Issue 02/2017

ISSN 1862-5258 

Basics 

Biodegradability Certification | 48 

Highlights 

Rigid Packaging | 12 

Bioplastics in Agriculture | 22 

Mar / Apr 

02 | 2017 

JinHui ZhaoLong is promoting 

biodegradable green packages 

in China | 10 

bioplastics MAGAZINE Vol. 12 

DACH-Special 

Preview 

... is read in 92 countries

NATURE PROTECTION 

WITH BIOPLASTIC 

Young trees are very susceptible to animal nibble damage during their initial growth phase and therefore 

require some special protection. To preserve the sensitive trunk from wildlife, CSX has developed a tree 

protector using an EN 13432 certifi ed bioplastic from FKuR. This tree protector does not need to be 

collected after use and instead will biodegrade in soil afterwards. To make it easy to adjust the size on 

the young tree trunk, the tree protector is supplied on reels. Optimal ventilation is achieved by 

a special hole structure which also prevents insect infestation and rotting of the trunk. 

Major damage is not only a threat to young plants in nature but also in urban environments. 

In particular, a dry soil in the inner city areas and lack of water may cause growth problems for 

young trees. Here CSX offers a sustainable solution by using a water reservoir made from an 

EN 13432 certifi ed bioplastic from FKuR. This makes it possible to leave the reservoir in the 

ground for further biodegradation after its functional life. The reservoir is placed around 

the tree with one part underground and the remaining edge above ground. This ensures 

that the water will almost always reach the roots. In addition to effi cient irrigation, 

the reservoir also ensures protection against de-icing salt and mowing damage. 

www.csx-nijverdal.nl

Editorial 

dear 

readers 

It’s spring again, and before us lies a busy time. It starts with interpack, the world’s 

biggest packaging trade show, which takes place in Düsseldorf, Germany from 

May 4 -10. A comprehensive preview including a detachable Show Guide with 

floorplan can be found on pp.28-35. interpack will be opened this year on May 4 th 

by our bio!PAC conference on biobased packaging. The conference is organized 

by bioplastics MAGAZINE, in cooperation with Green Serendipity, in the form of a 

breakfast conference (the same format as the Bioplastics Business Breakfast 

event at K’2016). Register now to reserve your seat. 

And following hard on the heels of interpack is the annual Chinaplas trade fair, 

which this year is being held in Guangzhou. Our show preview with Show Guide 

and floorplan can be found on pp. 36-39. 

In our new series about how well the concept of bioplastics is known and 

understood by regular people (i.e. consumers) in the various regions and 

countries of the world, this time we took a look at the attitudes in Germany and 

Austria. Thiy survey is part of our “DACH”-Special (see below). 

The other highlight topics of this issue include Thermoforming / Rigid 

Packaging and Bioplastics in Agriculture / Horticulture. In the Basics section, we 

address the topic of Biodegradability/Compostability standard and certification. 

And finally, I’d like to draw your attention to our fall conference: at the end of September, 

Stuttgart, Germany will again be the place to be for all involved 

in automotive applications. The Call for Papers for the 

second edition of bio!CAR is already open (see p. 44). 

It’s also not too early to submit proposals for the 2017 

edition of the Global Bioplastics Award. If you have a 

product or service that deserves to be recognized with this 

award or - which, of course, is also fine - you know someone who 

does, please let us know. 

Meanwhile, I hope to see you somewhere soon. Until then, please 

enjoy reading this latest issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE. 

Sincerely yours 

Michael Thielen 

EcoComunicazione.it 

www.novamont.com 

BIODEGRADABLE AND COMPOSTABLE BIOPLASTIC 

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QUALITY OUR TOP PRIORITY 

Using the MATER-BI trademark licence 

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theoriginal_R8_bioplasticmagazine_flagEBC_11.12-2016_210x297_ese.indd 1 18/01/17 11:19 

r8_03.2016 


ISSN 1862-5258 

Basics 


Highlights 





in China | 10 

Mar / Apr 


DACH-Special 

Preview 

... is read in 92 countries 

DACH is an apronym that comprises the three countries where the German 

language is spoken (Germany (D), Austria (A) and Switzerland (CH = Confoederatio 

Helvetica). In Switzerland also Italian, French and Schwiizerdütsch 

(special allemannic dialects) are spoken. 

The DACH-countries also form the biggest part of the so-called 

German language area. This German language area also 

includes Belgium, Luxemburg and Liechtenstein as well as the 

north Italian province of South Tyrol. (Source: Wikipedia) 

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/17] Vol. 12 3

Content 

Imprint 

02|2017 

March / April 

Events 

8 Programm bio!PAC 

28 Interpack Preview 

36 Chinaplas Preview 

Cover Story 

10 JinHui is promoting biodegradable 

green packages in China 

Thermoforming / 

Rigid Packaging 

12 White, easy to peel 

13 A sticky situation 

14 Trays fromsugar cane waste 

15 Ultra-high barrier films for 

thermoforming 

16 Transparent dairy and dessert packaging 

Materials 

19 Sustainable levulinic acid 

From Science and Research 

20 Biopolymers from municipal waste 

water treatment plants 

40 Give waste a chance 

47 Thermochromic bio-pigments 

Agriculture/Horticulture 

22 Biodegradable mulch films 

24 PLA branches into agriculture 

26 How to eliminate agricultural 

plastic waste 

Report 

46 Bioplastics Survey 

Basics 

48 Update on relevant standards 

50 Biodegradability and Compostability: 

Certification and Standards 

10 Years Ago 

52 “Transparent heat-sealable compostable 

film” (Applications 2007) 

3 Editorial 

5 News 

18 Material News 

42 Application News 

45 Brand Owner’s View 

55 Suppliers Guide 

57 Event Calendar 

58 Companies in this issue 

Publisher / Editorial 

Dr. Michael Thielen (MT) 

Karen Laird (KL) 

Samuel Brangenberg (SB) 

Head Office 

Polymedia Publisher GmbH 

Dammer Str. 112 

41066 Mönchengladbach, Germany 

phone: +49 (0)2161 6884469 

fax: +49 (0)2161 6884468 

info@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Media Adviser 

Samsales (German language) 

phone: +49(0)2161-6884467 

fax: +49(0)2161 6884468 

s.brangenberg@samsales.de 

Chris Shaw (English language) 

Chris Shaw Media Ltd 

Media Sales Representative 

phone: +44 (0) 1270 522130 

mobile: +44 (0) 7983 967471 

and Michael Thielen (see head office) 

Layout/Production 

Kerstin Neumeister 

Print 

Poligrāfijas grupa Mūkusala Ltd. 

1004 Riga, Latvia 

bioplastics MAGAZINE is printed on 

chlorine-free FSC certified paper. 

Print run: 7,000 copies 

+ 800 copies printed in China for Chinaplas 

bioplastics magazine 

ISSN 1862-5258 

bM is published 6 times a year. 

This publication is sent to qualified subscribers 

(149 Euro for 6 issues). 

bioplastics MAGAZINE is read in 

92 countries. 

Every effort is made to verify all Information 

published, but Polymedia Publisher 

cannot accept responsibility for any errors 

or omissions or for any losses that may 

arise as a result. 

All articles appearing in bioplastics MAGA- 

ZINE, or on the website 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.com are strictly 

covered by copyright. No part of this 

publication may be reproduced, copied, 

scanned, photographed and/or stored 

in any form, including electronic format, 

without the prior consent of the publisher. 

Opinions expressed in articies do not 

necessarily reflect those of Polymedia 

Publisher. 

bioplastics MAGAZINE welcomes contributions 

for publication. Submissions are 

accepted on the basis of full assignment 

of copyright to Polymedia Publisher GmbH 

unless otherwise agreed in advance and in 

writing. We reserve the right to edit items 

for reasons of space, clarity or legality. 

Please contact the editorial office via mt@ 

bioplasticsmagazine.com. 

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. 

Envelopes 

A part of this print run is mailed to the 

readers wrapped in bioplastic envelopes 

sponsored by Flexico Verpackungen 

Deutschland, Maropack GmbH & Co. KG, 

and Neemann 

Cover-Ad 

JinHui ZhaoLong 

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daily upated news at 


News 

PepsiCo looking into 

compostable resins for 

snacks packaging 

An agreement between PepsiCo and Danimer Scientific will 

require the Georgia-based compoany to boost production of 

its Nodax PHA. Biodegradable film resins will be developed 

to meet the sustainable flexible packaging requirements of 

PepsiCo’s global food and beverage business. 

In October 2016 PepsiCo announced its 2025 sustainability 

agenda, which includes the intent to reduce greenhouse 

gas emissions across its value chain and design 100 % of 

its packaging to be recoverable or recyclable. This goal is 

part of PepsiCo’s decade-long Performance with Purpose 

initiative to deliver top-tier financial performance over the 

long term by integrating sustainability into its business 

strategy. This collaboration is also expected to help expedite 

PepsiCo’s transition to packaging that is completely 

biodegradable for their snack food portfolio by incorporating 

Nodax PHA bioplastic into certain of its next-generation 

snacks packaging. 

“From the start PepsiCo has taken a holistic approach to our 

sustainability work,” said PepsiCo Vice Chairman and Chief 

Scientific Officer Dr. Mehmood Khan. “Our first objective 

is achieving long-term profitability and that requires 

sustainable solutions to grow our business while minimizing 

our environmental impact. Our plan to scale Danimer 

Scientifics’ technology is a step toward achieving both our 

greenhouse gas emission reduction and our recoverable 

and recyclable packaging goals.” 

“Danimer Scientifics’ partnership with PepsiCo marks 

a significant milestone as we continue to expand our 

biopolymer technology to provide innovative bioplastic 

solutions to a wider range of applications and products,” 

said Danimer Scientific’s CEO, Stephen Croskrey. “We’ve 

been developing a relationship with PepsiCo for the last 

seven years, and as one of the largest food and beverage 

companies in the world, their commitment to limiting the 

environmental impacts of their products can actuate real 

change in the way of sustainability.” 

Nodax PHA is a naturally occurring biopolymer produced 

by microbial bacteria as they ferment organically sourced 

oils. Traditional plastics are manufactured from chemicals 

obtained from mined crude oil or natural gas sources. 

Danimer Scientifics’ Nodax PHA received the first ever 

OK Marine Biodegradable certification from Vinçotte 

International, validating that the biopolymer safely 

biodegrades in salt water environments, leaving no toxins 

behind. Nodax PHA possesses seven Vinçotte certifications 

and statements of industrial and home compostability, 

biodegradability in anaerobic, soil, fresh water, and marine 

environments, and is bio-based. All of Danimer Scientifics’ 

biopolymers, including Nodax PHA, are FDA approved for 

food contact. KL/MT 

www.danimerscientific.com 

www.pepsico.com 

Construction on new 

PHA production plant 

set to go forward 

Bio-on (Bologna, Italy) has announced that work will 

soon start on the construction of a new plant dedicated 

solely to production of PHA special biopolymers for 

niche and rapidly developing product categories, and 

particularly for the cosmetics sector. 

This new plant, based in Castel San Pietro Terme in 

the province of Bologna, has 3,700 covered m 2 , 6,000 m 2 

land for development and a total area of 30,000 m 2 . The 

plant will have a capacity dedicated to the research 

into and production of 1,000 tonnes per year rapidly 

expandable to 2,000 tonnes per year. The plant will be 

equipped with the most modern technologies and the 

most advanced research and development laboratories. 

New carbon sources from agricultural waste will be 

continuously tested to produce biopolymers to increase 

the range of technologies offered by Bio-on, which will 

invest 15 million Euro and will create 40 new jobs. 

The PHA bioplastics (polyhydroxyalkanoates) 

developed by Bio-on are made from renewable 

plant sources with no competition with food supply 

chains. They guarantee the same thermo-mechanical 

properties as comparable conventional plastics 

with the advantage of being 100% sustainable and 

biodegradable at ambient temperature. 

“We have received excellent support from the local 

authorities,” said Marco Astorri, Chairman and CEO of 

Bio-on, “which has allowed us to meet the schedule we 

set out in November 2016 when our new industrial plan 

2017-20 was submitted to Borsa Italiana.” 

“It is a challenge to work alongside a company 

with international ambitions that successfully team 

innovation and research in the bio and natural 

microplastics sector,” declared Fausto Tinti, Mayor of 

Castel San Pietro Terme (Bo). “Both employment and 

our territory stand to benefit from Bio-on’s investment 

and the Administration wants to be a significant 

presence in this important project.” KL/MT 

www.bio-on.it 

Design: Enrico Iascone 


News 

daily upated news at 


European Parliament recognises the 

contributions of bioplastics to a circular economy 

European Bioplastics (EUBP), the association representing the bioplastics industry in Europe, welcomes the positive outcome 

of the European Parliament’s plenary vote ton March 14 th on the waste legislation proposal concerning the EU Circular Economy 

Package. The vote of the Members of Parliament recognises the contributions of bioplastics to the EU circular economy. 

The plenary’s vote on amendments of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive encourages Member States to support 

the use of biobased materials for the production of packaging and to improve market conditions for such materials and 

products. “This vote is an important milestone in strengthening the link between the circular economy and the bioeconomy in 

Europe. Biobased and recycled materials are starting to be equally recognised as a viable solution to make packaging more 

sustainable and reduce our dependency on finite fossil resources”, says François de Bie, Chairman of EUBP. 

In line with its ambitious goals to increase recycling targets and waste management efficiency, the Plenary also voted for 

amendments of the Waste Framework Directive that support a definition of recycling that includes organic recycling. A separate 

collection of bio-waste will be ensured across Europe facilitated by certified collection tools such as compostable bio-waste 

bags. In addition, the MEPs have voted to exclude mechanically or organically recyclable waste from landfills. “This will provide 

an important boost to the secondary resource market within the EU. Bio-based mechanically or organically recyclable plastics 

support circular thinking by lowering carbon emissions, helping to reach recycling quotas and keep valuable secondary raw 

materials and renewable carbon in the loop”, says de Bie. 

The vote sends a clear signal that re-use and recycling remain of paramount priority in the pursuit of an EU circular economy 

while at the same time strengthening the biobased economy in order to replace fossil resources and to drive the transition to a 

low-carbon, biobased economy. EUBP looks forward to continuing the dialogue on the upcoming negotiations in the European 

Commission and the Council of the European Union and will work closely with European institutions and relevant stakeholders 

to build a coherent and comprehensive framework for a circular bioeconomy in Europe. MT 

www.european-bioplastics.org 

Total Corbion PLA formally starts up operations 

Total Corbion PLA has announced the official launch of its operations to produce and market PLA polymers. PLA is a biobased 

and biodegradable polymer made from annually renewable resources. 

As announced by parent companies Total and Corbion last November, the new company is a 50/50 joint venture headquartered 

in Gorinchem, the Netherlands. 

Total Corbion PLA’s world-class PLA polymerization plant, with a capacity of 75,000 tons per year, is currently under 

construction at Corbion’s site in Thailand. The plant start-up is planned for the second half of 2018 and will produce a full 

range of Luminy ® PLA neat resins: from standard PLA to specialty, high heat resistant PLA. 

François de Bie, Total Corbion PLA’s Senior Marketing Director, noted that the start-up of operations marked an important 

milestone for PLA. “Our commercial and technical teams are delighted to have two strong parent companies supporting the 

future of bioplastics,” he said. 

Corbion’s existing lactide plant has been transferred into Total Corbion PLA, as well as the existing Corbion bioplastics 

commercial and technical teams, who will continue to market lactide and PLA resins and support current and future customers. 

“In the fast-growing bioplastics arena, our new company is committed to supplying a versatile and innovative material that 

is both biobased and biodegradable, bringing added value to customers and contributing to a more sustainable world for 

ourselves and future generations,” said the newly appointed CEO of Total Corbion PLA, Stéphane Dion. 

Biodegradable and industrially compostable, PLA is one of the first renewable polymers able to compete with comparable 

existing polymers, combining unique functional properties like transparency, gloss and stiffness. PLA is currently used in a 

broad range of markets, including food packaging, single-use tableware, textiles, oil and gas, electronics, automotive and 3D 

printing. The PLA market is projected to exhibit an estimated annual growth rate of 10 to 15% through 2025. KL/MT 

www.total-corbion.com 

6 bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/17] Vol. 12

News 

Three-way alliance commits to making 

100% biobased bottles happen 

Danone, Nestlé Waters and a start-up called Origin Materials have launched an initiative to develop 100% biobased PET 

bottles. Called the NaturALL Bottle Alliance, the companies hope to accelerate development by teaming up. 

The NaturALL Bottle Alliance, made up of the world’s two largest bottled water companies and a young California start-up 

specialized in the development of lignocellulosic-based bio-intermediates, was formed to develop and launch at commercial 

scale a PET plastic bottle made from 100% biobased material. The feedstocks to be used in the project are derived from nonfood 

or -feed crop related biomass, such as previously used cardboard and sawdust. The technology, which the Alliance aims 

to make available to the entire food and beverage industry, represents a scientific breakthrough for the sector. 

For decades, both Nestlé Waters and Danone have been committed to sustainable business practices, notably by continuously 

improving their environmental performances and promoting the development of a circular economy. A large part of these 

efforts has focused on developing innovative packaging solutions that are recyclable and made with renewable resources, as 

well as the promotion of recycling. After identifying the unique approach of Origin Materials separately, the two companies 

decided to team up to accelerate development of this promising technology. 

“Our goal is to establish a circular economy for packaging by sourcing sustainable materials and creating a second life for all 

plastics,” declared Frederic Jouin, head of R&D for plastic materials at Danone. “We believe it’s possible to replace traditional 

fossil materials with biobased packaging materials. By teaming up and bringing together our complementary expertise and 

resources, the Alliance can move faster in developing 100% renewable and recyclable PET plastic at commercial scale.” 

Danone and Nestlé Waters are providing expertise and teams, as well as financial support, to help Origin Materials make this 

technology available to the entire food and beverage industry in record time. 

This next-generation PET will be as light in weight, transparent, recyclable and protective of the product as today’s PET, 

while being better for the planet. The exclusive use of renewable feedstocks which do not divert resources or land from food 

production is the Alliance’s main focus area. The R&D will focus initially on cardboard, sawdust and wood chips but other 

biomass materials, such as rice hulls, straw and agricultural residue could be explored. 

“Current technology on the market makes it possible to have 30% bio-PET,” said John Bissell, Chief Executive Officer of 

Origin Materials. “Our breakthrough technology aims to reach 100% bio-based bottles at commercial scale. With the help of 

our Alliance partners, Origin Materials will be able to scale up a technology which has already been proven at the pilot level.” 

The NaturALL Bottle Alliance partners consider that everyone should benefit from this new material, so the technology will 

be accessible for the entire beverage industry. This unique approach demonstrates the allies’ commitment to open innovation 

and sustainable business. 

“It’s incredible to think that, in the near future, the industry will be able to use a renewably sourced packaging material, 

which does not compete with food production and contributes to a better planet,” commented Klaus Hartwig, Head of R&D for 

Nestlé Waters. “It therefore made perfect sense for us to join forces 

through this Alliance to develop this innovative technology in a large 

scale and in the shortest time period possible. This is an exciting 

journey and we are proud to be part of it.” 

Origin Materials has already produced samples of 80% biobased 

PET in its pilot plant in Sacramento. Construction of a pioneer plant 

will begin in 2017, with production of the first samples of 60+% biobased 

PET to start in 2018. The initial volume goal for this first step 

is to bring 5,000 tonnes of biobased PET to the market. Thanks to 

their complementary skills and shared vision, the NaturALL Bottle 

Alliance aims to develop the process for producing at least 75% biobased 

PET plastic bottles at commercial scale as early as in 2020, 

scaling up to 95% in 2022. The partners will continue to conduct 

research to increase the level of bio-based content, with the objective 

of reaching 100%. KL/MT 

www.danone.com 

www.nestle-waters.com 

www.originmaterials.com 


Events 

bioplastics MAGAZINE presents: 

The second bio!PAC conference on biobased packaging in Düsseldorf, 

Germany, organised by bioplastics MAGAZINE together with Green Serendipity 

is the must-attend conference for everyone interested in packaging made 

from renewable resources. The conference offers high class presentations 

from top individuals from raw material and packaging providers as well as 

from brand owners already using biobased packaging. The unique event also 

offers excellent networking opportunities. Free access to interpack is also 

included. Please find below the preliminary programme. Find more details 

and register at the conference website. www.bio-pac.info 

bio PAC 

biobased packaging 

conference 

4-5-6 may 2015 

messe düsseldorf 

Programme 

Thursday, May 04, 2017 

8:00-8:05 Welcome remarks Michael Thielen, Polymedia Publisher 

8:05-8:25 PLA packaging applications and innovations Floris Buijzen, Corbion 

8:25-8:45 Flexible packaging solutions offering barrier, heat stability and material reduction Stefano Cavallo, NatureWorks 

8:45-9:05 BoPLA flexible film applications in food and non-food packaging Emanuela Bardi, Taghleef 

9:05-9:15 Q&A 

9:15-9:35 Coffee & Networking 

9:35-9:55 Biobased and biodegradable laminate structures Patrick Gerritsen, Bio4Pack 

9:55-10:15 Compostable food and transport packaging Martin Bussmann, BASF 

10:15-10:35 Formable Paper & Pulp challenge conventional packaging Hein van den Reek, Billerudkorsnas/Fiberform 

10:35-10:45 Q&A 


11:05-11:25 New Biolaminate solutions to replace conventional plastics in flexible packaging Lucy Cowton, Futamura 

11:25-11:45 Sustainable polyesters such as bio-PET Marco Brons, Cumapol 

11:45-12:05 The opportunity of sustainable materials Gert-Jan Gruter, Avantium 

12:05-12:25 Packaging opportunities with Green PE Brendan Hill, Braskem 

12:25-12:30 Q&A 

Friday, May 05, 2017 


8:05-8:25 Biobased and biodegradable PBS for packaging applications Ryuichiro Sugimoto, PTT/MCC 

8:25-8:45 Development of sustainable flexible packaging based on 2 nd generation feedstock Thijs Rodenburg, Rodenburg Biopolymers 

8:45-9:05 Bio back to basics Remy Jongboom, Biotec 

9:05-9:15 Q&A 


9:35-9:55 Trends in Dairy and Dessert Packaging: A bioploymer perspective Mark Vergauwen, NatureWorks 

9:55-10:15 Biobased, biodegradable and barrier solution for sustainable packaging Stefan Corbus, Kuraray EVAL Europe 

10:15-10:35 A brand-owners reflection on ‘sustainable packaging Marcel Keuenhof, Wessanen 

10:35-10:45 Q&A 


11:05-11:25 Tetra Pak's innovative bio-based carton packaging concepts Davide Braghiroli, Tetra Pak 

11:25-11:45 Tree in a bottle - Stop plastic waste Paul Masselink, O'Right Pure Haircare Concepts 

11:45-12:05 Connecting the sustainable dots Marcea van Doorn, Bunzl 

12:05-12:25 Sustainable Packaging – the role of bio-based plastics Taco Kingma, Friesland Campina 

12:25-12:30 Q&A 

Saturday, May 06, 2017 


8:05-8:25 Facts and Myths on biobased plastics packaging Constance Ißbrücker, European Bioplastics 

8:25-8:45 Biobased packaging and the bio-economy Michael Carus, nova-Institute 

8:45-9:05 Biobased packaging - the New Zealand perspective Saad Hussain, Scion 

9:05-9:15 Q&A 


9:35-9:55 The Holistic Approach: From Compostable towards Bio-Based Yifat Bareket, TIPA 

9:55-10:15 End of life options Bruno de Wilde, OWS 

10:15-10:35 View on the opportunities for applications of bioplastics in (new food) packaging Karin Molenveld, Wageningen UR 

10:35-10:45 Q&A 


11:05-11:25 Creation of better conditions for Compostable Packaging Erwin Vink, Holland Bioplastics 

11:25-11:45 HemCell "Pack to Compost" Nico Osse, HemCell 

11:45-12:05 PaperFoam: reduced carbon emission in the circular economy Mark Geerts, Paperfoam 

12:05-12:25 Futurelook on biobased packaging in a circular economy Caroli Buitenhuis, Green Serendipity 

12:25-12:30 Q&A 

(subject to changes, visit www.bio-pac.info for updates) 


한국포장협회로고.ps 2016.11.21 8:26 PM 페이지1 MAC-18 

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE PLASTICS AND RUBBER INDUSTRY 

Publisher PROMAPLAST srl 

Centro Direzionale Milanofiori - Palazzo F/3 

P.O.Box 124 - 20090 ASSAGO (Milan), Italy 

Tel. +39 02 82283735 - Fax +39 02 57512490 

macplas@macplas.it 

Supported by 

bio PAC 

organized by bioplastics MAGAZINE messe 

register now 

biobased packaging 

conference 

04-05-06 may 2017 

düsseldorf 

Packaging is necessary for: 

» protection during transport and storage 

» prevention of product losses 

» increasing shelf life 

» sharing product information and marketing 

Gold Sponsor 

BUT : 

Packaging does not necessarily need to be made from petroleum based plastics. 

