

the petroleum-derived nylon resin used in traditional floor 

mats. By adopting the PLA mat products, Toyota benefits 

from the unique environmental advantages of a fiber 

made from plants, not oil. This adoption of new floor mats 

exemplifies Toyota’s belief that the use of environmentally 

friendly materials is as equally important as design and 

product performance. 

“We have long looked at Japan as an ‘innovation 

engine’ for our Ingeo business,” noted Marc Verbruggen, 

NatureWorks CEO. “With Toyota’s latest development, we 

recognize their achievement in leading the automotive 

industry’s efforts with excellence in biobased product 

performance and innovation”. 

NatureWorks in Japan supplied Ingeo to Toyota Tsusho 

Corporation, who developed the new environmentally 

friendly floor mats. 

Sommer Needlepunch, Baisieux, France, is specialised 

in floor covering solutions: carpet for events, 

domestic and contract use and more recently artificial 

grass. Its more than 50 years of know-how and experience 

is recognised throughout the world. 

The care for the environment has always been an 

important consideration for the company, especially for 

the issues related to the consumption of raw materials 

and energy and the development of new products. During 

the last five years they proved to be a trendsetter in 

the development of sustainable eco-friendly solutions, 

believing strongly that economy and ecology can go 

together. 

An important investment program made it possible for 

Sommer Needlepunch to switch almost completely to the 

use of biobased and recycled raw materials and the plan 

to supply energy from wind turbines is scheduled to be in 

place by 2010. 

The launch of Ecopunch ® , the first carpet collection made 

from 100% PLA fibres derived from NatureWorks‘Ingeo 

is a result of the important R&D efforts made in the area 

of the development of biodegradable products. “Ecopunch 

is a real natural alternative to the conventional oilbased 

products that offers the same performance and 

quality,“ says a press release of Sommer Needlepunch. 

“This new product is an environmentally friendly carpet 

as its process reduces the CO 2 

emissions by up to 60 % 

compared to the traditional PP and PA products and 

extends the economical life time of the raw materials.“- MT 

www.sommernp.com 

www.natureworksllc.com 

bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/09] Vol. 4 11


Innovative Tea-Bag 

Material Made From 

PLA Fibres 

Ahlstrom Corporation, headquartered in Helsinki, Finland is a global 

leader in the development and manufacture of high performance fiber-based 

materials. Last June the company presented its innovative, 

biodegradable nonwoven for infusion applications at the Tea & Coffee World 

Cup exhibition in Seville, Spain. 

Thanks to an innovative, ahead of the curve investment at the Chirnside, 

Scotland operations, Ahlstrom introduced a world premier to the infusion 

market: a lightweight, fine filament web based on NatureWorks‘ Ingeo 

PLA. It is designed to deliver functional benefits to converters and consumers 

of tea-bags, while featuring unique environmental characteristics. Now 

commercially available, it was presented for the first time at a European 

exhibition. 

“The raw material and the fine filament webs are fully biodegradable and 

compostable. An independent LCA (life cycle assessment) carried out to 

ISO 14040 standards demonstrated that these webs have a lower carbon 

footprint compared to similar products made of oil-based polymers“ says 

Mike Black, Ahlstrom‘s General Manager, Food Nonwovens. The principal 

ingredient is PLA. This also means that the raw material for this product is 

based on 100% annually renewable resources. 

While responding to the growing demand for sustainable food packaging 

solutions, the new product also delivers remarkable functional benefits. 

The extra fine webs highlight the contents while maintaining shape and 

easily accommodating tea-bag strings and tags. The resulting tea-bags 

look different and feel different to the touch: they represent the ideal choice 

for brand owners wanting to highlight quality infusions and to differentiate 

their premium blends, the fastest growing segment in the market. 

Suitable for conversion on tea-packing machines that use ultrasonic 

sealing technology, the new materials complement Ahlstrom‘s wide 

range of traditional heatsealable and non-heatsealable filter webs for tea 

and coffee. Ahlstrom now offers the broadest range of beverage filtration 

materials available on the market, with manufacturing both in Europe and 

North America. 

Ahlstrom infusion materials are part of the company‘s Advanced 

Nonwovens business area and can be found worldwide in numerous 

everyday applications. These include tea-bag materials manufactured 

primarily in the UK and USA and used by leading tea packers such as Tetley, 

Typhoo or Unilever. The products are sold globally through the Ahlstrom 

sales network. - MT 

www.ahlstrom.com 



Plant-Based Materials 

for Automobile Interiors 

Toray Industries, Inc. with headquarters in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 

Japan has started full-fledged mass production of 

its environment-friendly fiber materials based on PLA 

and plant-derived polyesters for automobile applications. 

Toray has already been supplying the materials for the trunk 

and floor carpeting to Toyota Motor Corp. in its latest hybrid 

model of Lexus, the HS 250h, launched in July this year. At 

the same time, Toray is promoting the products to other automakers. 

Toray aims to have annual sales of 200 tons for the 

first year for products including ceiling upholstery and door 

trim materials, and expects them to grow to 5,000 tons per 

year by 2015. 

Materials to be used in different automobile interior parts 

have to clear tough and varied physical property requirements. 

Generally, environment-friendly materials such as PLA used 

to be believed to lack in heat and wear resistance properties 

in comparison to regular polyester. Though various efforts 

were being made to address those weaknesses, the adoption 

of such materials in automobile applications had so far been 

limited to a few models due to a number of shortcomings. 

This time Toray developed various technologies for 

compounding environment-friendly materials with 

petroleum-based products, including a proprietary hydrolysis 

control technology to modify polymer and techniques for 

compounding using polymer alloys and in the process of 

fiber spinning as well as mixed fiber compounding during 

higher processing. By making full use of these technologies, 

Toray succeeded in achieving the significantly high levels of 

durability sought by automobile interior applications, enabling 

actual adoption by mass-produced vehicles. 

Having cleared the tough physical property benchmarks 

for automobile interiors, Toray will focus on further 

development of materials with higher plant-derived biomass 

percentage and expand the materials’ applications into wideranging 

applications such as general apparel and industrial 

materials. 

In this age of growing importance for environmentconsciousness, 

automobile manufacturers are striving to 

develop advanced technologies and aiming for a motorized 

society that can co-exist with the environment. The companies 

are actively considering a shift from the existing petroleumbased 

materials to products made from plant-derived 

materials for interior components which make up about 5 

to 10% of a vehicle’s body weight. The use of plant-derived 

materials is expected to explode in the future, given the fact 

that it has low CO 2 emissions in its lifecycle from production 

to disposal and it helps in curbing the use of the limited fossil 

fuel resources. 

Under its Innovation by Chemistry slogan, Toray is actively 

pursuing the development of environment-friendly products 

and aims to contribute to the development of a sustainable, 

recycling-oriented society through its sales of environmentfriendly 

automobile parts. 

www.toray.com 

Photos: Lexus / Toyota 



Fibers of PTT Receive 

New U.S. Generic, ‘Triexta’ 

Article contributed by 

Dawson E. Winch 

Global Brand Manager 

DuPont Applied BioSciences 

Wilmington, Delaware, USA 

This year is a significant year in fiber history for several reasons. 

Seventy years ago, at the 1939 World’s Fair, nylon was introduced 

and women began wearing stockings made with nylon 

from DuPont. In 1959, 50 years ago this year, the Textile Identification 

Act was passed to create standards for fiber identification in apparel, 

carpet and other fiber markets. And most recently, in March of 2009, 

the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a new subgeneric 

– ‘triexta’ – for fibers made from PTT (polytrimethylene terephthalate) 

polymer. Sorona ® is the brand name for renewably sourced PTT polymer 

from DuPont. 

In addition to its legacy of fiber innovation, DuPont has also led in 

the establishment of environmental goals. DuPont established its first 

environmental goals more than 19 years ago and as recently as 2006, 

set aggressive sustainability goals to meet or exceed by 2015. In addition 

to the operational goals of reducing its environmental footprint, for the 

first time DuPont established market facing goals. Sorona addresses 

one of these goals in particular, to reduce dependency on depletable 

(petrochemical) resources. DuPont Sorona ® renewably sourced 

polymer was created at the intersection where sustainability and fiber 

innovation meet. 

Sorona is just one product that utilizes Bio-PDO, the key and 

‘green’ ingredient made using a fermentation process. And it is only 

one of many products in the DuPont Renewable Materials Program 

(DRSM). DRSM was developed to help DuPont customers identify 

those products that perform as well as or better than traditional 

petrochemical-based products AND contain a minimum of 20% 

renewably sourced ingredients by weight. 

By creating base monomers or building block molecules like Bio- 

PDO, using renewable resources instead of petrochemicals, DuPont 

has introduced a variety of materials for diverse markets and end 

uses from personal care products to industrial antifreeze to fibers for 

textiles and carpet. It is in these last two categories – textiles and 

carpet – where Sorona can be found. 

Apparel as well as residential and commercial interior markets can 

enjoy and benefit from the unique combination of attributes provided 

by Sorona, that led to the new generic, ‘triexta.’ 

APPAREL 

The versatility and adaptability of fibers made with Sorona 

compliment the needs by a wide variety of apparel applications. Since 

it can easily be blended with other fibers, both synthetic and natural, 


fibers from Sorona, with its features and benefits, allows 

designers to take designs to new heights. 

The benefits of Sorona compliment the demands of 

swimwear manufacturers and consumers. Swimwear 

remains looking newer longer due to the chlorine and 

UV resistance, meaning prints and colors won’t fade or 

wash out due to repeated exposure to bright sun and 

harsh chlorine. And one swimsuit will last the whole 

season (at least) since it resists pilling. Speedo has 

adopted Sorona for swimwear in the United Kingdom. 

Intimate apparel designers and consumers appreciate 

the exceptional and luxurious softness and flattering 

drape provided by Sorona. Unlike other synthetics, these 

-fibers reach a bright white and a deep, rich black – 

both very popular colors in the intimate apparel market. 

And, due to its colorfastness and fade resistance blacks 

and whites won’t fade or yellow over time. Best of all 

for consumers is the easy care attribute of Sorona - no 

special washing instructions to follow. 

Activewear also benefits from the unique attributes 

and benefits of Sorona. As a polymer, it can be extruded 

in an odd cross section to increase the wicking ability of 

the fiber. Moisture management is enhanced with these 

fibers since the moisture transporting channels remain 

more clearly defined. And, fleece takes on a new level of 

softness since a microdenier feel can be obtained with 

fibers of greater than one denier. And, fiber and fabric 

is fade resistant from repeated washings, activewear 

colors remain bold and vivid through many work-outs 

and adventures. 

In blended fabrics popular in ready to wear, Sorona 

continues to provide wonderful benefits. Wool/Sorona 

blends offer softness and drape along with resistance 

to wrinkles – perfect for the business traveler who 

goes from plane to meeting. Cotton/Sorona blends 

offer softness and a comfort stretch and recovery to 

provide freedom of movement through the shoulders 

and elbows where consumers need it most. And, baggy, 

saggy knees and elbows are virtually eliminated since 

it also provides permanent recovery. This stretch and 

recovery leads to freedom of movement improving 

comfort and wearability in clothing. In other words, 

such blends enhance and maximize the fabric’s benefits. 

Spun Bamboo ® has incorporated blends of Sorona 

and bamboo into it’s lines of t-shirts and polo shirts. 

Timberland and Izod have also adopted Sorona into a 

line of fishing shirts and polo shirts respectively. 

Designers and apparel manufacturers appreciate the 

easy dyability of fibers made with Sorona since it reaches 

full color absorption at the boiling point of water. Unlike 

some other synthetic fibers, it doesn’t require additional 

heat, pressure or chemical carriers to dye. Fabrics print 

beautifully too – and prints remain sharp, vivid and 

Order 

now! 

Hans-Josef Endres, Andrea Siebert-Raths 

Technische Biopolymere 

Rahmenbedingungen, Marktsituation, 

Herstellung, Aufbau und Eigenschaften 

628 Seiten, Hardcover 

Engineering Biopolymers 

General conditions, market situation, 

production, structure and properties 

number of pages t.b.d., hardcover, 

coming soon. 

New Book! 

This new book is available now. It is written in German, an English 

version is in preparation and coming soon. An e-book is included 

in the package. (Mehr deutschsprachige Info unter 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/buecher). 

The new book offers a broad basis of information from a plastics 

processing point of view. This includes comprehensive descriptions 

of the biopolymer market, the different materials and suppliers 

as well as production-, processing-, usage- and disposal 

properties for all commercially available biopolymers. 

The unique book represents an important and comprehensive 

source of information and a knowledge base for researchers, 

developers, technicians, engineers, marketing, management and 

other decision-makers. It is a must-have in all areas of applications 

for raw material suppliers, manufacturers of plastics and 

additives, converters and film producers, for machine manufacturers, 

packaging suppliers, the automotive industry, the fiber/nonwoven/textile 

industry as well as universities. 

