bioplasticsMAGAZINE_0906

ioplastics magazine Vol. 4 ISSN 1862-5258 

Highlights: 

Films, Flexibles, Bags | 12 

Consumer Electronics | 26 

Basics: 

Anaerobic 

Digestion | 42 

06 | 2009 

bioplastics MAGAZINE 

is read in 

85 countries

Plastics For Your Future 

Another New Resin For a Better World 

BIO-FLEX ® For Deep Freeze Packaging 

FKuR Kunststoff GmbH | Siemensring 79 | D - 47877 Willich 

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

www.fkur.com

Smoking a PLA-pipe? 

... Well, not exactly. 

(For details see page 33) 

Editorial 

dear 

readers 

This has been a busy autumn, with lots of exhibitions and conferences, the 

biggest one that I attended being the European Bioplastics Conference with 

about 380 bioplastics experts meeting in Berlin. 

Packaging is still the largest field of applications, as can be seen from the 

huge section ’films, flexibles, bags‘ in this issue. But durable applications are 

not far behind. Thus our second editorial focus is on ‘consumer electronics‘. 

In the basics section we cover ‘anaerobic digestion‘ or ‘biogasification‘ and 

we shed light on the important issue of ‘quantity, quality and comparability 

of material properties‘. In order to give true comparability it is essential that 

the standards used are clearly stated together with specifications that are 

quoted. 

Coverphoto courtesy alesco 

And finally we received the promised article on ‘oxo-biodegradable plastics‘. 

I think it is remarkable that the author, Professor Scott, clearly states that oxobiodegradable 

plastics are not marketed for composting, nor are they designed 

for anaerobic digestion or landfill. Oxo-biodegradable plastic addresses the 

problem caused by plastic waste which gets accidentally or deliberately into 

the open environment - i.e. littering. 

As always, this issue also brings you a number of industry news items and 

details of new applications. For next year I once again encourage all companies offering 

bioplastics products or services to contribute to the magazine with articles, news, or 

statements of opinion. On page 45 you will find the editorial calendar with all editorial 

focus subjects for 2010, as well as the editorial deadlines. 

I hope you enjoy reading this issue of bioplastics MAGAzINE. 

Yours 

Michael Thielen 

bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/09] Vol. 4 3

Content 

Editorial 03 

News 05 

Application News 34 

Event Calendar 45 

Editorial Planner 2010 45 

Glossary 46 

Suppliers Guide 48 

November/December 06|2009 

Event Review 

4th European Bioplastics Conference 10 

New Record 

Conference on Technical Applications 10 

Films | Flexibles | Bags 

Deep-Freeze Bio Packaging 12 

A Holistic Approach 14 

PLA Films are a Team Sport 17 

PLA Film Applications 18 

High-Performance and Biodegradable 19 

Materials 

Oxobiodegradable Plastic 28 

Applications 

Green Nordic Walking – with Biobased Polyamide 32 

A Magic Powder in a PLA Powderette 33 

Basics 

Evaluating Quantity, Quality and 38 

Comparability of Biopolymer Materials 

Basics of 

Anaerobic Digestion 42 

New Performance Profiles 20 

for Food and Non-Food 

Bioplastic Films from the Netherlands 23 

Consumer Electronics 

Biomassbased Bathroom Scale 24 

Eco-Centric Mobile Phone 25 

New ‘Eco.‘ Cordless Telephone 26 

Vacuum Cleaner Housing 26 

Impressum 

Publisher / Editorial 

Dr. Michael Thielen 

Samuel Brangenberg 

Layout/Production 

Mark Speckenbach 

Head Office 

Polymedia Publisher GmbH 

Dammer Str. 112 

41066 Mönchengladbach, Germany 

phone: +49 (0)2161 664864 

fax: +49 (0)2161 631045 

info@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Media Adviser 

Elke Hoffmann 

phone: +49(0)2351-67100-0 

fax: +49(0)2351-67100-10 

eh@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Print 

Tölkes Druck + Medien GmbH 

47807 Krefeld, Germany 

Total Print run: 3,500 copies 

bioplastics magazine 

ISSN 1862-5258 

bioplastics magazine is published 

6 times a year. 

This publication is sent to qualified 

subscribers (149 Euro for 6 issues). 

bioplastics MAGAZINE is printed on 

chlorine-free FSC certified paper. 

bioplastics MAGAZINE is read 

in 85 countries. 

Not to be reproduced in any form 

without permission from the publisher. 

The fact that product names may not be 

identified in our editorial as trade marks is 

not an indication that such names are not 

registered trade marks. 

bioplastics MAGAZINE tries to use British 

spelling. However, in articles based on 

information from the USA, American 

spelling may also be used. 

Editorial contributions are always welcome. 

Please contact the editorial office via 

mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com. 

Envelope 

A large number of copies of this issue 

of bioplastics MAGAZINE is wrapped in 

a compostable film manufactured and 

sponsored by novamont (www.novamont.com) 

Coverphoto courtesy alesco 

bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/09] Vol. 4

100% Bio-Sourced Thermoplastic Elastomers 

News 

Capitalizing on its long-standing experience in castor oil 

chemistry, France based Arkema has now developed Pebax ® 

Rnew100, a range of thermoplastic elastomers produced 

entirely from renewable raw materials. 

By combining a bio-sourced polyol with castor oil chemistry, 

Arkema further extends its program to substitute fossil raw 

materials with raw materials of plant origin, in line with 

its sustainable development policy. Complementing the 

Pebax Rnew range which is based on 20 to 95% plant origin 

carbon, Pebax Rnew100, Arkema’s latest high performance 

thermoplastic elastomer range, is entirely derived from 

renewable resources. Thanks to a reduction in fossil energy 

requirements during their production and in overall equivalent 

CO 2 

emissions, these products will find a natural place within 

the eco-design programs initiated by many manufacturers. 

As with the other Pebax grades, Pebax Rnew100 boasts 

outstanding mechanical properties, together with excellent 

resistance to thermal and ultra-violet ageing. Light weight 

and outstanding dynamic behavior, hence excellent resistance 

to both flexural and tensile stress, also set this product 

apart. Pebax Rnew100 therefore offers the best possible 

compromise between rigidity and mechanical strength at 

cold temperature. 

Pebax Rnew and Rnew100 have countless industrial 

applications involving the manufacture of high added value 

products. They fulfil stringent specification requirements in 

many sectors, including automotive, electronics and sports 

equipment. 

www.arkema.com 

Bio-Based Plastics: 

New Study Forecasts 

Enormous Potential 

New bio-based polymers have been available in the market 

for approximately one decade. Recently, standard polymers 

like polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC or PET, but also highperformance 

polymers like polyamide or polyester have 

been totally or partially substituted by their renewable raw 

materials equivalents. The starting raw materials are usually 

sugars or starches, partially also recycled materials from 

food or wood processing. 

In a jointly commissioned study, recently published by 

the associations European Bioplastics and the European 

Polysaccharide Network of Excellence EPNOE, Martin K. Patel, 

Li Shen and Juliane Haufe (Utrecht University) demonstrate 

that up to 90 % of the current global consumption of polymers 

can technically be converted from oil and gas to renewable 

raw materials. “Bio-based plastics will not substitute oilbased 

polymers in the near future for several reasons 

including low oil price, high production cost and restricted 

production capacity of biomass-based polymers that limit the 

technically possible growth of these plastics in the coming 

years“, explains Patrick Navard, Chairman of the Governing 

Board of EPNOE. 

Based on recent company announcements the production 

capacity of bio-based plastics is projected to increase from 

360,000 tons in 2007 to about 2.3 million tons by 2013. This 

corresponds to an annual growth of 37 %. “We should keep a 

close eye on these figures“, says Hasso von Pogrell, Managing 

Director of European Bioplastics. “Important major projects 

were delayed in the years 2008 and 2009 due to the financial 

and economic crisis. Despite the still uncertain data, which of 

course has to be further consolidated, we deem such studies 

to be very essential. The role that lightweight conventional 

plastics played in the past, substituting durable materials 

like iron and steel in vast products, could soon be taken over 

by bio-based plastics. As the study shows, the potential is 

enormous“, adds von Pogrell. 

The study discusses for all major groups of bio-based 

plastics the production process, the material properties 

and the extent to which they could substitute petrochemical 

polymers from a technical point of view. Further aspects 

covered are the prices of these novel materials and their main 

producers. Three scenarios are distinguished to establish 

potential future growth trajectories, i.e. a baseline scenario, an 

optimistic and a conservative scenario. The results for these 

scenarios are also compared to the findings of a previous 

study made in 2005. The new study confirms that substantial 

technological progress has been made in bio-based plastics 

in the past five years. Innovations in material and product 

development, environmental benefits as well as the gradual 

depletion of crude oil increasingly call for polymers made 

from renewable raw materials. 

www.european-bioplastics.org 

www.epnoe.eu 


News 

Bioplastic 

from Algae 

California (USA) based Cereplast Inc. recently 

announced that it has been developing a breakthrough 

technology to transform algae into bioplastics and 

intends to launch a new family of algae-based resins 

that will complement the company’s existing line of 

Compostables ® & Hybrid ® resins. 

Cereplast algae-based resins could replace 50% 

or more of the petroleum content used in traditional 

plastic resins. Currently, Cereplast is using renewable 

material such as starches from corn, tapioca, wheat 

and potatoes and Ingeo TM PLA. 

“Our algae research has shown promising results 

and we believe that in the months to come we should 

be able to launch this new family of algae-based 

resins,” stated Frederic Scheer, Founder, Chairman 

and CEO of Cereplast. “Algae-based resins represent 

an outstanding opportunity for companies across the 

plastic supply chain to become more environmentally 

sustainable and reduce the industry‘s reliance on oil. 

We are still in the development phase, but we believe 

that this breakthrough technology could result in a 

significant new line of business in the years to come.” 

“Based on our own efforts, as well as recent 

commitments by major players in the algae field, we 

believe that algae has the potential to become one of 

the most important ‘green‘ feedstocks for biofuels, as 

well as bioplastics,” continued Mr Scheer. “Clearly, our 

focus will be on bioplastics. However, for our algaebased 

resins to be successful, we require the production 

of substantial quantities of algae feedstock. We are very 

encouraged when we see big players entering the algae 

production business, including Exxon’s $600 million 

investment in Synthetic Genomics and BP’s $10 million 

investment in Martek Biosciences.” 

Cereplast has initiated contact with several 

companies that plan to use algae to minimize the 

CO 2 

and NO X 

gases from polluting smoke-stack 

environments. Algae from a typical photo-bioreactor is 

harvested daily and may be treated as biomass, which 

can be used as biofuel or as a raw material source for 

biopolymer feed stock. The company is also in direct 

communication with potential chemical conversion 

companies that could convert the algae biomass into 

viable monomers for further conversion into potential 

biopolymers. “Algae as biomass makes sense in that 

it helps close the loop on polluting gases and can be a 

significant renewable resource,” added Mr. Scheer. 