Most packaging have a short life and therefore give rise to large quantities of waste. 

Accordingly, it is vital to use the most suitable raw materials and implement good 

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Cover Story 

Advertorial 



in China 

As people’s consumption habits change, the popularity of 

online shopping is increasing rapidly, especially in China, 

with its population of 1.3 billion. This is directly promoting 

the explosive growth of China’s Express Industry. According 

to the “Report on the Current Situation and Trend of Green 

Packages in China’s Express Industry” released by the China 

Post Bureau in 2016, in 2015, courier waybills were issued 

for a total of about 20.7 billion pieces, 3.1 billion woven bags, 

8.268 billion plastic bags, 3.105 billion envelopes and 9.922 billion 

packing boxes. The total length of the packing tape used 

was around 425 laps around the earth’s equator. In 2016, the 

total courier volume exceeded 30 billion pieces in China, which 

was a 53 % increase in comparison with the previous year. 

Currently, China ranks first in the world. The courier business 

volume is expected to reach 70 billion pieces in 2020. 

While these huge numbers may serve to arouse amazement, 

at the same time, the disadvantages caused by this rapid 

development in the express industry have started to appear. 

The plastic courier package pollution can’t be ignored. More 

than 50 % of the express industry uses traditional plastic 

courier bags, which produces millions of tons of plastic waste 

per year. These bags are mainly produced from chemical 

materials and recycled plastics. After a single usage, these 

plastic courier bags are thrown away with all the other 

household garbage. They cannot be reprocessed or degraded, 

and can only be put in landfills or burned, leaving us with a 

large amount of plasticizer, flame retardant, some poisonous 

and harmful substances which endanger our health and 

environment. 

The Chinese government and many socially responsible 

enterprises are also aware of the seriousness of the problem. 

“The Proposal of the Central Committee of Communist Party on 

the Formulation of the 13th Five-year Plan for National Economic 

and Social Development” took GREEN as one of the five major 

directions for development in the 13 th Five-year Plan and even 

over a longer period. Green has become the most important 

direction of transformation in China’s express industry. 

Since 2017, the regulations for the express industry have 

been included in the ”The State Council Legislative Work 

Plan in 2017”. “The Development of the Postal Industry’s 13 th 

Five-year Plan” was printed and distributed by the Chinese 

Post Bureau in conjunction with the National Development 

& Reform Commission and Ministry of Transport. It clearly 

stated that pollution caused by courier package waste 

needed to be dealt with, and put forward the goals of using 

green package and building green post. Green courier and 

Green Package have become key words today. In June 2016, 

the CAINIAO Network, the logistics company launched by 

China’s largest e-commerce business platform, Alibaba, and 

comprising 32 global courier companies announced Green 

Plan and promised to replace 50 % of the packaging, filling 

materials with 100 % biodegradable materials by 2020. 

As a leading biodegradable plastic producer in China, 

JinHui ZhaoLong, with its annual 20,000 tonnes biodegradable 

polymer (PBAT) capacity, continues to enhance quality of 

its own brands Ecoworld ® and Ecowill ® . JinHui ZhaoLong 

is committed to being a provider of China’s green package 

solution. The company’s 100% biodegradable plastic courier 

bags were successfully launched with Alibaba in December 

2016. JinHui will continue to promote the use of 100 % 

biodegradable green courier package in China’s express 

industry and to fight against plastic pollution. Biodegradable 

courier bags developed by JinHui ZhaoLong are made from its 

Ecowill-0823 compounds, which are fully biodegradable and 

without toxins and smell, and are safe for humans. The bags 

comply with China’s express package standards, regarding 

aspects such as toughness index, weighing index, waterproof 

index and other parameters, which are equivalent to 

traditional plastic package. This biodegradable green package 

biodegrades wholly into CO 2 

, and H 2 

O after usage, and it can 

create organic fertilizers under composting conditions. 

At present, biodegradable courier packages developed by 

JinHui ZhaoLong are widely used by Taobao, Tmall, which 

operates under Alibaba in China and have drawn high 

praise from consumers. JinHui ZhaoLong has become an 

important Green Package strategic partner of Alibaba’s 

CAINIAO Network. At the same time, JinHui ZhaoLong 

actively participates in the revision and formulation of the 

China Express Industry standards and promotes applications 

of green packaging in broader areas. In addition, JinHui 

ZhaoLong is committed to continued innovation in the field 

of biodegradable materials and their use. The company has 

successfully developed 30 % biobased biodegradable polymer, 

and is developing new application fields for thermoplastic 

elastomers and biodegradable fibers etc. 

“We believe that 

under the concern of 

Chinese government 

and the unremitting 

efforts of enterprises like 

JinHui ZhaoLong, the 

development process on 

China’s green express 

and green package will 

grow faster in future,” says 

Janice Li, CEO of JinHui 

ZhaoLong. “We will have 

a cleaner and healthier 

environment.” 

www.ecoworld.jinhuigroup.com 

9 / E06 

Janice Lee, 

CEO, JinHui ZhaoLong 


Market study on 

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Global Capacities and Trends 2016 – 2021 

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The policy framework of bio-based plastics markets 

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Thermoforming / Rigid Packaging 

White, easy-to-peel 

bio-PET lidding film 

Toray Plastics (America), Inc., now offers a biobased 

version of its new LumiLid ® XL7W, a white, easy-topeel 

PET lidding film for use with refrigerated and frozen 

dairy and dairy-replacement foods that are packaged 

in polypropylene (PP) containers. Toray’s LumiLid portfolio 

of PET lidding films includes biobased and traditional films 

in clear, white, and metallized formats for dual-ovenable, 

refrigerated, fresh, wet, and dry food applications. 

When XL7W is sealed to a PP container, it forms a strong, 

consistent bond, sealing even through overfill on the rim of 

the tray. Other white lidding films have a thinner sealant 

layer and lack the superior caulkability (i.e. the ability of 

the sealant to flow around irregularities in the seal area) 

performance of XL7W. With its thicker, high-performance 

sealant, the new product can often replace multi-layer 

laminations, which are expensive. The XL7W seal is strong 

enough to protect product freshness and is also consumerfriendly, 

providing a quick, easy, clean peel that resists 

shredding and complements XL7W’s premium appearance 

and feel. 

In addition, the new lidding film satisfies the customer’s 

desire for a robust narrow matrix rewind, which allows 

more lids to be produced and reduces downtime and waste 

during production. It is available in 128, 164, and 200 gauges 

(32, 41 and 50 µm). 

“The market demand for PP containers, and compatible 

biobased lidding film is growing,” says Milan Moscaritolo, 

Senior Director, New Business Development, Toray Plastics 

(America). “Biobased XL7W offers the perfect solution 

in many areas: environment-friendliness, functionality, 

production efficiencies, waste reduction, seal performance 

during distribution, and consumer satisfaction.” 

Toray launched its first biobased lidding films in 2015 

with the introduction of its biobased dual-ovenable 

films. Toray’s biobased films are manufactured with its 

proprietary sustainable resin blends. The thin, multilayer 

films consist of a structural bio-PET layer and a specialty 

sealant layer, which delivers specified performance and 

seal-strength characteristics. This sealant is an extrusion 

coated proprietary multilayer structure made with biobased 

polyethylene. Biobased LumiLid products (consisting of 

blends of biobased polyolefin as a sealant extrusion coated 

to a biobased PET film) have a total bio-content of about 

35 % to 50 %, depending on the application. Biobased 

content is validated by a third party laboratory. 

Biobased LumiLid films were created to lessen the 

impact on the environment and to meet the needs of the 

environment-conscious end user and consumer. Like all 

LumiLid films, they are manufactured without solvents, 

which ensures the films are odor-free. This may alleviate 

end-users’ concerns about solvent retention, as well as 

enhance the films’ sustainability profile. 

LumiLid biobased films have the same superior 

performance qualities that are characteristic of the LumiLid 

brand. They have a low seal initiation (SIT), broad seal range, 

outstanding seal integrity, and an easy peel.MT 

www.toraytpa.com 

Magnetic 

for Plastics 

www.plasticker.com 

• International Trade 

in Raw Materials, Machinery & Products Free of Charge. 

• Daily News 

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• Current Market Prices 

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for Specialists and Executive Staff in the Plastics Industry. 

Up-to-date • Fast • Professional 



A sticky 

situation 

Creating hot filled candy molds 

from bioplastics 

DSC results for thermoformed tray 

Making trays for PLA or PHA based candy and chocolate 

packaging has been possible for a number of 

years, but creating a bioplastic thin-gauge thermoformed 

tray that can also act as a mold for hot, sticky caramel 

at 130°C is a new breakthrough in biopolymer science. 

Solegear Bioplastic Technologies Inc. (Vancouver, British 

Columbia, Canada) has developed a new thermoforming 

biopolymer that can do just that, allowing chocolatiers and 

confectioners to move away from conventional heat-resistant 

PP packaging and adopt bioplastic packaging across 

their full product range. Solegear’s latest biopolymer contains 

80% biobased content and is eligible to be certified 

compostable. Testing has shown that packaging trays made 

from Solegear’s latest material will consistently retain dimensional 

stability up to 130°C, even when being filled with 

hot, sticky caramels or chocolates with high fat and sugar 

contents – ingredients that usually spell disaster for first 

generation bioplastics. 

The thermoformed tray was manufactured using conventional 

extrusion and thermoforming methods. In addition to the 

requirement to retain a high percentage of biobased content 

so that the resulting trays could be certified compostable, 

the main challenge for development of this biopolymer was 

to engineer a formulation that would produce packaging that 

could withstand the considerable chemical and mechanical 

stresses introduced when hot caramel was poured into the 

tray, including heat resistance and dimensional stability up to 

130°C. Solegear’s Product Development team, deployed its 

expertise in manipulating high-performance biopolymers and 

non-hazardous, biobased additives to successfully create this 

new innovative formulation. The manufacturing process was 

also optimized to achieve a sufficient level of crystallinity of over 

45% (see DSC plot) and high impact resistance of more than 

75 kg·cm (Gardner drop weight impact resistance, ASTM D5420). 

These significant performance requirements posed numerous 

technical barriers during the course of production trials before 

a suitable high quality packaging was manufactured. Using its 

know-how and a design approach focused on the concurrent 

testing of multiple variables and criteria, Solegear succeeded in 

achieving the desired results in just under one year. 

These bioplastic trays not only act as molds for hot and sticky 

candies and chocolates at 130°C, but can also form the final 

packaging for the product, moving successfully from production, 

to transport and to fridge and freezer storage without cracking and 

without leaching any elements into the candies and chocolates. 

Solegear’s material formulation and the final thermoformed 

high heat resistant trays contain no “Chemicals of Concern” that 

may potentially be harmful to human health and the environment. 

This becomes especially important in the food industry where 

safety and security have become a priority concern for consumers 

and product manufacturers. Traceability of materials is proving 

to be challenging for fossil fuel-based plastics, and can be 

more precarious for recycled materials where the source and 

composition are rarely well documented. 

The first full-scale packaging made from Solegear’s new 

material is expected to be on retail shelves in 2017. Solegear is 

continuing further product development to meet the needs of 

additional food safety and security opportunities. 

And for those of us who are nuts about caramels and 

chocolates, it can now be a bit more of a guilt-free experience 

knowing we’re doing something better for the planet. MT 

www.solegear.ca 



Trays from sugar cane waste 

Sugar cane by-product becomes raw material for biodegradable 

(fruit) trays 

Although environmentally friendly packaging for fruit 

and vegetable products is growing in popularity, its 

share of the total market is still relatively small. The 

most important reason for this is the fact that its price/quality 

ratio is not yet competitive enough to replace the traditional 

packaging that dominates the market. In an effort to 

package more fruit and vegetable products in planet-safer 

packaging, Bio4Pack has recently brought onto the market 

a new range of trays, which are primed to compete with 

traditional packaging. The new trays are based on a waste 

by-product: the cellulose fibres remaining after sugar cane 

processing. 

Package instead of burning 

The processing of sugar cane produces a relatively large 

quantity of waste by-product (approx. 40 % of the whole 

plant) which, until recently, was almost exclusively used as 

fuel for the sugar cane processing industry. Now, however, 

technological developments have given it a new future as the 

raw material for paper and cardboard. Bio4Pack (Rheine, 

Germany), a pioneer in environmentally friendly packaging 

for fruit and vegetable produce, seized this opportunity to 

develop a new series of trays, which serve as an alternative 

to paper pulp trays and disposable plastic trays. 

The new trays offer a number of important benefits 

compared to paper pulp trays. They are relatively cheap, 

in comparison with other green trays. Furthermore, the 

lower CO 2 

emissions associated with their production 

process make them an ecologically more responsible 

option, compared to trays produced from paper pulp. The 

material properties of the sugar cane by-product make it 

possible to produce an end product that is not aesthetically 

inferior to packaging manufactured from traditional raw 

materials. The trays are smooth, retain their shape, ideal 

for presenting products and are highly resource efficient: 

unlike trays made from paper pulp, no trees need to be cut 

down to source the materials used for their production. 

Last but not least, the trays made from sugar cane byproduct 

are completely biodegradable, Home & Industrial 

compostable and they comply with the well-known EN 

13432 standard for biodegradability. After use, they can be 

discarded in the biological waste bin, the paper recycling 

bin or on the compost heap. This completes the product’s 

life cycle with minimal harm to the environment, because 

the trays produce less waste and lower CO 2 

emissions, in 

addition to providing fertiliser for new sugar cane plants. 

Hence, this latest compostable product from Bio4Pack is 

truly a circular economy-based green initiative. MT 

www.bio4pack.com 



Ultra-high barrier films 

for thermoforming 

Plantic Technologies Ltd (Altona, Victoria, Australia) has 

achieved a unique place in the world market for bioplastics 

through proprietary technology that delivers biodegradable 

and renewable sourced alternatives to conventional plastics 

based on corn and non-genetically modified cassava. 

Plantic’s thermoformable rigid bottom webs are providing a 

new class in ultra-high barrier films with added environmental 

benefits. 

Unlike other bioplastics companies who utilize organic 

materials but whose polymers are still developed in 

refineries, Plantic's polymer as well as its raw material, 

are grown in a field. The entire process integrates the 

science of organic innovation with commercial and industrial 

productivity in a new way. The result is both a broad range of 

immediate performance and cost advantages, and long-term 

environmental and sustainability benefits. 

Plantic has a stable range of products which include 

thermoformable rigid and semi rigid bottom webs, skin and 

flexible packaging materials these are currently in use by 

some of the world’s leading manufactures who are looking for 

ultra-high barrier material and to satisfy the growing trend of 

consumers who are aware of the impact of their actions on 

the environment. 

A further milestone for the Australian based company 

was achieved in 2016 when the PLANTIC R material was 

given approval to display the Australian Recycling Label from 

Planet Ark for recycling the first in the region for a multilayer 

structure. Plantic R uses Plantics core technology Plantic HP 

sandwiched between two layers of PET, the Plantic HP has 

a ultra-high barrier function which gives the complete pack 

an OTR of less than 0.05 cm 3 /m 2 /24h (@ 16°C, 1 atm - pure 

oxygen (50%RH)). 

Plantic is consistently monitoring the growing trend in bio 

based materials and will be releasing new products during 2017. 

Plantic staff will be available to discuss your needs at 

Interpack 2017, be on the Kuraray booth during the entire 

exhibition. MT 

www.plantic.com.au 

FG Süd / IPP10 



Transparent 

dairy and 

dessert 

packaging 

Haze [%] 

elasticity modulus [MPa] 

100.0 

90.0 

80.0 

70.0 

60.0 

50.0 

40.0 

30.0 

20.0 

10.0 

0.0 

4000 

3500 

3000 

2500 

2000 

1500 

1000 

500 

0 

PET Ingeo Ingeo 

Impact Modified 

140% increase 

in stiffness 

Transparent Ingeo 

FFS dairy & dessert 

packaging 

Figure 1. Ingeo provides clarity on par with PET and PS with SBC. 

HIPS 

SBC HIPS GPPS Ingeo 

PS + SBC 

Figure 2. Ingeo’s inherent stiffness compared to GPPS & HIPS 

allows for cost-saving downgauging. 

Transparent packaging is one of the hottest trends in retail 

sales today. With the drive toward wholesome foods, 

showcasing appealing products through crystal clear 

packaging is a natural next step in marketing. To meet this 

trend, dairy and dessert companies who use highly efficient 

form, fill, and seal (FFS) packaging processes are looking for 

cost effective ways of going – transparent. 

The most commonly applied material in the form-fill-seal 

process today is opaque or semi-transparent, high impact 

polystyrene (HIPS). While a modifier such as styrene block 

copolymer can be used to increase transparency, this adds 

packaging cost. And, while producers have worked to modify 

well known transparent materials such as PET and clarified 

PP to satisfy the stringent performance demands of the FFS 

process and package, the resulting modified resins have not 

so far, maintained the transparency for which these plastics 

are normally known. 

Solving the cost and performance issue for 

transparency 

Naturally advanced Ingeo biopolymer (PLA) is transparent 

and NatureWorks personnel felt it to be an excellent 

candidate because of its stiffness and transparency for dairy 

and dessert applications. For FFS applications, NatureWorks 

scientists developed a formulation that not only processed 

well on existing packaging lines while maintaining its clarity, 

but also offered performance and cost advantages in terms 

of utilizing less material per cup as compared to HIPS. The 

new Ingeo grades optimized for dairy and dessert packaging 

include both conventional and high impact options. Both 

offer a crystal-clear transparency rivaling unmodified PET. 

The chart in Figure 1 shows the wide gap in transparency 

between Ingeo and HIPS. PS modified with styrene block 

copolymer (SBC) additive is comparable in terms of clarity, 

but brings cost and performance ramifications. 

Cost is on everyone’s mind in packaging 

One of the facts that most surprise packaging specifiers 

considering PLA for a material substitution is that the cost 

of Ingeo is competitive with HIPS. The perception is that a 

relatively new plastic must be more expensive. With over 

450,000 tonnes (a billion pounds) sold and an efficient, 

mature sales channel in place, the economies of scale make 

this innovative plastic a candidate for substitution where it 

exceeds incumbents in terms of cost and performance. In 

addition, because Ingeo is renewably sourced, it is not subject 

to the wide price swings of the global petroleum market and 



By: 

Mark Vergauwen 

Global Segment Lead, Rigids 

NatureWorks LLC 

Belgium 

offers significantly lower price volatility than fossil derived 

plastics. Companies can hedge their purchases over a 

prolonged time period and lock in favorable pricing. 

France-based Synerlink (Puiseux-Pontoise), a worldwide 

leader in integrated packaging equipment with its Arcil 

brand form-fill-seal lines, has thoroughly assessed the 

performance of Ingeo on its equipment. Ingeo is an inherently 

stiff plastic, with stiffness 140 % that of HIPS. This translates 

directly into package light weighting and cost savings 

compared to HIPS, GPPS, SBC, PET (Figure 2). Calculations 

on this high stiffness indicate that approximately 20 to 

30 % less wall thickness is needed for Ingeo compared to 

HIPS at equivalent top load strength (Figure 3). For the 

consumer, the stiffness of Ingeo also inherently makes for 

excellent snap-apart characteristics in multipack cups. 

According to Clear Lam Packaging (Elk Grove Village, 

Illinois, USA), a developer and manufacturer of innovative 

flexible and rigid packaging materials used for foods, Ingeo 

sheet has ideal performance for form-fill-seal applications 

– the most cost effective packaging for single serve and 

multipack cups. 

Keeping products fresh and appealing 

Extensive testing of the flavor and aroma barrier properties 

of Ingeo showed that permeation was too low to measure 

for two common aroma and flavor tests in the packaging 

industry – the pineapple odor of ethyl butyrate and the citrus 

odor of d-limonene. And, as (Figure 4) indicates, Ingeo 

packaging has a superior oxygen barrier as compared to 

HIPS for longer term freshness. 

Carbon footprint lower than fossil carbon plastics 

Replacing a plastic made with fossil carbon with a biobased 

functional material provides another compelling reason to 

make the substitution in the dairy and dessert industry. Many 

consumers today prefer less processed and more natural 

products and packaging. Furthermore, the energy consumed 

and the greenhouse gases emitted while manufacturing 

Ingeo are lower than petroleum-based plastics as (Figure 5) 

shows. 

In terms of the ability to utilize packaging to improve sales, 

materials science in the form of a relatively new plastic, 

Ingeo, has come to the aid of marketers at the correct time, 

cost, performance, and carbon footprint. 

www.natureworksllc.com 

Figure 3. To achieve similar top load strength, Ingeo cups can be 

made with walls 20-30% thinner than GPPS. 

Top Load (critical compressive strength) [N] 

HIPS 

Ingeo 

Ingeo 

GPPS 

HIPS 

0.006 

0.005 

0.004 

0.003 

0.002 

0.001 

0.000 

80 85 90 95 100 105 110 115 120 125 130 135 140 145 150 155 160 

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 

Oxgen Barrier 

[cc mil /100 in 2 day atm @ 23°C] 

0.62 

Same top load strength achieved with 

thinner cup wall and less material 

Wall Thickeness [microns] 

Figure 4. Ingeo’s excellent oxygen barrier can enhance longer 

term product freshness. 

Figure 5. Producing Ingeo creates half the greenhouse gases 

compared to GPPS and HIPS. 

2.25 

2.43 

3.24 

3.26 

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 

Greenhouse Gas Emissions [kg CO 2 

eq/kg] 

EU Producers 

US Producers 

Ingeo 

GPPS 


Automotive Materials Material-News 

New blends for home compostable films 

Bioplastics producer FKuR has introduced 

new Bio-Flex blends which meet the stringent 

requirements of the French Energy Transition 

Law for plastic bags. Home compostable and up 

to 40 % biobased, the new compounds fit the bill 

for a wide range of applications. 

The new Bio-Flex blends are designed for the 

production of low gauge films that will biodegrade 

completely in garden compost at low, variable 

temperatures. The new grades have already 

been awarded OK Compost HOME certificates by 

Vinçotte, the Belgian accredited inspection and 

certification organisation. In addition, most of the 

new compounds meet the requirements of Article 

75 of the French Energy Transition Law (“Loi sur 

la transition énergétique”), under which since 

January 1, 2017, plastic bags may no longer be 

issued by retailers for fruit and vegetables, nor 

for cheese, meat and fish sold at supermarket 

counters. However, bags made from home 

compostable bioplastic which contain a minimum 

content of renewable raw materials of 30 % (and 

from 2025, 60 % renewable raw materials) are 

excluded from this ban. 