Content: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Definition of biopolymers 

Materials classes 

Production routes and polymerization 

processes of biopolymers 

Structure 

Comprehensive technical properties 

Comparison of property profiles 

of biopolymers with those of 

conventional plastics 

Disposal options 

Data about sustainability and 

eco-balance 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Important legal framwork 

Testing standards 

Market players 

Trade names 

Suppliers 

Prices 

Current availabilities 

and future prospects 

Current application 

examples 

Future market development 

• 

• 

Order your english copy now and benefit 

from a prepub discount of EUR 50.00. 

Bestellen Sie das deutschsprachige Buch für EUR 299,00. 

order at www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/books, by phone 

+49 2161 664864 or by e-mail books@bioplasticsmagazine.com 



crisp since fabrics are fade resistant from both sunlight and 

repeated washings. 

The most unique attribute of Sorona, however, lies in the 

fact that this fiber is also an environmentally smart choice 

for textile and carpet markets. The performance of Sorona 

contributes to the overall sustainability since the performance 

keeps products look newer longer. 

Since one of the ingredients is made with renewable 

resources instead of petrochemicals, Sorona is 37% renewably 

sourced by weight. Energy savings and reduced greenhouse 

gas emissions are added to the environmental benefits 

since the production requires 30% less energy and reduces 

CO 2 emissions 63% over nylon 6 on a pound for pound basis. 

Durability and performance also contribute to the sustainable 

aspects since products perform and look better, longer. 

CARPET 

The ‘Performance PLUS Environmental‘ story of Sorona 

continues in carpet fibers for both residential and commercial 

applications. In carpeting, it offers a unique combination 

of benefits that customers’ value. In addition to providing 

durability and crush resistance, carpets with Sorona are 

permanently, naturally stain resistance. Since the stain 

resistance is an inherent attribute of the fiber, it will never 

wash or wear off and therefore never has to be reapplied. 

Triexta, the new generic, also pertains to Sorona as a fiber for 

residential and commercial carpets. In test after test, carpets 

with Sorona outperformed both premium stain treated nylon 

and polyester carpet in both durability and stain resistance. 

And the energy equivalent of 1 gallon of gasoline is saved for 

approximately every 7 square yards (1 liter per 1.55 m²) of 

residential carpet. Leaders in the carpet industry state that 

Sorona is the newest innovation to positively impact the carpet 

industry in over 20 years. 

The benefits of Sorona in commercial carpet continue in 

green building design for commercial interiors. It’s permanent 

natural stain resistance and durability attributes delight both 

building residents and maintenance teams alike. Architects 

and designers appreciate the three ways that carpeting with 

Sorona can contribute to LEED’s points: 1) As a ‘Rapidly 

Renewable Material’ MR Credit 6; 2) as a ‘Regional Material’ 

MR Credit 5; and 3) ‘Low-Emitting Materials,’ IEQ Credit 

3. The LEED program was established by the U. S. Green 

Building Council as guidelines for the design and construction 

industries. 

Sorona is evidence of the innovation that results from 

intersections – the intersection of biology, chemistry and 

polymer science as well as the intersection of performance 

and environmental benefits. 

www.sorona.dupont.com 

www.renewable.dupont.com 


Processing 

Twin-Screw Extruders for 

Biopolymer Compounding 

ENTEK Manufacturing, Inc., headquartered in Lebanon, 

Oregon, USA, the leading U.S. based manufacturer 

of twin-screw extruders and replacement wear 

parts, recently introduced customized twin-screw extruders 

specifically designed for bio-based compounding. 

At NPE in Chicago in June, ENTEK showed a specially 

outfitted E-MAX 27mm twin-screw extruder designed for 

processing bio-based blends. It includes two dry feeders and 

a liquid feeder for processing a combination of thermoplastics 

and a bioresin or starch material. 

The use of ENTEK twin-screw extruders for biopolymer 

processing is not new; in fact, the company’s machinery is 

currently being used by several processors worldwide in 

commercially successful bio-based applications. However, 

because of the ever-increasing number of biopolymer 

materials, additives and fillers being used in the industry, 

ENTEK has developed new machine configurations 

specifically designed for compounding materials in the 

following three areas: 

• Reactive bio-based materials (starch-based materials 

and plasticizers) 

• Bioresin materials (PLA, PHA, PSM, etc.) 

• Bio-based blends (Bioresins or Starches blended with 

Thermoplastics) 

“Our development lab has seen a real spike in the 

number of bio-based material and product trials,” said John 

Effmann, ENTEK Director of Sales and Marketing. “The 

experience we’ve gained from these trials, as well as our 

in-field bio experience, has helped us understand what’s 

needed to successfully compound the many types of biobased 

materials on the market.” 

ENTEK 27mm, 40mm, and 53mm twin-screw extruders 

are the most popular models for bio-based applications, but 

larger models such as the 73mm and 103mm machines are 

also in use for commercial applications. “Typically a customer 

will use our in-house development lab for material trials, 

then start with a 27mm or 40mm machine,” said Effmann. 

“Once the bio-based compound makes it to market, the 

customer ramps up for production by purchasing our larger 

machines,” he said. 

ENTEK was an early participant in biopolymer processing. 

Back in 2004, Australian customer Plantic, a pioneer in 

biopolymer compounding, successfully processed their 

patented packaging products on ENTEK machinery before 

the term ‘biopolymers’ was common in the industry. The first 

Plantic products got their start in the ENTEK lab in Lebanon, 

Oregon, and the two companies continue a strong business 

relationship today. 

While still a young industry, today biopolymers are a fastgrowing 

field. In 2008, bio-based material trials made up 

36% of all trials run in ENTEK’s in-house development lab. 

Several new players have emerged in the industry in 

this area, and ENTEK is working with many of them. New 

materials of all types are arriving at the company weekly, 

and ENTEK welcomes the opportunity to lend its lab and 

processing expertise for the next breakthrough biopolymer 

application. 

www.next-step.com 


Paper Coating 

Improved 

Paper 

Coatings 


John T. Moore, 

Vice President- Business Development, 

DaniMer Scientific, Bainbridge, Georgia, 

USA 

Many companies are building the value of their brands 

and growing their business by investing in development 

of product offerings that utilize renewable-based 

biopolymer materials. DaniMer Scientific, LLC is enabling brand 

owners and converters who focus on environmental stewardship 

to grow their market share by offering biopolymers for extrusion 

coating of paper and paperboard. Extrusion coating is an excellent 

application for biopolymers, and there is no current opposition 

concerning contamination of the existing recycle stream for 

paper articles when biopolymers are present. Further enhancing 

its appeal, DaniMer’s extrusion coating resin provides additional 

value by enabling coated articles to be repulpable. DaniMer’s advances 

in the use of biopolymers led to the introduction in 2006 

of the world’s first commercial extrusion coating resin that meets 

global standards for compostability while utilizing renewable resources. 

This new DaniMer technology enabled International Paper 

to launch the Ecotainer product in a partnership with Green 

Mountain Coffee. Since that launch, DaniMer’s extrusion coating 

product has continued to enjoy the market’s embrace and 

steady growth. In fact, International Paper recently announced it 

has crossed the one billion cup milestone and is expanding their 

product line to include cold cups for a certain large global brand 

owner; further demonstrating that biopolymer coated paper substrates 

are more than just a fad. DaniMer has expanded its customer 

base and is working with key customers on a global basis 

in various stages of commercialization for new products. 

DaniMer’s proprietary extrusion coating resin is based on 

NatureWorks Ingeo Biopolymer. Ingeo biopolymer is an excellent 

material, but requires modification for melt strength, melt curtain 

stability, and adhesion to paper in extrusion coating applications. 

In most cases, DaniMer’s extrusion coating resin can be run on 

existing equipment with minimal adjustments relative to the 


Paper Coating 

setup typically used for low density polyethylene. One challenge 

encountered with the use of biopolymers is the need to process the 

material at lower moisture content than that typically acceptable 

for polyethylene. Like PET and other polyesters, biopolymers (which 

are typically bio-polyesters) can gain moisture when exposed to 

ambient conditions. Moisture management is often a new area 

of focus to most converters of LDPE. Another difference often 

noted with biopolymer materials such as the DaniMer extrusion 

coating resin is the lower processing temperatures than those 

used when processing traditional polyolefin materials such as 

LDPE. The ability to process at much lower temperatures enables 

an additional cost savings when using biopolymers. With proper 

training and instruction, most processing changes are recognized 

as minor and require only slight adjustment in procedure. 

The market success that DaniMer has enabled its customers to 

experience with the first generation renewable-based, compostable 

extrusion coating biopolymer has led to development of a second 

generation formulation. Development of this second generation 

material is in the final stages of commercial-scale validation with 

cost reduction and broader operating parameters as the primary 

new characteristics. Increased efficiencies in manufacturing 

of the next generation material will translate into cost savings, 

which along with broader processing and converting parameters 

are expected to enable converters and brand owners to gain and 

retain greater market share for coated paper articles that are 

intended for single-use and short-term-use applications. 

In response to requests from key market leaders, DaniMer has 

recently developed a wax replacement coating. This proprietary 

material is also made from renewable resources and is both 

compostable and repulpable. Traditional wax coatings are 

losing favor with paper companies and converters, due to large 

fluctuations in consistency and price. Utilizing their Seluma 

technology platform, the Danimer R&D staff has developed a 

wax replacement material using renewable based monomers to 

create a coating resin that can be used as a ‘drop in’ for existing 

wax coatings of paper and other substrates. Early customer 

evaluations confirmed that because the DaniMer material has 

a higher stiffness vs. wax, a reduction in part weight or paper 

thickness is possible resulting in significant overall package 

savings. 

Photos: International Paper 

DaniMer continues to focus on cost-effective innovation in order 

to serve brand owners and converters with a broad product portfolio 

of biopolymer materials. DaniMer recently acquired the Procter & 

Gamble intellectual property portfolio for a new type of biopolymer 

known as polyhydroxyalcanoate (PHA) and is commercializing the 

technology via a new company identified as Meredian, Inc. It is 

expected that Meredina PHA (scheduled for commercial-scale 

production in 2010) will provide additional innovations in the area 

of biopolymer technologies suitable for paper and paperboard 

coatings as well as for other unique combinations of biopolymers 

that will be offered through Meredian’s sister company DaniMer 

Scientific. 

www.danimer.com 


Paper Coating 

Sustainable Cups 

from Georgia-Pacific 


John Mulcahy 

Vice President – Category 

Georgia-Pacific Professional 

Food Services Solutions 

Atlanta, Georgia, USA 

In August, Georgia-Pacific Professional Food Services Solutions 

launched a complete line of Dixie beverage solutions, which are 

part of the company’s EcoSmart product line that demonstrates 

the company’s commitment to innovative products that support 

sustainability goals. 

The EcoSmart products includes two collections: A PLA-lined 

single wall paper hot cups made from at least 95 percent renewable 

resources; and the Insulair ® line of insulated cups, available in 12 

and 25 percent post-consumer recycled fiber. 

The products are designed to allow operators to enhance their 

environmental stewardship position. These EcoSmart products can 

be processed successfully in commercial composting operations, 

where they exist. The PLA hot cup is 100 percent compostable 

because both the fiber portion and the coating are fully compostable. 

This coating is supplied by NatureWorks. The Insulair collection 

contains a fiber portion which is fully compostable in commercial 

facilities. While the Insulair coating is not inherently compostable, it 

will separate from the fibers and can be screened out at the end of 

the composting operation. 

“This is a tremendous step forward in the approach we take to 

responsible manufacturing,” notes John Mulcahy, vice president 

– category, Georgia-Pacific Professional Food Services Solutions. 

“The EcoSmart line represents some of the most groundbreaking 

products available to operators and is just one example of our 

dedication to providing sustainable solutions that create a positive 

impact on the world around us.” 

New from Georgia-Pacific Food Services Solutions, the PLA 

coated cup collection is printed with a green foliage stock design, 

Viridian, and available immediately in 8-, 10-, 12-, 16- and 20- 

ounce sizes. 

The Insulair insulated hot cup collection features 12 and 25 percent 

post-consumer recycled fiber options. Both feature triple-wall 

construction and an insulative middle layer that keeps beverages 

hot while staying cool to the touch. The corrugated middle layer is 

comprised of 99 percent post-consumer recycled fiber. 

Insulair is available in attractive stock designs, including Viridian, 

Aroma and Interlude, and in 8-, 12-, 16-, 20- and 24-ounce 

sizes. The cup also boasts custom graphic capabilities with sharp 

resolution and rich colors, which have won Bronze, Silver and Gold 

at the 2008 Flexography Awards international design competition. 

www.gppro.com 


Polylactic Acid 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer extended its portfolio to technology and production plants for PLA, 

based on its long-term experience with PA and PET. The feedstock for our PLA process is lactic acid 

which can be produced from local agricultural products containing starch or sugar. 

The application range is similar to that of polymers based on fossil resources. Physical properties of 

PLA can be tailored to meet the requirements of packaging, textile and other applications. 

