Issue 04/2018

Application Automotive News
Materials from Total Corbion PLA used to build
world’s first biobased circular car
The world’s first biobased circular car, designed and
built in the Netherlands by the Technical University of
Eindhoven, was presented earlier this month by the team
of students responsible for its design and realization.
This is the first time that a car chassis and all bodywork
has been made from natural and biobased materials - no
metal or traditional plastics were used for the structural
parts of the car. The parts are made up of light and strong
sandwich panels, based on natural fiber flax and Luminy ®
PLA supplied by Total Corbion PLA.
The car, named Noah by the TU/ecomotive student team,
was designed as a city car and features two seats and a
spacious trunk. Noah is currently undertaking a European
tour of car manufacturers, suppliers and universities to
inspire others.
In addition to its biobased composition, it is also ultralight
and electrically-powered. Noah reaches a top speed
of 110 km/h and the battery range lasts up to 240 km. At
360kg, the weight of the car excluding batteries is less than
half the weight of comparable production cars. In addition
to being biobased, the parts are also recyclable, resulting
in a 100% circular car, sustainable in all life phases.
The PLA supplied by Total Corbion PLA for use in the
car is biobased and recyclable and made from renewable
resources, offering a reduced carbon footprint versus
many traditional plastics. High heat Luminy PLA grades
were used to construct the car, in order to ensure durability
and sufficient heat resistance.
François de Bie, Senior Marketing Director at Total Corbion
PLA, is pleased with the achievement: ‘The result of this
fantastic project shows just how far biobased materials have
come, to produce such a complex product as a car. Noah is the
proof that PLA is suitable for so much more than packaging.
This is the first ever car to feature a fully biobased chassis
and body panels. At Total Corbion PLA, we look forward to
working together with the entire value chain to bring more
high performance, durable and circular applications to
market’. MT
www.tuecomotive.nl | www.total-corbion.com
Sustainable skin care products in sustainable packaging
Denmark-based grums Aarhus produces scrub products
without microbeads. Their secret ingredient? Coffee
grounds.
According to grums, coffee grounds refresh and firm
the skin, are anti-inflammatory and enhance
the circulation. Best of all, they don’t harm the
environment when they go down the drain.
For this company, choosing the right packaging
was very important. Braskem’s I’m Green sugarbased
polyethylene offered the sustainablility
credentials grums was looking for. The company
opted to plant-based plastic for all its packaging
and by doing so, will significantly reduce the carbon
footprint of its packaging, as well as the use of fossil
resources. For every kg of I’m green polyethylene
used ,more than 5 kg of CO 2 is saved.
“We contacted more than 50 packaging suppliers to
find exactly what we needed - a green solution. When
making an innovative and sustainable product as a
brand you also want the packaging of the product
to share the same values. By using packaging
made from sugar cane our products are complete. This
is also one of our selling points and it adds storytelling to
our products which we, and our customers, enjoy. We are
very glad that Braskem is making these greener solutions
that we want to support and make use of in our company,”
says Mikkel Knudsen, founder of grums.Their latest
Non-GMO Project Verified, Gluten-Free, Certified
Vegan and Certified Organic nutmilk is available in
three flavors; vanilla, unsweetened and original, all of
which are 50 calories or fewer per serving. Each flavor
includes cashews for added creaminess and is free of
carrageenan, artificial flavors, artificial colors, dairy and
soy. MT
www.grumsaarhus.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/18] Vol. 13 23