All home compostable Bio-Flex compounds 

are regarded as having outstanding moisture 

resistance. This is a great advantage when 

compared with many other commercially 

available starch-based plastics of this type. These 

biodegrade rapidly but should only be filled with 

dry contents. The range of possible applications 

for these new compounds of FKuR is wide and 

includes multi-purpose bags, as well as bags for 

fruit and vegetable packing, mulching films and 

other packaging 

The product range currently comprises 

both translucent and opaque grades. Bio-Flex 

FX 1803 (30 % biobased), F 1804 and F 1814 

(both 40 % biobased) grades are translucent. 

Bio-Flex F 1814 offers the additional benefit of 

increased tear resistance. They are suitable for 

packaging goods with printed QR codes as well 

as for visually attractive packaging for all types of 

printed materials. 

Bio-Flex FX 1821 (10 % biobased), FX 1823 

(30 % biobased) and FX 1824 (40 % biobased) 

grades are all opaque. These opaque grades 

show very good tear resistance and toughness. 

Pilot tests with customers have shown that 

bag thickness can easily be down gauged to 8 

μm with these new grades. The good processing 

properties using existing production facilities 

are similar for all Bio-Flex grades and are a 

characteristic of FKuR compounds. MT 

www.fkur.com 

9 / F14 

translucent 

Bio-Flex FX1803 

tear resistant 

Bio-Flex FX 1824 

Towards all-cellulosic packaging materials 

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd has developed lightweight 100 % bio-based stand-up pouches with high 

technical performance. High performance in both oxygen, grease and mineral oil barrier properties has been reached by 

using different biobased coatings on paper substrate. The pouches exploit VTT’s patent pending high consistency enzymatic 

fibrillation of cellulose (HefCel) technology. 

“One-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. Packaging with efficient barrier properties is 

a crucial factor in the reduction of the food loss. Our solution offers an environmentally friendly option for the global packaging 

industry”, says Senior Scientist Jari Vartiainen of VTT. 

VTT’s HefCel technology provides a low-cost method for the production of nanocellulose resulting in a tenfold increase in the 

solids content of nanocellulose. Nanocellulose has been shown to be potentially very useful for a number of future technical 

applications. The densely packed structure of nanocellulose films and coatings enable their outstanding oxygen, grease and 

mineral oil barrier properties. 

HefCel technology exploits industrial enzymes and simple mixing technology as tools to fibrillate cellulose into nanoscale 

fibrils without the need for high energy consuming process steps. The resulting nanocellulose is in the consistency of 15-25 % 

when traditional nanocellulose production methods result in 1-3 % consistency. 

The stand-up pouch is the fastest growing type of packaging, growing at a rate of 6.5 % per year from 2015-2020. 

Fossil-based plastic films still dominate the packaging market. However, the development of environmentally 

friendly new materials is of growing importance. Nanocellulose has been shown to be potentially very 

useful for a number of future technical applications. 

VTT has solid expertise in various bio-based raw materials and their application technologies 

for producing bio-based coatings, films and even multilayered structures both at lab-scale and 

pilot-scale. A versatile set of piloting facilities are available from raw material sourcing through 

processing to application testing and demonstration. 

Not exactly a bio-plastic product, this fully biobased packaging is a very interesting development. MT 

www.vtt.fi 


Materials 

Sustainable levulinic acid 

Promising building block to be produced from 

sugar-industry by-products 

As a sustainable platform chemical, green levulinic 

acid is considered to hold huge potential for the sustainable 

chemical industry of the future. Now, Italian 

companies Bio-on and Sadam Group are jumping on the 

bandwagon. 

While levulinic acid may well be regarded as a key player in 

the greening of the chemical industry, the volumes produced 

today are insufficient to successfully fulfil this role. With 

market demand for levulinic acid forecast to explode in the 

coming years, the Italian biotechnology company Bio-on and 

agro-industrial Sadam Group have launched a joint project 

to develop innovative industrial processes to produce this - 

using by-products from the sugar industry as raw material. 

The coming three years will be devoted to building a demo 

plant and developing the necessary industrial processes to 

produce green levulinic acid at competitive cost. 

Some years ago, levulinic acid was identified by the 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the USA as an 

extremely promising bio-intermediate. A platform chemical, 

it can be used to produce other chemical substances or 

to replace the synthetic alternatives. The main end users 

of levulinic acid are the agricultural, pharmaceutical and 

cosmetics sectors, but this natural molecule also helps 

create new ecological fuels, fertilisers and antiparasitic 

products. It is also used in the bioplastics sector, expanding 

its field of application, and it is an intermediate element for 

making high-performance plastics, drugs and many other 

new-concept green products. 

Based on the most recent forecasts and based on various 

independent research, Bio-on estimates that market 

demand for levulinic acid will grow 150-200-fold over the 

next 7-8 years. To anticipate the growing demand and exploit 

a competitive advantage, Bio-on and Sadam Group have 

launched the present project, which envisages using 

sugar beet co-products as the raw 

material. Particular 

attention will be paid to 

Levulinic acid 

economic and ecological aspects: current global production 

of levulinic acid comes from highly polluting factories, 

with an unacceptable environmental impact for European 

standards and with vast production costs, resulting in high 

market prices. 

“Levulinic acid is considered one of the 12 building blocks 

of the green chemical industry of the future,” explained 

Marco Astorri, Chairman of Bio-on S.p.A. “Working on a 

new method of producing levulinic acid on an industrial 

scale over the coming months, as we announced in 2015, 

fills us with pride and enables us to consolidate our global 

leadership in the development of modern biochemistry.” 

First, a pilot plant will be built for research purposes. 

Subsequent project development would involve the 

construction of a demo plant with a capacity of 5,000 tonnes 

of levulinic acid per year at Sadam’s Tre Casali agroindustrial 

plant in San Quirico (Parma). An industrial plant 

using proprietary technology from Bio-on will also be built 

where PHA biopolymers will be produced from glycerol, a 

co-product of bio-diesel production. 

The final goal of the project will be to demonstrate the 

feasibility of creating a production process at competitive 

cost and with low environmental impact that can be 

replicated on a larger scale in a subsequent industrial and 

commercial phase. 

We are pleased with this initial development stage 

conducted by Bio-on, Sadam Group,” says Massimo 

Maccaferri, Chairman of Sadam, “because this molecule 

is an extraordinary tool that can kick-start the re-launch 

of the Italian chemical industry, safeguarding employment 

and guaranteeing an investment in our future.” 

The project, entitled “Industrial eco-sustainable 

production of levulinic acid from sugar industry byproducts 

not intended for human food - PROECOLEV”, 

has been approved by MISE (Italian Ministry of 

Economic Development) with a 2016 ministerial 

decree now in effect. The project 

has a duration of 36 months and 

has an estimated budget of 6 

million Euro backed by MISE 

from the Sustainable Growth 

fund, Sustainable industry tender 

2015, with a blend of subsidised 

and non-recoverable credit. The 

technology developed by the Bio-on/ 

Sadam Group team will encourage 

the creation of bio-refineries in Europe 

capable of converting crude, natural raw 

materials into renewable elements with high added value, 

within the circular economy and green economy to be 

promoted in the European Union. KL 

www.bio-on.it 



Biopolymers from municipal 

waste water treatment plants 

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), which are biodegradable 

polyesters accumulated by more than 300 different 

microorganisms under nutrient limited conditions are 

a source for bioplastic production [1, 2, 3]. Bacteria mostly 

use PHAs as an intracellular storage compound for energy 

and carbon [4]. The general chemical structure of PHA can 

be seen in Figure 1. Depending on the length of the side 

chain (R), PHAs are classified as short chain length (SCL) or 

medium chain length (MCL) PHAs [5]. Most material characteristics 

of SCL resembles polypropylene (PP) [6]. Therefore, 

PHAs are most likely used as a substitute for PP [7]. 

PHA production on municipal waste water 

treatment plants 

Pittmann and Steinmetz [8, 9] were able to show the 

possibilities of PHA production on waste water treatment plants 

(WWTP) at different processing conditions. In a two-staged 

production process, as shown in Figure 2, firstly short chained 

volatile fatty acids (VFA) are produced. The PHA production itself 

(Stage 2b) is based on a bacteria mixed culture selection from 

excess sludge of a WWTP via aerobic dynamic feeding (Stage 

2a). The installed feast/famine regime for enrichment of PHA 

producing bacteria is state of the art and tested by many authors 

[10, 11, 12]. PHA producing bacteria in the WWTP’s excess 

sludge are able to use the polymers as a carbon- and energy 

source during the period of starvation (famine phase) and thus 

gain a selection advantage [13]. After a period of enrichment, 

the biomass contains a high proportion of PHA accumulating 

bacteria and is transferred to Reactor 2b for PHA production. 

The whole production process takes place in a bypass to the 

WWTP, and therefore without impacts on its cleaning capacity. 

However, the usage of primary sludge for VFA production and 

the further usage of these acids for PHA production removes 

up to 39 % of the primary sludge’s chemical oxygen demand 

(COD) [8]. Hence, the PHA production process competes with 

the biogas production on the WWTP. 

Results 

At first different raw materials of a municipal WWTP regarding 

VFA production were observed with primary sludge showing 

the best mas flux results [8]. Through variations of the process 

parameters temperature, pH, retention time (RT), withdrawal 

(WD) and the mode of operation (batch or semi-continuously) of 

the reactor, a maximum VFA mass flow of 1,913 with a VFA 

concentration of 1,653 could be achieved [8]. 

Afterwards experiments regarding the PHA production 

were conducted. Through variations of the process 

parameters substrate concentration, temperature, pH and 

cycle time, PHA concentrations up to 28.4 % of the cell dry 

weight (CDW) could be achieved [9]. 

Potential analysis 

On the basis of the named results and detailed data about 

the amounts of sewage sludge on WWTPs a potential analysis 

was calculated. The goal of this analysis was to determine the 

potential for biopolymer production on German WWTPs. The 

used input parameters for the calculations are shown in Table 1. 

After calculating the amount of the primary sludge in Germany 

and with respect to the fact that roughly 92 % of the people 

equivalents (PE) are connected to WWTPs of the classes IV and V, 

at which it can be assumed that these facilities produce primary 

sludge, the theoretical reactor size can be calculated. Now, date 

from the experiments can be used to calculate the possible 

amount of biopolymers produced at German WWTPs. The PHA 

production sums up to 157,000 [16]. Under consideration of 

By: 

Timo Pittmann 

TBF + Partner AG, 

Böblingen, Germany 

Figure 2: Scheme for 

production of PHA 

including potential 

calculations for 

German WWTPs 



the stringent definition of biopolymers, introduced by Pittmann 

and Steinmetz [17] around 20 % of the world wide biopolymers 

could be produced on WWTPs in Germany. 

A rough estimation, with data provided by EU member 

states, leads to a theoretical possible PHA production on 

European WWTPs of nearly 880,000 [16]. This correlates 

to approximately 116 % of the worldwide PHA production, 

regarding the stringent definition. 

Conclusion 

Based on the results it can be concluded that it is possible 

to produce PHA out of material flows of a municipal waste 

water treatment plant. 

The presented calculations and results clearly indicate 

that it would be possible to produce high amounts of PHAs 

on WWTPs in the European Union. The potential analysis 

showed that waste water treatment plants could be used as 

a significant source for biopolymers and waste water can 

play an important role as a substituent for plant-based raw 

materials in the PHA production. With an upgraded operation 

more than twice of today’s worldwide biopolymer production 

could be produced on WWTPs in the EU and thus contribute to 

a recycling of the organic material contained in waste water. 

It has to be mentioned though that more research is 

necessary to verify experimental results at a larger scale. 

References 

[1] Lee, S. Y. (1996). “Plastic bacteria? Progress and prospects for 

polyhydroxyalkanoate production in bacteria”. In: Trends in Biotechnology 

14, 431 –438. 

[2] Dias, J.M.L. et.al. (2006). “Recent advances in polyhydroxyalkanoate 

production by mixed aerobic cultures: From the substrate to the final 

product”. In: Macromolecular Bioscience 6, 885–906. 

[3] Nikodinovic-Runic, J., Guzik, M., Kenny, S., Babu, R., Werker, A., O’Connor, 

K., (2013). Carbon-rich wastes as feedstocks for biodegradable polymer 

(polyhydroxyalkanoate) production using bacteria”. In: Adv. Appl. Microbiol, 

84, 13 9–200. 

R 

O 

[4] Chanpratreep, S. (2010). “Current trends in biodegradable PHAs”. In: 

Journal of bioscience and bioengineering 110, 621–632. 

[5] Endres und Siebert-Raths (2009). “Technische Biopolymere”. Hanser. 

[6] Chen, G.-Q. and Q. Wu (2005). “The application of polyhydroxyalkanoates as 

tissue engineering materials”. In: Biomaterials 26, 6565 –6578. 

[7] Wolf, O., M. Crank, M. Panel, F. Marscheide-Weidemann, J. Schleich, 

B. Hünsing and G. Angerer (2005). “Techno-economic Feasibility of 

Large-scale Production of Bio-based Polymers in Europe”. In: European 

Commission - Joint Research Centre EUR 22103 EN. 

[8] Pittmann, T. and Steinmetz, H. (2013). “Influence of operating conditions 

for volatile fatty acids enrichment as a first step for polyhydroxyalkanoate 

production on a municipal waste water treatment plant”. In: Bioresource 

Technology 148C, 270-276 

[9] Pittmann, T. and Steinmetz, H. (2014). “Polyhydroxyalkanoate production 

as a side stream process on a municipal waste water treatment plant”. In: 

Bioresource Technology, 167, 297-302 

[10] Dionisi, D., M. Majone, G. Vallini, S. Di Gregorio and M. Beccari (2005). 

“Effect of the applied organic load rate on biodegradable polymer 

production by mixed microbial cultures in a sequencing batch reactor”. In: 

Biotechnology and Bioengineering 93, 76–88. 

[11] Albuquerque, M.G.E., M. Eiroa, C. Torres, B.R. Nunes and M.A.M. Reis 

(2007). “Strategies for the development of a side stream process for 

polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production from sugar cane molasses”. In: 

Journal of Biotechnology 130, 411–421. 

[12] Johnson, K., R. Kleerebezem and M.C.M. van Loosdrecht (2009). “Modelbased 

data evaluation of polyhydroxybutyrate producing mixed microbial 

cultures in aerobic sequencing batch and fed-batch reactors”. In: 

Biotechnology and Bioengineering 104, 50–67. 

[13] Pittmann, T., (2015). “Herstellung von Biokunststoffen aus Stoffstroemen 

einer kommunalen Klaeranlage” (production of biopolymers from streams 

of a municipal waste water treatment plant) Ph.D.-thesis. University of 

Stuttgart. 

[14] DWA, (2012). “Performance comparison of municipal waste water 

treatment plants in 2012”, dwa: German association for water, wastewater 

and waste. Deutsche Vereinigung fuer Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und 

Abfall e.V. Theodor-Heuss-Allee 17, 53773 Hennef, Deutschland. 

[15] ATV, (2000). “ATV-DVWK-A 131 – dimensioning of single-stage activated 

sludge plants”; DWA German association for water, waste water and waste. 

[16] T. Pittmann and H. Steinmetz, (2016). “Potential for polyhydroxyalkanoate 

production on German or European municipal waste water treatment 

plants”, In: Bioresource Technology 214, 9-15. 

[17] T. Pittmann and H. Steinmetz, (2016). “Produktion von Bioplastik auf 

kommunalen Klaeranlagen”, In: Wasser und Abfall 05/13, 37-41. 

www.tbf.ch 

Municipal Waste Water Treatment Plant 

(generic photo, no PHA production) (photo:TBF+ Partner AG) 

O CH CH 2 C 

n 

Figure 1: General chemical structural formula of PHA 

Table1: Input data used during the potential analysis. 

Parameter Unit Value Literature 

Actual connected people equivalents (PE) on German WWTPs Mio. PE 109.0 [14] 

Proportion of PSP*-PEs regarding total PEs in Germany % 92 [14] 

Amount of primary sludge per PE L/(PE · d) 1.1 [15] 

Total solid concentration of primary sludge/acidified material g/L 35 [13] 

VFA concentration g VFA 

/m3 7,653 [13] 

Retention time and withdrawal at the first production step d und %/d 4 und 25 [13] 

Total solid concentration in the aerobic reactors 2a /2b g/L 5.0 [13] 

Loading rate for PHA production kg VFA 

/m3 1.2 [13] 

Retention time and withdrawal at reactor 2 a d und %/d 2 und 50 [13] 

PHA proportion based on cell dry weight Gew. % 28.4 [13] 

*PSP = German WWTPs with preliminary sedimentation potential (PSP = more than 10.000 PE) 



Biodegradable mulch films: 

where are we? 

Biodegradable mulch films have been commercially 

available since the beginning of the 2000s. Throughout 

the years, various projects (e.g. EU projects, such as 

Bioplastics 2001-2005 and Agrobiofilm 2011-2013) have focused 

on their development; they have also been the subject 

of many publications. Also, these films are now used by many 

growers (see INFO BOX 1) in order to improve the yield and 

quality of the crops. Biodegradable mulch films have gained a 

place and a role in the world of agricultural plastic (see INFO 

BOX 2), especially in the last decade; in fact, roughly 5 % of the 

mulch film sold in Europe today (80,000 tonnes/year) is biodegradable. 

The films are largely used in Italy, France, Germany, Benelux 

and Spain, mainly for vegetable crops. 

It has been estimated that almost half of the plastics 

worldwide are used for disposable applications [2]. A mulch 

film may be considered disposable due to its relatively brief 

service life (between 4 and 10 months), after which, at the 

end of the cultivation period, it needs to be removed from the 

field and disposed of, according to provisions of the European 

directives dealing with waste management (directives 99/31 

EC, 2000/76 EC, directive 2008/98/EC). In Spain and Italy, no 

more than 50 % of this used agricultural plastic is recovered, of 

which some 50 % goes to landfill [3]. Recovered mulch film is 

generally heavily contaminated with soil, stones and biological 

waste (up to 60-80 % of its initial weight), which makes 

mechanical recycling difficult [4]. Mulch films that are not 

properly be collected tend simply to be left in the environment 

(dumped or buried in the soil) or burned on the fields, which 

negatively impacts the environment [5]. 

Biodegradability, as a property, raises interesting possibilities 

for an efficient solution to tackle a series of problems 

connected to waste management. Biodegradable mulch films 

do not need to be removed from the soil, as they are able to 

be biodegraded by soil microorganisms (mineralization). The 

use of biodegradable mulch films eliminates altogether the 

costs of collection and disposal of very dirty and non-profitable 

materials and it is fully in line with the EU Strategy on Waste 

Management (1989). 

Biodegradable mulch films that can be left in the soil after 

use must meet the biodegradability and non-ecotoxicity 

requirements applicable for this environment. The current 

available standards for biodegradable mulch films in Europe 

are the French NF U 52 001:2005 and the Italian UNI 11495:2013 

standards. The CEN TC 249/WG 7 Committee is preparing a 

European Standard on biodegradable mulch films. This will be 

a useful tool to provide a shared foundation for the definitions 

and requirements for these products. In general, to qualify 

as biodegradable according to existing norms and standards, 

a biodegradable mulch film should provide a minimum 

biodegradation threshold of 90 % (relative to a standard 

material) in two years and an ecotoxicology assessment in 

soil is required (see INFO BOX 3). The OK Biodegradable Soil 

program developed by the Belgium certification body Vinçotte 

is the main reference in the European market to clearly 

identify a biodegradable mulch film. Nonetheless, some oxo— 

degradable or photo-degradable mulch films can be found on 

the market, and are used by growers. These films claim to be 

biodegradable but do not meet requirements of the available 

standards. They are produced from traditional polymers 

formulated with specific additives which improve the physical 

degradation (fragmentation) of the films. The films break down 

into small pieces and fragments, which then persist in the 

environment. Appropriate communication measures are still 

needed in order to ensure that farmers and other stakeholders 

are informed of and understand these differences. 

Substantial evidence has been gathered over the past 15 

years showing that biodegradable mulches on vegetable crops 

behave in the same way functionally as conventional nonbiodegradable 

films, from an agronomic and mechanical point 

of view. 

The use of biodegradable mulches can be also introduced 

in crops in which, for various reasons, mulch films have 

tended not to be applied. The biodegradability of the materials 

becomes a useful agronomical feature in all cases where 

traditional mulch films cannot be properly collected from the 

field (perennial crops) or the presence of a mulch film would 

make specific agronomical operations difficult (processing 

tomatoes), or if efficient weed control is difficult to achieve with 

traditional strategies in low input techniques (rice). 

In some areas of Europe, vineyards are mulched with films 

in the first year of cultivation. This improves the development 

of the plant (successful and homogeneous growth) and offers 

an option for weed control on the row. In Southern France, 

biodegradable mulches were shown to be a good alternative 

to non-biodegradable ones, in terms of positive effects on 

plant growth and on yields (after harvesting at 18 months). On 

analyzing the root systems of the mulched and the unmulched 

vines, the biodegradable mulches were found to provide 

improved root system growth [6]. 

The two most important European areas for processing 

tomatoes (Spain and Italy) have introduced the use of 

biodegradable mulches in tomato production. This technique 

can reduce the use of herbicides in weed control, improve root 

development, offer protection against low temperatures at the 

beginning of the crop cycle and, finally, produce higher yields 

[7]. 

Rice is another crop that benefits from the use of 

biodegradable mulches. In the last two years, the use of 

biodegradable mulches in one of the main European rice 

cultivating areas (North West Italy) has demonstrated that 

biodegradable mulch films can control weeds and enhance 

rice growth, drastically reducing the use of herbicides [8]. 

The use of biodegradable polymers in well-defined 

application areas is definitely an interesting possibility for the 



By: 

Sara Guerrini 

Public Affairs Agriculture Sector 

Novamont 

Novara, Italy 

agricultural sector. For this sector, they offer a very real 

opportunity to reduce the level of chemical inputs in the 

cultivated crops. www.novamont.com 

[1] APE Europe, European non packaging agriplastics market survey, 

2013; http://www.apeeurope.eu/statistiques.php; 

[2] J. Hopewell, R. Dvorak, E. Kosior, 2009, Plastics recycling: challenges 

and opportunities. Philos Trans R Soc London [Biol] 364:2115–2126; 

[3] European project LabelAgriWaste: http://cordis.europa.eu/project/ 

rcn/75804_en.html; 

[4] Sorema, 2008, Recycling schemes for thin mulching agricultural 

film. Analysis of the process and applications examples, 

International Congress Plastic and Agriculture. MACPLAS 2008, 

Bari, Italy, 21-22 February 2008. 

[5] J.W. Garthe, B.G. Miller, 2006, Burning High-Grade, Clean Fuel 

Made; 

[6] F. Touchaleaume et al., 2016, Performance and environmental 

impact of biodegradable polymers as agricultural mulching films, 

Chemosphere, 144: 433-439; 

[7] CIO (Consorzio Interregionale Ortofrutticoli), 2016, Risultati 

Sperimentazione 2016; 

[8] Novamont’s communication, 2016. 

INFO BOX 1 – agronomical advantages of 

mulch films 

Mulch films are generally used for: 

• Increasing yield and improving quality of crops; 

• Controlling weeds (black or pigmented mulches); 

• Reducing use of irrigation water (up to 30 %, compared to 

bare soil) and pesticides; 

• Enhancing early crop production (mainly clear films); 

• Increasing the temperature and moisture in the soil. 

Biodegradable mulches have shown the same positive effect 

as non-biodegradable mulch films. 