Think. Invest. Earn. 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH 

Holzhauser Strasse 157–159 

13509 Berlin 

Germany 

Tel. +49 30 43 567 5 

Fax +49 30 43 567 699 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer AG 

Reichenauerstrasse 

7013 Domat/Ems 

Switzerland 

Tel. +41 81 632 63 11 

Fax +41 81 632 74 03 

www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer 

A company of ThyssenKrupp Technologies

Application-News 

In conjunction with the new 62N BioTAK contact adhesive, 

German company Herma is offering a unique adhesive 

material that is 100 % biodegradable. Located in Filderstadt 

near Stuttgart, Herma GmbH is a leading European specialist 

in self-adhesive technology. The new contact adhesive 

satisfies the European standard DIN EN 13432 which certifies 

products made from compostable materials. A white, lightweight 

coated paper and three different films are available as 

the label material. The patented 62N BioTAK contact adhesive 

is used on all of them. “Biodegradable materials based on 

renewable raw materials have already had a huge impact on 

the packaging materials sector,“ explains Herma managing 

director Dr. Thomas Baumgärtner. “Consumers are already 

showing a growing interest in where packagings come from, 

and whether they can be reused; natural cosmetics, fruit and 

vegetable packagings and all the products in the burgeoning 

organic sector are good examples of this trend.“ 

Fully Compostable 

Self-Adhesive Labels 

HERMAnaturefilms – films made from wood 

In the certification procedure, the HERMAnaturefilms 

widely exceeded the requirements. To comply with EN 

13432, 90 % of the material must have biodegraded after 45 

days. The HERMAnaturefilms achieved this value after only 

31 days and were fully degraded after 39 days. The special 

films are obtained from cellulose supplied by FSC-certified 

companies (from sustainable forestry). The films can be 

printed using solvent-free and water and UV-based inks by 

all conventional printing methods; they are antistatic and 

repel oil and grease. Paper converters also benefit from the 

high moisture and oxygen barrier. “The film is already used 

as a packaging material by a large number of major food 

manufacturers and packaging companies. With labels made 

from our HERMAnaturefilms, these packaging materials are 

now fully compostable,“ stresses Baumgärtner. Thanks to the 

high gloss level, they even meet the sophisticated needs of 

cosmetics packagings. 

Labels using BioTAK adhesive 

(Photo: courtesy BioTAK) 

The biodegradable adhesive material is a further addition 

to HERMA‘s ‘GreenLine’ product range. Just recently the 

company included PEFC-certified paper adhesives and label 

papers in its offering. “In this way label manufacturers will 

now be able to take even greater advantage of the growing 

demand for environmentally friendly packagings and marking 

systems,“ states Baumgärtner. 


Biobased and 

Compostable 

Shrink Film 

Application News 

Sustainable and compostable, metallised NatureFlex NM 

wraps Dr Vie Inc’s nutritional products 

Nutritional Canadian 

Products 

Canadian company, Dr Vie Inc, is wrapping its entire range 

of nutritional ‘superfood’ products in metalized NatureFlex 

NM film from Innovia Films, Wigton, Cumbria, UK. 

Based in Montréal, Québec, Dr Vie Inc is a family-owned 

business managed by a mother and daughter team. A family 

history of ill health inspired their mission to create powerful 

low-allergenic superfoods that stimulate wellness, enhance 

a feeling of well-being and prevent illness. 

The company’s 100% all-natural products are lowglycemic, 

high in antioxidants, essential omegas and fatty 

acids. The product line includes a variety of pure cacao 

products, antioxidant-rich goji berry and acai berry raw 

chocolate bars, sports nutrition bars and frozen desserts. 

Dr Vie Inc has recently partnered with a global team of 

elite sports, IronMan and Olympic team coaches and their 

products are now available worldwide online to athletes, in 

addition to Canadian health food, sports, wellness centres 

and speciality stores. 

Dr Vie Inc individually cuts and shapes the roll of 

NatureFlex film to wrap each product at their factory. 

According to company founder, Dr Vie, NatureFlex is an 

ideal packaging choice: “Our company’s goal is to promote 

wellness, optimise individual performance and protect the 

planet in the process. NatureFlex is fully sustainable and 

aligns beautifully with our core values”. 

The high barrier against water vapour (WVTR


Green Packaging Line 

A new ‘Green Packaging Line‘ of products has been 

recently developed by Smurfit Kappa, Orsenigo, Italy, a 

leading company specialised in the sector of innovative 

cardboard based packaging. 

It has adopted a new technology offered by Novamont, 

Italy and Iggesund Paperboard, a leading company active 

in the sector of high quality coated boards, headquartered 

in Iggesund, Sweden. 

World’s First 

Bioplastic Eyeglasses 

Japanese Companies Teijin Limited and Teijin Chemicals 

Limited announced the development of eyeglass frames 

made from plant-based, heat-resistant PLA BIOFRONT, 

the world’s first bioplastic to be used for all plastic parts 

of eyeglass frames, including the temples. The frames 

were developed in collaboration with Tanaka Foresight 

Inc., Higashi-Sabae City, Japan, which manufactures and 

sells approximately 60% of all plastic eyeglass parts in 

Japan. 

The new Biofront frames will be exhibited at the Tanaka 

Foresight booth during the International Optical Fair 

Tokyo (IOFT 2009) at Tokyo Big Sight from October 27 to 

29. Tanaka Foresight eventually expects to sell between 

50,000 and 100,000 pairs of PLA eyeglasses per year. 

Although acetate is commonly used for the plastic 

parts of eyeglasses, contact with cosmetics or hairstyling 

products can result in bleaching. Acetate also 

tends to warp under high heat and can cause skin rashes. 

PLA (polylactide) has been used for eyeglass nose pads 

because its antibacterial properties help to avoid rashes, 

but conventional PLA has not been used for other parts 

such as frames and temples because of insufficient heat 

resistance. 

Biofront, however, is an advanced polylactide that offers 

enhanced heat resistance. Its melting point of 210 °C puts 

it on par with PBT, a leading engineering plastic. Biofront 

also is highly resistant to bleaching and bacteria, making 

it ideal for the plastic parts of eyeglasses. 

This new rigid packaging line, which comprises trays, 

punnets and containers for fresh and frozen food, bakery, 

confectionary and others, is based on the virgin fibre 

paperboard Invercote, coated through extrusion coating 

technology with a compostable Mater-Bi polymer. 

This special coating brings various technical properties 

to the cardboard, like an excellent sealability, good thermal 

stability and water, oil and fat protection. 

Given these properties, Smurfit Kappa Orsenigo is able 

to supply a wide range of products for cold and hot, dry and 

wet food packaging applications, in the retail, catering and 

Ho.Re.Ca. (=Hotel/Restaurant/Café) areas, like: 

Deep frozen packaging, trays and punnets for ready cut 

salad or fresh fruits or vegetables, ready meals and take 

away containers, fresh cheese and dairy products, sweets, 

chocolate, bakery. 

Moreover, several non food applications can be taken 

into consideration, like agro-floricultural ones, customised 

gifts, wear packaging. 

Besides being food contact approved, biodegradable and 

compostable (according to EN13432), the ‘Green Packaging 

Line’ products may also be disposed in the paper stream, 

because the Mater-Bi coating has been designed as 

well in order to meet the paper and cardboard recycling 

requirements. 

The result is an extremely versatile and sustainable range 

of products, because of its multiple end of life options. 

www.smurfitkappa.it 

www.novamont.com 

www.iggesund.com 

www.teijin.co.jp 


The ‘Green‘ Shaver 


Established in 1945, the Société BIC is a Clichy, France based, well 

recognized one-time-use products manufacturer. The company specialises in 

ballpoint pens, cigarette lighters, razors and many more such products. The 

BIC Group is committed to a pragmatic approach when it comes to materials 

which have a better environment performance: to experiment them. This is 

why the company started to implement different material alternatives in their 

products and packaging recycled or coming from renewable resources. 

This is the case for example for the new BIC ECOLUTIONS triple blade shaver 

with its bioplastic handle and its 100% recycled cardboard packaging. After 

5 years of research, BIC succeeded to develop a handle made with Ingeo T 

PLA and other additives that resists to the constraints of shaving. In addition 

bio-pigments of vegetable origin give this shaver a distinct green color and 

the recycled pack is printed with bio inks made of vegetable based pigments 

(soy). 

Consumers usually perceive ‘green‘ products as expensive. However with 

a suggested retail price of €3.20 per pack of four shavers, BIC ® ecolutions 

remains affordable to everyone. - MT 

www.bicecolutions.com 

Eco-Conscious 

Parenting Solutions 

Dorel Juvenile Group, Inc, Columbus, Indiana, USA, the 

largest juvenile products manufacturer in the USA, recently 

launched its Safety 1st ® Nature Next collection as part of its 

ongoing initiative to focus on the environment. The special 

collection addresses a growing concern among parents 

who want to provide quality products for their children that 

incorporate eco-conscious materials. 

“We recognize the need – and our customers’ desire – to 

make products that help keep children safe and healthy,“ 

said Vinnie D’Alleva, EVP Business Development at Dorel, 

“but with a view to maximizing the environmental benefits. 

We are also pleased to bring the collection to retail at an 

accessible price point that all parents can appreciate.” 

The Nature Next collection features the following ecoconscious 

materials, such as bamboo, a quick-growing 

and renewable resource. It is able to rapidly replenish 

itself, making it a great alternative to traditional woods. In 

addition, bamboo can thrive with little water and does not 

require the use of fertilizers or pesticides, further reducing 

its environmental impact.Bioplastics: The starches used in 

the Nature Next collection’s items are all plant byproducts, 

not crops that could otherwise be used as a food source. 

Dorel also applies recycled plastics. 

The line currently includes a Bamboo Booster Seat (photo), 

Bamboo Gate, Bio-Plastic Infant-to-Toddler Bathtub, Bio- 

Plastic Booster and Bio-Plastic 3-in-1 Potty. 

http://naturenext.safety1st.com 


Materials 

Biobased 

Engineering 

Castor beans 

Plastic 

www.dsm.com 

DSM Engineering Plastics from Sittard, The Netherlands, 

has expanded further its Green Portfolio with 

the introduction of EcoPaXX, a bio-based, high 

performance engineering plastic. The new material, which 

is based on polyamide (PA) 410 (or PA 4.10), has been developed 

by DSM in recent years, and is now set to be commercialized. 

High performance 

Polyamide 410 is a ‘long-chain polyamide’. Thus EcoPaXX 

is a high-performance polyamide with excellent mechanical 

properties. It combines typical long-chain polyamide 

properties such as low moisture absorption with high 

melting point of 250°C (the highest of all bio-plastics) and 

high crystallization rate enabling short cycle times and 

thus high productivity. The material has excellent chemical 

and hydrolysis resistance, which makes it highly suitable 

for various demanding applications, for instance in the 

automotive and electrical markets. A good example is its 

very good resistance to salts, such as calcium chloride. 

Because of its low moisture absorption, EcoPaXX will also 

keep good strength and stiffness after conditioning. 

Zero carbon footprint 

Newly-introduced EcoPaXX is a green, bio-based 

material: The polyamide 4.10 consists of the ‘4‘-component 

(fossil oil based diaminobutane) and the ‘10‘-component 

(approximately 70% of the polymer) derived from castor 

oil as a renewable resource. Castor oil is a unique natural 

material and is obtained from the Ricinus Communis plant, 

which grows in tropical regions. It is grown in relatively poor 

soil conditions, and its production does not compete with the 

food-chain. 

As not all carbon of the castor beans (or even of the castor 

plants) is being used for making the building blocks of the 

PA 4.10 there is still a certain amount of carbon sequestered 

by the castor plant that is being used as an energy source 

for the PA production or as fertilizer. Thus EcoPaXX can be 

seen as to be 100 % carbon neutral from cradle to gate, as 

per DSM, which means that the carbon dioxide which is 

generated during the production process of the polymer, is 

fully compensated by the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed 

in the growth phase of the castor beans. According to Kees 

Tintel, project manager EcoPaXX “the carbon footprint 

of plastics is rapidly becoming a hot issue for Customers, 

therefore they really appreciate EcoPaXX being carbon 

neutral!” 

Market introduction phase 

“DSM Engineering Plastics is proud to have EcoPaXX, 

the ‘Green Performer’ , in a market introduction phase. 

Combining unique DSM knowledge with the skills of Mother 

Nature allows our Customers to benefit from a new step 

towards a more sustainable world” says Roelof Westerbeek, 

President of DSM Engineering Plastics. - MT 

Castor plants 


Materials 

Injection 

Moldable High 

Temperature 

Bioplastic 

Launched in March 2009 by Colombes (France) based 

Arkema, Rilsan ® HT for extrusion is the first flexible 

high-temperature thermoplastic to replace metal in 

high-temperature applications. Now, the company unveiled 

Rilsan HT injection resins. The Rilsan HT range is now the 

first complete polyphtalamide (PPA)-based product line 

suitable for all process technologies, ranging from extrusion 

to blow or injection molding. Rilsan HT resins are up to 70% 

bio-based (according to ASTM D6866-06, biobased carbon) 

and match the increasing environmental commitment of 

many industries. 