Multilayer Films 

Breakthrough for 

Food Contact Market 

Global sustainable resins supplier Cardia Bioplastics, 

headquartered in Mulgrave,VIC, Australia, has announced 

a new range of Cardia Biohybrid based films that comply 

with the European Commission standard 2002/72 EC for 

food contact. 

Cardia Bioplastics has lodged new provisional patents 

to protect this innovative technology, which expands its 

extensive patent portfolio. Cardia Bioplastics Managing 

Director Dr Frank Glatz said the multilayer film technology 

provides the food industry with excellent clarity, and 

mechanical and processing properties. 

“This development enables customers to move 

confidently into more sustainable packaging solutions 

and opens significant new market opportunities for Cardia 

Bioplastics, which extend from commodity packaging into 

the food packaging industry. The sustainability benefit of 

Cardia Biohybrid multilayer film also offers food marketers 

packaging solutions with a competitive edge for their 

products,“ said Frank Glatz. 

Interest from international brands in Cardia Compostable 

and Cardia Biohybrid resins has resulted in the company‘s 

decision to expand its manufacturing facility in Nanjing, 

China. The relocation to a larger site will effectively double 

the company‘s manufacturing capacity. 

In addition, Cardia Bioplastics has opened a new 

Global Application Development Centre at the company‘s 

Melbourne, Australia headquarters. This facility focuses 

on the application of Cardia Compostable and Cardia 

Biohybrid resins to customers‘ specific products. 

Frank Glatz said interest in sustainable resins is growing 

consistently as international marketers seek a streamlined 

path to technologies that meet more demanding 

environmental solutions for their packaging and plastics 

products. - MT 

www.cereplast.com 

www.cardiabioplastics.com 

6 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/09] Vol. 4

News 

New Joint Venture 

in India 

A new bioplastics joint venture will be the first of its kind 

in India, where Earthsoul India Private Limited, through its 

promoters the Bilimoria family, will hold 60% and the balance 

of 40% will be held by the state-owned J&K Agro Industries 

Development Corporation Ltd, led by Dr. G. N. Qasba, managing 

director. 

Earthsoul India have been the pioneers in India since 2002 

for 100% compostable and biodegradable packaging materials 

made from renewable raw materials such as waste stream 

starch. Market leaders in the field of biopolymer products, they 

have been associated with Novamont (Italy) for the past 8 years. 

J&K Agro Industries Development Corporation Ltd has been 

involved in the manufacture of food products, cattle feed, etc 

in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The corporation is also 

proactively engaged in the agricultural and irrigation sectors, 

as distributors and facilitators in the supply of machinery and 

equipment, fertilizers, mulching films for greenhouses etc. 

The two organisations are convinced that they have the 

necessary synergies to group together in order to foster and 

grow the bioplastics industry in India and South East Asia. 

Currently the bioplastics industry worldwide has been enjoying 

a growth rate of approximately 20% per year. 

The joint venture has earmarked an existing manufacturing 

facility, owned by J&K, at Sidco Industrial Area, Bari Brahmna, 

which is classified as an industrially backward area. The head 

office of the joint venture company will be situated at Srinagar. 

Equipped with state-of-the-art plant and machinery, both 

domestic and imported, the facility will have a capacity of 

approximately 50 tonnes per month and will be J&K’s first 

carbon neutral manufacturing facility. 

The designated executive chairman of the new joint venture, 

Perses M. Bilimoria, is a well-known bioplastics personality 

in India. He was the first significant introducer of biopolymer 

products into India and has been on various committees of the 

Ministry of Enviroment and Forests, New Delhi, for plastics 

in waste management and on the BIS committee, New Delhi, 

for adopting international standards on compostable and 

biodegradable raw materials, made from renewable resources. 

The company will be managed by a team of professionals 

chosen by the board of directors from a wide spectrum of the 

manufacturing industry. 

The product range of the new company comprises 100% 

compostable and biodegradable bags, mulching films for 

agriculture, nursery pots and sapling bags for the horticulture 

and floriculture markets. 

The facility is due to commence trial production in 12/09 and 

to enter the commercial market before 03/10. MT 

www.jkagro.com, www.earthsoulindia.com 

Plastics in the 

North Pacific Gyre 

Commenting on Project Kaisei‘s findings on 

plastics in the North Pacific Gyre, the British 

Plastics Federation (BPF) believes that plastics 

litter is far too common in the marine environment, 

it should not be there and more effort is needed by 

all concerned to ensure good waste management 

on shore and on vessels, and to provide education 

on littering. Furthermore, the Federation wishes to 

draw attention to a major initiative it has recently 

launched to stop any loss of plastics raw material 

into the environment. 

The United Nations Environmental programme‘s 

report last year pointed to the difficulties in 

obtaining accurate information but to tackle the 

problem of all waste in the oceans they called for: 

integrated waste management to tackle litter; raise 

public awareness and education; improved port 

waste collection facilities; and stronger economic 

incentives, fines, and enforcement. 

The BPF supports all these objectives and 

recently launched an initiative in the UK called 

‘Operation Clean Sweep - Plastic Pellet Loss 

Prevention’, to ensure that raw material does not 

escape into the environment. The BPF hopes to 

get the commitment of every company, from top 

management to shop floor employees to use the 

Operation Clean Sweep manual on prevention, 

containment and clean up of plastic materials to 

ensure no escape into the environment. 

Peter Davis, BPF Director-General says: “The 

Plastics industry does not put plastic into the seas. 

This is caused by littering, illegal dumping, poor 

waste management. We want the plastic back to be 

recycled or provide much needed energy through 

energy from waste combustion. International cooperation 

is needed to make this work, it is a global 

problem.” 

Concerning so-called ‘oxo-biodegradable’ 

plastics the BPF believes that littering is a 

behavioural issue and not one related or confined 

to the use of specific materials. MT 

www.bpf.co.uk 


News 

Design and 

Technology Award 

Biograde ® is a transparent, injection 

mouldable bioplastic based on cellulose. This 

co-developed product from German FKuR and 

Fraunhofer UMSICHT combines renewable and 

biodegradable cellulose acetate with special 

additives and couplers by means of an adapted 

biocompounding process from FKuR. Biograde 

is transparent (depending on grade), dyeable, 

scratch and heat resistant. The cellulose 

acetate used is gained from European soft 

wood. The Design+Technology Award 2009 

has been granted within the framework of 

the international fair ‘Materialica‘ in Munich, 

Germany on October 13, 2009. An independent 

panel of seven experts has determined in a 

non-public meeting a total of 20 awardees in 

different categories out of approximately 100 

international submitted nominations. 

www.fkur.com 

Biomaterials Services 

from Finland 

Based on the long experience in biomaterials Hycail Finland has 

evolved from a R&D department into an independent company offering 

development and analytical services within the biomaterials field. 

Following a management buyout of Hycail Finland the company has 

changed the focus from developing own products to help its customers 

utilizing the technology it once developed. 

“We offer years of experience and expertise in biomaterials 

development, we already made all the mistakes and are now able to 

make biomaterials easy for our customers” says Svante Wahlbeck, 

Managing Director. 

The service lab includes polymerization and compounding equipment 

as well as characterization and testing equipment. 

In addition to development services Hycail Finland offers complete 

quality control programs for production processes or end products. 

One of Hycail Finland’s unique capabilities is using different PLA-stereo 

complex based materials to modify material properties. 

“Of course, PLA is a focus area but we also work with blends and 

testing of plastics materials in general. Presently our customers range 

from big multinational packaging companies to highly specialized 

biomedical companies.” says Heikki Siistonen, Sales Manager. 

www.hycail.fi 

Field Trial of Bioplastic-Producing 

Tobacco Crop Successful 

Metabolix, Inc., a bioscience company from Cambridge, Massachusetts, 

USA, focused on developing sustainable solutions for plastics, chemicals 

and energy, recently announced that it has completed a field trial of 

tobacco, genetically engineered to express polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) 

biobased polymers. Metabolix obtained the necessary permits from the 

U.S. Department of Agrculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Service 

(APHIS) to perform an open air field trial in March of 2009 and field trial 

experiments were completed in early October. The trial was performed on 

3,237 m² (0.8 acres) of land and provided valuable data and information 

relating to polymer production, with the best plants producing 3-5% PHA. 

This furthers development of Metabolix crop technologies for the coproduction 

of biobased plastics in non-food bioenergy crops. 

Dr. Oliver Peoples, Chief Scientific Officer of Metabolix, commented, “The 

experience and knowledge we have gained during our tobacco field trial is 

laying the groundwork for planning and permitting activities for field trials 

in bioengineered, non-food oilseed and biomass crops producing PHA. 

We believe that our crop programs offer a number of commercialization 

options and hold significant potential. We are excited to continue to push 

this technology forward and believe it will ultimately support a diverse 

array of bioengineered, environmentally conscious and economically viable 

alternatives to petroleum-based products.“ 

www.metabolix.com 


Another 

World-First 

The highly innovative technical team at 

Ultimate Packaging believes it has produced a 

world first environmentally-friendly product as 

part of a joint venture with Innovia Films and Sun 

Chemical. Staff at the North East Lincolnshirebased 

company believe that Ultigreen is the first 

ever truly biodegradable and home compostable 

printed laminate for the food industry. 

Using hybrid biodegradable inks, Ultimate 

Packaging has reverse-printed Natureflex 

and laminated the material using a unique 

biodegradable adhesive to metallised Natureflex. 

The company has already established itself as 

one of the UK‘s flexographic print suppliers to the 

food industry, but the experienced team continue 

to focus on finding innovative new solutions for 

its customers. 

Ultimate Packaging Technical Manager, 

Derek Gibson, explains “Until now, only a small 

coverage of standard inks could be used to enable 

products to pass the EN13432 standard and to be 

rated as biodegradable. The new Sun Chemical 

hybrid inks allow total print coverage on food 

packs and the biodegradable adhesive applied 

to bond these two Innovia materials means that 

this product can be classed as being made from 

totally biodegradable components. 

“We selected a promotional tea design to prove 

that the newly developed biodegradable inks and 

adhesive were compatible and then printed the 

Ultigreen product on our recently commissioned 

Soma Imperia 10 colour press.“ 

The new product development team at Ultimate 

Packaging is now working on further products 

using the new ink and adhesive technology to 

bring additional completely biodegradable and 

home compostable flexible films to their food 

industry customers. 

“This really is an exciting development for us 

and we believe that it has enormous potential,“ 

says Chris Tonge, Ultimate Packaging Sales 

and Marketing Director. “It is only the first of 

several new products that will set our family-run 

business apart from our competitors.“ 

www.ultimate-packaging.co.uk 

New Eco-Label: 

OK biobased 

Halfway through the 1990s, Vinçotte developed the OK compost 

conformity marks for products meeting the European EN 13432 

standard, thereby playing a pioneering role during that period 

of time. Thanks to the new OK biobased certification system 

manufacturers can officially demonstrate the use of renewable raw 

materials via the independent OK biobased conformity marks. 