INFO BOX 2 - some numbers of plastics for 

the agriculture sector 

The global consumption of plastic films in agriculture 

amounted to about 4 million tonnes in the year 2013; the 

biggest user was Asia (roughly 70 %), followed by Europe 

(16 %). Of the 510,000 tonnes of agricultural films used in 

Europe, some 40 % is accounted for by the countries of 

southern Europe, where these films are used for horticultural 

purposes (greenhouse covers and mulching); the annual 

consumption of mulch film in Europe is 80,000 tonnes; 5 % of 

the films used are biodegradable [1] 

INFO BOX 3 – BIODEGRADATION 

Biodegradation: degrading process caused by biological 

activity, especially enzyme action, which leads to a significant 

change in the material’s chemical structure. It is a complex 

process in which the carbon of a polymer is converted into 

carbon dioxide (mineralization) and biomass. 

The biodegradation test measures only one product of the 

reaction (in this case the carbon dioxide), the residual 10 % is 

considered to be assimilated in biomass. 

According to the scientific community, mineralization 

(i.e. conversion into carbon dioxide) of plastic material 

corresponding or exceeding 90 % means that complete 

biodegradation has been reached. 



PLA branches 

into agriculture 

New root trainers for rubber plants 

are biodegradable 

Fig. 1: Young rubbers planted in root trainers 

Fig. 2: Young rubbers planted in soil with root trainers 

Natural rubber is a key economic commodity for the 

countries of Southeast Asia. It is used in many different 

industries, ranging from auto manufacturing and 

sports to medical and marine applications, and consumer 

products. A biopolymer, natural rubber is derived from latex, a 

milky fluid that is tapped from the rubber tree (Hevea brasilliensis) 

and subsequently coagulates into rubber. In addition 

to natural rubber, synthetic rubbers have also been developed 

that are produced from petrochemicals. For the majority of 

applications, including tires, compounds of natural and synthetic 

rubbers are used. 

In 2016, demand for both natural and synthetic rubbers 

reached approximately 25 million tons. As only 12 million 

tonnes of natural rubber were produced, this meant that the 

shortfall had to be made up by synthetic rubbers. Nonetheless, 

demand for natural rubber continues to rise, not only because 

of its biobased origins, but also because of its superior quality, 

which makes it the material of choice in high-performance 

products such as aircraft tires. The natural rubber supply, 

however, is limited by the suitability of both land and climate 

for rubber production. 

Natural rubbers are exported mainly from the four 

Southeast Asian countries of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia 

and Vietnam. Combined, these four countries produce some 

70 % of the world’s natural rubber supply. Thailand is the 

biggest producer, accounting for 40 % of global production. 

These four natural rubber-producing countries implement 

massive replanting programs on a yearly basis. Rubber trees 

have a service life of 25 years, after which the latex yield 

becomes too low and they are cut down. The farmers then 

replant with higher-yielding clones. Each year, the trees that 

have reached the end of their economic life are taken out and 

replaced. Replanting involves cultivating the young rubber 

seedlings in nurseries for about six months before outplanting 

in the plantations. The rubber seedlings in the nurseries are 

grown in plastic bags or in plastic cones called root trainers. 

Rubber trees grown from root trainers have service lives that 

are about 5 years longer than those grown in bags; in other 

words, the productive life of the tree is extended to 30 years. 

Farmers not only enjoy the benefits of 5 additional years of 

productivity, the costs of replanting are also reduced. 

In the past, root trainers were made from polypropylene, 

which does not biodegrade in soil. This meant that the farmers 

were required to extract the young trees from the root trainer 

in order to replant these in the plantation, resulting in damage 

to the root systems and, consequently, a higher rate of dead 

trees. This disadvantage jeopardized the benefit provided by 

the added years of productivity. As the country with the largest 

replanting program - a program in which 70-90 million new 

Fig. 3: Root trainers degraded after 4 months in soil 


Buss Laboratory Kneader MX 30-22 

By: 

Nopadol Suanprasert 

President 

Global Biopolymers Co., Ltd. 

Bangkok, Thailand 

trees are replanted each year -Thailand has been exploring 

the use of new materials for root trainers that could be 

buried in the soil with the young trees, thus eliminating 

potential root damage. This material would have to be able 

to degrade in soil to allow roots to penetrate out to the soil. 

Corbion Purac, headquartered in the Netherlands, 

and Global Biopolymers of Thailand have now jointly 

developed a new root trainer made from PLA compounds. 

The cone-shaped product is injection molded. As a test, 

young rubber trees were planted in the new root trainers 

(Fig 1) and kept in a nursery for 6 months. While in the 

nursery they were stored in racks for good ventilation. 

No degradation of the root trainers occurred during the 

period in the nursery. After 6 months, the young rubber 

trees were outplanted in the plantation without removing 

them from the root trainers (Fig. 2). After 4 months in the 

soil, the PLA root trainers had degraded, allowing the 

roots to penetrate and grow in vertical direction controlled 

by the root trainer (Fig. 3). 

This test was conducted in Thailand’s government 

rubber plantation in Rayong province. Rayong is where 

Corbion’s lactic acid plant is located and the site of the 

new Total Corbion PLA plant, currently under construction, 

for the production and marketing of PLA polymers and 

lactide monomers. The use of root trainers made from 

PLA to cultivate rubber seedlings is therefore a classic 

case of circular economy in the local host country. The 

lactic acid is produced in Thailand from local agricultural 

raw materials. PLA made from this lactic acid is used 

to produce root trainers for growing rubber, another 

agricultural economic crop. The technical benefits are a 

longer service life and higher productivity, and these are 

accompanied by lower costs and a higher financial return. 

From a socio-economic point of view, both the farmers 

producing the lactic acid raw materials and the rubber 

farmers gain from better economic returns for their crops. 

Additionally, eliminating the use of PP root trainers helps 

farmers to operate more sustainably. 

Although the research and development of root trainers 

is still ongoing, other tests are planned in larger areas 

with different climatic conditions. The initial test results in 

Rayong have indicated the practicality of growing rubber 

in PLA root trainers. Due to a longer life of the rubber 

trees the projected economic benefits of PLA root trainers 

translate to approximately EUR 850 per tree additional 

income from more harvested latex for the farmer. 

The application of PLA root trainers is just one example 

of bioplastics in agriculture. The same concept could 

be applied to other economic crops, fruit trees, and 

reforestations. 

www.globalbiopolymers.com 

Buss Kneader Technology 

Leading Compounding Technology 

for heat and shear sensitive plastics 

For more than 60 years Buss Kneader technology 

has been the benchmark for continuous preparation 

of heat and shear sensitive compounds – 

a respectable track record that predestines this 

technology for processing biopolymers such 

as PLA and PHA. 

> Uniform and controlled shear mixing 

> Extremely low temperature profile 

> Precise temperature control 

> High filler loadings 

Buss AG 

Switzerland 

www.busscorp.com 



a) b) 

Figure 1.a) The film obtained by low-pressure spray 

technique onto a glass surface and then detached is 

flawless, flexible, and resistant to tearing; b) Mulching 

coating via the spray technique at the experimental field. 

How to 

eliminate 

agricultural 

plastic 

waste using 

bioplastics 

a) 

Figure 2: a) The setting up of the mulching coating at the 

beginning of the experimental field;b) Mulching coating 

and c) the control (un-mulched) after 90 days. 

b) 

c) 

By: 

Evelia Schettini 

Giuliano Vox 

University of Bari 

Bari, Italy 

Figure 3: Scanning electron microscopy image of a 

mulching film section obtained after cryogenic fracture 

after six month’s exposition to soil (left) and sunlight 

(right). 

Luciana Sartore 

University of Brescia 

Brescia, Italy 

Figure 4. The containers for seedling transplanting based 

on biodegradable polymeric materials. 

a) b) 

Figure 5. The biodegradable containers at the 

transplanting (a) and after 16 days in the substrate. 



Petroleum based plastics are largely used in agriculture 

as plastic films for crop protection and soil mulching, 

pipes, containers for seedlings transplanting and pots. 

After the cultivation period is complete, however, agricultural 

plastic waste is coated with soil, organic matter, and agrochemicals 

and must therefore undergo the correct collection, 

disposal, and recycling processes. One sustainable solution 

to the serious problem of the environmental pollution 

is the employment of biodegradable polymeric materials in 

agriculture; such materials are able to be integrated directly 

in the soil, at the end of their lifetime, where the bacterial 

flora transforms them in water, biomass, carbon dioxide or 

methane. Many of the possibly suitable biodegradable polymers, 

however, show unsuitable mechanical performance or 

processability and may be not cost effective if compared to 

petroleum based plastics. Due to increasing environmental 

awareness, researchers continue to seek new materials that 

can be used as ecologically friendly alternatives to agricultural 

materials based on synthetic petrochemical polymers. 

The research teams around the authors have developed 

biodegradable polymeric materials—for spray mulching 

coatings and plant pots—by using protein hydrolysates that 

are derived from waste products of the leather industry and 

functional poly(ethylene glycol) as a crosslinking agent [1, 2] 

Protein-based waste materials are especially suited for this 

purpose because they have an intrinsic agronomic values for 

soil fertilization due to their high nitrogen content. 

Several experimental tests were carried out to prove the 

feasibility to generate in situ mulching films and coatings 

showing good mechanical performances and environmental 

durability (Figure 1a and Figure 1b). Their functionality as well 

as their mechanical and physical behaviors was investigated in 

standard and controlled experimental conditions [1, 2]. 

To assess whether or not water suspensions would be 

capable of achieving a consistent coating when sprayed directly 

onto soil, poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE) and 

protein hydrolysates were chosen as starting materials. The 

scientists prepared the novel derivatives in water solutions 

following a synthetic procedure based on the reaction between 

protein hydrolysate amino groups and functional end groups 

of PEGDGE. They also added wood-cellulose microfibers (up 

to a final 18wt %) to enhance the mechanical properties of the 

composite, and carbon black to obtain black films (and thus 

prevent photo-oxidation and weed photosynthesis). 

The bioplastic solutions were then distributed with an 

airbrush using a spray machine. In this way, it was possible 

to completely cover the growing substrate around the plants 

with a thick mulching coating that dried to a hard consistency 

(Figure 2a). The biodegradable coatings maintained their 

mulching effect for a period ranging from one to nine months 

achieving weed suppression (Figure 2b and Figure 2c). 

The lifespan of the coating depends on its thickness as well 

as the temperature and moisture content of the soil, but is 

mainly dependant on the structure and morphology of the 

material. Morphological analysis performed on a sample 

that was directly sprayed onto the soil and exposed for six 

months—see Figure 3—shows a different pattern depending 

on its exposure. The side exposed to solar radiation does 

not differ significantly from the original film, and there is 

no indication of degradation. The surface facing the soil, 

however—see Figure 3—consists almost exclusively of fibers, 

thus indicating that degradation begins in the polymeric 

component of the material. These results show that the 

biodegradation process occurs more rapidly where there is 

direct contact between the film and micro-organism and the 

remaining fibers act as a barrier, modulating the environmental 

duration of the blend thus promoting slow release of fertilizers. 

More recently tests were carried out using novel biodegradable 

containers for seedlings. The objectives of this research are to 

develop new biodegradable materials starting from renewable 

biobased raw products, and to engineer the properties of these 

materials so that they can be used to produce biodegradable 

plant pots that guarantee no damage to roots, no transplant 

shock, an enhancement to plant growth, and the slow release 

of fertilizing protein-based compounds during their degradation. 

The preparation of these novel biodegradable polymeric 

materials began from an aqueous solution of protein hydrolysate 

(derived from waste products of the leather industry), PEGDGE, 

and natural fillers (i.e., sawdust or wood flour). Compounding 

was then performed in a Brabender mixer at 60°C and 

subsequently the pots were prepared by compression molding 

the biocomposites (which were the consistency of a paste) 

and drying them at 70°C: see Figure 4. It was found that the 

biodegradable containers for seedlings showed good resistance 

during the first stage of use (i.e., when the seedlings were grown 

from seed, before transplanting): see Figure 5(a). After the 

transplant, the containers (which were buried in soil) degraded 

in roughly two weeks, allowing the roots to pass through 

the container walls and thus enabling the overall growth of 

the plants: see Figure 5(b). As a result of the slow release of 

proteinaceous material, the containers showed a soil-positive 

fertilizing effect. 

To test the efficacy of this approach, the researchers 

implemented them in the cultivation of pepper plants. At 

harvest, the mean height of the pepper plants grown inside the 

biodegradable pots was 0.94m. In contrast, the control plants 

(grown in non-biodegradable containers) were characterized 

by a mean height of 0.67m [3]. 

In summary, the newly developed biodegradable sprayable 

mulches and plant pots (for transplanting seedlings) could 

promote valid ecologically sustainable cultivations, enhance the 

protection of the landscape against pollution in rural areas, and 

increase the use of renewable non-oil raw materials. 

The teams are currently experimenting with these 

approaches by applying them to different cultivations. They 

hope to prove the feasibility of their novel biodegradable 

materials by investigating their functionality as well as their 

physicochemical and mechanical behavior in standard and 

controlled experimental field conditions, and by following their 

biodegradation process during plant cultivation. 

References 

[1] L. Sartore, G. Vox, E. Schettini, 2013. Preparation and Performance of 

Novel Biodegradable Polymeric Materials Based on Hydrolyzed Proteins for 

Agricultural Application J. Polym. Environ. 21 (3), pp718-725. doi: 10.1007/ 

s10924-013-0574-2 

[2] E. Schettini, L. Sartore, M. Barbaglio and G. Vox, Hydrolyzed protein based 

materials for biodegradable spray mulching coatings. Acta Horticulturae 

(ISHS) 952, pp.359-366, 2012. 

[3] L. Sartore, E. Schettini, F. Bignotti, S. Pandini, and G. Vox, Biodegradable 

plant nursery containers from leather industry wastes, Polym. Composite. 

2016. doi:10.1002/pc.24265. 

www.uniba.it | www.brescia.edu 


Interpack Preview 

From May 04 to 10 the World’s biggest packaging 

trade fair will again invite visitors to Düsseldorf, 

Germany. interpack 2017 is recording the highest 

demand among exhibitors in its history of over 55 

years. By the official closing date of this outstanding 

international event for the packaging industry and 

related processing industries, exhibitors had booked 

about 20 per cent more space than was available at 

the exhibition centre with its 262,400 square metres 

in 19 halls. Around 2,700 exhibitors can therefore be 

expected again from 4 to 10 May 2017, coming from 

about 60 different countries. 

And for the fifth time in a row (after 2005, 2008, 

2011 and 2014) bioplastics will again play an 

important role at this unique trade fair. The very 

high interest of public and media during the last 

four interpacks give evidence of the importance 

of sustainable technologies for bio-based and 

compostable packaging. 

On the following pages bioplastics MAGAZINE 

gives a first glimpse on what visitors can expect in 

Düsseldorf in terms of ‘Bioplastics in Packaging’. 

Most of the companies offering bioplastics 

packaging are again located in hall 9. In addition 

to the short notes you will find a Show-Guide with 

floorplan of hall 9 on pages 30-31. 

BIO-FED 

BIO-FED is exhibiting at Interpack for the 

first time this year. The Cologne-based branch 

of AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH is specifically 

targeting its offer to the new statutory 

legislative framework on the French market. 

One consequence of the new energy 

turnaround law in France on 1.1.2017 was a 

ban on conventional plastic bags for fruit and 

vegetables as well as foil packaging for postal 

items. In future, these have to be biobased and 

biodegradable in domestic compost. 

“We have expanded our portfolio for the 

French market to include several new and 

highly innovative products in line with current 

statutory provisions and specifically designed 

for the French film industry, and we will 

be presenting them at Interpack,” says Dr. 

Stanislaw Haftka, BIO-FED Sales Director. 

These new products include the extrusion 

M·VERA ® B5024 and B5025 which have a high 

proportion of biobased raw material. Both 

products can be composted at home and are 

highly transparent, making them ideal for fruit 

and vegetable bags. 

The Cologne-based company will also be 

presenting its new biodegradable injection 

moulding products at interpack. 

Grabio Greentech Corporation 

With the EU plastic ban movement progressing, countries like 

Italy, France, and Spain are taking affirmative actions towards 

cutting down plastic bag consumption. In the U.S., the result 

of California state’ referendum was supported by people’s 

determination to terminate the use of plastic shopping bag from 

retail stores. These events are igniting the fuse of bioplastic 

market booming. 

For over 17 years Grabio Greentech Corporation continues its 

pursuance for higher valued environmental products. Their new 

HOME Compostable product GBL306 representing the latest 

achievement in combining home compostable characteristic with 

high biobased content (38 %). The new GBL306 fulfills the latest 

French plastic bag regulation standard and is a cornerstone of 

Gabio’s future development. 

At this year’s Interpack, Grabio will be exhibiting its latest blown 

film grade material and finished products which all conform to 

major plastic bag regulations happening worldwide. Also in display 

are Grabio’s agriculture application products. Grabio uses market 

leading technology to create agricultural products that are perfect 

for use in exquisite agriculture. 

www.grabio.com.tw 9 / E07 11 

www.bio-fed.com 9 / G05 1 



interpack 

CGP Coating Innovation 

During interpack 2017, CGP Coating Innovation (Cébazat, 

France), specialist in packaging, protection, stabilization 

and transport of palletized loads, presents its FLEXIBLE 

range of technical films, including bio-sourced and 

biodegradable films. 

Composed of extruded materials, partly made from 

renewable plants, and transformed directly by CGP 

Coating Innovation, these films comply with the standards 

of industrial compostability (EN13432), as well as new 

provisions for home composting (NF T51 -800) linked with 

the Energy Transition Law for Green Growth. 

Note that like all other CGP Coating Innovation ranges, 

FLEXIBLE benefits from the Group’s expertise in technical 

coating and high quality printing. 

Discover the FLEXIBLE range as well as all the products 

and services of CGP Coating Innovation (sensory marketing, 

anti-slip, VCI ...) on its booth. 

www.cgp-coating.com 

11 / A30 


NaturePlast / Biopolynov 

The valuing of waste and by-products is and will be in 

upcoming years an important issue in economics and 

environment, for manufacturers. 

NaturePlast (Ifs, France), expert in the field of biobased 

plastics since 2006, and principally since the creation 

of the R&D center Biopolynov, works to accompany 

manufacturers in the development of new ways of valuing 

their by-products in the field of plastics. 

It is possible, in most cases, to recuperate the industrial 

waste (mostly from agricultural or agro-food industries, 

such fruits and vegetables, seeds, seashells, algae, 

etc., but also textile industries (fibers and leather goods, 

construction, etc.) in order to incorporate them into plastic/ 

bioplastic materials, so creating new materials. 

Natureplast-Biopolynov possesses all required 

equipments to develop these new materials: 

By-products treatment: drying, grinding and sieving, and 

valorisation in the field of plastics: compounding, injection 

or extrusion equipment’s, and characterizations laboratory. 

www.natureplast.eu | www.biopolynov.com 

9 / F22-1 2 16 

Please visit 


for updated information 

about interpack 2017

Visit us: hall 9, G03 

6 

Luminy® 

PLA bioplastics for a brighter future 

Biobased • Compostable • Innovative 

www.total-corbion.com 

bio PAC 

conference @ interpack 4-5-6 may 


Register now, or come last minute to 

Room 16/17 Pavillion/ CCD SÜD and bring your credit card 

Booth Company 

7.1 / B18 A.J. Plast 

7.2 / A06-4 Anhui Junei Biotechnology 

10 / B43 BASF SE 

Location 

in hall 9 

Hall 9 

9 / G05 Bio-Fed Branch of Akro-Plastic 1 

9 / F22-1 Biopolynov 2 

9 / F16-1 Biotec Biologische Naturverpackungen 3 

9 / B03 B-Pack 4 

9 / G15 Braskem 5 

Entrance 

North 

A 

A09 

A21 

A17 

A19 

A23 

A25 

A29 

Hall inspector 

A 

11 / A12 BYK-Chemie GmbH 

11 / A30 CGP Industries SAS, CGP Coating Innovation 

10 / E44 Coexpan 

9 / G03 Corbion Group Netherlands 6 

9 / E04 DIN Certco Gesellschaft für Konformitätsbewertung 7 

9 / F07 European Bioplastics 8 

9 / F14 FKuR Kunststoff 9 

9 / F05 Futamura 10 

A02 

C01 

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B03 

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A04 

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B11 

B16 

C15 

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B17 

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B24-7 

A24 

B24-3 

B24-9 

B24-13 B24-5 

B28 

B30 

A32 

B31 

B32 

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A36 

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C35 

9 / E07 Grabio Greentech Corporation 11 

7.1 / C37 ICEE Containers 

9 / D08 ITENE Packaging, Transport & Logistics Research Center 12 

8b / D20-45 Jiangsu Torise Biomaterials 

9 / E06 JinHui ZhaoLong High Technology 13 

9 / G28-2 Leygatech 14 

9 / F11 Minima Technology 15 

9 / F22-1 Natureplast 16 

9 / G11 NatureWorks 17 

7.2 / A36-8 Ningbo Linhua Plastic 

7.1 / C23 Nowofol Kunststoffprodukte 

9 / H16 Oerlemans Packaging 18 

9 / F10 Pacovis 19 

9 / B24-1 Plastiroll 20 

9 / E09 PTT MCC Biochem 21 

11 / A07 See Box Corporation 

7.2 / A36-5 Shandong Henglian New Materials 

10 / B19-7 Sidaplax 

10 / A68 SIT Group 

C02 

E01 

E02 

F02 

F02A 

G01 

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C14 C22 

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D12 D14 

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F16-1 F22-1 

3 2 16 

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F16-5 F16-4 

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H12A 

H21 

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G28-1 F32 

H16 

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18 

H24 H26 

H30 H32 

F22-4 

F22-5 

G32-3 

G28-2 

C32-12 

14 

G32-5 

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G32-11 G32-13 G32-17 

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9 / E03 Synprodo 22 

9 / A21 Taghleef Industries 23 

7.2 / A29 Xiamen Greenday Import & Export Co., Ltd. 

J01 

Entrance 

J 

H04 

J11 

J15 

J17 

J21 

J19 

J23 

J25 

J27 

J31 

J 

J35 

7.2 / A13-12 Xiamen Lingmu Electronic Material Plastic Co., Ltd. 

J02 

J04 

J13 

J20 

J24 

J30 

J32 

J36 

At interpack 2017 most of the exhibitors offering bioplastics 

related products and services are located in hall 9. However, 

some more exhibitors can be found in other halls. These are 

listed here as well. For your convenience you can detach these 

2 pages and use them as your personal Show-Guide. 


5 th PLA World Congress 

08-09* MAY 2018 MUNICH › GERMANY 

the association representing the bioplastics industry in Europe 

www.pla-world-congress.com 

* subject to changes 

All you need to know about 

bioplastics in packaging 

Driving the 

evolution of plastics 

Visit our booth 9F07 

www.european-biopolastics.org 

On-site seminars at interpack 2017 

8 

‚An Introduction to Bioplastics‘ 

4 May 14:30 - 17:30 

‚A Guide to Communication on 

Bioplastics‘ 

8 May 10:30 - 13:30 

Bioplastics.pdf 1 23/03/17 18:56:42 

1 

C 

A www.european-bioplastics.org 

new generation of biobased 

films for 

CCD Süd 

South 

Room 16/17 in the Pavillion 

M 

Y 

CM 

MY 

CY 

CMY 

packaging 

labeling 

lidding 

K 

www.ti-films.com 

www.nativia.com 

Synprodo 

23 

22 

BioFoam ® 

bio-based 

& 

compostable

Sidaplax / 

Plastic Suppliers 

“Light in weight, light on 

your pocket” is the slogan under which 

Sidaplax, Ghent Belgium, and its parent company 

Plastic Suppliers Inc., Columbus OH USA, are 

launching EARTHFIRST ® UL, the newest member of 

the EarthFirst PLA film-family. 