PPA-based injection resins in automotive applications 

have increasingly replaced metal parts as a way to optimize 

costs, reduce emissions and weight, improve fuel economy 

and extend car life. Until now, PPA-based injection resins 

were more difficult and costly to process when compared to 

aliphatic high-performance polyamides. 

According to Arkema, Rilsan HT is the only PPA-based 

injection resin that offers processing characteristics similar 

to those of aliphatic high-performance polyamides. With 

mold temperatures close to those of PA12 and PA11, it 

can be easily processed on standard injection-molding 

equipment using conventional water-cooled temperature 

control. Moreover, the material can be processed in injection 

molds designed for PA12 and PA11 thanks to similar mold 

shrinkage properties. 

Unlike conventional PPA-based resins, Rilsan HT has very 

low moisture uptake, which provides multiple benefits in 

manufacture and applications. Low moisture pickup means 

that the resin is easily stored and requires no supplemental 

steps before processing. Low moisture absorption makes 

the resin easy to process and handle, and imparts reliable 

uniformity to the finished parts’ properties, which avoids 

further downstream processing and limits waste. The 

finished parts exhibit excellent dimensional stability. 

Rilsan HT injection grades have exceptional ductility not 

found in typical semi-aromatic injection resins. Thus the 

resins deliver a designer-friendly balance of toughness, 

strength and elongation and reduce the risk of failures that 

can occur with brittle plastics, such as conventional PPAbased 

injection materials or PPS. 

Conductivity combined with ductility make it the first 

conductive PPA-based injection resin that perfectly balances 

high temperature resistance and excellent mechanical 

properties with conductivity – making it well suited for 

fuel system applications where conductivity is specifically 

required, as it is for example in the North American market. 

As stated by Arkema, this new PPA-based injection resin 

is the only one that can be easily spin-welded with aliphatic 

high performance polyamides, a completely new processing 

feature for this material group. This offers further component 

integration and addresses the enhanced safety and emission 

standards of pipe connections in fuel-conducting systems. 

Rilsan HT injection grades - glass-fiber reinforced or 

formulated for conductivity - are ideally suited for metal 

replacement in fuel system applications requiring low 

permeation, low swelling and high thermal resistance. And 

the suitability of the injection grade for quick-connectors 

and other temperature resistant parts extends to powertrain 

components including those integrated with Rilsan HT 

flexible tubing. 

Largely derived from renewable non-food-crop 

vegetable feedstock, the polyamide material is a 

durable high-temperature thermoplastic containing 

up to 70% renewable carbon. It offers a significant 

reduction in CO 2 emissions compared to conventional 

petroleum-based high-temperature plastics, a reduced 

dependence on oil resources and a perfect fit with the 

eco-design concepts of many vehicle manufacturers. 

www.arkema.com 


Materials 

Composite Technical Services Inc. (CTS), based in Kettering (Dayton), 

Ohio, USA, have recently established manufacturing and 

research and development operations. Combining innovation 

with environmental sustainability, CTS is providing high performance, 

cost effective materials and technology that include unique bio-resins 

and flame retardant additives. Housed in the National Composite Center 

(NCC), CTS is initially targeting the composites and plastics industries. 

Versatile Precursor 

Made From Cashew Nuts 

Cardanol from Cashew 

One versatile precursor for a variety of polymers is cardanol, a phenol 

derivative having a C15 unsaturated hydrocarbon chain with one to three 

double bonds in meta position. It has interesting structural features for 

chemical modification and polymerization. Cardanol can be obtained 

from anarcadic acid, the main component of Cashew (Anacardium 

occidentale L.) Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) by double vaccum destillation. 

CNSL is a renewable natural resource obtained as a by-product of the 

mechanical processes used to render the cashew kernel edible. Its total 

production approaches one million tons annually. If not used as a widely 

available and low cost renewable raw material, CNSL would represent a 

dangerous pollutant source. 

Cardanol-phenol resins were developed in the 1920s by a student of 

the Columbia University (New York) named Mortimer T. Harvey. 

The name ‘cardanol‘ comes from the word Anarcadium, which includes 

the cashew tree, Anarcadium occidentale. The name Anarcadium itself is 

based on the Greek word for heart. 

Cardanol-based resins 

Based on this, CTS is currently working on a breakthrough brand called 

Exaphen. Exaphen products use a process that extracts (exa) phenolic 

(phen) resins from agricultural by-products such as CNSL while retaining 

the special properties nature has already engineered. A unique chemical 

structure gives phenolic-type resins the capability to fight fire and delay 

the spread of flames combined while providing resistance to aggressive 

environments. 


Photo: Barnabà 

Materials 

CTS offers a series of products based on the phenolic structure derived 

from cashew nut shells. 

• Cardanol-based phenolic resins (novolacs) as curing agents of 

commercial epoxy resins; 

• Cardanol-based polyols (POLYCARD XFN) for the preparation of 

polyurethanes; 

• Cardanol-based epoxy-novolacs (NOVOCARD XFN); 

• Saturated and unsaturated polyester resins prepared using cardanol 

derivatives; 

• Cardanol-based aminoalcohols to be used in polymeric matrices with 

a polyurea scaffold; 

• Cardanol-based acrylic and methacrylic monomers as additives for 

coating or varnishes; 

• Cardanol-based benzoxazines as either coupling agents for glass and 

natural fibres or as reticulating agents for epoxy resins. 

Cardanol based polyols for poluyrethanes 

Polycard XFN product line is a family of earth-friendly polyols derived 

from cardanol for the formulation of both high and low density rigid 

polyurethane foams, flexible polyurethane foams for use in insulating 

foams, mattresses and couches, elastomers and coatings. The high 

percentage of primary hydroxyl groups give these polyols a relatively 

high rate of reactivity with isocyanates. In addition to classic polyols an 

aminolachol monomer, AMINOLCARD XFN-AM120, is available. 

Cardanol based epoxy hardeners 

Novocard XFN products are liquid cardanol/formaldehyde novolacs 

designed to be used as curing agent in formulating heat cured bisphenol- 

A and bisphenol-F epoxy resins. Their long alkenyl side chains impart 

flexibility in cured epoxy resins. The intrinsic properties of the phenolic 

structure are chemical resistance, heat and flame resistance. Novocard 

XFN can also be used as polyols for polyurethane formulations. 

Cardanol based epoxy monomer and resins 

Epocard XFN are epoxy monomers and resins suitable for composite 

manufacture and coating applications which are available in a wide range 

of viscosities. The alkyl side chain of the phenolic ring enhances the 

final product flexibility, while the phenolic structure enhances chemical 

resistance, heat and flame durability. Epoxy Equivalent Weight and their 

formulation can be tailored for any end-use. - MT 

References: 

CTS-Materials Divison Brochure 

wikipedia 

Tullo, Alexander H.: (September 8, 

2008). „A Nutty Chemical“. Chemical and 

Engineering News 86 (36): 26–27. 

Senning, Alexander: (2006). Elsevier‘s 

Dictionary of Chemoetymology. Elsevier. 

ISBN 0444522395 

Ikeda, Ryohei et. al.: (2000). „A new 

crosslinkable polyphenol from a 

renewable resource“. Macromolecular 

Rapid Communications 21 (8): 496–499. 

www.ctsusa.us 


End of Life 

Finished 

product 

producers 

PLA 

pellets 

Sales 

Partners 

- 

PLA 

producers 

E nd users End users 

Lactic 

acid 

CCollection 

Loopla 

Patented 

technology 

Partners 

S 

Sorting 

orting & 

recovery 

recovery 

entities 

entities 

Loopla 

Shipment of 

used PLA lot 

A new Cradle-to-Cradle 

Galactic is a Belgian company involved in the world of 

green chemistry with its lactic acid being produced 

by fermentation of a biomass such as beet or cane 

sugar. Lactic acid is used in different applications such as 

foodstuffs, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, as well as in industrial 

applications. 

Lactic acid is also used as the starting material for 

the production of polylactic acid or PLA, an eco-friendly, 

renewable biopolymer with attractive characteristics for 

packaging and other convenience applications. 

Introduction to LOOPLA ® 

Although PLA is derived from renewable resources, 

Galactic has conceived the LOOPLA process to provide the 

best ‘end-of-life‘ option for PLA waste and contribute to the 

development of a sustainable environment. 

The LOOPLA concept is a closed loop where the used 

PLA is recovered and recycled back into its original form: 

lactic acid. This lactic acid can easily be polymerised again 

to make PLA with exactly the same characteristics as the 

original material. 

Carbon footprint 

The patented technology is a chemical recycling process 

that goes back from PLA to lactic acid by depolymerisation 

through hydrolysis. The process does not need harmful 

chemicals and is optimised to create a minimum CO 2 

footprint. 

Currently there are several ‘end-of-life‘ options available: 

mechanical recycling, incineration, composting, anaerobic 

digestion and land filling. 

All energy and raw materials invested in the original PLA 

are recovered as the recycling rate with LOOPLA is close to 

100% and provides a low carbon footprint. 

Chemical Recycling vs. other ‘end-of-life‘ options 

With this concept, GALACTIC is proud to contribute to a 

more sustainable solution for the ‘end-of-life‘ management 

of PLA waste: 

• Less energy consumption 

• Low chemicals needed 

• Recycling rate close to 100% 

• Recycling process is endless 

• Less agricultural land needed 

• shorter recycling loop means: 

- lower CO 2 foot-print 

- Cheaper process 

End-users 

The success of LOOPLA is related to the contribution of 

the different parties involved in the recycling process. 

The sorting and recovery of the used PLA is key in the 

efficiency of the process: 

PLA is used in a wide range of applications including food 

packaging, beverage containers, cars, electronic, housing 

etc. Two types of material are identified: the nearly 100% 

PLA, and material combinations such as blends, compounds 

and composites. LOOPLA not only recovers close to 100% of 

the lactic acid used for the production of PLA, it also takes 

care of possible contamination of the used PLA. 

All PLA waste can be put into one of three different 

categories: 

• ‘Post-industrial‘ waste or production waste that consists 

of out-of-specification material or objects produced 

during trial runs, production start-up procedures or as 

trimmings or runners and sprue in injection moulding. 


ECO-Benefits (points) 

End of Life 

200 

180 

160 

160 

140 

120 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

3 

10 

20 

0 

Composting Incineration Anaerobic digestion LOOPLA 

Approach for PLA 


Johnathan Willocq, 

Project Engineer Developments 

n.v. Galactic s.a., 

Escanaffles, Belgium 

The material flow is generally very clean and does not 

need specific sorting. 

• ‘Short-loop‘ or ‚closed-loop‘ waste that is locally generated 

during a defined period: cups during a music-festival, 

catering in aeroplanes etc… and even non-woven carpets, 

combining a wide range of colours and patterns as used 

during an exhibition, can be sorted out and recycled. 

Indeed, the flow of waste generally does contain other 

materials. A creative effort has to be realised in order 

optimise the process and efficiently sort PLA from other 

materials. 

• And finally, ‘post-consumer‘ waste. The process for this 

kind of waste is the most complex one. For example, 

bottles made of PLA and PET are mixed together. It is 

important to sort PLA from PET to avoid a negative impact 

on the recycling of PET (yield and quality) and also to be 

able to recover a single stream of PLA in order to recycle it. 

Technical solutions are available on the market, including 

NIR installations or a green chemical treatment able to 

separate PLA (more than 99%) from PET. 

LOOPLA technology 

According to the origin of the used PLA, the process will 

be adjusted: the treatment is not the same if the stream 

is clean or dirty, pure or contaminated. The contamination 

can arise from a problem of sorting or when the product is 

made from different materials. In case of contamination, 

the process can be easily adjusted in order to remove the 

contaminant(s) with no consequence on the quality of the 

final lactic acid. 

At the end of the cycle, the lactic acid obtained by 

depolymerisation will be purified according to the targeted 

applications (industrial applications or polymer production). 

A little chemistry 

Lactic acid is a chiral molecule and has two optical 

isomers. One is known as L-(+)-lactic acid and the other, 

its mirror image, is D-(−)-Lactic. L-(+)-Lactic acid is the 

biologically important isomer. 

During the polymerisation and the production of the 

original product, the treatments generate a racemization of 

the lactic acid. If PLA is made of L-(+)-Lactic acid, only a 

small quantity of D-(−)-Lactic will remain in the final product. 

Then, lactic acid coming from the LOOPLA technology 

contains a low amount of D-(−)-Lactic but the production of 

PLA is feasible. 

The research and development team has developed a 

process in order to reach a high L polymer grade of lactic 

acid. 

Galactic has acquired a deep knowledge of the PLA 

market with its involvement in Futerro, a joint venture 

created between Total Petrochemicals and Galactic. The 

project entails the construction of a demonstration plant 

able to produce 1,500 tonnes of PLA per year using a clean, 

innovative and competitive technology, developed by both 

partners. 

Thanks to the LOOPLA concept, PLA can be then 

depolymerised back into lactic acid which also could be the 

raw material for a wide range of products including solvents, 

detergents, textiles, food and beverages containers... 