This is the first time an official certification body has launched a 

similar conformity mark based on exact measurements. Demand 

rose in particular from the packaging industry, as it is constantly on 

the look-out for renewable materials, owing to growing pressure 

on raw material prices and the way environmental regulations 

are being changed all over the world. The buying public‘s growing 

awareness of environmental concerns is also ensuring an 

expanding market for these products. What is more, consumers 

are anxious to have a rock-solid guarantee about the claims found 

on packaging. Thanks to the new OK biobased eco-label, Vinçotte 

can offer a completely independent guarantee about the origin of 

products. In this case, ‘biobased‘ refers to products of a biologically 

renewable rather than a fossil origin. 

Petroplastics versus bioplastics 

The keen interest in bioplastics can be summed up in one 

concept: carbon footprint. Biobased products help limit our 

carbon footprint, while making us less dependent on fossil 

fuels. For several years now a whole host of companies have 

been marketing bio-resources partly or entirely on the basis of 

biologically renewable carbon. 

OK biobased certification: clear and straightforward 

Apart from fuels, products (partly) made from bioplastics and/ 

or materials of natural origin are eligible for the OK biobased 

certification mark. The basic material is assessed in the light of 

exact analyses for determining the renewable organic carbon 

content. The same analysis method (C14) is used for dating bones. 

A straightforward calculation can be used to convert the analysis 

findings into an exact ‘biobased’ percentage. 

As a result of promoting correct and documented claims, 

Vinçotte is making a contribution to the harmonized development 

of alternative and sustainable technologies. 

One to four stars 

News 

The communication strategy is based on a logo with one to four 

stars. The principle is quite straightforward: the more stars there 

are, the higher the biobased carbon content: one star means 

between 20% and 40% biobased material, two stars between 40% 

and 60%, three stars between 60% and 80% and four stars over 80%. 

www.okbiobased.be 


Event review 

New Record: Bioplastics 

Continue On the Road to Success 

www.conference.european-bioplastics.org 

The European Bioplastics Conference took place for the fourth time in Berlin on the 10th and 11th of November and despite 

the difficult financial situation the event broke all records. 380 visitors and 27 exhibitors attended the conference hosted by 

the industry association European Bioplastics. Experts still expect continued growth in the field of compostable and biobased 

materials. 

“Where will the industry be in five years‘ time?“, “What are the trends?“, “Which materials will dominate the market?“, 

“How can we communicate the advantages for the environment and what are the optimum utilisation fields for bioplastics?“ 

28 speakers and 380 participants dealt with these and other questions during the two-day bioplastics conference in Berlin. 

Altogether 237 companies from 27 countries attended the event. Approximately 78 % came from Europe, 16 % from Asia and 

over 5 % from North and South America. 

The European Bioplastics Conference is now in its fourth year and has become an established industry event. “To have broken 

attendance records, in spite of the difficult economic background is extremely heartening. Market interest and uptake is very 

real and bioplastics producers continue to increase both capacity and the technical capability of their materials“, cheers Andy 

Sweetman (left picture above), Chairman of the board of European Bioplastics. 

Professor Patel 

(Utrecht University) 

www.hanser-tagungen.de/biokunststoffe 

Conference on 

Technical Applications 

Biobased materials are today finding a wider usage, 

especially for technical (non-packaging) applications. With 

this shift from compostable packaging to durable applications 

increased demands regarding the material’s performance 

and processing properties can be observed. On the subjects 

on injection moulding performance, rheological processing 

parameters as well as long-term behaviour our knowledge 

today is still limited. 

Thus these questions and technical applications were the 

focus of a conference, ‘bioplastics - technical applications 

of biobased materials’, held in Duisburg, Germany in early 

October. The conference was chaired by Prof. Hans-Josef 

Endres (University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hanover) and 

Prof. Johannes Wortberg (University of Duisburg). 

In addition to a general overview of the current situation 

experts from raw material suppliers such as DuPont, 

Kuraray, Sukano or FKuR informed the conference about 

the processing, application and challenges of biopolymers. 

Speakers from companies such as KraussMaffei Berstorff, 

Huhtamaki, Bosch and Volkswagen discussed the processing 

and properties of biopolymers in technical applications. 


Polylactic Acid 

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

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

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

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

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

Think. Invest. Earn. 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH 

Holzhauser Strasse 157–159 

13509 Berlin 

Germany 

Tel. +49 30 43 567 5 

Fax +49 30 43 567 699 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer AG 

Reichenauerstrasse 

7013 Domat/Ems 

Switzerland 

Tel. +41 81 632 63 11 

Fax +41 81 632 74 03 

www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer 

A company of ThyssenKrupp Technologies


Deep-Freeze 

Bio Packaging 

Article contributed by 

Andreas Bergmeier, 

Director Development, 

Dettmer Verpackungen GmbH, 

Lohne, Germany and 

Dr. -Ing. Christian Bonten, 

Director Technology, 

FKuR Kunststoff GmbH, 

Willich, Germany 

Deep freezing is a method of preserving foodstuffs containing water. 

During deep freezing the storage temperature of the food is 

set significantly below freezing point (at least -18 °C), thus slowing 

down or even stopping the growth of micro-organisms. Chemical 

and physical processes in food are also slowed down or avoided completely. 

Biochemical, and most notably enzymatic, reactions are also 

slowed down [1]. 

Requirements of deep-freeze packaging plastics materials 

Deep-freeze packaging preserves frozen food from drying-up and 

protects it against outside influences: light, air (oxygen), moisture 

uptake, contamination and infection by micro-organisms, outside odours 

and tastes, as well as mechanical damage. It needs to exhibit barrier 

properties and mechanical properties, and also needs to be printable 

and weldable. 

‘Freezer burn‘ 

‘Freezer burn‘ is a form of dehydration usually caused by improper 

packaging. The surface moisture has evaporated, and the food may 

appear lighter in colour and ‘dried out‘. While the food is safe to eat, the 

quality is lower. It often has an ‘off-flavour‘. 

Whilst at home one can manage to package the goods to be frozen 

rather carefully, however the filling process under industrial conditions 

looks different: frozen goods - some with sharp edges - may fall from a 

belt weigher directly into an open bag, which will then be immediately 

closed. 

Bio-Flex – bioplastics for deep-freeze packaging. 

FKuR´s trade name Bio-Flex ® stands for copolyester blends based 

on PLA which – depending on the respective grade – are produced 

from a high amount of natural resources. Bio-Flex does not contain 

any starch or starch derivatives. The material’s mechanical properties 

at low temperatures are particularly crucial for an overall deep-freeze 

packaging performance. High impact strength and dart drop strength at 



Tear Rresistance 

Modulus of 

Elasticity 

Puncture 

Resistance 

Elongation 

at Break 

Seal Strengh 

Tear strength 

— PE 

— Bio 1. generation 

— Bio 2. generation 

Fig. 1 Comparison of mechanical properties 

these temperatures are a must in order to achieve approval. Low glasstransition 

temperature as well as homogeneous material and distribution 

of synergetic additives are the keys to meeting these requirements. 

Dettmer Verpackungen (Delo) in Lohne, Germany, uses Bio-Flex 

F 2110 as a basis for a multilayer system for deep-freeze packaging. 

A packaging film has been developed for the market leader in deep 

frozen potato products that meets the many and various requirements. 

McCain´s philosophy behind this concept is coherent: ‘100 % Bio – inside 

and outside’. McCain´s Bio Harvest products derive from certified, 

ecologically controlled cultivation. To emphasize this, packaging 

made from renewable resources was needed - which also had to be 

biodegradable. The biodegradation, including the inks, has been tested 

and certified according to EN 13432. High quality printing with up to 

10 colours is possible and the packaging carries the well-established 

seedling logo. But, what about the mechanical properties? 

Astonishing results were achieved when the biofilm was compared 

with polyethylene of the same thickness. Delo, as market leader in 

deep-freeze packaging, with 13 blown film units, is known for its highly 

demanding performance. Delo coextrudes up to seven layers and prints 

on 12 flexo print lines, five of which are equipped with 10 colour decks. 

The latest generation of biofilms from Delo´s director of development 

contains up to 70 % renewable resources, without any compromise. 

Fig. 1 shows clearly that by means of Bio-Flex a leap into new dimensions 

of mechanical properties of thin packaging films has been achieved. 

There is currently no technical obstacle to a broad market launch. 

Delo have even managed to offer solutions that have so far not been 

possible with PE. Excellent puncture resistance or rigidity previously 

only achievable in multilayer systems, open up completely new scopes 

for design. High quality raw materials and compounds such as Bio- 

Flex today allow for a broad variety off coextruded films as ‘customized 

products‘. 

[1] www.lebensmittellexikon.de 

www.fkur.com 

www.de-lo.de 



Carbon-Neutral and 

Compostable Films - 

A Holistic Approach 

Sustainability has long been more than just a buzzword at the packaging 

film manufacturer alesco from Langerwehe, Germany. The business is 

committed to pursuing a holistic approach in this respect – conservation 

of resources, environmental protection, carbon neutrality, social responsibility 

and environmentally friendly innovation are all factors in this strategy. And 

because these issues are a way of life at the company, with its 210 employees, 

rather than just being a marketing slogan, the manufacturer of PE and biofilm 

packaging is happy to show its cards and be open about its approach in order 

to encourage others to follow this responsible path. 

“We developed a mission statement and a vision together with our staff in 

a number of joint workshops. These provide the basis for our environmental 

protection goals, our commitment to development that conserves resources 

and also our principle of carbon neutrality,” explains alesco Managing 

Director Philipp Depiereux with regard to the emergence of the revamped 

corporate philosophy with its focus on sustainability. Depiereux joined the 

new management team in 2004 and wanted to do more than merely produce 

marketing material focusing on new green products in the company. He wanted 

the company to really live and work in a green way on a daily basis. 

Not an easy task, as he admits in retrospect: persuading employees that 

have worked for decades with products manufactured from the finite resource 

that is oil to switch to green and sustainable strategies requires some well 

chosen words. However, the results of the drive for holistic sustainability in the 

business and in the products are now tangible throughout the company. 

For example, in the compostable film produced from sustainable raw 

materials. After three years of development work, the first biofilm from alesco 

was presented at the special show entitled “Bioplastics in Packaging” at 

interpack 2008 in Düsseldorf, and the fruit and vegetable bags proved to be a 

real hit at the trade fair. 

New areas of application, such as brochure packaging films for direct 

mailings and catalogues (e.g. bM 5/2009), compostable shopping bags, deep 

freeze films and the new Bioshrink, which was presented at drinktec (Munich, 

Germany), show that all the staff at alesco are now right behind this groundbreaking 

approach. But alesco has also put a great deal of thought into 

issues beyond the actual products themselves; for example, all biofilms are 

manufactured exclusively using green electricity produced from hydropower. 

And this commitment to green electricity will be extended by alesco to all of its 

production facilities in Langerwehe from 2010. 