The EarthFirst UL is a much thinner version of the 

existing PLA-film range. It can be used as a sealant 

layer in laminates, replacing significantly thicker (L) 

LDPE films. The stiffness of PLA allows extreme downgauging 

without compromising on machine-ability. On 

the contrary, the high modulus guarantees smooth 

unwinding, perfect web flatness and non-curling 

laminates. The high yield (up to 89 m²/kg) has a positive 

effect on material cost, and makes EarthFirst UL 

competitive vs. traditional thicker PE-films. Additional 

advantages include higher productivity and reduced 

number of roll changes, less need for warehousing 

space and lower transportation cost. 

First applications prove good results as a sealant 

layer in laminates for stand-up pouches, sachets, 

paper/cardboard laminates, and other flexible 

packaging structures. 

The EarthFirst UL film is available in 9, 12 and 15 µm. 

EarthFirst UL is part of the PLA-film family of cost 

effective, bio-based, compostable, high performance, 

packaging-, sealing-, windowing- and shrink-sleeve 

films. 

www.plasticsuppliers.com 10 / B19-7 

PTTMCC Biochem 

PTTMCC Biochem Company Limited is a joint venture company 

between PTT Public Company Limited and Mitsubishi Chemical 

Corporation, the two frontrunners in the energy and petrochemical. 

It was purposely established to provide environmentally friendly 

bioplastic BioPBS to inject green attributes and performance 

into a variety of applications. PTTMCC is the world’s first producer 

of bio-based PBS and PBSA from natural resources. Their plant is 

located in Thailand with annual capacity of 20,000 tonnes. 

BioPBS offers revolutionary properties. It is both biobased and 

biodegradable to yield a polymer that is able to degrade naturally at 

room temperature, and has no adverse effects on the environment. 

Why use BioPBS? 

• High service temperature: Applications made from BioPBS 

can be used in hot condition of up to 100°C. 

• High heat sealability: BioPBS offers the best sealing 

properties among all bioplastics, and can compete 

effectively with well-known conventional petro-based 

plastics solutions (LLDPE, mPE…). 

• Easy to mix with other Bioplastics: BioPBS is easily 

compoundable with other types of biopolymers and extends 

field of applications of bioplastics. 

• Home compostability and/or ambient biodegradation with 

no requirement for an industrial composting facility. 

BioPBS have several key certificates, for example biobased 

(DIN Certco, USDA), Compostable (BPI, OK Compost, OK 

Biodegradable in soil, OK Compost HOME) and Food safety 

(Complies with EU directives 10/2011). 

www.pttmcc.com 9 / E09 21 

DIN CERTCO 

Under the motto “Our hearts beat for sustainability - 

show the difference!”, DIN CERTCO will present at 

interpack 2017 its extensive range of services around 

packaging and the recycling and disposal of packaging. In 

addition, DIN CERTCO will present their comprehensive 

certification options in the environmental sector. 

DIN CERTCO extended its certification services in the 

last couple of years to provide applicants with long-time 

internationally accepted conformity marks. With more 

than 40 years of experience in certification services they 

offer the highest quality possible in conformity assessment 

Founded in 1972 by German Institute for 

Standardization, DIN e. V., DIN CERTCO continuously 

improved its reputation in certification services around the 

globe. Separating testing, assessment and certification 

within the ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation our quality marks 

ensure competence, independence and impartiality. 

At their booth DIN CERTCO invites visitors to a green 

cocktail and to discuss with them their individual questions 

regarding the certification of your sustainable products. 

Make use of the special offer for certifications in 

the environmental field and for packaging for your 

order during the trade fair. 

www.dincertco.de 9 / E04 7 

Biotec 

At interpack 2017, BIOTEC will present its range of 

BIOPLAST products, which offer a wide choice of bio based 

packaging solutions to converters. 

BIOTEC is one of the global leading companies in producing 

starch based compounds. It was established in 1992 and is 

located in Emmerich am Rhein (Germany). With specialized 

knowledge, BIOTEC develops and produces biodegradable 

and compostable materials, using potato starch as the main 

renewable resource. 

All BIOPLAST products are certified with OK compost 

by Vinçotte, whereas last year’s launched BIOPLAST 300, 

400 and 500 are also fulfilling the OK compost HOME 

requirements by Vinçotte. The bio-based carbon shares 

are 30 %, 40 % and 50 % respectively (confirmed by Beta 

Analytics). Additionally, BIOPLAST products are 100 % 

biodegradable and compostable according to the EN 13432 

standard. 

BIOPLAST is interesting especially to 

bag producers, as it fulfills the highest 

requirements (e. g. the German bio-waste 

directive for refuse bags and the French 

legislation for fruit and vegetable bags). 

www.biotec.de 

9 / F16-1 6 



Braskem 

Braskem is the largest producer of thermoplastic resins 

in the Americas and the leading producer of biopolymers 

in the world, creating more environmental-friendly, 

intelligent and sustainable solutions through chemicals 

and plastics. Known for innovative solutions such as its 

CO 2 

reducing, fully recyclable I’m green Polyethylene 

made from renewable sugarcane, Braskem’s products and 

technologies enable the packaging industries to produce 

goods that enhance quality of life for people around the 

world. 

Braskem is present in more than 70 countries, has 

around 8,000 Team Members and operates 40 industrial 

units in Brazil, the United States, Germany and Mexico, the 

latter in partnership with Mexican company Idesa. 

Reinforcing its commitment to sustainable development, 

Braskem has updated its LCA study and also improved the 

Responsible Ethanol Sourcing Framework, in partnership 

with its suppliers, customers and associations. Allowing 

the customer to understand the potential environmental 

impacts throughout all stages of the product’s life cycle. 

Applying I’m green polyethylene as an alternative raw 

material is an opportunity to enhance product and brand 

value by delivering an innovative and sustainable packaging 

solution to the market. 

www.braskem.com 9 / G15 5 

Anhui Jumei Biological Technology 

Anhui Jumei Biological Technology Co.,Ltd, is a 

manufacturer of 100 % biodegradable and compostable 

plastic raw materials, engaging in research and 

manufacture of full-biodegradable materials and 

related applications. The company is committed to be 

the leader of biodegradable plastic industry. providing 

plastic manufacturers and consumers with top grade 

full biodegradable TPS/PBAT, PLA resins and related 

finished products, such as all kinds of packing bags, 

disposable tableware, durable tableware, and so on. 

The products were certificated by according to 

EN13432 and ASTM D6400. For example in the USA they 

are BPI approved. The products were also examined 

regarding their biobased content by the US-american 

BETA laboratory. 

In addition, the products were examined according 

to American SGS mechanism of FDA food contact 

safe inspection and (EU) No.10/2011 EC Test for foodcontact 

safe. 

Anhui Jumei Biological Technology would like to 

provide their customers the key terminal solutions 

according to their different requirement and 

applications. 

www.ecopoly.cn 7.2 / A06-4 

European Bioplastics 

European Bioplastics (EUBP) is the association 

representing the interests of the bioplastics industry 

in Europe and has been witness to and mouthpiece for 

the achievements and outstanding developments of the 

bioplastics industry over the past two decades to become 

one of the most innovative and exciting sectors of the 

European bioeconomy. At this year’s interpack, EUBP will 

highlight the latest innovations and advancements of the 

industry and inform visitors about the many benefits of 

bio-based and biodegradable plastic materials. The booth 

9F07 in hall 9 will be a hub for all visitors interested in 

bioplastics and assist to find the right company amongst 

the over 30 bioplastics representatives at the trade show. 

EUBP will also offer 

two onsite seminars: 

‘Bioplastics – An 

Introduction’ on 4 May, 

2-5:30pm and ‘The 

Guide To – Bioplastics 

Communication’ on 8 

May, 10:30am-1:30pm. 

More information 

can be found on the 

website. 

www.european-bioplastics.org/events/seminars/ 

9 / F07 8 

FKUR Kunststoff 

At this year’s Interpack FKuR presents a full range of 

innovative and sustainable solutions for the packaging 

industry. The Bioplastic Specialist offers support to brand 

owners and plastic converters who want to implement 

new products or packaging solutions made from 

bioplastics. Customers are in a position to choose from a 

huge variety of compostable, ready-to-use compounds as 

well as a comprehensive distribution portfolio of biobased 

resins, which includes I’m Green Polyethylene (Bio- 

PE), Eastlon (Bio-PET) and VESTAMID ® Terra (Bio-PA). 

One of the highlights on display will be the new Bio- 

Flex ® home compost grades for the production of low 

gauge and tear resistant films. The product range 

currently comprises of translucent and opaque grades 

with varying biobased carbon content of up to 50 %. 

Other innovations include the recently launched 

partially bio-based PP compounds Terralene ® PP as 

well as the fully or partially bio-based TPE compounds 

Terraprene ® . Those compounds 

open up new possibilities as the 

commodity plastic polypropylenes 

(PP) as well as the large group of 

thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) 

belong to the group of plastics, 

where bio-based alternatives 

are limited or previously not even 

represented. 

www.fkur.com 

9 / F14 9 



Synprodo 

BioFoam ® is a patented foam produced by Synbra 

(The Netherlands) made from organic raw materials. 

It has a similar structure and properties to Airpop ® 

(expanded polystyrene). 

Synbra Group companies such as Isobouw, Synprodo 

and Styropack are using this material in series 

production for the white goods sector, ice cream 

packaging and pharmaceutical sector, amongs others. 

It is a durable material that can be used long-term in 

nearly all technical and packaging applications. 

Bases on renewable resources, BioFoam is extremely 

environmentally friendly. 

After use BioFoam can be either reformed into a new 

foam product or recycled into solid PLA. Besides that it 

is got the unique possibility to be fully composted. 

Since 2009 BioFoam is a C2CCM (Silver) certified 

foam – the first foam to obtain this certification. It is 

already used in many applications and has become a 

driver for production innovation within many industries. 

During the past years there has been a widespread 

recognition for BioFoam. 

www.synprodo.com 9 / E03 22 

NatureWorks 

The increasing popularity of single serve beverage 

systems for coffee, tea, and now soft drinks raises 

the question of how best to prevent spent capsules 

ending up in landfills. For several years, NatureWorks, 

compounders, converters, and coffee companies 

have engaged in Europe and North America on a 

comprehensive research and development effort, 

using Ingeo to solve the many technical challenges 

presented in making a capsule the meets the 

temperature requirements for both the drip and high 

pressure platforms while maintaining compostability. 

NatureWorks shows at Interpack a range of successful 

Ingeo implementations of compostable pods. The 

technical achievements in films, rigid capsule bodies, 

and nonwovens, used for filtration, has opened new 

pathways to achieve success in both coffee platforms. 

The company features additional new solutions. On 

display, will be transparent form, fill, and seal (FFS) 

cups for dairy and dessert packaging. These cups 

feature transparency that showcases the natural 

products inside, stiffness for break apart applications, 

material reduction, and processing on existing FFS 

machines make this Ingeo solution a winner and must 

see at Interpack. NatureWorks also showcases new 

high barrier property films and other recent packaging 

developments. 

www.natureworksllc.com 9 / G11 17 

Futamura 

Futamura will be showcasing 

its full range of biodegradable 

and compostable NatureFlex 

films for flexible packaging 

applications. 

NatureFlex films are produced 

from sustainable wood pulp 

harvested from managed plantations and are certified 

to both EU (EN13432) and US (ASTM D6400) composting 

standards. In addition to industrial composting, the product 

has reached the standard required for home composting. 

Futamura’s unique base film and coating technologies 

have been harnessed to provide unparalleled gas and 

moisture barrier properties without compromising either 

the levels of renewable raw materials employed, or the final 

compostability of the packaging material. This excellent 

barrier is also highly effectively against the migration of 

mineral oil from paper-board packaging. 

NatureFlex films are suitable for many different types of 

flexible packaging solutions such as pouches, flow wrap and 

labels, within a variety of markets including bakery, coffee 

and tea, snacks and confectionery, to industrial applications. 

BioPBS have several key certificates, for example biobased 

(DIN Certco, USDA), Compostable (BPI, OK Compost, OK 

Biodegradable in soil, OK Compost HOME) and Food safety 

(Complies with EU directives 10/2011). 

www.futamuracellulose.com 9 / F05 10 


Being the largest producer of biodegradable polymer in 

China, JinHui ZhaoLong High Technology Co.,Ltd (herein 

after referred to as JinHui ZhaoLong)is established in 

2012 and located in Shanxi Xiaoyi Economic Development 

Zone, the production capacity for biodegradable plastics is 

20,000mts/yr. 

JinHui ZhaoLong has successively launched both Ecoworld 

biodegradable polymer brand and Ecowill biodegradable 

polymer compound brand and received a number of 

authoritive certifications in the biodegradable industry 

both in China and abroad. It corresponds with American 

and European food contact safety standards, EN13432 and 

ASTM6400D standards. Its shelf life is 12 months under 

the condition of being stored in sealed packages. It can 

ensure a storage life of 12 months after being processed 

into finished products. Ecoword biodegradable plastic can 

be broken down by microorganism into CO 2 

, H 2 

O and high 

quality organic fertilizers within 180 days under composting 

conditions without generating any poisonous gas. It is the 

main raw material for biodegradable plastic films which can 

help reducing white pollution. 

In contrast to conventional plastics, Ecowill allows its final 

plastic products to possess both biological (biodegradable 

and compostable) and physical (printable and weldable) 

advantages at the same time. Ecowill had been widely 

applied to industrial and agricultural sectors, such as 

shopping bags, garbage bags, food packages and mulch 

films etc. 

www.ecoworld.jinhuigroup.com 9 / E06 13 


Organiser 

www.nova-institute.eu 

Venue & Accomodation 

Maternushaus, Cologne, Germany 

Kardinal-Frings-Str. 1–3, 50668 Cologne 

+49 (0)221 163 10, info@maternushaus.de 

Contact 

Dominik Vogt 

Conference Manager 

+49 (0)2233 4814-49 

dominik.vogt@nova-institut.de 

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 

WORLDWIDE BIOECONOMY 

• Policy and Markets 

• Standardisation, Labelling and Certifications 

• Innovation Award “Bio-based Material of the Year 2017” 

• Bio-based Building Blocks and Platform Chemicals 

• Oleochemicals and Bio-based Polymers 

• Start-Ups 

The 10 th International Conference on Bio-based Materials is aimed at 

providing international major players from the bio-based building blocks, 

polymers and industrial biotechnology industries with an opportunity 

to present and discuss their latest developments and strategies. The 

conference builds on successful previous conferences: 250 participants 

and 30 exhibitors mainly from industry are expected. 

Find more information at: 

www.bio-based-conference.com 

Taghleef Industries 

Taghleef Industries, a leading international manufacturer 

of specialized packaging films, will be showcasing its 

NATIVIA ® range of bio-based and compostable films. 

NATIVIA films come in a variety of aesthetic appearances 

(transparent, solid white and white voided) and have 

technical characteristics such as mineral oil barrier and 

excellent dead fold. They are manufactured from Ingeo 

Polylactic Acid (PLA), a bioplastic derived from plant-based 

sugars such as corn starch or sugarcane, meaning it is 

made from 100 % renewable raw materials. 

NATIVIA NESS is the 

newly developed white 

voided film containing 

second generation starch 

derived from derived from 

waste water of the potato processing industry. This film 

recently helped Taghleef, along with Mars, Rodenburg 

and Mondi, win the 11 th Global Bioplastics Award 2016 for 

a chocolate bar wrapper developed for Mars and Snickers 

bars packaging. With thicknesses of 40 and 50 µm, NATIVIA 

NESS has a white pearlescent appearance, good opacity, 

high yield, is heat sealable (MST= 85°C) and cold seal 

receptive. 

www.ti-films.com 9 / A21 23 

Quality meets Quality 

at the new Peeze 

biobased coffee packaging 

Bio4Pack GmbH • PO Box 5007 • D-48419 Rheine • Germany 

T +49 (0) 5975 955 94 57 • F +49 (0) 5975 955 94 58 

info@bio4pack.com bioplastics • www.bio4pack.com 

MAGAZINE [02/17] Vol. 12 35

Show Automotive Preview 

CHINAPLAS 2017 Preview 

CHINAPLAS 2017, Asia’s No. 1 plastics and rubber 

trade fair, is an end-user-oriented trade fair 

focusing on “Intelligent Manufacturing, High-tech 

Materials and Green Solutions”. This certainly includes 

bioplastics. Since its debut in 1983, CHINAPLAS has 

been dedicated to satisfying the demands of customers 

in the key end markets, including automotive, building 

and construction, packaging, electrical and electronics, 

information technology, telecommunications and 

medical. The last edition of CHINAPLAS successfully 

welcomed 148,575 visitors, among which 39,454 were 

overseas visitors from over 160 countries and regions. 

As an influential event, CHINAPLAS always strives to 

present state-of-the-art technology and products that 

can be used to help companies in those industries to 

innovate and operate more efficiently, sustainably and 

competitively. 

Environmentally friendly packaging is a global hot 

topic when talking about sustainable development. 

The packaging industry tends to adopt lightweight, 

thin films, biobased and biodegradable materials, and 

package constructions that resist water, oxygen, air and 

ultraviolet rays. Exhibitors at the show will be displaying 

examples of all such materials for the packaging 

industry. In addition, packaging related machinery and 

automation equipment will be centre stage, to include 

injection moulding and extrusion technologies that 

deliver high-barrier end products, automatic detection 

equipment, and multilayer film technology. 

A specially dedicated Bioplastics Zone will be located 

in Hall 12.2. On the following pages bioplastics MAGAZINE 

presents some of the highlights including a floorplan 

By: 

that shall help visitors find the related bioplastics 

Jacek exhibitors Leciński, quick Andrea and Siebert-Raths easy. 

Daniela Jahn and Jessica Rutz 

Institute CHINAPLAS for Bioplastics 2017 and will take place from 16-19 May 2017 

Biocomposites at the China Import and Export Fair Complex, Pazhou, 

University Guangzhou, of Applied PR Sciences China. 

and Arts, Hannover, Germany 

Sogreen Technology Co., Ltd. 

After years of accumulated research and development, 

Sogreen Technology Company (Beijing, PR China) 

has developed a group of biopolymer products with 

independent intellectual property rights. Compared with 

conventional plastics, PHA has its unique advantages: 

Firstly, it has good biocompatibility and biodegradability. 

Secondly, it offers good barrier properties which can be 

used in the fresh-keeping bags; The third advantage is 

its good UV stability; Finally, PHA can be produced with 

low energy consumption and low emissions. For these 

excellent properties, PHA material has many applications 

With implementation of the green manufacturing, green 

development policy, MIIT (The Chinese Ministry of Industry 

and Information Technology), organizes the China National 

Institute of Standardization and industry associations to 

carry out the evaluation work for green design product. 

Through the release of a green design product list, 

enterprises are guided to strengthen the whole life cycle 

green management, develop green production, promote 

green consumption and promote the transformation and 

upgrading of manufacturing. As a biobased biodegradable 

material, since November 2016, PHA has entered the 

second batch of the green design products raw materials 

list. This means that the product containing PHA raw 

materials, raw materials in the process of evaluation of 

PHA parts can directly pass the evaluation. The products 

can be marketed using the green product design logo. 

During the CHINAPLAS 2017, Sogreen Technology 

company will showcase a range of biobased products 

based on PHA materials. They will show solutions of 

certified compostable and biobased polymers for mulch 

film, shopping bags, organic waste bags and packaging in 

the Bioplastics Zone of Hall No 12.2. 

www.sogreen.cn 12.2P31 20 


Show Automotive Preview 

NatureWorks 

The increasing popularity of single serve beverage systems 

for coffee, tea, and now soft drinks raises the question of 

how best to prevent spent capsules ending up in landfills. 

For several years, NatureWorks, compounders, converters, 

and coffee companies have engaged in a comprehensive 

research and development effort, using Ingeo to solve the 

many technical challenges presented in making a capsule the 

meets the temperature requirements for both the drip and 

high pressure platforms while maintaining compostability. 

NatureWorks shows at Chinaplas a range of successful 

Ingeo implementations of compostable pods. The technical 

achievements in films, rigid capsule bodies, and nonwovens, 

used for filtration, has opened new pathways to achieve 

success in both coffee platforms. 

The company features new solutions in transparent form, 

fill, and seal (FFS) cups for dairy and dessert packaging. 

These cups feature transparency that showcases the natural 

products inside, stiffness for break apart applications, 

material reduction, and they can be processed on existing 

machines, making this a cost-effective performance solution. 

Newly developed Ingeo 3D870 grade for industrial 3D filament 

that rivals ABS heat and impact resistance will be on display 

for the first time. NatureWorks also showcases new injection 

molded food service ware, new fibers, new high barrier 

property films, and more. 

www.natureworksllc.com 12.2M35 14 


Being the largest producer of biodegradable 

polymer in China, JinHui ZhaoLong High Technology 

Co.,Ltd (herein after referred to as JinHui ZhaoLong) 

is established in 2012 and located in Shanxi Xiaoyi 

Economic Development Zone, the production capacity 

for biodegradable plastics is 20,000 tonnes/a. 

JinHui ZhaoLong has successively launched 

both Ecoworld biodegradable polymer brand and 

Ecowill biodegradable polymer compound brand 

and received a number of authoritive certifications 

in the biodegradable industry both in China and 

abroad. It corresponds with American and European 

food contact safety standards, EN13432 and 

ASTM6400D standards. Its shelf life is 12 months 

under the condition of being stored in sealed 

packages. It can ensure a storage life of 12 months 

after being processed into finished products. 

Ecoword biodegradable plastic can be broken down 

by microorganism into CO 2 

, H 2 

O and high quality 

organic fertilizers within 180 days under composting 

conditions without generating any poisonous gas. It 

is the main raw material for biodegradable plastic 

films which can help reducing white pollution. 

In contrast to conventional plastics, Ecowill allows 

its final plastic products to possess both biological 

(biodegradable and compostable) and physical 

(printable and weldable) advantages at the same 

time. Ecowill had been widely applied to industrial 

and agricultural sectors, such as shopping bags, 

garbage bags, food packages and mulch films etc. 

www.ecoworld.jinhuigroup.com 12.2R35 

12 

Doill Ecotec 

As a leading WPC and Master Batch manufacturer 

in South Korea, Doill Ecotec Co., Ltd. will be 

participating in Chinaplas 2017. The company will be 

presenting WPC Compound as its main exhibit. 

Doill Ecotec’s WPC Compound is tailored to use 

for three different moldings, extrusion injection 

and blow-molding. It is 100% recyclable and ecofriendly 

as it reduces the total amount of rubbish 

by using wood flour, which usually is thrown away. 

With moisture content as low as 0.3%, WPC provide 

different texture and appearance compared to 

conventional plastics. Doill is the world’s first in 

developing WPC Compound for Blow-molding. Doill’s 

WPC is not only used for extrusion in producing 

decking board and walls, Doill’s WPC Compound 

for injection is used in different products including 

cosmetic containers and brush handles. 

In while so, Doill also provides Wood Pattern 

Master Batch and ASA Compound for various 

applications. 

http://eng.doillcolor.com 12.2L21 3 


Show Gui 

Booth Company Location (12.2) 

11.3A51 ALOK MASTERBATCHES PVT LTD 

11.3P35 AMOY COACE PLASTIC TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD. 

9.3B61 ANHUI TIANYI ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TECH. CO.,LTD 

12.2P15 AU CO., LTD. 1 

12.2S41 bioplastics MAGAZINE bM 

11.2A05 CHANGZHOU HONGMEI PLASTIC MASTERBATCH CO., LTD. 

13.2M53 CHIAO FU MATERIAL TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD 

12.2J71 COATING P. MATERIALS CO., LTD 

12.2M01 CUSTOM POLYMERS HONG KONG LIMITED 2 

12.2L21 DOILL ECOTEC CO., LTD. 3 

12.2R32 DONGGUAN XINHAI ENV. PROTECTION MATERIAL CO., LTD. 4 

11.2A31 DUPONT CHINA HOLDING CO., LTD. 