PLA is a renewable and sustainable resource with 

countless possibilities! 

www.loopla.lactic.com 


Report 

In a new series bioplastics MAGAZINE plans to introduce, in no 

particular order, research institutes that work on bioplastics, 

whether it be the synthesis, the analysis, processing or application 

of bioplastics. The first article introduces the Fraunhofer 

Institut für Angewandte Polymerforschung in Potsdam-Golm, 

Germany 

The Fraunhofer Institut für Angewandte Polymerforschung IAP 

(The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research) is one 

of about 60 Institutes within the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft e.V., 

a non-profit organization headquartered in Munich, Germany. 

The institute‘s budget in 2008 was about € 12 million, 30% of 

which was government funded and 70% acquired from other 

sources (35% by way of publicly funded research projects and 

35% directly from industry projects) 

Fraunhofer 

IAP 

Bead cellulose with porous and smooth surface 

In the preface to the institute‘s 2008 Annual Report, Professor 

Hans Peter Fink, director of the institute writes: “We are living in 

the age of plastics. Polymers are everywhere, found in plastics 

and in many other applications like fibers and films, foam plastics, 

synthetic rubber products, varnishes, adhesives, and additives 

for construction materials, paper, detergents, cosmetic and 

pharmaceutical industries. In addition to innovative developments 

in polymer functional materials, research is now focusing on the 

sustainability of the polymer industry. Environmentally friendly 

and energy efficient production processes and the utilisation of 

bio-based resources, which are not dependent on petroleum, 

are playing a vital role. The Fraunhofer IAP is well positioned in 

this regard with its unique competencies in the area of synthetic 

and bio-based polymers…“ 

PLA 

In the area of biopolymers, the Fraunhofer IAP is active in 

particular in the field of synthesis and material development of 

bio-based polylactide (PLA) in connection with the establishment 

of production facilities in Guben (on the German/Polish border). 

A biopolymer application center is being planned at the site 

in collaboration with the investor Pyramid Bioplastics Guben 

GmbH. Here, a project group from IAP will develop PLA grades, 

blends and composites for different fields of application such 

as films, fibers, bottles, injection moulded or extruded products 

and many more. The research and development of blends and 

copolymers of L- and D-lactides is also part of the planned 

activities. 

Further research activities concentrate on naturally 

synthesized polysaccharides such as cellulose, hemicellulose, 

starch and chitin, which are available in almost unlimited 

quantities. 

The opportunities for using cellulose and starch biopolymers, 

which have been available in almost unlimited quantities for a 

long time, are far from being exhausted. One focus of the research 

and development at the Fraunhofer IAP is on these versatile 

raw materials. New products and environmentally friendly 

production methods are being developed at the IAP thanks to 

the growing amount of knowledge concerning the exploration, 

characterization and modification of these polymers. 


Report 

Cellulose 

Cellulose is the most frequently occurring biopolymer, and 

as dissolving pulp it is an important industrial raw material. It 

is processed into regenerated cellulose products such as fibers, 

non-wovens, films, sponges and membranes. It can also be 

processed into versatile cellulose derivatives, thermoplastics, 

fibers, cigarette filters, adhesives, building additives, bore oils, 

hygiene products, pharmaceutical components, etc. 

Composites 

Cellulose-based man-made fibers (rayon tyre cord yarn) 

are a serious alternative to short glass fibers for reinforcing 

even biopolymers such as PLA or PHA. Rayon fibers have 

advantages over short glass fibers in terms of their low density 

and abrasiveness. Furthermore, they do not pierce the skin 

as do glass fibers, which makes them much easier to handle. 

When rayon fibers are combined with PLA, a completely biobased 

and biodegradable material is formed. One of the crucial 

disadvantages of PLA is its low impact strength. In composites, 

rayon fibers can increase impact strength significantly, as they 

act as impact modifiers. 

By reinforcing a polyhydroxyalkonoate (PHA) polymer with 

cellulose-based spun fibers, biogenic and biodegradable 

composites were obtained with substantially improved (in 

some cases double) mechanical properties as compared with 

the unreinforced matrix material. bioplastics MAGAZINE will 

publish more comprehensive articles about these findings in 

future issues. 

Starch 

Starch is another indispensable resource with a long tradition. 

The substance’s many functional properties make it suitable 

for use in the food sector and for technical applications. Nonfood 

applications include additives for paper manufacture, 

construction materials, fiber sizes, adhesives, fermentation, 

bioplastics, detergents, and cosmetic and pharmaceutical 

products. 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

10 

8 

6 

4 

2 

Charpy, un-notched [kJ/m²] 

- 23 °C 

- 18 °C 

native 15% 

25% 30% 

Un-notched Charpy impact strenght of rayon 

reinforced polylactic acid vs. fibert content. 

Charpy, notched [kJ/m²] 

- 23 °C 

- 18 °C 

native 15% 

25% 30% 

Notched Charpy impact strenght of rayon 

reinforced polylactid vs. fiber content. 

Fiber content 

Fiber content 

To further their aim of comprehensive utilization of biomass 

for such materials, scientists at Fraunhofer IAP have developed 

strong lignin competencies in recent years. They have also 

investigated the use of sugar beet pulp for polyurethane 

production. 

The use and optimization of biotechnology with the aim of 

directly applying the biomass by extraction and plant material 

processing is a further focus of Fraunhofer IAP‘s biopolymer 

research. With its comprehensive expertise in the field of 

biopolymers and long-standing experience and knowledge of 

polymer synthesis, the institute is highly qualified to develop 

products and processes in various areas of biopolymers, 

ranging from applied basic research in the laboratory to pilot 

plant operation. - MT 

SEM micrograph of a cellulose melt blown nonwoven 

www.iap.fraunhofer.de 


Basics 

Raw materials and 

required for 

In the last issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE we looked at the basic principles of ‘Land use 

for Bioplastics’. Following this general introduction we now put forward some more 

concrete facts concerning the specific biopolymers. The following article is an edited 

extract from the new book entitled ‘Technical Biopoymers’, written by Hans-Josef Endres 

and Andrea Siebert-Raths. The book has already been published in German and will be 

available in English at the beginning of next year (see also page 15). 

To evaluate the land area required for biopolymer production the annual yield from 

different renewable raw materials is illustrated below. 

In Fig. 1 the raw materials have been grouped into sugars, starches, plant oils and 

cellulose or fibrous materials to facilitate comparison. It can be seen that the sugars offer 

the highest yield. Starches too deliver relatively high yields, whilst the yield from renewable 

plant sources of oils or cellulose is, in comparison, significantly less. Among the oils it is 

only palm oil and perhaps jatropha oil that offer yields approaching that of the starches. 

In order to determine the annual amount of biopolymer that can be produced per unit 

of land area (the biopolymer yield per area) it is also necessary to take into account the 

data in Fig. 2, i.e. the various biobased percentage of each biopolymer. With the blends in 

particular there is a wide range of bio-based content because petrochemical components 

and additives are often also used in the blend. 

Furthermore, consideration must be given to the efficiency of converting the biobased 

materials listed, i.e. the initial amount of the raw material required to produce the 

particular bio-based component. 

Based on the respective percentage of bio-based material and the amount of renewable 

raw material required for this, Fig. 3 shows the representative relationship of the amount 

of bio-based input material to the total amount of material output. When ethanol is used 

as an intermediate step almost 0.5 tonnes of ethanol per tonne of sugar is output. But it 

must be noted that almost no biopolymers are 100% bio-based. At times the bio-based 

element of the material is below 25% by weight, i.e. in such a case 75 % of the weight of 

the material is in no way to be considered when calculating the necessary amount of land 

because it is not based on renewable raw materials. Basically the lower the percentage 

of bio-based material the higher the relationship of the absolute quantity of bio-polymer 

to the area under cultivation. This also shows the direct comparison of the data in figures 

2 and 3, each of which represents a basically inverted proportionality. A statement of the 

biopolymer output per unit of arable land without taking into consideration the percentage 

of bio-based material in that polymer is therefore not sufficient. 

When calculating the outputs of biopolymer materials and the input of renewable raw 

material required, as shown in Fig. 3, the following assumptions were made: 

1: Cellulose acetate (CA): Percentage of cellulose based material 40 – 50 

percent by weight 

Since even with partially biodegradable cellulose acetate at least about 2/3 of the 

hydroxyl groups in the glucose element unit are replaced by acetal groups (for details 

please see the respective section in the book), i.e. the degree of substitution is as a rule 

greater than 2.0, and in addition non-bio-based softeners of up to a maximum of 30 % 

by weight are used, for cellulose acetate an initial input amount of between 40 and 50 % 


Basics 

arable land 

biopolymers 

by weight is required. This means that under 

certain circumstances up to 60 % of the material 

is not cellulose at all but is based on acetic acid 

(largely produced under pressure by catalytic 

conversion of petrochemical methanol with carbon 

monoxide), and other petrochemical softeners. 

With an assumed minimum degree of substitution 

of 2 the acetate content alone represents 30 and 

the plasticizer 20 % by weight. 

2: Cellulose regenerate: Percentage 

of cellulose based material 90 - 99 percent 

by weight 

Cellulose regenerates are used in the biopolymer 

sector mainly as coated film (e.g. with a barrier 

coating or sealing layer). From the point of view 

of the weight of the dominant material a cellulose 

percentage of near enough 100 % can be assumed. 

For the coating, a percentage by weight of at the 

most 10 % is assumed. Normally the coating will 

account for a much smaller percenatge. 

3: Thermoplastic starch (TPS): Starch based 

percentage of the material 70 - 80 percent 

by weight 

To optimise the performance of thermoplastic 

starch in processing and use, native starches must 

be modified and/or in particular be added with a 

softener such as glycerine or sorbitol (for details 

please see the respective section in the book). 

To calculate the average starch content, a total 

conversion of 100 % of the unmodified starch to a 

biopolymer was assumed. For starch acetate on 

the other hand, similar to cellulose acetate with a 

high degree of substitution, a starch requirement 

of only 600 kg per tonne is required. For the 

remaining additives or softeners raw materials 

of petrochemical origin were assumed. We can 

therefore assume on average that thermoplastic 

starch materials require an input of 70 to 80 % by 

weight of starch itself. 

4: Starch blends: Starch-based percentage 

25 - 70 percent by weight 

To optimise the properties in the processing and 

use of thermoplastic processable starch polymers 

it is necessary for native starch - as already 

Raw material yield [t/(hectare*annum)] 

The percentage of material in biopolymers 

that is biobased, i.e. obtained from 

renewable resources (% by weight) 

Output: tonnes of biopolymer or bioethanol / 

Input: tonnes of regenerating raw materials 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

100% 

80% 

60% 

40% 

20% 

0% 

6 

5 

4 

3 

2 

1 

0 

Sugars Starches Plant oils Cellulose (fibres) 

Sugar (cane) 

Sugar (beet) 

Maize starch 

Potato starch 

Wheat starch 

Rice starch 

Palm oil 

Jatropha oil 

Cocoa oil 

Castor oil 

Rapeseed oil 

Sunflower oil 

Soy oil 

Wood fibres 

Wheat straw 

Hemp 

Flax 

Cotton 

Fig 1: Absolute yield of various renewable raw materials 

per hectare per annum 

Cellulose regenerates 2 

Cellulose acetates 1 

Thermoplastic starches (TPS) 3 

Starch blends 4 

Polylactides (PLA) 5 

Polylactide blends 6 

Polyhydroxyalkcanoates (PHA) 7 

Fig 2: Percentage of renewable raw materials 

by weight in various biopolymers 



Thermoplastic starches (TPS) 3 


Polylacticdes (PLA) 5 

Polylactide blends 6 


Bioenthanol 8 

Bioenthanol 8 

Fig 3: Total Biopolymer output in relation to the 

input of renewable raw materials 

Biopolyesters 9 


Biopolyethylene (BIO-PE) 10 



Basics 

[tonnes of bioplymer /(ha*annum)] 

35 

30 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 



Theoretical minimum and maximum biopolymer 

yield per unit of land area 

Thermoplastic starch (TPS) 3 


Polylactic acid (PLA) 5 

Polylactic acid blends 6 


Fig 4: Minimum and maximum possible 

biopolymer yields per hectare per annum 

Bioenthanol 8 



explained - to be modified or blended with other 

polymers. The second component of the blend 

usually represents the continuous phase in the 

resultant 2-phase blend (for details please see the 

respective section in the book). The assumption is 

made that in starch blends there is 30 to 85 % by 

weight of material coming directly from the starch. 

For this figure the values of thermoplastic starch 

from the above assumption 3 have been used. For 

the remaining 15 to 70 % of the starch blends it is 

assumed that a petrochemical-based material is 

used. 

5: PLA: PLA-based percentage 90 - 97 


With the PLA polymers produced from lactic 

acid the assumption is made that only functional 

additives (nucleating agents, colour batches, 

stabilisers etc) in amounts from maximum 3 to 10 % 

by weight, are added to the PLA. It is assumed 

that maize starch is used as the raw material for 

PLA. Around 0.7 tonnes of PLA are obtained from 1 

tonne of maize starch. 