But a holistic approach requires more than environmentally friendly 

products alone. alesco pursues its strategy in the production process as well 



– such as with the solvent recovery facility in the print shop. This system 

allows solvents, which are used in large volumes in the print shop, to 

be separated from the paint sludge, after which they are returned to 

the production system to be used again. The system led to a reduction 

in solvents of 70,000 litres (which therefore did not need to be newly 

purchased or expensively disposed of) in 2008 alone - the first year of 

operation – and the trend is on an upward trajectory. This means that 

important resources are conserved, roads are relieved of traffic due to 

reduced freight requirements and CO 2 

emissions are also reduced as a 

direct consequence of this. 

A paint mixing facility was also installed in the print shop in 2008. This 

means that alesco now generally only has to order basic colours as it 

can mix special colours on-site, and it also means that waste is avoided 

as only the required amount of paint has to be mixed. If, for example, 

a customer in the consumer goods sector reduces its printing order at 

short notice, then already ordered paint does not have to be disposed 

of or put into long term storage. In its very first year, this measure led 

to a reduction in requirements equating to 40,000 litres of paint, which 

would otherwise have had to be transported away and disposed of. 

Lotta, our four year old cover girl says: 

„Oh, I loved the yummy carrots and 

my daddy made the plastic 

bags from bioplastics“. 

The company has also worked to achieve environmental optimisation 

with regard to the actual paints it uses. This is where solvent free, 

water-based paints were the solution. The research and development 

team worked for quite some time on these in order to achieve exactly 

the right composition and, as a result, it has been possible since 

2009 to order print runs for compostable biofilms with this even more 

environmentally friendly paint. Printing can be carried out on up to 

eight printing units and the use of new paints does not necessarily lead 

to a compromise with regard to quality; part of a holistic approach also 

involves never losing sight of the needs of customers – who like nice, 

glossy printed images. 

Regranulation avoids unnecessary transportation 

At alesco, film regranulation of edge strips and rejects is handled 

internally: an in-house film regranulation system and a service 

provider based on-site results in short transportation distances for the 

reprocessing. This avoids the emissions that would otherwise have been 

produced during transportation to a regranulation plant some distance 

away. The entire stock of alesco regranulate material is then returned 

to the production process and not sold on to other film manufacturers, 

which would also result in transportation emissions. 


A CO 2 

footprint makes environmental protection 

measurable at alesco 

In order to be able to measure the overall positive 

environmental effects of the innovative developments 

and modernisation in the production process, alesco 

commissioned the calculation of a corporate carbon footprint 

(CCF) for the entire company and a product carbon footprint 

(PCF) for all the packaging film products at the beginning 

of 2009. These footprints show how much carbon dioxide is 

emitted for each kilogramme of film produced. 

However, the environmental efforts of the film manufacturer 

cannot be gauged from the first CO 2 

footprint as this is a 

reference from which to measure progress, so stopping at 

that would not fit in with the holistic approach of the company. 

“We will only be able to see what we have achieved when 

we commission the calculation of a new footprint next year 

and can compare the values to see by how much our CO 2 

emissions per kilogramme of film produced have decreased,” 

adds Depiereux. 

Although this may sound very simple, it actually requires 

a lot of careful planning: as well as the entire energy 

consumption at alesco and relevant data from suppliers 

(raw material suppliers, paint suppliers, additive suppliers, 

suppliers of solvents and also suppliers of other consumables 

etc.), all commuting-related CO 2 

emissions generated by the 

210 members of staff at alesco were also determined – which 

involves taking into account the routes taken as well as the use 

of cars, bicycles, trains and buses. The PCF also included the 

entire supply chain, the processing stages (film production, 

film printing, film packaging) and the subsequent route to 

their place of utilisation. The footprints were calculated by an 

independent climate protection consultancy - ClimatePartner 

Deutschland GmbH. Only the process of packaging products 

using the film at the customer and the subsequent use and 

recycling by consumers could not be taken into account. 

“Unfortunately, we do not know if the consumers arrive at 

the point of sale on foot or by vehicle in order to acquire the 

packaged product,” explains Alexander Rossner, Managing 

Director of ClimatePartner Deutschland GmbH. 

Carbon neutral packaging 

The CO 2 

footprint also provides another benefit: if it is 

known how much CO 2 

is still produced as a result of the 

production process despite the implementation of a range 

of measures, the film can at least be produced in a carbon 

neutral way by means of acquiring the corresponding amount 

of climate protection certificates to enable carbon offsetting. 

alesco is one of the first packaging film manufacturers in the 

world to offer its customers this service. All alesco biofilms 

are already produced and supplied carbon neutrally at no 

extra cost. And, if customers wish to acquire other types of 

film carbon neutrally, then the only additional charge made is 

the actual cost of acquiring the necessary climate protection 

certificates. 

The number of certificates required is determined using a 

climate calculator, which provides alesco with exact emission 

figures for the production of each individual type of film. “In 

this way, we can offset the emissions in accordance with the 

provisions of the Kyoto protocol. For the neutralisation of the 

biofilm products, we have chosen an approved and certified 

biomass project in India,” comments Depiereux. 

alesco has also not forgotten the marketing opportunities 

that this approach can provide for customers, who now have 

the option with printed films of including information about 

the carbon neutrality of the packaging film. And this seems 

to be a popular choice: since the certification of the films 

was started, numerous orders have been produced carbon 

neutrally and a number of customers have chosen to have the 

film labelled as being carbon neutral. 

There is still a lot of scope for improvement in the 

future. 

With their holistic approach, the staff at alesco have by 

no means exhausted all the potential measures that can be 

implemented: hauliers must also consider using trucks with 

low fuel consumption figures, and raw material and additive 

suppliers can investigate environmentally friendly production 

methods. An environmental report is currently being produced 

in order to document all alesco’s environmental initiatives and 

projects. “The green strategies of conservation of resources, 

avoidance of emissions and reduction of emissions will 

continue to be pushed, even in tough economic times,” states 

Philipp Depiereux as a clear indication of the company’s 

steadfast commitment. Rest assured, the alesco staff will 

continue to do their utmost to protect the environment. 

www.alesco.net 



Fig. 1: PLA film laminated 

on paper bags 

PLA Films are 

a Team Sport 

As the supplier base has grown recently, a wide diversity of Ingeo films are being 

used in bags, wraps, lids, and labels. Among all the products in the bioplastic 

industry, films may best exemplify the supply chain’s team effort through 

close engineering cooperation to build innovation into the products delivered to consumers. 

For example, French manufacturer Polyfilms, which operates a state-of-the-art 

plant for coextruded, bioriented films near Paris, has developed Polybio — a range of 

Ingeo-based oriented films. Polybio film is laminated on paper bags for bread or salad 

(Fig. 1). It is also used for sealable film lidding and both white and transparent film 

labels. Once metalized (either with transparent or white film) the barrier properties are 

enhanced and the product has high opacity and brilliance. 


By Stefano Cavallo, 

European Marketing Manager, 

NatureWorks, LLC 

www.natureworksllc.com 

Polyfilms also sells Polybio to a family of converters that add to the film’s barrier 

properties to expand the number of potential applications for this product. Metalvuoto 

has developed a lacquer coated oxygen-barrier film under the brand name Oxaqua ® . 

One of these converters, Alcan Packaging, offers CERAMIS ® -PLA films which are 

transparent high barrier films with a silicon oxide coating. 

Goglio Cofibox SpA manufactures a printable laminated film, which Sant’Anna ® uses 

for the labels on its bottled water. Fres-co System USA has developed a hybrid solution 

for coffee packaging. This development incorporates Ingeo film into a multilayer 

structure made with traditional materials. The company says this is Kyoto protocol 

ready packaging. 

Polyfilms is not the only company producing PLA-based oriented films and working 

closely with converters. SKC offers its Skywel ® branded film, and Ingeo licensee 

Huhtamaki Films Global has developed a wide range of functional and tailor-made 

Ingeo film grades characterized by adjustable mechanical properties for a broad 

range of applications, e.g. improved impact resistance and high barrier properties. 

Sidaplax/Plastic Suppliers offers a range of clear and white films under the EarthFirst ® 

brand name(see page 18) 

This industry now goes beyond oriented or blown film developers and value added 

converters. Sleever International, for example, has developed an Ingeo heat shrink 

film under the Biosleeve ® brand. Sleever International provides its food and cosmetic 

packaging customers with colorfully vibrant heat shrink labels. Biosleeve can also be 

used for tamper evident bands (Fig. 2). 

As these examples show, the bioplastic supply chain has invested in innovation. From 

these supply chain efforts, brand owners and consumers can expect an expanding 

choice of performance Ingeo films that help to reduce the overall environmental impact 

of packaging as compared to petroleum-based films. 

Fig. 2: Biosleeve heat shrink film 



PLA Film 

Applications 

The trend toward using biopolymers and environmentally 

friendly films continues to expand into traditional 

plastic film applications. The flexible packaging, lamination, 

bread bag, windowing (envelope and folding carton), 

shrink sleeve label and tamper evident band markets are 

some of the many applications that currently incorporate the 

use of biopolymer films. 

The transition to biopolymer films has been slow. 

However, the introduction of EarthFirst ® has allowed for 

greater penetration into plastic film markets because of its 

environmental and mechanical benefits. 

Made from Ingeo PLA, EarthFirst is produced using 

annually renewable resources, and is a certified compostable 

product under the DIN 13432 and ASTM D6400 standards for 

industrial composting. 

And it is more than just an environmentally friendly 

product. While the environmentally friendly attributes make 

it attractive to ‘green’ minded companies, the mechanical 

properties allow it to run as well as traditional plastic films 

on a wide range of processing equipment. Having a natural 

dyne level of 38 makes it suitable for printed applications and 

its direct food contact (FDA) compliance has opened the door 

to the flexible packaging market. 

Shrink sleeve label and tamper evident bands are utilizing 

EarthFirst TDO film. Low shrink initiation temperatures 

and the ability to shrink up to 75% makes EarthFirst the 

ideal shrink film. In addition, EarthFirst shrink sleeve film 

can be stored up to 40° celsius offering energy savings that 

petrochemical films cannot. Jiffy Pot in Europe is using 

EarthFirst as a shrink sleeve label around their plant pots. In 

the United States, ConAgra has made the switch from PVC to 

EarthFirst for their tamper evident bands around their table 

spread product offerings. 

Large envelope houses in Europe like GPV, Hamelin and the 

Mayer Kuvert Network have adopted the use of EarthFirst for 

their envelope window film offerings. The film compliments 

their full line of FSC paper based envelope offerings. The 

crystal clear look of EarthFirst offers envelope windowing 

applications an alternative to the traditional films in the 

market today. 

Bread bags are another market utilizing the EarthFirst 

product. Retailers understand the environmental benefits of 

EarthFirst as the high moisture vapor transmission rate of 

EarthFirst guarantees that the bread inside remains crispy. 

EarthFirst can be found in Delhaize, Carrefour and Auchan 

bread bag products. 

In many cases EarthFirst even outperforms petrochemical 

based films when it comes to printing, sealing and overall 

machinability. 

Plastic Suppliers, Inc. / Sidaplax v.o.f is committed to 

a strong environmental leadership role in protecting the 

planet. As active members of the Sustainable Packaging 

Coalition (SPC), European Bioplastics, Belgian Biopackaging 

and UK Compostable Group, the companies are committed 

to understanding the impact of such products upon the 

environment. MT 

www.earthfirstpla.com. 