10.2C01 EMERY OLEOCHEMICALS HK LTD 

12.2P21 ENERPLASTICS L.L.C. 5 

12.2P11 EPC NATURAL PRODUCTS CO., LTD 6 

9.3K51 FINE ORGANICS 

11.3J73 FOSHAN STL PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD 

13.2M05 GALATA CHEMICALS (HONG KONG) LTD 

11.3D41 GUANGDONG CAIHONG MASTERBATCH LIMITED COMPANY 

9.3S59 GUANGDONG GLOBOR NEW MATERIALS CO.,LTD. 

10.2E61 HAIRMA CHEMICALS (GZ) LTD. 

12.2M31 HANGZHOU XINFU TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD 7 

10.3B39 HEFEI YUANRONG NEW MATERIAL CO., LTD. 

12.2S45 HUAINAN AN XIN TAI SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD 8 

13.2B75 JETWELL TRADING LIMITED 

12.2R31 JIANGSU TORISE BIOMATERIALS CO., LTD 9 

12.2L31 JILIN BODA ORIENTAL NEW MATERIAL CO., LTD. 10 

12.2P01 JILIN PROVINCE KANGRUNJIE ENV. PROTECTION TECH. CO.,LTD. 11 

12.2R35 JINHUI ZHAOLONG HIGH-TECH CO.,LTD 12 

10.3J39 JINYOUNG (XIAMEN) ADVANCED MATERIALS TECH. CO., LTD. 

10.3E01 JUMP TECHNOLOGY INC. 

9.3D79 KINGYORKER ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. 

9.3B25 LIFELINE TECHNOLOGIES 

10.2A41 LOTTE ADVANCED MATERIALS, LOTTE FINE CHEMICAL 

12.2S47 MAGNECHEM SDN. BHD. 13 

11.2D41 MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL HOLDINGS CORPORATION 

10.3J01 NANJING LIHAN CHEMICAL CO.,LTD 

12.2M35 NATUREWORKS, LLC. 14 

11.2C31 NEXEO PLASCHEM (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD. 

12.2R25 PROVIRON FUNCTIONAL CHEMICALS N.V. 15 

11.3A79 RAJIV PLASTIC INDUSTRIES 

12.2M21 REVERDIA 16 

11.2K61 RIKEVITA FINE CHEMICAL & FOOD IND. (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD 

12.2L35 ROQUETTE 17 

10.2C31 SAMYANG CORPORATION 

12.2J21 SHANDONG JIQING CHEMCAL CO., LTD. 

10.3M01 SHANGHAI INGOO CHEMICAL CO.,LTD. 

10.3M05 SHANGHAI XINER LOW-CARBON ENV. TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. 

12.2R21 SHENZHEN ESUN INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. 18 

12.2S43 SHENZHEN POLYMER ASSOCIATION 19 

10.3K41 SHINKONG SYNTHETIC FIBERS CORPORATION 

12.2P31 SOGREEN TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. 20 

12.2L25 SUZHOU HANFENG NEW MATERIAL CO.,LTD. 21 

12.2M11 TAIZHOU SUDARSHAN NEW MATERIAL CO.,LTD 22 

11.2K41 TEIJIN LIMITED 

9.3A65 WEIFANG GRACELAND CHEMICALS CO., LTD 

12.2L01 WEIHAI LIANQIAO INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION GROUP 23 

13.2B71 XINJIANG BLUE RIDGE TUNHE 

9.3P67 YANGZHOU ROLAND NEW MATERIALS CO.,LTD 

12.2M25 YAT SHUN HONG COMPANY LTD 24 

12.2R11 ZHEJIANG HISUN BIOMATERIALS CO.,LTD. 25 

Layout Plan courtesy Adsale Exhibition Service 

S41 

bM 

23 

3 

10 

17 

S43 

19 

S45 

8 

bioplastics MAGAZINE 

L21 

L25 

S47 

L01 

M01 

13 

22 

16 

21 24 

L31 

M31 

L35 

M11 

M21 

M25 

M35 

7 

14 

2 

38 bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/17] Vol. 12 

In this Show Guide you find the majority of compa 

compounds, additives, semi-fini

de 

bio CAR 

P11 

6 

P01 

11 

P15 

1 

R11 

25 

Biobased materials for 

automotive applications 

conference 

20-21* september 2017 

www.bio-car.info 

*: subject to changes 

P21 

5 

R21 

R25 

18 

15 

P31 

20 

R31 

R32 

4 

R35 

9 

12 

5 th PLA World Congress 

08-09* MAY 2018 MUNICH › GERMANY 

*: subject to changes 

The conference will comprise high class presentations on 

nies offering bioplastic products, such as resins, 

shed products and much more. 

• Latest developments 

• High temperature behaviour 

• Blends and Compounds 

• Foam 

• Processing 

• Additives 

• Stabilization 

• Applications (packaging 

and durable applications) 

• Recycling and other endof-life 

options 

www.pla-world-congress.com


Give waste 

a chance 

Shrink film and packaging nets 

for agricultural products from 

vegetable waste 

By: 

Chelo Escrig Rondán 

Head of Extrusion Department 

AIMPLAS (Plastics Technology Centre) 

Paterna, Spain 

The autonomous Spanish region of Andalusia currently 

boasts an annual production of some 7.5 million 

tonnes of vegetables and 2 million tonnes of fruit, 

making it Spain’s most important region for the export of 

tomatoes, peppers, strawberries and, in particular, cucumbers. 

A recent study from Andalusia’s department of Agriculture, 

Fishing and Environment conducted by IFAPA (Institute 

for Research and Training in Agriculture and Fisheries) 

revealed that overall marketing losses of between 2-10 % 

occur during handling of the produce, which translates into 

approximately 500,000 tonnes of horticultural by-products, 

which often simply end up in landfill. 

To address this issue, the BIOVEGE project was 

established. Its aim was to valorize the vegetable waste 

generated during the handling, transport and delivery of 

fruit and vegetables, with as goal to develop sub-products 

suitable for food and packaging applications such as: 

• Plasticizers for modifying PLA, to enable the 

development of extruded shrink film and packaging nets; 

• Natural preservatives suitable for use in a broad range 

of foodstuffs; 

• Bioactive, hydrophilic and lipophilic ingredients that can 

be extracted and emulsions to incorporate these in food 

matrices of all types, regardless of their nature. 

The production of biomaterials and food ingredients from 

these waste products will provide them with real added 

value. The following diagram shows the two work lines 

proposed for the BIOVEGE project: 

vegetable 

waste 

extraction of 

ingredients 

food 

preservatives 

final use 

food preservatives in food models 

bioactive ingredients for olive oil 

of bioactive 

compounds 

bioactive 

ingredients 

packaging 

bionet 

hydrolization 

from vegetable 

waste fiber to 

obtain hydrocarbons 

alcohol 

production 

polymer 

modification 

reactive 

extrusion 

process 

Project development 

shrink 

film 



This article is focused on the development of 

new packaging for vegetables based on the 

following steps: 

• Extraction of fatty alcohols from fermentable sugars that 

can be found in vegetable waste (fruits, such as melon 

and watermelon, and vegetables, such as cucumbers, 

peppers and courgettes). 

• Chemical modification of commercial biopolyesters by 

grafting fatty alcohols onto their polymer chain by means 

of reactive extrusion in order to improve their elastic 

properties. 

• Obtaining new biopolyesters suitable for the extrusion of 

nets and shrink film. 

• Currently, the project has exceeded its one third 

development baseline schedule; during this first period, 

the researchers have achieved the following: 

• Formulation of the definition of the material 

requirements and characteristics to be met by both 

packaging types. 

• Chemical modifications have been carried out in PLA 

at laboratory level using commercial fatty alcohols with 

different purities. 

In this step, PLA was modified by using commercial oleic 

alcohol with two different purities; high purity (80 – 85 %) 

and low purity (60 %). Both alcohols were grafted onto the 

PLA polymer using direct grafting radical reactions. 

A test was performed in which the radical agent was 

optimized, on the basis of the percentage used in the 

reaction, the percentage of oleic alcohol employed, as well 

as the temperature and the reaction time. Once the reaction 

conditions had been optimized with the commercial 

alcohol, the same reaction was performed using oleic 

alcohol obtained through the fermentation of sugars from 

vegetable waste. A summary of the results is shown in the 

following table: 

c) Chemical modifications at laboratory level 

Purity of the oleic 

alcohol 

Commercial 

60 % 

Commercial 

80 – 85 % 

Oleic alcohol percentage 

employed in the 

reaction (%) 

Grafting 

reaction 

efficiency (%) 

1 82,5 

2 99 

3 95 

1 71 

2 91 

3 70 

a) Shrink Film Requirements 

b) Packaging Nets Requirements 

Shrink film for cucumber 

Processable material produced 

through 

Blown Film Extrusion 

Film with good transparency. 

Packaging nets for green beans and garlics 

Processable material produced using 

Extrusion Melt Spinning technology 

• Garlic: Oriented nets 

• Green Beans: not oriented nets 

In this step, the researchers developed a route to graft 

oleic alcohol onto the PLA polymer. Using this methodology, 

the efficiency of the grafting reaction using 2 % of fatty 

alcohol was higher than 90 % in both cases. Additional trials 

using the oleic alcohol derived from fermented vegetable 

waste, are under development. 

Future steps: 

In the second part of the project, this chemical 

modification process will be scaled up from laboratory to 

pilot plant level. Both products (shrink film and packaging 

nets) will be manufactured. The packaging characterization 

will continue and the validation of both types will start, 

bearing in mind their functionality. At the end of the project, 

the scaling up of new bio-compounds and the production of 

final products will be also carried out. 

Partners 

This Spanish project, coordinated by La Union, is being 

carried out by a consortiumof six companies: La Unión, 

Neol, DOMCA, Torres Morente, Ecoplas and Morera y 

Vallejo. 

These companies have subcontracted four research and 

development centers to perform a number of tasks: CIDAF, 

Las Palmerillas, Tecnalia and AIMPLAS, who is also in 

charge of the technical coordination of the project. 

Acknowledgement 

This project has received funding from INNTERCONECA 

(ITC-20151281) a programme funded by CDTI (Spanish 

Government). 

www.aimplas.es 


Application News 

Environment-friendly toy blocks 

The Chinese toy company BanBao is committed to build 

a better tomorrow, and for this reason will start producing 

sustainable and environment-friendly building blocks made 

of new biobased materials. The educational toy brand with 

its headquarters in Shantou (Province Guangdong), China will 

start its production near Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The 

new eco-friendly toy line will be called BioBuddi. 

Regulators increasingly warn of unsafe toys that fail to 

meet safety requirements. The controls have been tightened 

with more recalls as a result. The desire for environmentfriendly 

and safer toys is greater among parents, according 

to research. 

Steven van Bommel (CEO BanBao Europe, Venlo, The 

Netherlands) explains: “Almost any regular plastic building 

block toy used until now, even ours is made from petrochemicals 

(ABS or PP). Conventional plastic toys rely on increasingly 

scarce resources and in the process of being manufactured 

they cause between 2 - 7 times their own weight in greenhouse 

gases to be emitted into 

our atmosphere. 

“Our new ‘green’ biobased 

building blocks 

contain 0 % oil-based chemicals, 

because our raw 

materials are derived 

from plants.” The BanBao 

toy blocks will be made from 100 % biobased PE (Green PE 

from sugar cane), as Steven told bioplastics MAGAZINE. 

“We also do not add any oil-based chemicals during the 

manufacturing process to ‘enhance’ the performance or 

colour of our product. The packaging (FSC Certified paper), 

stickers (Green PE), instructions and glue will also be 100 % 

biobased. The quality of the building blocks has amazed us, 

the blocks perfectly fits to our non-biobased building blocks 

and those of the competition. Even the price can compete 

against the competition, mainly using ABS and PP plastics as 

its basic raw material. It is an exciting project that can have a 

positive impact on the planet and can change the toy industry,” 

says Steven van Bommel. 

The new product line is developed in collaboration with 

Biopromotions, a dutch company which specializes in 

products made of biodegradable and biobased plastics. Robert 

de Waal (CEO Biopromotions) is very pleased about the new 

partnership; “BanBao was looking for an alternative ‘green’ 

raw material for making their toy bricks. Soon they came into 

contact with us. Our knowledge has grown enormously over 

the years and we accepted the challenge.” 

The sustainable and environmental friendly product line will 

consist of over 13 toy boxes suitable for children in the age 

of 1,5 to 6 years old. The new BioBuddi product line will be 

available in stores in the autumn of 2017. MT 

www.banbao.com 

Organic 3.0 natural cosmetics in bio-PE bottles 

The German company SPEICK natural cosmetics 

(Leinfeldern-Echterdingen, Germany) has recently been 

awarded the Best New Product Award at VIVANESS 2017 

(International Trade Fair for Natural and Organic Personal 

Care, February 2017 Nuremberg,Germany) in the Body Care 

category for their brand new Organic 3.0 body lotion. 

The palm oil free formula that is easily biodegradable and 

has a recyclable structure won over the trade professionals 

completely at the world’s leading trade fair for natural 

cosmetics. And - it is packaged in bottles made of renewable 

materials. 

The lotion is COSMOS certified and features an 

extremely soft, velvety texture, a subtle, pleasant scent and 

environmental values. Energised water and organic rye flour 

ferment complete the detox formula. 

VIVANESS bestows the Best New Product Award every 

year at the international trade fair for natural and organic 

cosmetics in Nuremberg, Germany. 

“Organic 3.0 stands for concepts that promote sustainability, 

foster growth without sacrificing quality and enhance our 

credibility among our customer base. An additional objective 

is to create a firmer footing for ecological farming and its 

principles as a model for the development of a sustainable 

agricultural and food sector;” Says Anke Boy; Marketing and 

Product Management at Speick. 

The bottle material for the Organic 3.0 body lotion as well 

as the shower gel is made fom Green PE, a 100 % biobased 

polyethylene made from sugar cane. The sugar cane is grown 

in Brazil in the context of sustainable resource- and socialmanagement 

ProForest. 

Speick is a family business with a history of more than 85 

years. They are proud to source their raw ingredients and 

packaging primarily from the own country. Now in the third 

generation, the company develops and produces exclusively 

at their German premises. MT 

www.speick.de 


Application Automotive News 

Recycling Containers 

Solegear Bioplastic Technologies Inc. and Braskem recently announced a 3-year 

partnership in which Solegear will utilize Braskem’s Green PE (bio-Polyethylene) 

to produce and distribute a series of household recycling containers under its good 

natured brand. The first products resulting from this partnership has been on display 

since mid March (starting at the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, California USA). 

“Solegear continues its strong partnership development, building momentum to drive 

adoption of bioplastics in the marketplace,” shared Paul Antoniadis, CEO of Solegear. 

“This latest partnership illustrates our team’s commitment to seek out the best biobased 

ingredients for each application and then create finished bioplastic products and 

packaging that are being demanded by today’s environmentally conscious consumers.” 

“This partnership has strategic value for Braskem. It will provide us access to new 

markets and strengthen the company’s growth in North America,” said Gustavo Sergi, 

responsible for Braskem’s Renewable Chemicals team. MT 

www.solegear.ca | www.braskem.com 

Environmentally friendly stand-up paddleboard fin 

Surf equipment manufacturer, Futures Fins (Huntington 

Beach, California, USA), introduced a new fin for stand-up 

paddleboards (SUP) created from biocomposites. The RWC 

(reclaimed wood composite) Keel is an environmentally 

friendly biocomposite-based fin that meets, and in some 

aspects exceeds, traditional performance demands. 

The new fin is made from a wood-plastic composite 

manufactured by Green Dot Bioplastics (Cottonwood 

Falls, Kansas, USA). Futures Fins came to Green Dot 

looking for an environmentally friendly material with the 

natural aesthetics of wood, that also met the performance 

requirements of the engineering-grade plastics normally 

used for this application. One of Green Dot’s Terratek woodplastic 

composites, a blend of reclaimed wood fibers with 

recycled plastic, was the right solution. 

Futures Fins’ prerogative has been to market products 

as the ultimate, premium performance. They use materials 

such as carbon fiber and Kevlar to produce high-quality, 

performance-driven, dramatic-looking fins. The new 

biocomposite fin disrupts this traditional marketing model. 

Visually, The RWC Keel tells a different story than the 

other products. It’s a fin that looks and feels different than 

anything else Futures Fins manufactures, but performs at 

the same level, or better than many of the other fins for 

stand-up paddleboards. 

Each SUP fin receives a rating on the Speed vs Stability 

scale based on flex, rake and foil tests to assist customers 

in determining the specifics they need according to their 

skill level and desires. 

Futures Fins makes thousands of plastic products every 

year. As surfers who manufacture equipment in Huntington 

Beach for other surfers, they are deeply connected to the 

beach and ocean. Seeing trash and plastic waste wash up 

on the beach was more than bothersome. The owners felt 

a responsibility to protect the environment, and aimed to 

create a product that would reduce landfill waste and be as 

friendly to the earth as possible. 

Collaborating with Green Dot Bioplastics and using the woodplastic 

composite wasn’t Futures Fins’ first attempt at creating 

an environmentally friendly fin. Previous materials were also 

experimented with: mushroom foam, hemp, flax, soy-based 

items and more. Ultimately, these materials were difficult to 

work with, and did not meet the performance level required. 

The composite used ended up being a plug-and-play solution. 

It’s easy to mold, and creates a product that’s about 35 % lighter 

than the standard products Futures Fins manufactures. Green 

Dot’s wood-plastic composite can achieve a wide range of 

characteristics by adjusting the species, size and concentration 

of wood particles in the formulation. While the formulation 

can change to produce dramatic differences, the common 

characteristic among all iterations is sustainability. 

Futures Fins is living up to their name as they plan to 

continue collaborating with Green Dot Bioplastics to introduce 

more products utilizing biocomposites and bioplastics. The 

key will be increasing the stiffness while keeping the product 

light, a task Green Dot is prepared to help Futures Fins achieve. 

This will enable fins to be made for long board and twin fin 

surfboards as well. The holy grail will be the development of a 

biocomposite or bioplastic for short boards, but the aggressive 

riding style demands more out of the fin. MT 

www.greendotbioplastics.com | www.futuresfins.com 


mark your calendar 

bio CAR 

organized by bioplastics MAGAZINE 

biobased materials for automotive applications 

september 2017 stuttgart 

Media Partner 

1 st media partner 

bio!car: Conference by bioplastics MAGAZINE 

» The amount of plastics in modern cars is constantly increasing. 

» Plastics and composites help in achieving light-weighting targets. 

» Plastics offer enormous design opportunities. 

» Plastics are important for the touch-and-feel and the safety of cars. 

BUT: 

consumers, suppliers to the automotive industry and OEMs are more and more looking 

for biobased alternatives to petroleum based materials. That‘s why bioplastics MAGAZINE is 

organizing together with nova-Insitute 

bio!CAR: 

Focussed mainly on biobased materials in automotive engineering, the 2 nd edition of this 

international meeting is scheduled for 20-21 September parallel to COMPOSITES EUROPE 

2017. The conference will be organised jointly by bioplastics MAGAZINE and the nova-Institute. 

The event is further supported by the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. (FNR). 

www.bio-car.info 

supported by 

co-orgnized by 

in cooperation with 

Call for papers 

now open

Brand Owner 

Brand-Owner’s perspective 

on bioplastics and how to 

unleash its full potential 

“At Nestlé we are committed to continuously improving the 

environmental performance of our packaging. “Lead the development 

and use of materials from sustainably managed renewable resources” 

is one of five focus areas of our packaging environmental sustainability 

roadmap. We joined the WWF Bioplastics Feedstock Alliance to help build 

a more sustainable future for the bioplastics industry whilst addressing 

issues such as land use, food security and biodiversity. 

We see bioplastics as an opportunity to further improve the 

environmental performance of our packaging where their performance 

meets the requirements of our products and where it is proven that they 

are not contributing to food insecurity. We defined three generations of 

bioplastics. Generation one are materials such as PLA or PHAs which 

are moisture sensitive, and are therefore not suitable for a widespread use in our 

packaging. There are applications where these materials make sense: e.g. PLA has 

a very good twist retention and can be good for twist wrap applications. Generation 

two are the drop-in materials (Bio-based Polyethylene, PET, and Polypropylene), 

with exactly the same properties as what we are using today, but from renewable 

resources. The third generation is really what we are aiming at; material that has 

enhanced technical and environmental performance which can allow us to achieve 

further optimisation of our packaging. Moisture barrier is key for most of our product 

and the bioplastics industry needs to put more focus on developing solutions in this 

direction!” www.nestle.com 

Sokhna Gueye 

Packaging Environmental Sustainability Specialist 

Nestlé Research Center 

® 

NESTLE and Logo are registered trademarks of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland 

By: 

Jacek Leciński, Andrea Siebert-Raths 

Daniela Jahn and Jessica Rutz 

Institute for Bioplastics and 

Biocomposites 

University of Applied Sciences 

and Arts, Hannover, Germany

Report 

By: 

Michael Thielen 

Bioplastics Survey 

In our previous issue, we started a new series “special focus 

on certain geographical areas”. Our idea is to conduct 

simple surveys in various countries and regions around 

the world, in order to gain an idea about the general perception 

of bioplastics in these countries. 

In this second edition of this new series, we again 

visited shopping centers in a number of towns, this time in 

Germany and Austria, where we interviewed at random a 

(non-representative) number of regular people – average 

citizens who were not expected to have any special 

knowledge of or connection with bioplastics. 

Of course, while Germany and Austria are close 

neighbors, they are two completely different countries, 

each with its own array of cultural peculiarities. The people 

in both countries speak German, albeit with slightly (?) 

different accents or dialects. The results of the surveys, 

however, were so similar in both countries, that we could 

easily include all the results in a single set of graphs. 

Of those we interviewed, 46 % were male and 54 % were 

female. About 80 % were aged between 20 and 40, while 

20 % were between the ages of 40 and 60. This represents 

the average distribution of people browsing these particular 

shopping centers. 

When asked whether they knew what bioplastics were, 

a markedly small percentage (18%) responded with yes 

(and went on to back this up by correctly defining these 

as materials of biobased origin and/or with biodegradable 

features). We did find that the people in the city of Cologne, 

with its one million inhabitants, were slightly better informed 

than those in Mönchengladbach (Germany, population 

260,000) and Salzburg (Austria, population 150,000). Overall, 

the other 82 % all indicated that they were interested in 

hearing more about what bioplastics were. 

We briefly explained that conventional plastics were made 

from oil, a scarce and non-renewable resource, and that 

burning petroleum-based products contributed to the rising 

levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. We talked about how 

biobased plastics can be made from renewable resources 

or waste streams, such as corn, sugar beet, sugar cane 

or, e.g., waste starch from the potato industry and pointed 

out that biodegradable/compostable plastics (whether 

biobased or otherwise) also had significant benefits to offer, 

depending on the application. 

The majority of our interviewees responded positively to 

our explanation, expressing the opinion that bioplastics 

were better for the environment, with fewer harmful effects 

on the climate. A few saw bioplastics a way for them 

personally to actually do something about climate change. 

Asked whether they would buy products made of 

bioplastics, if they should happen to see them on display 

at the store, all confirmed that they would. Yet, echoing the 

interviewed Dutch shoppers in the previous edition, here 

again “only” 90 % reported that they would be willing to 

pay more for such products, with most responding: “a little 

more, yes”, or “but not twice as much”… 

In sum, consumers who know about or are aware of 

bioplastics and their potential are still a minority. Yet, 

once informed, and given the opportunity, consumers – at 

least those we interviewed- indicate that they would opt for 

products using bioplastics and even be willing to pay a small 

premium. This indicates an obvious need for comprehensive 

end consumer education. Consumer behavior can make 

a significant impact on the ways products affect the 

environment. Educating consumers about bioplastics offers 

a huge opportunity to promote these materials and to effect 

positive changes in the shopping choices people make. 

female 

20-40 

years 

40-60 

years 

Do you know what 

bioplastics are? 