6: PLA blends: PLA-based material 

percentage 30 - 65 percent by weight 

For these suitably ductile PLA blends, used 

overwhelmingly for film applications, it can be 

assumed a percentage of PLA-based material of 

between a maximum of 65 % and a minimum of 

30 % by weight. For the PLA components the PLA 

values from the previous assumption 5 were used. 

The second component of the blend is mainly a 

bio-polyster. For the bio-polyester (30 to 65 % by 

weight) the assumptions described under point 9 

were made. Also, for PLA blends, the addition of 

5 % by weight of a petrochemical-based additive 

is assumed, for example processing aids or 

components to improve the interaction of the two 

basic materials. 

7: Polyhydroxyalcanoate: PLA-based material 

percentage 30 - 65 percent by weight 

With the Polyhydroxyalcanoates (PHA), produced 

by fermentation, there is a very small amount 

of additive used and thus an average bio-based 

material content of 90 to 98 % by weight can be 

assumed. To produce one tonne of PHA about 4 to 

5 tonnes of sugar are required. 

8: Bioethanol 

To produce bioethanol as an intermediate, 

particularly for bio-polyethylene and various 

bio-polyesters, it is assumed that 100% of the 

bio-alcohol is sugar-based. In addition it can be 

assumed that in the most favourable case about 

1.7 (and in the least favourable case 2.7) tonnes of 

sugar are required per tonne of bioethanol. 


9: Bio-polyester: Bioalcohol content 30 - 40 percent by weight, 

remainder based on petrochemical raw materials 

With bio-polyesters a bioalcohol-based input of 30 - 40% was assumed to 

calculate the conversion efficiency, i.e. viewed from the opposite perspective 

60 - 70% of the so-called bio-polyester is not based on renewable raw 

materials. For the bioalcohol content the raw material requirement for 

bioethanol, as specified in point 8, is assumed. 

10: Bio-polyethylene (bio-PE): Bioalcohol-based content 95 - 98 


As with conventional PE, bio-polyethylene also requires between 2 and 5% 

by weight of other additives, which means that a bioalcohol-based material 

content of 95 to 98% by weight can be assumed. Furthermore it is assumed 

that 2.3 - 2.5 tonnes of ethanol are required per tonne of polyethylene. For 

the bioethanol content the same assumptions are made as in point 8. 

Finally, to define the annual output of various biopolymers per unit of land 

area working from the bio-based material content of each of the biopolymers 

(cf. Fig 2), the required input amount of renewable raw material for each 

biopolymer (cf. Fig 3) and the related annual yield per unit of land area for 

each of the renewable raw materials (cf. Fig 1) the theoretical achievable 

annual amount of each of the biopolymers per unit of land area can be 

calculated and is shown in Fig. 4. 

Because of the wide range of yields from renewable resources, and the 

possibility of using different renewable raw materials to produce the same 

biopolymer (e.g. starch instead of sugar), plus the, at times, very different 

bio-based material content, there is ultimately a very wide range of the 

theoretical biopolymer yields per unit of arable land. 

Because, in biopolymer manufacture, there is pressure on economic 

grounds for maximum material usage and the maximum possible yield per 

hectare, a comparison of the values detailed above is more representative of 

the effective trends in biopolymer yield per hectare. 

Accordingly to these considerations a bio-PE for example, despite the 

high sugar yield available per hectare, exhibits the lowest land use efficiency 

because of the high demand for sugar at the bioethanol stage and the high 

ethanol demand for polymerisation of the polyethylene. The relatively low 

land-use efficiency of the PHAs can, as with cellulose regenerates, also 

be traced back to the high bio-based material input and the lack of a 

petrochemical component not related to land use or to another bio-based 

material. 

By contrast the high percentage of non bio-based material components 

in particular with bio-polyesters, starch blends, PLA blends and cellulose 

acetate, leads to what seems to be a high land-use efficiency that is, 

however, traced back to the addition of significant amounts of non landdependent 

substances of petrochemical origin. 

However, what is important at the end of the analysis is the fact that, in 

comparison with bio-fuels, to achieve a perceptible share of the plastics 

market biopolymers would require a significantly smaller land area in 

absolute terms (see article on Land Use for Bioplastics in issue bM 04/2009), 

as well as exhibiting a higher land use efficiency. 

With a cautious estimate of the average yield per unit of land area of at 

least 2.5 tonnes per hectare the current global biopolymer output (about 0.4 

million tonnes per annum) would need only 0.01 % of the world‘s agricultural 

land. 

Basics 

www.fakultaet2.fh-hannover.de 


Basics 

Position Paper 

‘Oxo-Biodegradable‘ 

Plastics 

In this issue bioplastics MAGAZINE publishes an extract of 

the recently published Position Paper of European Bioplastics. 

The complete document can be downloaded from 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/200904. 

Introduction 

Bioplastics are either biobased or biodegradable or 

both. European Bioplastics, as the industry association for 

such materials is distancing itself from the so-called ‘oxobiodegradables‘ 

industry. 

Terms such as ‘degradable‘, ‘biodegradable‘, ‘oxodegradable‘, 

‘oxo-biodegradable‘ are used to promote 

products made with traditional plastics supplemented with 

specific additives. 

Products made with this technology and available on 

the market include film applications such as shopping 

bags, agricultural mulch films and most recently certain 

plastic bottles. There are serious concerns amongst many 

plastics, composting and waste management experts that 

these products do not meet their claimed environmental 

promises. 

In this position paper, European Bioplastics, the 

international organisation representing the certified 

Bioplastics and Biopolymer industries outlines the issues and 

questions concerned in order to support consumers, retailers 

and the plastics industry in identifying unsubstantiated and 

misleading product claims. 

Terminology 

Producers of pro-oxidant additives use the term ‘oxobiodegradable’ 

for their products. This term suggests 

that the products can undergo (complete) biodegradation. 

However, main effect of oxidation is fragmentation into small 

particles, which remain in the environment. Therefore the 

term ‘oxo-fragmentation’ does better describe the typical 

degradation process, which can occur to these products, 

under some specific environmental conditions. 

European Bioplastics considers the use of terms such as 

biodegradable, oxo-biodegradable etc. without reference 

to existing standards as misleading and as such not 

reproducible and verifiable. Under these conditions the term 

‘oxo-biodegradable‘ is free of substance. (...) 

On the other hand, the terms ‘biodegradable and 

compostable‘ enjoy a different status. There are 

internationally established and acknowledged standards 

that effectively substantiate claims on biodegradation and 

compostability such as ISO 17088. (...) The specification of 

time needed for the ultimate biodegradation is an essential 

requirement for any serious claim on biodegradability. 

Therefore, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has 

advised companies “that unqualified biodegradable claims 

are acceptable only if they have scientific evidence that their 

product will completely decompose within a reasonably 

short period of time under customary methods of disposal” 

[1]. (...) 

The Degradation Process behind the So-called ‘Oxobiodegradable‘ 

Plastics 

The ‘oxo-biodegradable‘ additives are typically incorporated 

in conventional plastics (...) at the moment of conversion into 

final products. 


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These additives are based on chemical catalysts, 

containing transition metals such as cobalt, manganese, 

nickel, zinc, etc., which cause fragmentation as a 

result of a chemical oxidation of the plastics’ polymer 

chains triggered by UV irradiation or heat exposure. In 

a second phase, the resulting fragments are claimed 

to eventually undergo biodegradation. (...) 

Fragmentation Is Not the Same as 

Biodegradation 

Fragmentation of ‘oxo-biodegradable‘ plastics is not 

the result of a biodegradation process but rather the 

result of a chemical reaction. The resulting fragments 

will remain in the environment [2]. The fragmentation 

is not a solution to the waste problem, but rather 

the conversion of visible contaminants (the plastic 

waste) into invisible contaminants (the fragments). 

This is generally not considered as a feasible manner 

of solving the problem of plastic waste, as the 

behavioural problem of pollution by discarding waste 

in the environment could be even stimulated by these 

kinds of products. 

An Answer to Littering or the Promotion of 

Littering ? 

Oxo-fragmentable plastic products have been 

described as a solution to littering problems, whereby 

they supposedly fragment in the natural environment. 

In fact, such a concept risks increasing littering 

instead of reducing it. (...) 

Accumulation of Plastic Fragments Bears Risks 

for the Environment 

If oxo-fragmentable plastics are littered and end 

up in the landscape they are supposed to start to 

disintegrate due to the effect of the additives that 

trigger breakdown. Consequently, plastic fragments 

would be spread around the surrounding area. As 

ultimate biodegradability has not been demonstrated 

for these fragments [3], there is substantial risk of 

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Basics 

accumulation of persistent substances in the environment. 

Through the impact of wind or precipitation the plastic 

fragments can drift into aquatic or marine habitat where they 

affect organisms and pose the risk of bioaccumulation. In 

addition, studies, amongst others by the US National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration, have shown that degraded 

plastics can accumulate toxic chemicals such as PCB, DDE and 

others from the environment and act as transport medium in 

marine environments [4]. Such persistant organic pollutants in 

the marine environment were found to have negative effects on 

marine resources [5]. 

Organic Recovery Is Not Feasible 

Collection and recovery schemes for organic waste are liable 

to suffer from the use of oxo-fragmentable materials, as these 

materials are reported not to meet the requirements of organic 

recovery [6]. 

Unfortunately, sometimes the oxo-fragmentable products 

have been publicised as ‘biodegradable‘ and ‘compostable‘, 

despite not meeting the standards of suitability for organic 

recovery. Besides, the terms oxo-biodegradable, oxo-degradable 

and the like can be taken by the consumers as synonym of 

‘biodegradable and compostable‘ and erroneously recovered 

via organic recovery. (...) Therefore, well-developed and broadly 

accepted certification schemes according to EN 13432, EN 14995 

or equivalent standards should be used invariably. 

This is also why, in the interest of the best recovery of organic 

fractions and biowaste, the involvement of ‘oxo-fragmentable’ 

materials in such recovery schemes should be avoided. 

Plastic Recycling Schemes Are Disturbed 

A further environmentally feasible option for the handling 

of used plastics is that of recycling. Oxo-fragmentable 

products can hamper recycling of post consumer plastics. 

In practice, the ‚oxo-biodegradable‘ plastics are traditional 

plastics. The only difference is that they incorporate additives 

which affect their chemical stability. Thus, they are identified 

and classified according to their chemical structure and 

finish together with the other plastic waste in the recycling 

streams. In this way, they bring their degradation additives 

to the recyclate feedstock. As a consequence the recyclates 

may be destabilised, which will hinder acceptance and lead to 

reduced value. The European Plastics Recyclers Association 

(EuPR) and the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers 

(APR) therefore warn against oxo-degradable additives [7, 8]. 

www.european-bioplastics.org 

References 

[1] Federal Trade Commission Announces 

Actions Against Kmart, Tender and Dyna- 

E Alleging Deceptive ‚Biodegradable‘ 

Claims. www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/06/kmart. 

shtm. Accessed on June 19, 2009 

[2] Narayan, Ramani, Biodegradability 

- Sorting Facts and Claims, in bioplastics 

magazine, 01/2009, pp 29. 

[3] Koutny et al. (2006) 

[4] Moore C. (2008). Synthetic polymers 

in the marine environment: A 

rapidly increasing, long-term threat. 

Environmental Research 108(2), pp. 

131-139 

[5] Yuki Mato et.al. (2001), Plastic Resin 

pallets as a transport medium for toxic 

chemicals in the Marine Environment, 

Environmental Science and Technology, 

35(2), pp. 318-324 . 

[6] California State University, Chico 

Research Foundation (2008). 

Performance Evaluation of 

Environmentally Degradable Plastic 

Packaging and Disposable Food Service 

Ware – Final Report. www.ciwmb. 

ca.gov/Publications. Publication Date: 

November, 8, 2008. Accessed on June 

19, 2009 

[7] Association of Postconsumer Plastic 

Recyclers (APR) and the National 

Association for Plastic Container 

Resources (NAPCOR) express concerns 

about degradable additives. www. 

plasticsrecycling.org/article.asp?id=50. 

Publication Date: February 12, 2009. 

Accessed on June 19, 2009 

[8] European Plastics Recyclers, OXO 

degradables incompatibility with plastics 

recycling. www.plasticsrecyclers.eu/ 

press. Publication Date: June 10, 2009. 

Accessed on June 19, 2009 


Basics 

Basics of 

Starch-Based Materials 

Starch is a reserve of energy for plants and is widely 

available in cereals, tubers and beans all over the 

planet. The present annual production of starch 

worldwide is about 44 million tonnes and comes mainly 

from corn, where worldwide production is about 700 million 

tonnes, as well as from wheat, tapioca, potatoes etc.. Today 

the main uses of starch available annually from corn and 

other crops, produced in excess of current market needs in 

the United States and Europe, are in the pharmaceutical and 

paper industries. Starch is totally biodegradable in a wide 

variety of environments and can permit the development of 

totally biodegradable products for specific market demands. 