Paper cups and shrink 

film are the first two 

applications for BASF’s 

new biodegradable 

plastic Ecovio ® FS 

High-Performance 

and Biodegradable 

At the 4th European Bioplastics Conference (see page 10) BASF presented a new biodegradable plastic branded as 

Ecovio ® FS. BASF has optimized this new plastic for two specific applications: for coating paper and for manufacturing 

so-called shrink films, which serve to easily wrap packaged goods. For this reason, the first two new plastic types are 

called Ecovio FS Paper and Ecovio FS Shrink Film. Sample material is already available. Initial production tests at customers’ 

facilities have been successful. Introduction into the market at large is scheduled for the first quarter of 2010. 

Biodegrading even more quickly 

As has been demonstrated in recent composting experiments, the new Ecovio FS biodegrades even more rapidly than its 

predecessors, and it has a higher content of renewable raw materials. “Ecovio FS consists of the likewise new, now bio-based 

Ecoflex ® FS (a biodegradable polyester made by BASF) and of PLA. The use of the new Ecoflex FS raises the proportion of biobased 

material in Ecovio FS Shrink Film to 66% and that of Ecovio FS Paper to a full 75%,” explains Jürgen Keck, who heads 

BASF’s global business with biodegradable plastics. 

Paper cups and packaging film: high-performance counts 

The experts who developed the new Ecovio FS focused on the properties that are required of these special applications. “In 

order to obtain effective paper coatings, a film made of the new Ecovio FS Paper has to be easy to process and exhibit good 

adhesion to the paper, even when applied in thin layers. Such coatings are used, for example, on paper cups or cardboard 

boxes,” explains Gabriel Skupin, who is in charge of technical product development for biodegradable plastics. Ecovio FS 

Shrink Film, in contrast, has a selected ratio of shrinkage to strength, so that its mechanical load capacity at a film thickness 

of merely 25 μm is greater than that of a conventional polyethylene film that is 50 μm thick. 

We want to become more specialized 

With this new product family, BASF’s experts for biodegradable plastics are further expanding their assortment. The company 

is aiming to become more specialized in this realm, so as to meet the requirements of very specific market segments. This 

is reflected in the nomenclature, which will comprise three elements. The first stands for the processing technology – in this 

case, F for ‚film‘. The second, S, stands for ‚special‘ and indicates that the new bio-based Ecoflex FS is present. The actual 

application itself forms the third element of the name such as, for instance, Paper or Shrink Film. “This consistent designation 

method, which will be implemented early next year together with the new products, illustrates the broad potential we anticipate 

for technically advanced biodegradable products in this market, which has become very diversified,” explains Andreas Künkel, 

head of BASF’s market development for new biodegradable plastic products. 

www.ecovio.com 



Compostable 

New Performance Profiles 


Stefano Facco 

New Business 

Development Manager 

Novamont S.p.A. 

Novara, Italy 

The demand for compostable bioplastics has been steadily growing for 

many years at an annual rate of between 20 and 30%. The research 

related to these polymers derived from RRM (Renewable Raw Materials), 

which in the case of Novamont swallows up 10% of its turnover, today 

permits the production of a large range of consumer products. These include 

food and non-food packaging, hygiene products, bags and sacks, agricultural 

tools and food-service ware, all with a positive environmental impact 

(End of Life options) and a positive effect on product performance. 

An interesting growth rate has been noticed within the area of films and 

flexibles, especially multilayer structures. 

At the beginning of the 1990‘s Novamont had already started to understand 

that the use of compostable biopolymers would be taking a growing market 

share in the area of flexibles, as the following article will describe. The latest 

expansion of Novamont’s production capacity is also a demonstration of the 

steady growth of this market sector. 

Environmental Impact 

Novamont’s main mission is to offer original solutions both from the 

technical and environmental points of view, starting from renewable raw 

materials. Mater-Bi is a generation of established biodegradable and 

compostable polymers, continuously evolving, containing compostable 

polyesters (based on synthetic and renewable monomers), starch and other 

renewable resources. They are able to significantly reduce the environmental 

impact in terms of energy consumption and greenhouse effect in specific 

closed-loop applications (such as food packaging, catering items, mulch 

films, bags for kitchen use and garden waste, etc). They perform as traditional 

plastics when in use, and completely biodegrade within a composting cycle 

through the action of living organisms when they have been engineered to be 

biodegradable and compostable. 

The technology that stands behind these new materials has evolved 

over the years in various steps: the first based purely on the complexing of 

starch, and later the continuous improvement of the environmental profile 

of Novamont‘s polymers through the increased use of non-food renewable 

resources in various steps, the backwards integration into production of 

polyesters and their monomers from RRM’s. 

Today we find flexible industrial applications in the areas of waste bags and 

liners, shopping bags, loop handles, T-shirts, packaging based on single and 

multilayer films, either coextruded or laminated, and of course hygiene and 

agricultural applications. 

Various process technologies are available, for monolayer or multilayer 

structures. The latter variant is used in order to combine different substrates 

with each other and to obtain very specific and tailored properties. There 

are quite different film families available, which offer very specific properties 

(such as puncture resistance, oxygen barrier etc) and, when combined, 

suddenly open up a completely new application profile. Suitable new 



Film Structures, 

for Food and Non-Food 

technologies, such as extrusion coating and lamination, are fast growing at a 

similar pace as that of the new multilayer (coex) films. 

Processing 

Processing is nowadays no longer subject to critical discussion, as in the 

early 90‘s. Today converting these materials may be carried out on standard 

extruders, such as LDPE film blowing lines (minimum thickness in the range 

of 10-12µm). Productivity, if the line is specifically designed for Mater-Bi, 

is similar to that obtained with conventional polyolefines. Other converting 

aspects, such as sealing and printing, are also comparable with standard 

materials. Recycling is done conventionally by most of the converters. 

Their properties are also very much comparable to those of standard 

polyolefines, except some very special properties in the area of OTR (oxygen 

transmission rate) and WVTR (water vapour transmission rate): 

MFR (g/10 min) 3.5 – 7 ASTM D 1338 

E Modulus (MPa) 90 - 700 ASTM D 882 

Stress at break (MPa) 22 – 36 ASTM D 882 

Elongation at break (%) 250 – 600 ASTM D 882 

COF 0.1 – 0.6 DIN 53375 A 

Haze (%) 26 - 90 ASTM D 1003 

WVTR (g·30μm/m2·24h) 200 – 900 ASTM E 96; 38°C 90% RH 

OTR (cc·30μm)/(m2·24h·atm) 500 - 2000 ISO 15105-1; 23°C 50% RH 

Extrusion Coating and Lamination 

Newly developed applications are based on the extrusion coating and 

lamination processes. 

In this case special grades do offer the same processability as for given 

polymers on standard lines, offering excellent adhesion on most of the 

substrates (paper, cardboard, biopolymers, tissues etc), high line speed, web 

stability and low gauges. 

The main applications may be found either in the area of light flexible 

packaging, such as food wrapping, industrial bags and sacks, or in rigid 

packaging, such as the one based on heavy cardboard for containers, 

trays, deep freeze boxes and for foodservice ware such as cups and plates. 

The barrier to oils and fats is quite good, average WVTR is in the range of 

250 g/m²·24h (23°C, 50% RH) 

Coextruded films also offer a good barrier against fats and oil (compared 

to polyolefines), with WVTR ranging from 300 – 800 g·30μm/m²·24h and OTR 

in the range of 700 – 2.000 cc·30μm/m²·24h (23°C, 50%RH). Special sealing 

layers are used, characterised by a ∆T above 50°C, which allow easy running 

on most of the packaging lines, whether they be VFFS (Vertical Form Fill Seal) 

or flowpack. Specific film grades are available here, with improved toughness, 

modified COF (coefficient of friction) or transparency. In addition some unique 

‘Home Compostable‘ solutions are available, intended for use in specific 

markets in which this property might be specifically requested. 


Laminated films, as with multilayer compostable and certified 

products, were first introduced in the UK. Mater Bi was laminated onto 

a cellulose film, achieving a structure which offers a suitable barrier 

property, excellent organoleptic and very high mechanical properties in 

terms of toughness and tear resistance, which are needed to pack such 

‘sharp‘ edged products as müsli flakes. The reverse printed external 

cellulose film, which has excellent visual properties, is combined 

with a high tenacity Mater-Bi film in order to obtain packaging which 

fully covers the mechanical, organoleptic and processing needs of 

such products. This is still one of the unique combinations on the 

market able to offer compostability under industrial conditions. New 

developments are close to being introduced, such as in the case of 

coffee packaging. 

Beside the applications described above, films dedicated to the 

lamination process on various substrates offering selective barrier/ 

transmission properties, such as a high water vapour transmission 

rate, have found interest amongst producers of hygiene products such 

as diapers, overalls etc. Specific requirements are based on a soft, 

noiseless and highly breathable material. Recent developments, with 

films blown in the range of 10µm, are laminated onto cellulose, viscose 

and other non-woven substrates. The main applications may be found 

in bed linen, mattress covers and overalls used in clean rooms. 

Depending on the application, these converting techniques provide 

a very efficient and versatile way to build specific, tailor-made, 

multilayer structures. 

Flexible Applications 

Flexible applications, such as organic waste bags, find their logical 

EOL (End of Life) option in the waste stream meant for perishable 

waste, such as kitchen and food waste. This application has been in 

use for many years and is well implemented amongst thousands of 

communities spread all over the world. The environmental advantage 

of such application has been well demonstrated. 

Other sectors have been identified, in which compostability offers 

a unique property, such as in the case of highly contaminated food 

packaging, where standard recycling loops cannot be used and 

compostability offers the solution to maximize material recovery. 

Examples may be found in the area of food processing streams, 

characterized by a high level of food waste and very short shelf life 

products. Furthermore compostability might offer advantageous 

solutions in the case of date-expired packaged food, highly 

contaminated kitchen waste, as in fast food restaurants, canteens 

and schools. 

It is becoming increasingly evident that compostable polymers are 

finding their industrial use in ‘virtuous waste systems‘, like some of 

those described above. Very high technical performance standards 

have been reached, which allow these polymers to be used in very 

demanding applications, in the food as well as the non-food area. 

The performance of these flexible applications, combined with the 

renewable content and its compostability, are the criteria that define 

the environmental benefit of such products. 

www.novamont.com 



Bioplastic Films 

from the Netherlands 

Responding to the increase in the demand for biodegradable 

and compostable films and packaging 

Oerlemans Plastics bv, a packaging producer from 

Genderen (the Netherlands), is cooperating with FKuR in Germany 

in order to better serve the upcoming organic market. 

BI-OPL is the brand name for a wide range of biodegradable 

and compostable products such as shoppers, bags, films 

and sheets. All products are certified according to EN 13432, 

NF AFNOR 52001 (France), OK Compost, Ecocert and OF&G 

(Organic Farmers & Growers, UK). 