Would you buy? 

Would you pay more? 

male 

YES 

18% 

NO 

86% 

YES 

100% 

NO 

0% 

YES 

90% 

NO 

10% 

54% 

57% 

53,3% 

57% 

43% 

46% 

43% 

46,7% 

100% 78% 22% 80% 20% 80% 20% 100% 

50% 

50% 



Thermochromic bio-pigments 

Chromogenic materials change colour or transparency 

depending on temperature, electrical voltage, pressure 

or exposure to light. In thermochromic materials, 

a pre-determined temperature change triggers this 

change in colour. For example, in the food industry, thermochromic 

packaging can reveal whether the refrigeration 

chain has been interrupted. The temperature-sensitive additives 

used in this application are currently only available 

on the market as oil-based pigments. 

“In particular bioplastics – which will play a major role 

in day-to-day life in the future – lose their biobased status 

when commercially available thermochromic dyes are 

added. Our department has already demonstrated that the 

idea of thermochromic bioplastics can work. This is why we 

would like to use renewable raw materials when developing 

these materials for various applications,” explains 

Department head Christian Rabe. The move to Potsdam- 

Golm (Germany) enables the eight-person team to profit 

from the 25 years of expertise at the Fraunhofer Institute for 

Applied Polymer Research (IAP) in the area of biopolymer 

research, and to take advantage of synergies. These relate 

to the access to technologies and characterization methods, 

as well as a more intensive exchange of knowledge with 

members of the Biopolymers research division. 

In addition to integrating thermochromic effects into 

biopolymers, the department Chromogenic Polymers, at 

its new location in the Science Park in Golm, is currently 

focusing on the development of particularly stable 

electrochromic windows for architectural applications or 

boat-building, and irreversible thermochromic packaging 

films. MT 

www.iap.fraunhofer.de 

Christian Rabe’s bio-based thermochromic dyes will enable 

purely biobased materials to change color in the future (Photo Till 

Budde, Fraunhofer IAP) 


Basics 

Update on relevant standards 

for the bioplastics industry 

in Europe 

Standardisation is an effort by industrial stakeholders 

to define generally accepted criteria and guidelines for 

the description of products, services, and processes. 

The aim is to ease competition and commercial growth by 

overcoming barriers that result from unclear or inconsistent 

specifications and communication, to introduce benchmarks 

for desirable quality requirements, and to prevent 

fraudulent market behaviour. 

While there is no comprehensive EU legislation 

specifically harmonising standards for environmental and 

product marketing claims, the European Commission as 

well as national governments, ministries, and independent 

standardisation institutes have issued a multitude of 

standards that can serve as a basis for evaluating claims for 

bioplastics and other bio-based and biodegradable products. 

The harmonisation of standards on EU-level through CEN 

certainly has added value insofar as standards should apply 

equally across participants in the same market. 

Relevant standards for bio-based plastics: 

Several standards are in place describing methods on how 

to determine the bio-based content of a material or product. 

EN 16640 “Bio-based products – Determination of the biobased 

carbon content of products using the radiocarbon 

method“, for example, describes how to measure the 

carbon isotope 14 C (radiocarbon method). The standard 

EN 16785-1 “Bio-based products – Bio-based content – 

Part 1: Determination of the bio-based content using the 

radiocarbon analysis and elemental analysis“ has been 

developed to also account for other bio-based elements in 

a polymer through elemental analysis of renewable content 

of a bio-based product. 

Additionally, there are standards on how to describe the 

principles of life cycle assessment for bio-based products. 

The standard EN 16760 “Bio-based products - Life Cycle 

Assessment” provides specific LCA requirements and 

guidance for bio-based products based on the ISO 14040 

series of standards. Furthermore, standard EN 16751 

attempts to standardise sustainability criteria of bio-based 

products. However, it does not include any thresholds or 

limits and is not suitable for making authoritative claims 

regarding the sustainability of products or operations. There 

are numerous certification schemes for the sustainability 

of biomass, for example ISCC PLUS, RSB (Roundtable on 

Sustainable Biomaterials), or REDcert. 

Relevant standards for biodegradable plastics: 

The harmonised standard EN 13432 “Requirements 

for packaging recoverable through composting and 

biodegradation” requires at least 90% disintegration after 

twelve weeks and at least 90% biodegradation (i.e. CO 2 

evolvement) within six months, and it includes tests on 

ecotoxicity and heavy metal content. It is the standard 

for biodegradable packaging designed for treatment in 

industrial composting facilities and anaerobic digestion. 

The standard EN 14995 describes the same requirements 

and tests, however it applies not only to packaging, but to 

plastics in general. 

With regard to biodegradability in other environments 

than industrial composting, first national standards and 

test methods have been developed. The French standard 

NF T 51-800 “Plastics — Specifications for plastics suitable 

for home composting” published in 2015 requires at least 

90 % biodegradation in 12 months at ambient temperature. 

A EU standard for home compostable plastic carrier 

bags is expected to be developed in the near future. The 

standard prEN 17033 “Biodegradable mulch films for use 

in agriculture and horticulture – Requirements and test 

methods” (publication expected in 2017) will specify the 

requirements for biodegradable mulch films. 

Examples for different compostability lables: The Seedling, the 

OK Compost label, the US/Canada composting label and the 

Japanese GreenPLA compostable label 


Basics 

Stand G05 · Hall 9 

By: 

Constance Ißbrücker 

Head of Environmental Affairs 

European Bioplastics e.V. 

Berlin, Germany 

There is no standard providing clear pass/fail criteria for 

the biodegradation of plastics in seawater. The US standard 

ASTM D7081 “Standard Specification for Non-Floating 

Biodegradable Plastics in the Marine Environment” has 

been withdrawn without replacement. However, the test 

methods that were referred to are still in place, but do not 

offer any pass/fail criteria. 

Environmental communication guidelines: 

There are already numerous standards and test methods 

available that provide a normative framework for explaining 

the properties biobased’ and biodegradable in connection 

with plastic materials and products. Claims about bio-based 

plastics and products can be substantiated in accordance 

with the requirements that the standards described above 

specify. The upcoming standard EN 16935 “Bio-based 

products - Requirements for Business-to-Consumer 

communication and claims” will set out clear requirements 

for communicating the benefits and properties of bio-based 

plastics. These standards offer a first basis for assessing 

bioplastics and provide recommendations for sound 

communication on corresponding claims - a prerequisite 

for successful market performance. 

You can find a more comprehensive overview of all 

relevant standards in the fact sheet ‘Relevant standards and 

labels for bioplastics’ (http://docs.european-bioplastics. 

org/publications/fs/EUBP_FS_Standards.pdf) or on the 

European Bioplastics website www.european-bioplastics. 

org. 

During interpack 2017, European Bioplastics will offer 

two workshops designed to provide a thorough overview 

over bioplastics in general as well as the environmental 

communication of bioplastics based on relevant standards. 

Fore more information on these workshops, please contact 

seminars@european-bioplastics.org or visit our homepage. 


9 / F07 

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we provide you with customised 

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Fax: +49 221 88 88 94-99 

info@bio-fed.com 

www.bio-fed.com 


Basics 

Biodegradability and Compostability: 

Certification 

and Standards 

Berit Topolinski 

Product Manager 

DIN CERTCO 

Berlin Germany 

AA lot has changed in recent years. Nowadays, shoppers 

in countries, such as for example Germany, stow 

their groceries in backpacks; they use paper bags and 

reusable bags. Yet not all has changed. Fruit and meat are 

still packed in plastic. Packaging is an effective way of keeping 

products fresh and hygienic, and providing added value 

to the product it contains. In the light of this important role, it 

is therefore hardly surprising that in terms of the materials 

used, plastic packaging, too, continues to evolve. 

While PE (polyethylene), PET and others have long been 

the materials of choice, the past several years have seen a 

rapid increase in the use of biodegradable or compostable 

materials, such as PLA, PBAT and the like –offering the 

same benefits as conventional durable plastics. And it is not 

just Germany. France has new regulations; developments 

are ongoing in European countries such as The Netherlands, 

Italy and Switzerland, as well as in China and other parts of 

the world. Packaging, packaging materials and end-of-life 

options are widely discussed topics of focus in the media. 

There are vivid discussions on, first of all, how to raise 

consumer awareness, as well as on how to increase awareness 

and to ensure end consumers are provided with clear, accurate 

and understandable information. How to make the difference 

clear to consumers between mechanically recyclable and 

organically recyclable plastic? And how to make sure that 

packaging can really be biodegraded by microorganisms and 

will end up as beneficial biomass and CO 2 

within a reasonable 

period of time in a defined environment? 

There were complaints that biodegradable and 

compostable bags did not disintegrate fast enough, that they 

failed to decompose in the garden compost pile, or when put 

in or left on soil [1]. Obviously, the communication to end 

consumers about such products needed to be improved. 

Standards have been developed in which accurate testing 

methods have been laid down to determine the appropriate 

end-of-life option for such products. These standards 

are based on common sense and have been agreed on in 

standardization committees worldwide. 

Standards are indispensable instruments in ensuring 

safety technology, in protecting health, the environment, 

and customer interests, generally. They play a vital part in 

the national economy and lay the foundations for the free 

exchange of goods and services. 

In Europe, EN 13432 [2] lays down the requirements for 

compostable packaging. It contains distinct pass/fail criteria 

regarding the industrial compostability of packaging and is also 

one means of obtaining marketing approval for such products 

in Europe. For the United States, the key standards are ASTM D 

6400 [3] and ASTM D 6868 [4]. Australia and New Zealand refer to 

the AS 4736 [5] standard. As can be seen, different standards are 

applicable for different countries. The good news is that there are 

many similarities in the tests and pass/fail requirements; the bad 

news is there are also some differences. 

Next to packaging that is solely suitable for industrial 

composting, there are also products that can be organically 

recycled in the compost pile at home. Standards for home 

compostable packaging and plastics have therefore also been 

developed. France recently introduced the NF T 51-800 [6] 

standard and Australia brought out its AS 5810 standard [7]. The 

main differences to EN 13432 are the lower temperatures at which 

biodegradation and disintegration are tested and, in connection 

with this, the longer time spans allowed for these processes. 

Plastic packaging materials that are biodegrade in or on 

soil are also available, although relevant standards are still 

under development. There is, however, a technical report 

suggesting the criteria 

The ASTM D 6691 [8] standard offers a test method to 

assess biodegradation in water, while another standard, 

ASTM D 7081 [9] which related to non-floating biodegradable 

plastics in the marine environment, was withdrawn in 2014. 

To date, tests for biodegradability in water or the marine 

environment have been unable to be carried out in conditions 

reflecting the actual environmental conditions, regarding 

such factors as temperature, depth, etc.. 

More importantly, the ocean should never be considered 

a suitable place for the disposal of waste. Certification for 

biodegradability in the ocean/freshwater is a delicate topic, as it 

could imply that littering the ocean with bioplastics could be an 

end-of-life option. In our decided opinion – and not ours alone 

–waste should be treated before it ever has the opportunity to 

enter the sea, managed by the circular economy. 

Summarizing: Different standards relate to different composting / 

biodegradation options and standards also differ locally. 

Confusing? The good news is that there is no need to worry 

about knowing all the details of all these standards when and 

if you plan to seek certification. Simply contact a certification 

body (such as e.g. DIN CERTCO) about your market needs, 

and You will get the full support and guidance you require 

throughout the process. 

DIN CERTCO has extended its certification services over 

the past couple of years to provide applicants with enduring, 

internationally accepted conformity marks. With more than 

40 years of experience in certification services, they offer the 

highest quality possible in conformity assessment. 

Founded in 1972 by the German Institute for Standardization, 

DIN e. V., DIN CERTCO has continuously worked to maintain its 

reputation in certification services around the globe. Thanks to 

the separation between DIN CERTCO’s testing and assessment 

functions, and their accreditation to ISO/IEC 17065, their quality 

marks ensure competence, independence and impartiality. 


Basics 

The certification services offered by DIN CERTCO 

include the following: 

Industrially Compostable Products 

Based on the DIN V 54900 standard series, which preceded 

EN 13432, DIN CERTCO supported the development of the 

certification scheme for the Seedling compostability logo 

of European Bioplastics. Since 1997, certificate holders 

around the world have labeled their products with this logo 

as a way to differentiate themselves from their competition. 

When the EN 13432 standard was released in 2000, it 

became mandatory for countries in the European Union 

and was consequently implemented. In the meantime, other 

standards, e.g. ASTM D 6400, ISO 17088 [10], ISO 18606 [11] 

and EN 14995 [12], were added to the certification scheme to 

cover market needs. 

DIN CERTCO has also implemented the AS 4736 standard, 

with ASTM D 6868 currently under preparation, which 

allows certificate holders to use the DIN-Geprüft industrial 

compostable conformity mark. 

Compostability linked with biodegradability represents an 

important element of the organic recycling management 

system. 

Identification and, thus, the return of products into the 

materials cycle is made possible by certification and by a 

system of unique labelling. 

Home Compostable Products 

DIN CERTCO offers certification for products made from 

compostable materials that are compatible with home and 

garden composting, granting these products the right to 

bear the DIN-Geprüft home compostable conformity mark. 

The mark serves an informative and a commercial purpose, 

both for consumers and in B2B marketing. In Australia, 

certification for garden compostability can be obtained 

in accordance with Australian standard AS 5810. With 

this frequently revised norm as the basis for assessment, 

certification indicates conformity with the requirements of 

this standard. 

DIN CERTCO also provides certification according to NF 

T 51-800 since 2016, enabling you to show your compliance 

with the new French requirements. 

Products, biodegradable in or on soil 

This certification was designed for products that are 

intended to be used in or on soil, such as mulch films and 

similar products used in agriculture or gardening. DIN SPEC 

1165 (CEN/TR 15822) is a technical report which suggests 

how to test such products in order to prove their suitability 

for biodegradation in soil. 

www.dincertco.de 

9 / E04 

[1] Die große Lüge von der kompostierbarten Tüte, Georg Ismar, WELT, 

2015. Mogelpackung Biotüte, Jacqueline Brzinzky, GEO, 2011. 

[2] EN 13432:2000-12 Packaging - Requirements for packaging recoverable 

through composting and biodegradation - Test scheme and evaluation 

criteria for the final acceptance of packaging; German version EN 

13432:2000 

[3] ASTM D6400-12 Standard Specification for Labeling of Plastics Designed 

to be Aerobically Composted in Municipal or Industrial Facilities 

[4] ASTM D6868-11 Standard Specification for Labeling of End Items 

that Incorporate Plastics and Polymers as Coatings or Additives with 

Paper and Other Substrates Designed to be Aerobically Composted in 

Municipal or Industrial Facilities 

[5] AS 4736-2006, Biodegradable plastics—Biodegradable plastics suitable 

for composting and other microbial treatment 

[6] NF T 51-800 (2015-11) Plastics - Specifications For Plastics Suitable For 

Home Composting 

[7] AS 5810-2010, Biodegradable plastics—Biodegradable plastics suitable 

for home composting 

[8] ASTM D 6691-09, Standard Test Method for Determining Aerobic 

Biodegradation of Plastic Materials in the Marine Environment by a 

Defined Microbial Consortium or Natural Sea Water Inoculum 

[9] ASTM D7081 - 05 Standard Specification for Non-Floating Biodegradable 

Plastics in the Marine Environment (Withdrawn 2014) 

[10] ISO 17088:2012 - Specifications for compostable plastics 

[11] ISO 18606:2013 - Packaging and the environment -- Organic recycling 

[12] EN 14995:2007, Plastics – Evaluation of compostability – Test scheme 

and specification; German version EN 14995:2006 


Automotive 

10 

Years ago 

Published in 

bioplastics MAGAZINE 

In March 2017, Andy Sweetman (Futamura 1 ) 

says: 

“Its fascinating to reread an article from 

10 years ago. The original image shows a 

minimally printed NatureFlex NVS film with 

an additional label. 

http://tinyurl.com/lidding2007 

Applications 

photos: Innovia 

Transparent 

heat-sealable 

compostable 

film 

New biodegradable and 

compostable film for food 

applications under chill conditions 

30 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/07] Vol. 2 

www.innoviafilms.com 

A new grade of Innovia Films‘ NatureFlex TM biodegradable 

was launched by the company in last October. NatureFlex 

NVS film has been specifically formulated to offer 

improved stiffness under chill cabinet conditions and 

features a heat-sealable conversion-friendly coating on 

both sides. While the film is semi permeable to moisture, 

providing good anti-mist properties, on the other 

had it offers a good barrier to gases and aromas. Target 

applications include the flow packing of fresh produce, 

window bags and bakery. 

The high gloss film with enhanced transparency has 

inherent anti-static properties, good dead-fold properties 

and is resistant against oil and greases. Enhanced 

printability and controlled slip properties ensure easier 

conversion. NatureFlex NVS is currently available in 23 

and 30 micron thicknesses. 

The cellulose based NatureFlex films are derived from 

renewable wood pulp which is sourced from managed 

plantations operating good forestry principals (FSC or 

equivalent). In addition to meeting EN13432, ASTM D6400 

and Australian AS4736 standards for compostable packaging, 

NatureFlex is also suitable for home composting. 

One of the first supermarkets to adopt the new film 

is Sainsbury‘s in the UK. In September Sainsbury‘s announced 

that they would change over 500 product lines 

to biopackaging. The objective is to save 4,000 tons of 

fossil-based plastics annually. For Sainsbury‘s, Innovia 

Films deliver the film to Natura A.S.P. Ltd for conversion 

to the packers requirements. The film is printed first with 

the compostable logo and reference numbers before being 

micro-perforated at A.S.P.‘s plant in Watford, in order 

to tailor gas permeability to the products‘ requirements. 

The film is then used by Sainsbury‘s to flow-wrap a wide 

range of own brand organic fruit and vegetables. 

Andy Sweetman, Innovia Films‘ Market Development 

Manager, Sustainable Technologies says „Innovia Films 

have been supplying Sainsbury‘s packers with NatureFlex 

through A.S.P. for use on organic produce for nearly five 

years. Their recent declaration to considerably increase 

the use of biodegradable and compostable packaging is 

a strong indication that environmental issues are seriously 

being considered by the major retail chains. Our 

new NatureFlex NVS grade significantly improves packaging 

performance in such applications.“ 

Whilst such ‘simple’ applications still 

continue, and NVS is a very successful product 

for Futamura, more and more NatureFlex films 

are used in much more complex biolaminate 

constructions: 

They provide the critical high barrier and 

printability webs; transparent NatureFlex NK 

films for heat-resistance and optimum printability; 

metallised films for high moisture and gas barrier 

performance. 

Laminate NatureFlex films to other bioplastic 

films which provide strong and integral seals, and 

you have the perfect solution for dry food pouches, 

capsule-lids and sachets… 

Typical applications today include coffee, 

tea, biscuits, health bars, bakery bags, sugarconfectionery, 

chocolate, labels and dry foods such 

as pasta, rices and beans.” 

100% 

Week 1 

Week 2 

Week 3 

Week 4 

BIODEGRADATION PROCESS 

EcoWorks ® 

www.EcoFilm.com 

info@CortecVCI.com 

1-800-4-CORTEC 

St. Paul, MN 55110 USA 

© Cortec Corporation 2006 

70 

EcoWorks 

Biodegradable 

Replacement for Plastic and Polyethylene 

Up to 70% Bio-based With 

Annually Renewable Resources 

From thick rigid plastic cards to fl exible protective wrap, 

EcoWorks ® 70 by Cortec ® Research Chemists offers universal, 

biodegradable replacement to traditional plastic 

and polyethylene films. This patent pending breakthrough 

meets ASTM D6400 and DIN V 54 900. EcoWorks ® 70 

does not contain polyethylene or starch but relies heavily 

on renewable, bio-based polyester from corn. 100% 

biodegradable, it turns into water and carbon dioxide in 

commercial composting. 

EcoWorks BioPlastic.indd 1 8/2/06 8:44:40 AM 

® 

A recent 

pack using 

NatureFlex, 

showing the 

stunning 

printability of 

Futamura’s 

compostable 

packaging 

films. 

1: in 2016 Futamura acquired the NatureFlex TM 

activities from Innovia Films 


Automotive 

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Suppliers Guide 

1. Raw Materials 

AGRANA Starch 

Bioplastics 

Conrathstraße 7 

A-3950 Gmuend, Austria 

technical.starch@agrana.com 

www.agrana.com 

Jincheng, Lin‘an, Hangzhou, 

Zhejiang 311300, P.R. China 

China contact: Grace Jin 

mobile: 0086 135 7578 9843 

Grace@xinfupharm.comEurope 

contact(Belgium): Susan Zhang 

mobile: 0032 478 991619 

zxh0612@hotmail.com 

www.xinfupharm.com 

1.1 bio based monomers 

Kingfa Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd. 

No.33 Kefeng Rd, Sc. City, Guangzhou 

Hi-Tech Ind. Development Zone, 

Guangdong, P.R. China. 510663 

Tel: +86 (0)20 6622 1696 

info@ecopond.com.cn 

www.ecopond.com.cn 

FLEX-162 Biodeg. Blown Film Resin! 

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

Simply contact: 

Tel.: +49 2161 6884467 

suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Stay permanently listed in the 

Suppliers Guide with your company 

logo and contact information. 

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

can be present among top suppliers in 

the field of bioplastics. 

For Example: 

BASF SE 

Ludwigshafen, Germany 

Tel: +49 621 60-9995 

martin.bussmann@basf.com 

www.ecovio.com 

PTT MCC Biochem Co., Ltd. 

info@pttmcc.com / www.pttmcc.com 

Tel: +66(0) 2 140-3563 

MCPP Germany GmbH 

+49 (0) 152-018 920 51 

frank.steinbrecher@mcpp-europe.com 

MCPP France SAS 

+33 (0) 6 07 22 25 32 

fabien.resweber@mcpp-europe.com 

Corbion Purac 

Arkelsedijk 46, P.O. Box 21 

4200 AA Gorinchem - 

The Netherlands 

Tel.: +31 (0)183 695 695 

Fax: +31 (0)183 695 604 

www.corbion.com/bioplastics 

bioplastics@corbion.com 

62 136 Lestrem, France 

Tel.: + 33 (0) 3 21 63 36 00 

www.roquette-performance-plastics.com 

1.2 compounds 

FKuR Kunststoff GmbH 

Siemensring 79 

D - 47 877 Willich 

Tel. +49 2154 9251-0 

Tel.: +49 2154 9251-51 

sales@fkur.com 

www.fkur.com 

GRAFE-Group 

Waldecker Straße 21, 

99444 Blankenhain, Germany 

Tel. +49 36459 45 0 

www.grafe.com 

39 mm 



41066 Mönchengladbach 

Germany 

Tel. +49 2161 664864 

Fax +49 2161 631045 



Sample Charge: 

39mm x 6,00 € 

= 234,00 € per entry/per issue 

Sample Charge for one year: 

6 issues x 234,00 EUR = 1,404.00 € 

The entry in our Suppliers Guide is 

bookable for one year (6 issues) and 

extends automatically if it’s not canceled 

three month before expiry. 

DuPont de Nemours International S.A. 

2 chemin du Pavillon 

1218 - Le Grand Saconnex 

Switzerland 

Tel.: +41 22 171 51 11 

Fax: +41 22 580 22 45 

www.renewable.dupont.com 

www.plastics.dupont.com 

Tel: +86 351-8689356 

Fax: +86 351-8689718 

www.ecoworld.jinhuigroup.com 

ecoworldsales@jinhuigroup.com 

API S.p.A. 