Biodegradation or incineration of starch products recycles 

atmospheric CO 2 sequestered by starch-producing plants 

and does not increase potential global warming. 

All of these reasons aroused a renewed interest in 

starch-based plastics over the last 20 years. Starch graft 

copolymers, starch plastic composites, starch itself, and 

starch derivatives have been proposed as plastic materials. 

Starch consists of two major components: amylose (Fig. 1), 

a mostly linear a-D-(1,4)-glucan; and amylopectine (Fig. 2), an 

a-D-(1,4) glucan that has a-D-(1,6) linkages at the branch 

point. The linear amylose molecules of starch have a 

molecular weight of 0.2–2 million, while the branched 

amylopectine molecules have molecular weights as high as 

100–400 million. 

In nature starch is found as crystalline beads of about 

15–100 mm in diameter, in three crystalline design 

modifications: A (cereal), B (tuber), and C (smooth pea and 

various beans), all characterised by double helices - almost 

perfect left-handed, six-fold structures, as elucidated by X- 

ray-diffraction studies. 

Starch as a filler 

Crystalline starch beads can be used as a natural filler in 

traditional plastics [1]; they have been used particularly in 

polyolefines. When blended with starch beads, polyethylene 

films biodeteriorate on exposure to a soil environment. The 

microbial consumption of the starch component, in fact, 

leads to increased porosity, void formation, and loss of 

integrity of the plastic matrix. Generally, starch is added at 

fairly low concentrations (6–15%); the overall disintegration 

of these materials is obtained, however, by transition metal 

compounds, soluble in the thermoplastic matrix, used as 

pro-oxidant additives to catalyse the photo and thermooxidative 

processes [2]. 

Starch-filled polyethylenes containing pro-oxidants have 

been used in the past in agricultural mulch film, in bags, 

and in six-pack yoke packaging. According to St. Lawrence 

Starch Technology, regular cornstarch is treated with a 

silane coupling agent to make it compatible with hydrophobic 

polymers, and dried to less than 1% of water content. It is 

then mixed with the other additives such as an unsaturated 

fat or fatty-acid autoxidant to form a masterbatch that is 

added to a commodity polymer. 

The polymer can then be processed by convenient 

methods, including film blowing, injection molding, and 

blow molding. The non compliance of these materials with 

the international standards of biodegradability in different 

environments and the increasing concern for micropollution 

that can be enhanced by their fragmentability, together with 

the potential negative impact on recyclability of traditional 

plastics, and their limited performances with time, have not 

permitted serious consideration of this technology as a real 

industrial and environmental option. 

Thermoplastic starch 

There are two different conditions for loss of crystallinity 

of starch: at high water volume fractions (>0.9) described 

as gelatinization; and at low water volume, fractions (


Catia Bastioli, CEO, 

Novamont S.p.A., 

Novara, Italy 

Fig. 3: Droplet-like structure of 

thermoplastic starch / EVOH blend 

above. It can show other forms of crystallinity, different from the 

native ones, induced by the interaction of the amylose component with 

specific molecules. These types of crystallinity are characterised by 

single helical structures and are known as V complexes [7]. Moreover 

thermoplastic starch is characterised by a melt viscosity comparable 

with that of traditional polymers [8]. This aspect makes possible the 

transformation of destructurised starch in finished products through 

the use of traditional manufacturing technologies for plastics. 

Thermoplastic starch alone can be processed as a traditional plastic; 

its sensitivity to humidity, however, makes it unsuitable for most 

applications. 

Thermoplastic starch composites 

Starch can be destructurised in combination with different synthetic 

polymers to satisfy a broad spectrum of market needs. Thermoplastic 

starch composites can reach starch contents higher than 50%. 

EAA (ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer) / 

thermoplastic starch composites 

EAA/thermoplastic starch composites have been studied since 1977 

[9]. The addition of ammonium hydroxide to EAA makes it compatible 

with starch. The sensitivity to environmental changes and mainly the 

susceptibility to tear propagation precluded their use in most of the 

packaging applications; moreover, EAA is not at all biodegradable. 

Starch / vinyl alcohol copolymers 

Starch/vinyl alcohol copolymer systems, depending on the processing 

conditions, starch type, and copolymer composition, can generate a 

wide variety of morphologies and properties. Different microstructures 

were observed: from a droplet-like (Fig. 3, 4) to a layered (Fig. 5) one 

[10], as a function of different hydrophilicity of the synthetic copolymer. 

Furthermore, for this type of composite, materials containing starch 

with an amylose/amylopectine weight ratio of >20/80 do not dissolve 

even under stirring in boiling water. Under these conditions a 

microdispersion, constituted by microsphere aggregates, is produced, 

whose individual particle diameter is

Basics 

Fig.3: Mater-Bi technology: droplike structure 

The products based on starch/EVOH show mechanical properties 

good enough to meet the needs of specific industrial applications. 

Their moldability in film blowing, injection molding, blow-molding, 

thermoforming, foaming, etc is comparable with that of traditional 

plastics such as PS, ABS, and LDPE [11]. The main limits of 

these materials are in their high sensitivity to low humidities, 

with consequent enbrittlement. The biodegradation of these 

composites has been demonstrated in different environments [12]. 

A substantially different biodegradation mechanism for the two 

components has been observed: 

Fig. 5: Foamed loose fill 

Bibliography 

[1] G. J. L. Griffin, U.S. Pat. 4016117 (1977). 

[2] G. Scott, U.K. Pat. 1,356,107 (1971). 

[3] J. W. Donovan, Biopolymers 18, 263 (1979). 

[4] P. Colonna and C. Mercier, Phytochemistry 

24(8), 1667–1674 (1985). 

[5] J. Silbiger, J. P. Sacchetto, and D. J. Lentz, 

Eur. Pat. Appl. 0 404 728 (1990). 

[6] C. Bastioli, V. Bellotti, and G. F. Del Tredici, 

Eur. Pat. Appl. WO 91/02025 (1991). 

[7] P. Le Bail, C. Rondeau, and A. Buléon,, Int. 

Journal of Biological Macromolecules 35 

(2005), 1-7 

[8] J.L:Willett, B.K: Jasberg, C.L: Swanson,, 

Polymer Engineering and Science 35 (2), 202- 

210 (2004) 

[9] F. H. Otey, U.S. Pat. 4133784 (1979). 

[10] C. Bastioli, V. Bellotti, M. Camia, L. Del 

Giudice, and A. Rallis “Biodegradable 

Plastics and Polymers” in Y. Doi, K. Fukuda, 

Ed., Elsevier, 1994, pp. 200–213. 

[11] C. Bastioli, V. Bellotti, and A. Rallis, 

“Microstructure and Melt Flow Behaviour of 

a Starch-based Polymer,” Rheologica Acta 

33, 307–316 (1994). 

[12] C. Bastioli, V. Bellotti, L. Del Giudice, and 

G. Gilli, J. Environ. Polym. Degradation 1(3), 

181–191 (1993). 

[13] C. Bastioli, V. Bellotti, G. F. Del Tredici, R. 

Lombi, A. Montino, and R. Ponti, Internatl. 

Pat. Appl. WO 92/19680, (1992). 

• The natural component, even if significantly shielded by an 

‘interpenetrated‘ structure of vinyl alcohol, seems, first, 

hydrolysed by extracellular enzymes. 

• The synthetic component seems biodegraded through a 

superficial adsorption of micro-organisms, made easier by the 

increase of available surface that occurred during the hydrolysis 

of the natural component. 

The degradation rate of 2–3 years in watery environments 

remains too slow to consider these materials as compostable. 

Aliphatic polyesters/thermoplastic starch 

Starch can also be destructurised in the presence of more 

hydrophobic polymers, totally incompatible with starch, such as 

aliphatic polyesters [13]. 

It is known that aliphatic polyesters having a low melting point are 

difficult to process by conventional techniques for thermoplastic 

materials, such as film blowing and blow molding. It has been 

found that the blending of starch with aliphatic polyesters allows 

an improvement of their processability and their biodegradability. 

Particularly suitable polyesters considered in the past have been 

poly-e-caprolactone and its copolymers, or polymers at higher 

melting point formed by the reaction of glycols as 1,4-butandiol 

with succinic acid or with sebacic acid, adipic acid, azelaic acid, 

dodecanoic acid, or brassilic acid. The presence of compatibilizers 

between starch and aliphatic polyesters such as amylose/EVOH V- 

type complexes [10], starch grafted polyesters, and chain extenders 

such as diisocyanates, and epoxydes is preferred. Such materials 

are characterised by excellent compostability, excellent mechanical 

properties, and reduced sensitivity to water. 

Thermoplastic starch can also be blended with polyolefines, 

possibly in the presence of a compatibilizer. Starch/cellulose 

derivative systems are also reported in the literature [12]. The 

combination of starch with a soluble polymer such as polyvinyl 


Fig.4: Mater-Bi technology: layered structure 

alcohol (PVOH) and/or polyalkylene glycols has been widely considered 

since 1970. In recent years the thermoplastic starch/PVOH system 

has been studied, mainly for producing starch-based loose fillers as 

a replacement for expanded polystyrene. 

Micro- and Nanostructured Composites 

The most important achievement of recent years in the sector of 

starch technology is seen in the creation of micro and nanostructured 

composites of starch with polyesters of different types and particularly 

with aliphatic-aromatic polyesters and with rubber. This technology 

has been developed and patented by Novamont. In these families 

of products starch gives a technical contribution to the mechanical 

performance of the finished products in terms of increased toughness 

and excellent stability at different humidities and temperatures. With 

this generation of products it is possible to cover a wide range of 

demanding applications in the film sector and to meet the different 

needs of end-of-life conditions up to home compostability and soil 

biodegradation. Moreover, it is possible to obtain low hysteresis rubber 

for low rolling-resistance treads in tyres. The last developments in 

this sector have been achieved within the EU Biotyres project which 

has led Goodyear to produce the tyres used in the new BMW 1-series 

models. 

The development of aliphatic and aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters 

containing monomers from vegetable oils, covered by a new range 

of Novamont’s patents, has further improved and widened the 

performances of these products from an environmental and technical 

point of view. Such development has justified the significant industrial 

investment made by Novamont to build the first local biorefinery of 

this type in Europe, which comprises plants for the production of 

nanostructured starch and polyesters from vegetable oils. Moreover 

new investments in monomers from vegetable oils from local crops 

will permit a further up-stream integration of the biorefinery. 

This family of tailor-made products has permitted Novamont to 

work on many case studies aimed at demonstrating the opportunity 

offered by biodegradable and bio-based plastics to rethink entire 

application sectors, thereby affecting not only the manner in which 

raw materials are produced, but also permitting verticalisation 

of entire agro-industrial non-food chains, or which are synergistic 

with food, and the way in which products are used and disposed of, 

expanding the scope of experimentation to local areas. This is the 

way Novamont believes bio-plastics may become a powerful, largescale 

case study for sustainable development and cultural growth - a 

real example of transition from a product-based to a system-based 

economy. 

Fig. 6: Biotyre 

www.novamont.com 


10 

20 

Suppliers Guide 

1. Raw Materials 

2. Additives / 

Secondary raw materials 

30 

40 

50 

60 

70 

80 

90 

100 

110 

120 

130 

140 

150 

160 

170 

180 

190 

200 

210 

220 

230 

240 

250 

260 

270 

BASF SE 

Global Business Management 

Biodegradable Polymers 

Carl-Bosch-Str. 38 

67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany 

Tel. +49-621 60 43 878 

Fax +49-621 60 21 694 

plas.com@basf.com 

www.ecovio.com 

www.basf.com/ecoflex 

1.1 bio based monomers 

Du Pont de Nemours International S.A. 

2, Chemin du Pavillon, PO Box 50 

CH 1218 Le Grand Saconnex, 

Geneva, Switzerland 

Tel. + 41 22 717 5428 

Fax + 41 22 717 5500 

jonathan.v.cohen@che.dupont.com 

www.packaging.dupont.com 

PURAC division 

Arkelsedijk 46, P.O. Box 21 

4200 AA Gorinchem - 

The Netherlands 

Tel.: +31 (0)183 695 695 

Fax: +31 (0)183 695 604 

www.purac.com 

PLA@purac.com 

1.2 compounds 

BIOTEC Biologische 

Naturverpackungen GmbH & Co. KG 

Werner-Heisenberg-Straße 32 

46446 Emmerich 

Germany 

Tel. +49 2822 92510 

Fax +49 2822 51840 

info@biotec.de 

www.biotec.de 

Cereplast Inc. 

Tel: +1 310-676-5000 / Fax: -5003 

pravera@cereplast.com 

www.cereplast.com 

European distributor A.Schulman : 

Tel +49 (2273) 561 236 

christophe_cario@de.aschulman.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 

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 

Transmare Compounding B.V. 

Ringweg 7, 6045 JL 

Roermond, The Netherlands 

Tel. +31 475 345 900 

Fax +31 475 345 910 

info@transmare.nl 

www.compounding.nl 

1.3 PLA 

Division of A&O FilmPAC Ltd 

7 Osier Way, Warrington Road 

GB-Olney/Bucks. 