All biodegradable and compostable products are based 

on special blends of Ecoflex (a co-polyester by BASF) and 

Ingeo PLA by NatureWorks. A big advantage compared to 

starch is that the PLA blends have a higher water resistance. 

This can be very important in more humid applications such 

as anti-weed film for horticultural use. Also this indicates 

the possibility of using thinner PLA based films compared to 

starch based films. 

A correct material thickness helps to create a product that 

will degrade more slowly or faster according to the application. 

BI-OPL is available in thicknesses from 12 to 120 µm. Widths 

can be between 10 cm and 205 cm as plain film, and folded 

up to 6 metres. 

Shoppers, bags, sheets and films 

Oerlemans Plastics can produce shopper bags from single 

BI-OPL material without a reinforcement inlay or with double 

folded topside so that the shoppers are 100 % made from 

compostable materials. Bags and sheets, based on BI-OPL 

materials, for many different applications can be produced 

according to customers‘ demands and can be printed in up to 

8 colours. Films for use on shrink and wrapping machines, or 

for manual use, are available in many different sizes. 

Horticultural films 

The fastest growing market in food production is the organic 

food market. Especially for this market Oerlemans Plastics 

bv developed a large variety of films to help the growers of 

organic food. As anti-weed film the BI-OPL is already used 

on many different crops throughout the world. Vegetables 

and fruits such as pineapples, fennel, strawberry, zucchini, 

pickles, onions and also nursery products and cut flowers are 

cultivated with the help of BI-OPL. All of these films can be 

produced as unfolded film between 10 cm and 205 cm. A 

new feature is the possibility to produce pre-perforated plant 

holes in these films. 

Plant permeable films 

Right now Oerlemans Plastics is preparing the introduction 

of a type of BI-OPL film which is ‘plant permeable‘. This means 

that certain types of plants, like white and green asparagus, 

can be covered with this film and due to the properties of the 

film the plant can grow through it. It is expected that these 

new types will contribute to a better and easier way to grow 

vegetables and fruit for organic growers. 

Renewable sources 

The different types of raw materials used for the production 

of biodegradable and compostable products are partly based 

on renewable sources. In the future the percentage of 

renewable materials will increase significantly. MT 

www.oerlemansplastics.nl 



Biomassbased 

Bathroom 

Scale 

Unitika Ltd. of Osaka, Japan, has successfully developed a new blend of biomass-based 

resin, which has unprecedented properties such as mouldability, heat resistance, durability 

and impact resistance. Unitika’s techniques for improving polylactic acid (PLA) and 

their accumulated knowledge of producing engineering plastic blends have brought this latest 

development to a successful conclusion. The new PLA blend, known as TERRAMAC ® resin, offers 

impact properties comparable to those of ABS. 

Tanita is a world leader in precision electronic scales. With an almost 50% share of the domestic 

market the name of Tanita is now a household word in Japan. Tanita recently introduced their 

second generation of ‘green’ products with the HS-302 Solar Digital Scale. This environmentally 

conscious scale has built-in solar cells that draw power from sunlight or from ordinary household 

light, eliminating the need to buy or recharge batteries, as well as saving landfill sites from 

additional battery contamination. The new eco-friendly bathroom scale, nicknamed ECO Living, 

is equipped with a chassis made from the new Terramac resin, which contributes to about a 20% 

reduction in CO 2 

emission for the product compared with the previous model. Tanita has started 

selling this new bathroom scale mainly in Europe, where the population is relatively ecologicallyminded, 

and plans to expand the sales area step by step. 

Technological background of Unitika 

In order to improve the properties of PLA, Unitika developed a world-first commercially 

available heat resistant PLA sheet in October 2002. After that, the shortcomings with regard to 

heat resistance, flame retardation, and impact resistance of PLA resins for injection moulding 

and foam were overcome by applying Unitika’s nanotechnology, plant-based reinforcements, 

inorganic fillers, etc. Unitika’s PLA-based durable Terramac resins have been used in 

commercially available cell phones, dishwasher-proof lacquered bowls, digital printers, copying 

machines, and more. These ground-breaking resins have driven the expansion of the PLA 

market. The new Terramac alloy type can also be used for high mechanical load conditions. 

Unitika’s new Terramac alloy, as used in Tanita’s new bathroom scale, has the following 

features: 

• heat resistance, durability, impact resistance, and processability equal to or surpassing ABS 

• about 20% less emission of CO 2 

than ABS 

• suitable for many of the same applications as ABS 

• compliance with ‘BiomassPla’, which means biomass-based plastics, certified by Japan 

Biomass Plastics Association (JBPA) 

www.unitika.co.jp 

www.tanita.com 



Eco-Centric 

Mobile Phone 

The North American telephone company Sprint Nextel, headquartered in Overland 

Park, Kansas, USA is making it easier than ever for customers to ‘go green‘ with 

new eco-friendly products, services and programs and expanding its commitment 

as a leader in sustainability. Last August, Sprint and Samsung Telecommunications 

America (Samsung Mobile) announced Samsung Reclaim as the first phone 

in the U.S. constructed from eco-centric bio-plastic materials. Made from 80 % 

recyclable materials, Samsung Reclaim is a feature-rich messaging phone that 

offers environmentally conscious customers a perfect blend of responsibility 

without sacrificing the latest in network speeds and must-have features. 

When customers purchase Samsung Reclaim from Sprint, $2 of the proceeds 

will benefit the Nature Conservancy‘s Adopt an Acre program, which supports 

land conservation across the United States and protects some of the world‘s most 

beautiful and important natural habitats. 

“Sprint is proud of our leadership with environmentally-responsible initiatives,“ 

said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO, “and Samsung Reclaim enables customers to go green 

without sacrificing the latest in wireless technology.“ 

Up 40 % of the Reclaim’s outer casing is made of a blend of PLA (40%), a bioplastic 

material, made from renewable resources (corn) and Polycarbonate (60%). 

This material is mostly used on the rear side and battery cover of the device. 

Samsung Reclaim is free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and phthalates, and nearly 

free of brominated flame retardants (BFR) three materials commonly targeted on 

green electronics guidelines. 

The outer packaging and the phone tray inside the box are made from 70 % 

recycled materials, printed with soy-based ink. The typical thick paper user manual 

has been replaced with a virtual manual that users can access online. The Energy 

Star approved charger. It consumes 12 times less power than the Energy Star 

standard for standby power consumption. 

”Samsung Reclaim is more than just an eco-centric device, its also a powerful 

and stylish phone that’s easy-to-use,” said Omar Khan, senior vice president of 

Strategy and Product Management for Samsung Mobile. “When you combine the 

Reclaim’s impressive feature set with its bio-plastic hardware and eco-centric 

packaging, you’re using a phone that is good for you and the environment.” 

Reclaim has been available from August 16, 2009 in all Sprint retail channels, 

including Best Buy, Radio Shack, internet and telesales. It‘s also available at Wal- 

Mart since early September. 

Reclaim is Samsung’s latest contribution toward its commitment to the 

environment. Samsung Electronics Co. was recently named as the second highest 

rated company in Greenpeace International’s Guide to Greener Electronics 

scorecard. MT 

www.sprint.com 

www.samsungmobileusa.com 

www.samsung.com 



(Photo: Philips) 

New ‘Eco.‘ 

Cordless 

Telephone 

Vacuum 

Cleaner 

Housing 

The latest innovation for Ingeo bioplastic is Telecom 

Italia’s environmentally friendly ‘Eco.‘ cordless telephone. 

NatureWorks PLA material forms the exterior 

shell of the new cordless which matches high technical 

performance with sustainability and energy savings. Eco.’s 

advanced features include backlight display, handsfree, an 

integrated backlight keypad and polyphonic ringtones. This 

cordless is also projected to minimize energy consumption. 

Telecom Italia’s Eco. cordless has been designed and made 

real with the cooperation of Telecom Italia Lab, the University 

of Palermo and the MID design studio. In addition to providing 

certified environmental credentials, Ingeo provides a naturebased 

innovation which enhances the Eco.’s performance 

and aesthetics. 

This initiative can be marked among those that will surely 

improve energy efficiency. As an example, NatureWorks 

notes that for 30.000 cordless units, the savings which result 

from replacing conventional oil based material with Ingeo 

bioplastic, are equivalent to 36 barrels of oil, a full month 

of electrical energy for 108 European citizens or driving the 

average car 75.000 km. 

In addition to its low carbon footprint benefits, Ingeo 

biopolymer offers more disposal options than conventional 

oil-based plastics, such as composting in controlled industrial 

systems when available locally, feedstock recovery which 

enables reuse in all end products and markets as well as 

matching conventional incineration or landfill routes where 

they are appropriate. MT 

In early 2009 the Dutch company Philips started to 

use a durable PLA-based polymer for the housing 

of the Performer EnergyCare FC9178 vacuum 

cleaner. And even the packaging consists of about 

90% recycled material. 

Durable bioplastics applications in Europe became 

possible with a specially developed ’Nanoalloy’ 

technology from the Japanese Toray Industries. 

“Conventional PLA-based polymers were not 

suitable for the manufacturing process because of 

their physical properties and mouldability,“ said a 

spokesperson from Toray Industries. Toray were 

able to solve the challenge with ‘Ecodear’, a specially 

developed bioplastic material. Thus it was possible 

to meet the technical demands of the application - 

namely heat resistance, impact strength, durability, 

mouldabilty and shrinkage factors equivalent to 

the standard materials which are currently used in 

the market. Finally this led to the first adoption in a 

consumer electronics application in Europe. 

With this new generation of bio durable bioplastics 

Toray has taken an important step into the future for the 

next generation of developments for environmentally 

friendly products. MT 

www.toray.com 

www.natureworksllc.com, www.telecomitalia.it 


Materials 

Oxobiodegradable Plastic 


Professor Gerald Scott DSc, 

FRSC, C.Chem, FIMMM 

Professor Emeritus 

in Chemistry and Polymer Science 

of Aston University UK 

Chairman of the 

British Standards Institute Committee 

on Biodegradability of Plastics 

Chairman of the 

Scientific Advisory Board of the 

Oxo-biodegradable Plastics 

Association. 

I 

have been asked by Symphony Environmental Technologies (UK) to respond 

to a request from Bioplastics Magazine for an article about their d2w Controlled-life 

plastics, which degrade by a process of oxo-biodegradation 1 . My 

views are based on the research carried out in my own and in many other laboratories 

throughout the world since my original patent was filed in 1971, and on my 

review of independent test reports carried out on d2w products. 

Let us be clear at the outset that oxo-biodegradable plastic is not normally 

marketed for composting, and it is not designed for anaerobic digestion nor for 

degradation deep in landfill. Let us also be clear that oxo-biodegradable plastic is 

not designed to merely fragment – it is designed to be completely bioassimilated 

by naturally-occurring micro-organisms in a timescale longer than that required 

for composting (180 days) but shorter than for nature’s wastes such as leaves 

and twigs (10 years or more), and much shorter than for normal plastics (many 

decades). All plastics will eventually become embrittled, and will fragment and 

be bioassimilated, but the difference made by oxo-biodegradable technology is 

that the process is accelerated. 