Via Dante Alighieri, 27 

36065 Mussolente (VI), Italy 

Telephone +39 0424 579711 

www.apiplastic.com 

www.apinatbio.com 

BIO-FED 

Branch of AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH 

BioCampus Cologne 

Nattermannallee 1 

50829 Cologne, Germany 

Tel.: +49 221 88 88 94-00 

info@bio-fed.com 

www.bio-fed.com 

Green Dot Bioplastics 

226 Broadway | PO Box #142 

Cottonwood Falls, KS 66845, USA 

Tel.: +1 620-273-8919 

info@greendotholdings.com 

www.greendotpure.com 

NUREL Engineering Polymers 

Ctra. Barcelona, km 329 

50016 Zaragoza, Spain 

Tel: +34 976 465 579 

inzea@samca.com 

www.inzea-biopolymers.com 

www.facebook.com 

www.issuu.com 

www.twitter.com 

www.youtube.com 

Xinjiang Blue Ridge Tunhe 

Polyester Co., Ltd. 

No. 316, South Beijing Rd. Changji, 

Xinjiang, 831100, P.R.China 

Tel.: +86 994 2713175 

Mob: +86 13905253382 

lilong_tunhe@163.com 

www.lanshantunhe.com 

PBAT & PBS resin supplier 

Global Biopolymers Co.,Ltd. 

Bioplastics compounds 

(PLA+starch;PLA+rubber) 

194 Lardproa80 yak 14 

Wangthonglang, Bangkok 

Thailand 10310 

info@globalbiopolymers.com 

www.globalbiopolymers.com 

Tel +66 81 9150446 

Sukano AG 

Chaltenbodenstraße 23 

CH-8834 Schindellegi 

Tel. +41 44 787 57 77 

Fax +41 44 787 57 78 

www.sukano.com 



1.6 masterbatches 

6.2 Laboratory Equipment 

TECNARO GmbH 

Bustadt 40 

D-74360 Ilsfeld. Germany 

Tel: +49 (0)7062/97687-0 

www.tecnaro.de 

1.3 PLA 

JIANGSU SUPLA BIOPLASTICS CO., LTD. 

Tel: +86 527 88278888 

WeChat: supla-168 

supla@supla-bioplastics.cn 

www.supla-bioplastics.cn 

Zhejiang Hisun Biomaterials Co.,Ltd. 

No.97 Waisha Rd, Jiaojiang District, 

Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, China 

Tel: +86-576-88827723 

pla@hisunpharm.com 

www.hisunplas.com 

GRAFE-Group 



Tel. +49 36459 45 0 

www.grafe.com 

2. Additives/Secondary raw materials 

GRAFE-Group 



Tel. +49 36459 45 0 

www.grafe.com 

3. Semi finished products 

3.1 films 

Minima Technology Co., Ltd. 

Esmy Huang, COO 

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

Taichung County 

411, Taiwan (R.O.C.) 

Tel. +886(4)2277 6888 

Fax +883(4)2277 6989 

Mobil +886(0)982-829988 

esmy@minima-tech.com 

Skype esmy325 

www.minima.com 

Natur-Tec ® - Northern Technologies 

4201 Woodland Road 

Circle Pines, MN 55014 USA 

Tel. +1 763.404.8700 

Fax +1 763.225.6645 

info@natur-tec.com 

www.natur-tec.com 

MODA: Biodegradability Analyzer 

SAIDA FDS INC. 

143-10 Isshiki, Yaizu, 

Shizuoka,Japan 

Tel:+81-54-624-6260 

Info2@moda.vg 

www.saidagroup.jp 

7. Plant engineering 

EREMA Engineering Recycling 

Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH 

Unterfeldstrasse 3 

4052 Ansfelden, AUSTRIA 

Phone: +43 (0) 732 / 3190-0 

Fax: +43 (0) 732 / 3190-23 

erema@erema.at 

www.erema.at 

9. Services 

1.4 starch-based bioplastics 

BIOTEC 

Biologische Naturverpackungen 

Werner-Heisenberg-Strasse 32 

46446 Emmerich/Germany 

Tel.: +49 (0) 2822 – 92510 

info@biotec.de 

www.biotec.de 

Grabio Greentech Corporation 

Tel: +886-3-598-6496 

No. 91, Guangfu N. Rd., Hsinchu 

Industrial Park,Hukou Township, 

Hsinchu County 30351, Taiwan 

sales@grabio.com.tw 

www.grabio.com.tw 

Infiana Germany GmbH & Co. KG 

Zweibrückenstraße 15-25 

91301 Forchheim 

Tel. +49-9191 81-0 

Fax +49-9191 81-212 

www.infiana.com 

4. Bioplastics products 

Bio4Pack GmbH 

D-48419 Rheine, Germany 

Tel.: +49 (0) 5975 955 94 57 

info@bio4pack.com 

www.bio4pack.com 

NOVAMONT S.p.A. 

Via Fauser , 8 

28100 Novara - ITALIA 

Fax +39.0321.699.601 

Tel. +39.0321.699.611 


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 

6. Equipment 

6.1 Machinery & Molds 

Osterfelder Str. 3 

46047 Oberhausen 

Tel.: +49 (0)208 8598 1227 

Fax: +49 (0)208 8598 1424 

thomas.wodke@umsicht.fhg.de 

www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de 

Institut für Kunststofftechnik 

Universität Stuttgart 

Böblinger Straße 70 

70199 Stuttgart 

Tel +49 711/685-62814 

Linda.Goebel@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de 

www.ikt.uni-stuttgart.de 

narocon 

Dr. Harald Kaeb 

Tel.: +49 30-28096930 

kaeb@narocon.de 

www.narocon.de 

1.5 PHA 

TianAn Biopolymer 

No. 68 Dagang 6th Rd, 

Beilun, Ningbo, China, 315800 

Tel. +86-57 48 68 62 50 2 

Fax +86-57 48 68 77 98 0 

enquiry@tianan-enmat.com 

www.tianan-enmat.com 

BeoPlast Besgen GmbH 

Bioplastics injection moulding 

Industriestraße 64 

D-40764 Langenfeld, Germany 

Tel. +49 2173 84840-0 

info@beoplast.de 

www.beoplast.de 

GRANCH BIOPACK CO., LTD 

Huanggang, Hubei, China 

Tel: +86-(0)713-4253230 

Robin.li@salesgh.com 

http://xsguancheng.en.alibaba.com 

Buss AG 

Hohenrainstrasse 10 

4133 Pratteln / Switzerland 

Tel.: +41 61 825 66 00 

Fax: +41 61 825 68 58 

info@busscorp.com 

www.busscorp.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 

9. Services (continued) 

nova-Institut GmbH 

Chemiepark Knapsack 

Industriestrasse 300 

50354 Huerth, Germany 

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

E-Mail: contact@nova-institut.de 

www.biobased.eu 

Bioplastics Consulting 

Tel. +49 2161 664864 

info@polymediaconsult.com 



www.pu-magazine.com 

K2016, hall 15, 

booth B27 / C 2 4 / C 27 / D2 4 

Engineering Passion 

05/2016 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 

www.kraussmaffei.com/experts 

Lightweight 

construction/ 

Composites 

Automoti 

tive 

inte 

ri 

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Surf 

ac 

es 

Insu 

lati 

on/ 

wh 

ite go 

ods 

Spec 

ecia 

ial 

so 

lutions 

Eri 

ch Fries, your Kra 

ussMaffei expert for lightw 

eight 

construction/composites 

www.pu-magazin.de 

04/2016 Oktober 

Machines, plants & technologies for highly efficient polyurethane processing 

>> METERING MACHINES 

>> SANDWICH PANEL LINES 

>> MOULDED FOAM LINES 

>> SLABSTOCK LINES 

>> COMPOSITES & ADVANCED APPLICATIONS 

>> TECHNICAL INSULATION LINES 

>> 360˚ SERVICE 

K 2016 / Düsseldorf 

19.10. - 26.10.2016, Hall 13, Stand B63 

www.hennecke.com 

69. Jahrgang, November 2016 

We focus on solving your individual problems 

and develop products which will significantly 

improve your processing. 

Innovative design, constant quality and maximum 

consistency – that is what we provide. 

Kettlitz-Chemie GmbH & Co. KG 

Industriestraße 6, 86643 Rennertshofen (Germany) 

Phone +49 8434 9402-0, Fax +49 8434 9402-38 

info@kettlitz.com, www.kettlitz.com 

Plasticizers, Processing Aids 

Activators, Silanes 

Desiccants, Antitack Agents 

Heat Transfer Fluids 

Volume 11, November 2016 

tpe-e modification 

hard-soft composites 

new styrene-ethylene copolymer 

low-density tpu foam 

polytriazines as fire/flame retardant synergists 

TPE-TPO 

TPE-TPO 

Volume 8, November 2016 

10. Institutions 

10.1 Associations 

BPI - The Biodegradable 

Products Institute 

331 West 57th Street, Suite 415 

New York, NY 10019, USA 

Tel. +1-888-274-5646 

info@bpiworld.org 

10.2 Universities 

IfBB – Institute for Bioplastics 

and Biocomposites 

University of Applied Sciences 

and Arts Hanover 

Faculty II – Mechanical and 

Bioprocess Engineering 

Heisterbergallee 12 

30453 Hannover, Germany 

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

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

lisa.mundzeck@hs-hannover.de 

www.ifbb-hannover.de/ 

10.3 Other Institutions 

Green Serendipity 

Caroli Buitenhuis 

IJburglaan 836 

1087 EM Amsterdam 

The Netherlands 

Tel.: +31 6-24216733 

www.greenseredipity.nl 

Simply contact: 

Tel.: +49 2161 6884467 

suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Stay permanently listed in the 

Suppliers Guide with your company 

logo and contact information. 

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

can be present among top suppliers in 

the field of bioplastics. 

For Example: 

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 


Michigan State University 

Dept. of Chem. Eng & Mat. Sc. 

Professor Ramani Narayan 

East Lansing MI 48824, USA 

Tel. +1 517 719 7163 

narayan@msu.edu 



41066 Mönchengladbach 

Germany 

Tel. +49 2161 664864 

Fax +49 2161 631045 



39 mm 

Sample Charge: 

39mm x 6,00 € 

= 234,00 € per entry/per issue 

Sample Charge for one year: 

6 issues x 234,00 EUR = 1,404.00 € 

The entry in our Suppliers Guide is 

bookable for one year (6 issues) and 

extends automatically if it’s not canceled 

three month before expiry. 

SEEING POLYMERS 

WITH DIFFERENT EYES... 

POLYURETHANES MAGAZINE INTERNATIONAL 

Interview: M. Volpato, Cannon, and M. Corti, Afros 

-preview 

Curative for PU cast elastomers 

PIT-S-RIM-process 

Branched short chain fluorosurfactants 

FORUM FÜR DIE POLYURETHANINDUSTRIE 

PU MAGAZIN 

WELCOME TO FASCINATION A ION PUR 

Interview: M. Volpato, Cannon, und M. Corti, Afros 

-Vorschau 

Europäischer Weichschaummarkt 2015 

Wärmeleitender PU-Schaum 

Biobasierte Polyolformulierungen 

Fachmagazin für die Polymerindustrie 

Ersatz von RFL-Systemen 

Lkw-Reifenrecycling 

Devulkanisation von S-vernetztem SBR 

Kühlmittelbeständigkeit von 

Elastomeren – Teil 1 

Spritzgießwerkzeugtechnik 

Mixing room cost optimization – part 2 

Sulfenamide accelerators 

Rubber-to-substrate bonding 

DOTG replacement for AEM, ACM, CR, NR 

Magazine for the Polymer Industry 

LSR injection molding simulation 

Intelligent Solutions. 

 

 

 

 

Leading experts for leading solutions 

Rethinking lightweight construction/composites 

11| 2016 

04| 2016 

4| 2016 

Contact us to learn more about 

subscriptions, advertising opportunities, editorial specials: 

info@gupta-verlag.de 

Our technical magazines and books create your expertise 

56 bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/17] Vol. 12 

P. O. Box 10 13 30 · 40833 Ratingen/Germany · www.gupta-verlag.com 

Tel. +49 2102 9345-0 · Fax +49 2102 9345-20

Events 

Subscribe 

now at 

bioplasticsmagazine.com 

the next six issues for €149.– 1) 

Special offer 

for students and 

young professionals 

1,2) € 99.- 

2) aged 35 and below. 

end a scan of your 

student card, your ID 

or similar proof ... 

Event 

Calendar 

You can meet us 

2017 Intl. Technology & Application Conference on 

Bio-based Materials 

20.04.2017 - 21.04.2017 - Ningbo, China 

www.bio-basedconf.com 

Plant Based Summit 2017 

25.04.2017 - 27.04.2017 - Lille, France 

www.plantbasedsummit.com 

bio!PAC 

04.05.2017 - 06.05.2017 - Düsseldorf, Germany 

organized by bioplastics MAGAZINE 


interpack 2017 

04.05.2017 - 10.05.2017 - Düsseldorf, Germany 



ecocomp 2017 

09.05.2017 - 10.05.2017 

http://tinyurl.com/ecocomp2017 

ISSN 1862-5258 

Basics 

Can additives make plastics 

biodegradable? | 40 

Highlights 

Automotive | 10 

Foam | 32 

Jan / Feb 

01 | 2017 





ISSN 1862-5258 

Basics 


Highlights 





in China | 10 

Mar / Apr 


4 th Euro BioMAT 2017 

09.05.2017 - 10.05.2017 - Weimar, Germany 

https://biomat2017.dgm.de/home/ 

Int. Conf on Bio-based Materials 

10.05.2017 - 11.05.2017 - Cologne, Germany 

www.bio-based-conference.com 

OPLASTIC 

RANTEED 

D FOR ALL TYPES 

WASTE DISPOSAL 

TER-BI has unique, 

vironmenta ly-friendly properties. 

is biodegradable and compostable 

nd contains renewable raw materials. 

t is the ideal solution for organic 

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organica ly recycled into fertile 

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meet a l essential requirements. To date 


BENELUX-Special 


r8_03.2016 

THE GUARANTEE USED FOR ALL TYPES 

OF AN ITALIAN BRAND OF WASTE DISPOSAL 

MATER-BI is part of a virtuous MATER-BI has unique, 

production system, undertaken environmenta ly-friendly properties. 



It enters into a production chain and contains renewable raw materials. 



from the farmer to the composter, waste co lection bags and is 

from the converter via the retailer organica ly recycled into fertile 


compost. 

theoriginal_R8_bioplasticmagazine_flagEBC_11.12-2016_210x297_ese.indd 1 18/01/17 11:19 

r8_03.2016 



DACH-Special 

Preview 


Chinaplas 

16.05.2017 - 19.05.2017 - Guangzhou, China 

www.chinaplasonline.com/ 

BioBased Re-Invention of Plastic 

23.05.2017 - 25.05.2017 - New York City Area, USA 

www.innoplastsolutions.com/ 

SPC BIOPLASTICS CONVERGE 

31.05.2017 - 01.06.2017 - Washinghton DC, USA 

www. bioplasticsconverge.com 

18/01/17 11:19 

+ 

or 

Bio-Based Live Europe 

31.05.2017 - 01.06.2017 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands 

www.biobasedlive.com/europe 

ESBP 2017 

05.07.2017 - 07.07.2017 - Toulouse, France 

https://esbp2017.sciencesconf.org 

6 th International Conference on Biobased and 

Biodegradable Polymers (BIOPOL-2017) 

11.09.2017 - 13.09.2017 - Mons, Belgium 

www. biopol-conf.org 

Mention the promotion code ‘watch‘ or ‘book‘ 

and you will get our watch or the book 3) 

Bioplastics Basics. Applications. Markets. for free 

1) Offer valid until 30 June 2017 

3) Gratis-Buch in Deutschland nicht möglich, no free book in Germany 

7 th International Conference and Exhibition on 

Biopolymers and Bioplastics 

19.10.2017 - 21.10.2017 - San Francisco (CA), USA 

http://biopolymers-bioplastics.conferenceseries.com/ 

7 th Biocomposites Conference 

06.12.2017 - 07.12.2017 - Cologne, Germany 

http://biocompositescc.com/home?lng=en 


Companies in this issue 

Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert 

A.J. Plast 30 

Agrana 54 

Aimplas 40 

ALOK MASTERBATCHES 38 

AMOY COACE PLASTIC TECHNOLOGY 38 

Anhui Junei Biotechnology 30, 32 

ANHUI TIANYI ENV. PROT. TECH. 38 

API Applicazioni Plastiche Industriali 54 

Avantium 8 

BanBao 42 

BASF 8 9, 54 

BASF SE 30 

Beoplast 55 

Billerudkorsnas/Fiberform 8 

Bio4Pack 8, 14 35, 55 

Bio-Fed Branch of Akro-Plastic 28, 30 49, 54 

Bio-on 5, 19 

Biopolynov 29, 30 

Biopromotions 42 

Biotec 8, 30, 32 9, 55 

B-PACK 30 35 

BPI 56 

Braskem 8, 30, 32 9 

Bunzl 8 

Buss 25, 55 

BYK-Chemie GmbH 30 

CGP Coating 29, 30 

CHANGZHOU HONGMEI 38 

CHIAO FU MATERIAL TECHNOLOGY 38 

CIDAF 41 

Clear Lam Packaging 17 

COATING P. MATERIALS 38 

Coexpan 30 

Corbion Group Netherlands 30 

Corbion-Purac 25 9 

Cumapol 8 

CUSTOM POLYMERS HONG KONG 38 

Danimer Scientific 5 

Danone 7 

DIN Certco 30, 32, 34, 50 

Doill Ecotec 37, 38 

DOMCA 41 

DONGGUAN XINHAI ENV. PROT. MAT. 38 

Dr. Heinz Gupta Verlag 56 

DUPONT CHINA HOLDING 38 

DuPont Performance Materials 54 

Ecoplas 41 

EMERY OLEOCHEMICALS HK 38 

ENERPLASTICS 38 

EPC NATURAL PRODUCTS 38 

Erema 55 

European Bioplastics 6,8,30,32,48 31, 56 

Fachagentur Nachw. Rohsto. (FNR) 9 

FINE ORGANICS 38 

FKuR 18, 30, 32 2, 54 

FOSHAN STL PLASTICS TECN. 38 

Fraunhofer IAP 47 

Fraunhofer UMSICHT 55 

Friesland Campina 8 

Futamura 8, 30, 34 9 

Futures Fins 43 

GALATA CHEMICALS (HONG KONG) 38 

Global Biopolymers 25 54 

GRABIO Greentech Corporation 28, 30 55 

Grafe 54, 55 

Granch Biopack 55 

Green Dot Bioplastics 43 54 

Green Serendipity 8 9, 56 

GUANGDONG CAIHONG 38 

GUANGDONG GLOBOR 38 

HAIRMA CHEMICALS 38 

Hallink 55 

HANGZHOU XINFU TECHNOLOGY 38 

HEFEI YUANRONG NEW MATERIAL 38 

Holland Bioplastics 8 

HUAINAN AN XIN TAI 38 

ICEE Containers 30 

Infiana Germany 55 

Inst. F. Bioplastics & Biocomposites 56 

ITENE 30 

JETWELL TRADING 38 

Jiangsu Torise Biomaterials 30 

JIANGSU TORISE BIOMATERIALS 38 

JILIN BODA ORIENTAL 38 

JILIN PROVINCE KANGRUNJIE 38 

Jinhui Zhaolong 4,10,30 34,37 1, 54 

JINYOUNG(XIAMEN) ADV. MAT. 38 

JUMP TECHNOLOGY 38 

Kingfa 54 

KINGYORKER ENTERPRISE 38 

Kuraray 8, 15 

La Unión 41 

Las Palmerillas 41 

Leygatech 30 

LIFELINE TECHNOLOGIES 38 

LOTTE 38 

MAGNECHEM 38 

Mars 35 

Michigan State University 56 

Minima Technology 30 55 

MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL 38 

Mondi 35 

Morea y Valejo 41 

NANJING LIHAN CHEMICAL 38 

narocon 55 

Natureplast 29, 30 

NatureWorks 8,16,30,34,37,38 9 

Natur-Tec 55 

Neol 41 

Nestlé 44 

Nestlé Waters 7 

NEXEO PLASCHEM (SHANGHAI) 38 

Ningbo Linhua Plastic 30 

nova-Institute 8 11, 35, 55 

Novamont 22 55, 60 

Nowofol Kunststoffprodukte 30 

Nurel 54 

Oerlemans Packaging 30 

Organic Waste Systems 8 

O'Right Pure Haircare Concepts 8 

Origin Materials 7 

Pacovis 30 

Paperfoam 8 

PepsiCo 5 

Plantic 15 

Plastic Suppliers 32 

plasticker 12 

Plastiroll 30 

polymediaconsult 55 

President Packaging 55 

PROVIRON FUNCTIONAL CHEMICALS 38 

PTT MCC Biochem 8, 30, 32 54 

RAJIV PLASTIC INDUSTRIES 38 

REVERDIA 38 

RIKEVITA FINE CHEMICAL & FOOD 38 

Rodenburg Biopolymers 8, 35 

Roquette 38 54 

Sadam Group 19 

Saida 55 

SAMYANG CORPORATION 38 

Scion 8 

See Box Corporation 30 

Shandong Henglian New Materials 30 

SHANDONG JIQING CHEMCAL 38 

SHANGHAI INGOO CHEMICAL 38 

SHANGHAI XINER 38 

SHENZHEN ESUN INDUSTRIAL 38 

SHENZHEN POLYMER ASS. 38 

SHINKONG SYNTHETIC FIBERS 38 

SIDAPLAX 30, 32 

SIT GROUP 30 

Sogreen Technology 36, 38 

Solegear 13, 43 

Speick Natural Cosmetics 42 

Sukano 47, 54 

Supla 55 

Sustainability Consult 9 

Sustainable Packaging Coalition 9, 15 

SUZHOU HANFENG 38 

Synerlink 17 

Synprodo 30, 34 

Taghleef Industries 30, 35 31 

TBF+Partner 20 

Tecnalia 41 

Tecnaro 55 

Tetra Pak 8 

TianAn Biopolymer 55 

TIPA 8 

Toray Plastics (America) 12 

Torres Morente 41 

Total Corbion PLA 6 30 

Univ. Bari 26 

Univ. Brescia 26 

Univ. Stuttgart (IKT) 55 

Vinçotte 5, 18, 22, 32 

VTT Technical Research Center 18 

Wageningen UR 8 

Wessanen 8 

Xiamen Lingmu El. Mat. Plastic 30 

Xiamen Greenday Import & Export 30 

Xinjiang Blue Ridge Tunhe 54 

Zhejiang Hangzhou Xinfu 54 

Zhejiang Hisun Biomaterials 44, 55 


PRESENTS 

The Bioplastics Award will be presented 

during the 12th European Bioplastics Conference 

November 28-29, 2017, Berlin, Germany 


THE TWELFTH ANNUAL GLOBAL AWARD FOR 

DEVELOPERS, MANUFACTURERS AND USERS OF 

BIOBASED AND/OR BIODEGRADABLE PLASTICS. 

Call for proposals 

Enter your own product, service or development, 

or nominate your favourite example from 

another organisation 

Please let us know until July 31 st 

1. What the product, service or development is and does 

2. Why you think this product, service or development should win an award 

3. What your (or the proposed) company or organisation does 

Your entry should not exceed 500 words (approx. 1 page) and may also be 

supported with photographs, samples, marketing brochures and/or technical 

documentation (cannot be sent back). The 5 nominees must be prepared to 

provide a 30 second videoclip and come to Berlin on Nov. 28. 

More details and an entry form can be downloaded from 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/award 

supported by













meet all essential requirements. To date 


THE GUARANTEE 

OF AN ITALIAN BRAND 

MATER-BI is part of a virtuous 

production system, undertaken 


It enters into a production chain 


from the farmer to the composter, 

from the converter via the retailer 


USED FOR ALL TYPES 

OF WASTE DISPOSAL 

MATER-BI has unique, 

environmentally-friendly properties. 


and contains renewable raw materials. 


waste collection bags and is 

organically recycled into fertile 

compost. 

r8_03.2016

Issue 02/2017

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