MK46 5FP 

Tel.: +44 844 335 0886 

Fax: +44 1234 713 221 

sales@aandofilmpac.com 

www.bioresins.eu 

1.4 starch-based bioplastics 

BIOTEC Biologische 

Naturverpackungen GmbH & Co. KG 

Werner-Heisenberg-Straße 32 

46446 Emmerich 

Germany 

Tel. +49 2822 92510 

Fax +49 2822 51840 

info@biotec.de 

www.biotec.de 

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 

Plantic Technologies Limited 

51 Burns Road 

Altona VIC 3018 Australia 

Tel. +61 3 9353 7900 

Fax +61 3 9353 7901 

info@plantic.com.au 

www.plantic.com.au 

PSM Bioplastic NA 

Chicago, USA 

www.psmna.com 

+1-630-393-0012 

1.5 PHA 

Telles, Metabolix – ADM joint venture 

650 Suffolk Street, Suite 100 

Lowell, MA 01854 USA 

Tel. +1-97 85 13 18 00 

Fax +1-97 85 13 18 86 

www.mirelplastics.com 

Tianan Biologic 

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 

PolyOne 

Avenue Melville Wilson, 2 

Zoning de la Fagne 

5330 Assesse 

Belgium 

Tel. + 32 83 660 211 

info.color@polyone.com 

www.polyone.com 

Sukano Products Ltd. 

Chaltenbodenstrasse 23 

CH-8834 Schindellegi 

Tel. +41 44 787 57 77 

Fax +41 44 787 57 78 

www.sukano.com 

Du Pont de Nemours International S.A. 

2, Chemin du Pavillon, PO Box 50 

CH 1218 Le Grand Saconnex, 

Geneva, Switzerland 

Tel. + 41(0) 22 717 5428 

Fax + 41(0) 22 717 5500 

jonathan.v.cohen@che.dupont.com 

www.packaging.dupont.com 

3. Semi finished products 

3.1 films 

Huhtamaki Forchheim 

Herr Manfred Huberth 

Zweibrückenstraße 15-25 

91301 Forchheim 

Tel. +49-9191 81305 

Fax +49-9191 81244 

Mobil +49-171 2439574 

Maag GmbH 

Leckingser Straße 12 

58640 Iserlohn 

Germany 

Tel. + 49 2371 9779-30 

Fax + 49 2371 9779-97 

shonke@maag.de 

www.maag.de 

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 

3.1.1 cellulose based films 

INNOVIA FILMS LTD 

Wigton 

Cumbria CA7 9BG 

England 

Contact: Andy Sweetman 

Tel. +44 16973 41549 

Fax +44 16973 41452 

andy.sweetman@innoviafilms.com 

www.innoviafilms.com 


4. Bioplastics products 

Suppliers Guide 

alesco GmbH & Co. KG 

Schönthaler Str. 55-59 

D-52379 Langerwehe 

Sales Germany: +49 2423 402 110 

Sales Belgium: +32 9 2260 165 

Sales Netherlands: +31 20 5037 710 

info@alesco.net | www.alesco.net 

Arkhe Will Co., Ltd. 

19-1-5 Imaichi-cho, Fukui 

918-8152 Fukui, Japan 

Tel. +81-776 38 46 11 

Fax +81-776 38 46 17 

contactus@ecogooz.com 

www.ecogooz.com 

Postbus 26 

7480 AA Haaksbergen 

The Netherlands 

Tel.: +31 616 121 843 

info@bio4pack.com 

www.bio4pack.com 

Forapack S.r.l 

Via Sodero, 43 

66030 Poggiofi orito (Ch), Italy 

Tel. +39-08 71 93 03 25 

Fax +39-08 71 93 03 26 

info@forapack.it 

www.forapack.it 

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 

esmy325@ms51.hinet.net 

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 

Info@novamont.com 

Pland Paper ® 

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 

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 

Wiedmer AG - PLASTIC SOLUTIONS 

8752 Näfels - Am Linthli 2 

SWITZERLAND 

Tel. +41 55 618 44 99 

Fax +41 55 618 44 98 

www.wiedmer-plastic.com 

4.1 trays 

5. Traders 

5.1 wholesale 

6. Equipment 

6.1 Machinery & Molds 

FAS Converting Machinery AB 

O Zinkgatan 1/ Box 1503 

27100 Ystad, Sweden 

Tel.: +46 411 69260 

www.fasconverting.com 

MANN+HUMMEL ProTec GmbH 

Stubenwald-Allee 9 

64625 Bensheim, Deutschland 

Tel. +49 6251 77061 0 

Fax +49 6251 77061 510 

info@mh-protec.com 

www.mh-protec.com 

6.2 Laboratory Equipment 

MODA : Biodegradability Analyzer 

Saida FDS Incorporated 

3-6-6 Sakae-cho, Yaizu, 

Shizuoka, Japan 

Tel : +81-90-6803-4041 

info@saidagroup.jp 

www.saidagroup.jp 

7. Plant engineering 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH 

Holzhauser Str. 157 - 159 

13509 Berlin 

Germany 

Tel. +49 (0)30 43567 5 

Fax +49 (0)30 43567 699 

sales.de@thyssenkrupp.com 

www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com 

8. Ancillary equipment 

9. Services 

9. Services 

Siemensring 79 

47877 Willich, Germany 

Tel.: +49 2154 9251-0 , Fax: -51 

carmen.michels@umsicht.fhg.de 

www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de 

Bioplastics Consulting 

Tel. +49 2161 664864 

info@polymediaconsult.com 

www.polymediaconsult.com 

Marketing - Exhibition - Event 

Tel. +49 2359-2996-0 

info@teamburg.de 

www.teamburg.de 

10. Institutions 

Simply contact: 

Tel.: +49-2359-2996-0 

suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Stay permanently listed in the 

Suppliers Guide with your company 

logo and contact information. 

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

can be present among top suppliers in 

the field of bioplastics. 

For Example: 

Polymedia Publisher GmbH 

Dammer Str. 112 

41066 Mönchengladbach 

Germany 

Tel. +49 2161 664864 

Fax +49 2161 631045 

info@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Sample Charge: 

35mm x 6,00 € 

= 210,00 € per entry/per issue 

Sample Charge for one year: 

6 issues x 210,00 EUR = 1,260.00 € 

The entry in our Suppliers Guide is 

bookable for one year (6 issues) and 

extends automatically if it’s not canceled 

three month before expiry. 

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 


10.2 Universities 

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 

35 mm 

10 

20 

30 

35 

10.1 Associations 

natura Verpackungs GmbH 

Industriestr. 55 - 57 

48432 Rheine 

Tel. +49 5975 303-57 

Fax +49 5975 303-42 

info@naturapackaging.com 

www.naturapackagign.com 

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 

BPI - The Biodegradable 

Products Institute 

331 West 57th Street, Suite 415 

New York, NY 10019, USA 

Tel. +1-888-274-5646 

info@bpiworld.org 

University of Applied Sciences 

Faculty II, Department 

of Bioprocess Engineering 

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Josef Endres 

Heisterbergallee 12 

30453 Hannover, Germany 

Tel. +49 (0)511-9296-2212 

Fax +49 (0)511-9296-2210 

hans-josef.endres@fh-hannover.de 

www.fakultaet2.fh-hannover.de 


Companies in this issue 

Company Editorial Advert 

A&O Filmpac 46 

Ahlstrom Corporation 12 

Alesco 23 47 

Arkema 27 

Arkhe Will 47 

Bamboo 15 

BASF 46 

Biax-FiberFilm 10 

BIC 25 

BIO4PACK 5 47 

bioplastics 24 39 

BioTAK 22 

Biotec 46 

BPI 47 

Centerplate 7 

Cereplast 46 

Composite technical Services 28 

Dallas Convention Center 7 

DaniMer 18 

Dorel Juvenile 25 

Dr Vie 23 

DSM Engineering Plastics 26 

DuPont 14 46 

Entek 17 

EPI 3 

European Bioplastics 3, 5, 38 9, 47 

Fachhochschule Hannover 5, 34 47 

FAS Converting Machinery 47 

FKuR 6 2, 46 

Forapack 47 

Fraunhofer IAP 32 

Fraunhofer UMSICHT 47 

Futerro 31 

Gabriel Chemie 7 

Galactic 30 

Georgia Pacific 20 

Green Mountain Coffee 18 

Hallink 47 

Herma Labels 22 

Huhtamaki 46 

Innovia Films 23 46 

International Paper 18 

Izod 15 

Lexus 13 

Limagrain 6 46 

Company Editorial Advert 

Maag 46 

Mann + Hummel Protech 47 

Michigan State University 47 

Minima Technology 47 

natura Verpackung 47 

Naturally Iowa 8 

NatureWorks 5, 10, 11, 12, 18, 20, 25 

NaturTec 46 

Nedupack 6 

Neue Messe München (drinktec) 8 

nova Institut 8 

Novamont 6, 24, 42 47, 52 

Plantic 16 46 

Plastick2Pack 6 

Plasticker 39 

Polymediaconsult 47 

Polyone 46 

President Packaging 47 

PSM 46 

Purac 46 

Pyramid Bioplastics 32 

Saida 47 

Sidaplax 46 

Smurfit Kappa 24 

Sommer Needlepunch 11 

Speedo 15 

Sukano 46 

Symphony 3 

Tanaka Foresight 24 

Teijin 24 

Telles 9 51, 46 

Tetly 12 

Tianan 46 

Timberland 15 

Toray 13 

Total Petrochemicals 31 

Toyota 11 

Toyota 13 

Transmare 46 

Typhoo 12 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer 21, 47 

Unilever 12 

University of Tennessee 10 

Wei Mon 41, 47 

Wiedmer 47 

Next Issue 

For the next issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE 

(among others) the following subjects are scheduled: 

Nov/Dec 30.11.2009 

Editorial Focus: 

Films / Flexibles / Bags 

Consumer Electronics 

Basics: 

Anaerobic Digestion 

Next issue: 

Month Publ.-Date Editorial Focus (1) Editorial Focus (2) Basics Fair Specials 

Jan/Feb 01.02.2010 Automotive Applications Foam Basics of Cellulosics 

Mar/Apr 05.04.2010 Rigid Packaging Material Combinations Polyamides 

May/June Injection Moulding Natural Fibre Composites t.b.d. 


Events 

Event Calender 

October 06-07, 2009 

3. BioKunststoffe 

Technische Anwendungen biobasierter Werkstoffe 

Duisburg, Germany 

www.hanser-tagungen.de/biokunststoffe 

October 7-10, 2009 

Plastics Philippines 

SMX Convention Center, Seashell Drive, 

Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, Phillipines 

www.globallinkph.com 

October 22, 2009 

Timeproof biopolymers: durability of biobased materials 

PEP (Pôle Européen de Plasturgie) 

Bellignat, Franceopéen de Plasturgie) 

jt.pep@poleplasturgie.com 

October 26-27, 2009 

Biowerkstoff Kongress 2009 

within framework of AVK and COMPOSITES EUROPE 

Neue Messe Stuttgart, Germany 

www.biowerkstoff-kongress.de 

October 27-28, 2009 

Biofoams 2009 

Sheraton Fallsview Hotel & Conference Centre 

Niagara Falls, Canada 

http://mpml.mie.utoronto.ca/biofoams/ 

October 29, 2009 

NVC Kurs Nachhaltige Verpackungsinnovationen 

Hotel Novotel Düsseldorf City West 

Düsseldorf, Germany 

www.nvc.nl 

November 10-11, 2009 

4th European Bioplastics Conference 

Ritz Carlton Hotel, 

Berlin, Germany 


December 2-3, 2009 

Dritter Deutscher WPC-Kongress 

Maritim Hotel, Cologne, Germany 

www.wpc-kongress.de 

March 16-17, 2010 

EnviroPlas 2010 

Brussels, Belgium 

www.ismithers.net 

June 22-23, 2010 

8th Global WPC and Natural Fibre Composites 

Congress an Exhibition 

Fellbach (near Stuttgart), Germany 

www.wpc-nfk.de 

You can meet us! 

Please contact us in advance by e-mail. 


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EcoComunicazione.it 

Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre 2008 

Visitors of Salone del Gusto 180,000 

Meals served at Terra Madre 26,000 

Compost produced* kg 7,000 

CO 2 

saved kg 13,600 

* data estimate – Novamont projection 

The future, 

with a different flavour: 

sustainable 

Mater-Bi® means biodegradable 

and compostable plastics made 

from renewable raw materials. 

Slow Food, defending good things, 

from food to land. 

For the “Salone del Gusto” and “Terra Madre”, Slow Food 

has chosen Mater-Bi® for bags, shoppers, cutlery, 

cups and plates; showing that good food must also 

get along with the environment. 

Sustainable development is a necessity for everyone. 

For Novamont and Slow Food, it is already a reality. 

info@novamont.com 

www.novamont.com

bioplasticsMAGAZINE_0905

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