Oxo-biodegradable plastic is intended to address the environmental problem 

caused by plastic waste which gets accidentally or deliberately into the open 

environment. This is a well known problem in all countries, and cannot be 

ignored by calling it a behavioural issue. Oxo-biodegradable plastic is designed 

to harmlessly degrade then biodegrade in the presence of oxygen and to return 

the carbon in the plastic to the natural biological cycle. Accordingly, tests in 

anaerobic conditions or in composting conditions are not appropriate 

Industrial composting is not the same as biodegradation in the environment, 

as it is a process operated according to a much shorter timescale than the 

processes of nature. EN13432 (and similar composting standards such as ISO 

17088, ASTM D6400, ASTM D6868, and Australian 4736-2006) are not relevant to 

oxo-biodegradable plastic. Indeed EN13432 itself says that is not appropriate 

for plastic waste which may end up in the environment through uncontrolled 

means. 

Oxo-biodegradable plastic products are normally tested according to ASTM 

D6954-04 ‘Standard Guide for Exposing and Testing Plastics that Degrade in the 

Environment by a Combination of Oxidation and Biodegradation’. There are two 

types of Standards – Standard Guides and Standard Specifications ASTM 6954 is 

an acknowledged and respected Standard Guide for performing laboratory tests 

on oxo-biodegradable plastic. It has been developed and published by ASTM 

International – the American standards organisation – and the second Tier is 

directed specifically to proving biodegradation. 

Tests performed according to ASTM D6954-04 tell industry and consumers 

what they need to know – namely whether the plastic is (a) degradable 

(b) biodegradable and (c) non phyto-toxic. It is not necessary to refer to a 

Standard Specification unless it is desired to use the material for a particular 

purpose such as composting, and ASTM D6954-04 provides that if composting is 

the designated disposal route, ASTM D6400 should be used. 

ASTM D6954-04 not only provides detailed test methods but it also provides 

pass/fail criteria. The oxobiodegradable plastics most commonly used consist of 


Materials 

single polymers to which section 6.6.1 applies. This section requires that 60 

% of the organic carbon must be converted to carbon dioxide. Therefore if the 

material does not achieve 60% mineralisation the test cannot be completed 

and the material cannot be certified. 

Having achieved 60% mineralisation, the Note to 6.6.1 provides that testing 

may be continued to better determine the length of time the materials will take 

to biodegrade. It is not however necessary to continue the test until 100% has 

been achieved, because it is possible, by applying the Arrhenius relationship 2 

to the test results, to predict the time at which that is likely to occur. 

There is no requirement in ASTM D6954-04 for the plastic to be converted to 

C0 2 

in 180 days because, while timescale is critical for a commercial composting 

process, it is not critical for biodegradation in the environment. Timescale in 

the natural environment depends on the amount of heat, light, and stress to 

which the material is subjected, and as indicated above, nature’s wastes such 

as leaves twigs and straw may take ten years or more to biodegrade. 

The requirement in EN13432, ASTM D6400 and similar standards for 90% 

conversion to CO 2 

gas within 180 days is not useful even for composting, 

because it contributes to climate change instead of contributing to the fertility 

of the soil. ‘Compostable’ plastic, 90% of which has been converted to CO 2 

gas, is virtually useless in compost, and nature‘s lignocellulosic wastes do not 

behave in this way. 

The applications for which oxo-biodegradable plastics are normally used can 

vary from very short-life products such as bread-wrappers intended to last a 

few months, to durable shopping bags intended to last five years or more. The 

conditions under which they are likely to be discarded can also vary from cold 

and wet conditions to hot and dry desert conditions. It is for the companies 

producing or using these products to evaluate the test results to judge the 

suitability of the tested material for those applications and conditions, and to 

market them accordingly. 

The pro-oxidant additives which cause accelerated degradation are usually 

compounds of iron, nickel, cobalt, or manganese together with carefullyformulated 

stabilisers, and are added to conventional plastics at the extrusion 

stage. These reduce the molecular weight of the material – causing it to be 

ultimately consumed by bacteria and fungi. Symphony’s d2w additives have 

been tested and proved not to be phyto-toxic, and they do not contain ‘heavy 

metals’. 

Oxo-biodegradable technology is commonly used for Polyethylene and 

Polypropylene products, but it can also be used for Polystyrene. Experiments 

are continuing with PET but I am not as yet satisfied that the technology will 

work satisfactorily with PET. Experiments are also continuing with PVC. 

Tests on oxo-biodegradable plastic products are usually conducted by 

independent laboratories such as Smithers-RAPRA (US/UK), Pyxis (UK), 

Applus (Spain), etc, according to the test methods prescribed by ASTM D6954- 

04. Conditions in the laboratory are designed to simulate so far as possible 

conditions in the real world, but have to be accelerated in order that tests may 

be done in a reasonable time. Pre-treatment does not invalidate the results. 

1: Oxo-biodegradation is defined by CEN/ 

TR15351-06 as “degradation identified as 

resulting from oxidative and cell-mediated 

phenomena, either simultaneously or 

successively.” 

2: See eg. Jakubowicz, :Polym. Deg. Stab. 

80,39-43 (2003) 

3: See D. Gilead and G. Scott “Developments 

in Polymer Stabilisation”-5. App. sci. Pub., 

1982, Chapter 4 and references therein 

for details of environmental effects on 

oxo-biodegradation 

4: There is insufficient space here for all 

the relevant publications, but visit www. 

bioplasticsmagazine.com/200906/2.pdf 

to see reference to some reviews for 

some of the recent papers 


In the real world the temperature of the soil varies between 0 and 

50°C depending on the location. The rate of molar-mass reduction 

and biodegradation can be extrapolated for any soil temperature by 

means of the Arrhenius relationship 3 . 

I have read many independent laboratory test reports on oxobiodegradable 

materials supplied by Symphony and by other 

manufacturers, which are entirely consistent with the published 

scientific literature 4 and with my own research. These manufacturers 

are not surprisingly unwilling to disclose their data to their 

competitors, but having seen the reports I am satisfied that if properly 

manufactured, oxo-biodegradable products will totally biodegrade in 

the presence of oxygen. 

I am aware of suggestions that fragments of plastic (whether oxobiodegradable, 

compostable, or normal plastic) attract toxins in a 

marine environment and are ingested by marine creatures. I am not 

however persuaded that fragments of plastic are any more likely to 

attract toxins than fragments of dead seaweed or any of the other 

trillions of fragments which are always present in the sea. 

I regard it as a positive factor that oxo-biodegradable plastics are 

made from naphtha - a by-product of oil, which used to be wasted. 

For so long as the world needs petroleum fuels and lubricants for 

engines it makes good environmental sense to use this by-product. 

I agree with the June 2009 report from Germany’s Institute for 

Energy and Environmental Research, which concluded that oil-based 

plastics, especially if recycled, have a better Life-cycle Analysis than 

compostable plastics. They added that “The current bags made from 

bioplastics have less favourable environmental impact profiles than 

the other materials examined” and that this is due to the process 

of raw-material production.” (see eg. www.bioplasticsmagazine. 

com/200906/1.pdf). 

Compostable plastics are designed to be deliberately destroyed in 

the composting process, but oxobiodegradable plastics can be reused 

many times and can be recycled if collected during their useful 

lifespan, which in the case of shopper-bags is about 18 months. 

Plastics of any kind should not be used for home-composting as they 

are often contaminated with meat and fish residues and temperatures 

may not rise high enough to kill the pathogens. 

Editor‘s note: 

This article is based on a counterstatement 

by Michael Stephen, Symphony Environmental 

in bM issue 03/2009 page 40, which included 

an offer by bM to contribute a scientifically 

based paper and to present data (e.g. ‘reports’ 

as required in section 7 of ASTM D6954-04). 

However, no data using the referenced standard 

was provided. The literature we received, 

is a list of publications that can be seen at 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.com/200906/3.pdf 

MT 

It is not desirable to send otherwise recoverable plastic to landfill, 

as plastic is a valuable resource. Nor is it desirable for anything 

to degrade in landfill unless the landfill is designed to collect the 

resulting gases, which most are not. However if oxo-biodegradables 

do end up in landfill, they are designed to disintegrate and partially 

biodegrade at or near the surface. Any particles deep in anaerobic 

landfill are minimal, and will remain inert indefinitely. They can never 

emit methane – unlike compostable plastics, paper, etc. 

So far as recycling is concerned, oxo-biodegradable plastic 

can be recycled in the same way as ordinary plastic (see www. 

bioplasticsmagazine.com/200906). By contrast, ‘compostable’ plastic 

cannot be recycled with ordinary plastic, and will ruin the recycling 

process if it gets into the waste stream. 

Please see www.bioplasticsmagazine.com/200906/3.pdf for a 

comprehensive list of Key scientific papers on the biodegradation of 

polyolefins. 


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

Prozess CyanProzess MagentaProzess GelbProzess Schwarz 

 

Biopolymere_210*148.indd 1 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C 

M 

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23.10.2009 8:46:50 Uhr 

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Up-to-date • Fast • Professional

Applications 

Green Nordic Walking – 

with Biobased Polyamide 

www.esb-sport.de 

www.mpp-austria.at 

www.dupont.com 

The first commercial, injection-molded use of renewablysourced 

DuPont Zytel ® RS polyamide in Europe is for the 

hand grip, tip, cap and inter-locking elements of the new ‘Exel 

NW ECO Trainer’ Nordic walking stick from EXEL Sports Brands 

(ESB), Stephanskirchen, Germany. The unreinforced polyamide 610 

is produced using sebacic acid extracted from castor oil plants. The 

renewably-sourced content of unreinforced Zytel RS is 58 % by wt. 

This was a crucial factor in the sports equipment manufacturer decision 

to not only base its production in Europe, but to also launch 

its own competence model made in the material. 

“Both sustainability and the responsible handling of resources are 

strongly encouraged within our company. This includes the use of 

products with a reduced environmental footprint products offering 

the best levels of performance based on high quality standards. 

Accordingly, innovative products developments, such as Zytel 

RS from DuPont, fit perfectly into our corporate strategy,” states 

Richard Holzner, product manager at ESB for the Exel walking 

sticks. “All the components are solvent- and toxin-free. Thus, we 

are able to guarantee that our customers receive environmentallyfriendly 

products offering the best performance according to 

European quality standards.” 

For the hand grip, a cork or wooden shell can be used on top of 

the Zytel RS, enhancing its feel for the user. Carbide is overmolded 

with Zytel RS for the tip. Beyond its very good surface finish, the 

long chain polyamide 610 offers excellent chemical resistance, low 

moisture absorption and temperature resistance between -40°C 

and 50° C. The parts were designed and manufactured by Metall 

und Plastikwaren Putz GmbH (MPP) of Abtenau in Austria. “The 

processability of unreinforced Zytel RS is similar to that of polyamide 

66. The material is also easy to color,” reports Georg Putz, managing 

director of MPP. “The only differences were an approximately 

40°C lower melt temperature and minor variations in shrinkage 

behavior. The technical support provided by the polymer distributor 

Biesterfeld-Interowa was very helpful during the transition.” 

Following its launch at the relevant sporting goods trade shows 

such as the ispo winter 2010, the ‘Exel NW ECO Trainer’ will be 

available to consumers from specialist sports shops from spring 

2010. 

The DuPont portfolio of engineering polymers includes a series of 

products based on renewable resources. They are either entirely or 

partially produced using agriculturally-sourced raw materials such 

as corn or castor-oil beans instead of crude oil, thereby helping 

reduce the industry’s dependence on increasingly limited crude oil 

reserves. - MT 


Applications 

A Magic Powder 

in a PLA Powderette 

by Rainer 

Bittermann, 

IFA-Tulln 

www.blue-elph.com 

www.ifa-tulln.ac.at 

In Austria a new product was launched in October based on an aromatic powder which puts the consumer 

in a state of ‘relaxed alertness’, according to Rouven Haas the inventor of Blue Elph ® . It is an 

absolutely new and innovative edible leisure product - just unwrap the Powderette, tap the capsule, 

and suck in the powder - but whatever does it have to do with bioplastics? OK, the powder consists exclusively 

of harmless, edible substances and the capsule is made of gelatine, but the Powderette is made 

from NatureWorks PLA and additives from Sukano and Polyone. 

The development started in 2005 together with the Institute of Natural Materials Technology at the 

University Research Institute at Tulln (IFA-Tulln) in Austria. After screening various bioplastics for injection 

moulding, PLA was selected because of its high transparency and excellent mechanical properties. The 

product design and recipe development took a long time but ended with a perfect shape and excellent 

processability. 

During the project the properties of PLA in the injection moulding process were investigated. The high 

flowability, transparency and rigidity allowed the adoption of a special design that could not be easily 

realised using standard polymers. The high variation in wall thickness and the sharp point necessary for 

piercing the powder-filled capsule should also be noted here. Thanks to different additives the ejection 

and constant colour at a constant transparency level could also be achieved in the end. The next step will 

be the construction of a 32-cavity tool to reach the planned output (300,000 for the next 6 months). 

For the launch and rapid penetration into the market over 600 people – including press, partners, friends 

and celebrities - were invited to the launch party in the ‘Skykitchen‘ club, up above the rooftops of Vienna, 

to experience the world of Blue Elph. 

The novelty of Blue Elph is not so much its effect as the way of ingesting it, and the associated benefits. 

The powder in the capsule is sucked into the mouth using the patented Powderette and acts directly over 

the oral mucosa. Caffeine and guarana immediately awaken and sharpen the senses, L-Phenylalanin has 

the effect of lifting the mood and passion flower is relaxing. Because of the absorption of Blue Elph via 

the oral mucosa the active substances enter the body faster and more directly. The concentration of these 

substances is up to 10 times lower than in products that can be drunk or eaten, and so are harmless to 

the body. 

The inventor Rouven Haas first had the idea for the product eleven years ago. At that time he asked 

himself why he didn‘t stop smoking. To cut out such a habit without finding a substitute is very hard, and 

with smoking in particular a very personal need is satisfied. This was the moment of birth. He wanted to 

create a harmless substitute that combines the fascination and feel of a cigarette with a stimulating effect 

as well as an extraordinary taste. 


Application News 

Naturalmente Cosmestics 

‘Naturalmente‘ is a brand created and registered in Europe in 2004 by the 

Italian company Artec, whose logistic and head offices are based in Brescia 

and research, innovation, development and production laboratory in Tuscany. 

The company is specialized in vegetal cosmetic products for hair, body and 

environment derived derived from the botanical kingdom: plants, flowers, roots, 

seeds, oils, fruits, spices and resins cultivated in their countries of origin, from 

all over the world, with biological, biodynamic and spontaneous agricultural. 

Thanks to a continuous research of sustainable ingredients and materials, 

Naturalmente has made a responsible choice: converting 22 bottles from 

polypropylene to Ingeo PLA bottles. For its launch about 30.000 pieces have 

been distributed in hairstyling shops. An annual consumption of 115.000 pieces 

is expected. The bottle of 250 ml, which is opaque, is made from PLA while the 

cap still is in polypropylene. There is no label on the packaging, all information 

is printed directly on the bottle. Product shelf life is 12 months. 

www.naturalmente-artec.com 

Green Cups in the Skies over Asia 

High technology lies behind a seemingly simple innovation led by All Nippon Airways (ANA), which 

aims to be the number one airline group in Asia and also to be a leader of environmental action in 

the aviation industry. ANA’s passengers will now enjoy their drinks in an Ingeo natural plastic cup. 

The cup was planned and developed jointly by NatureWorks and ANA for ANA’s fourth environmental 

flights campaign, ‘e-flight‘, which went from October 1 - 31, 2009. 

The drinking cups consist of NatureWorks’ Ingeo PLA. ANA held its first ‘e-flight‘ campaign in 2006. 

Under the catchphrase “Think about the earth and human beings”, the fourth ‘e-flight‘ promotes 

these public awareness initiatives that feature eco-friendly services and products like the PLA cup in 

addition to other steps, which include wine in PET bottles and an optional passenger carbon offset 

program. The programs will enable ANA to realize its environmental goals both on the ground and 

in flight. 

Plans call for the Ingeo natural plastic cup to be used on all the domestic flights in Japan and for 

coach class passengers on the Narita-Singapore route as a part of ‘e-flight‘ programs. 

ANA group is an innovator in environmental action. The company has set targets to significantly 

reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2011 with its domestic flights 

in Japan, and has been saving fuel during the flights to achieve this corporate 

goal. In addition, ANA is deeply involved in a number of forest and marine 

environment restoration projects. As a result of these activities, ANA was the 

first company in the aviation industry to be certified as an ‘Eco-First Company‘ 

by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment. 

“The new ANA Ingeo plastic drinking cups will give airline passengers 

the opportunity to hold a product symbolic of greater sustainability through 

innovative thinking and technology,” said Marc Verbruggen, president and 

CEO, NatureWorks LLC. “We are proud to have Ingeo playing a role in the 

ANA e-flight program.” 

BP Consulting, Japan, headed by President Takeyuki Yamamatsu, an 

unwavering advocate for sustainability and sustainable products, also worked 

closely with both ANA and NatureWorks to develop, produce, and implement 

the Ingeo plastic cups concept. - MT 

www.natureworksllc.com 

www.ana.co.jp 


New Sunglasses 

made from 

Clear Bio-Polyamide 

Sport and fashion sunglasses (photo) have become high 

performance objects by being adapted to consumer‘s comfort 

and fashion evolution. 

Glass frames are subjected to various requirements like 

expanded decoration possibilities, lightness and comfort. 

They must also be easy to process while having excellent 

chemical and stress cracking-resistance. 

At the Outdoor Retailer Summer fair in Salt Lake City, 

Utah last summer Smith Optics ® and Arkema unveiled the 

new ‘Evolve’ sunglasses collection using Rilsan ® Clear G830 

Rnew. 

Rilsan Clear G830 Rnew offers all the necessary 

characteristics to provide Smith Optics with the required 

quality for their new ‘Evolve’ sunglasses collection: optimal 

comfort, lightness, good impact resistance, superior 

durability, and nice flexibility. A total of 20 new ‘Evolve’ 

sunglass frame models are made entirely of Rilsan Clear 

G830 Rnew, a bio-renewable sourced polymer derived from 

castor oil. This new collection perfectly fits in with Smith 

Optics‘s durable eco-design strategy. 

Rilsan Clear G830 Rnew uses 54% bio-based raw material, 

thus helping reduce CO 2 

emissions. It naturally offers the 

same key benefits as classical Rilsan Clear G350, namely a 

combination of key properties such as chemical resistance and 

mechanical performance. It allows new design possibilities 

for injection-molded eyewear, especially thanks to its easy 

processing and its higher flexibility increasing comfort of 

wear and durability. 

The use of Rilsan Clear G830 Rnew in the new Smith Optics 

models marks the start of a new adventure and a close 

collaboration between Arkema and Smith Optics. 

www.arkema.com 

www.smithoptics.com 

Hair Care Products 

in PLA bottles 

Nature‘s Organics began in the late 1950‘s as a small business pioneering naturally based products, such as bath cubes, 

hair colourants, and various toiletry ranges in Australia. Since then it has rapidly become the forefront of the business. The 

company provides their consumers with a choice of naturally enriched products that are pure, gentle and effective. They use 

plant-derived ingredients as far as possible that helps to produce extremely efficient, biodegradable formulas. All products are 

stringently controlled to reduce unnecessary waste of non-renewable resources, offering ‘Sustainable development through 

responsible environmental management’. In early 2008, Nature‘s Organics introduced an Ingeo PLA bottle which offers an 

improved environmental footprint. With the continued success of this brand and proven track record of the Ingeo bottle, 

Nature‘s Organics has begun exporting this organic hair care line to Europe as well. The company produces the PLA bottles in 

their Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Australia factory. 

www.naturesorganics.com.au 


Application News 

‘Organic Plug’ 

made from Bio PA 

The fischer group of companies of Waldachtal, Germany 

recently presented its first prototype of an 

‘organic plug’. The material of the fischer Universal 

Plug UX consists of polyamide by DuPont which is mainly 

made of renewable substances. 

UX with staying power 

The fischer UX Universal Plug made of conventional 

nylon has been established in the market for many years, 

giving users the feeling of reliability and safety. With every 

turn of the screw, the plug tightens more and more – until 

it is safely expanded inside the drill hole or knotted inside 

the cavity. A true all-rounder, the plug gets a perfect grip in 

any wall, whether in plasterboard, solid bricks, perforated 

bricks or concrete. 

Same retaining power as the standard plug 

The ‘Organic Plug’ is made of the Zytel ® RS polyamide 

by DuPont, 58 % by wt. of which consist of renewable 

base materials. “Extensive tests and long-term trials 

have shown that the UX made of this new material has 

the same values as the tried and tested product made 

of conventional nylon”, says Rainer Fischer, head of 

synthetics development at fischer. In continuous tests, 

the ‘Organic Plug’ consistently shows the same retaining 

values as the conventional UX. Investigations involving the 

performance at high temperatures also show the same 

temperature resistance for both plugs. 

The UX Plugs recently shown at FAKUMA, a German 

plastics trade fair, are the first prototypes presented to 

a wider public. “Our aim is not only to demonstrate that 

we can make plugs from sustainable and renewable 

materials”, says Rainer Fischer. “We also want to fathom 

out the market acceptance because the ‘Organic Plugs’ 

can currently not be made with the same cost structure as 

the standard plug”. 

www.fischer.de 

www.renewable.dupont.com 

Gourmet 

Canadian Packaging 

A 

Canadian company, Nature’s Farm, is going to wrap 

its range of gourmet pasta products in NatureFlex NE 

from Innovia Films. 

Founded in 1987 in Steinbach, Manitoba, Nature’s Farm is a 

family-owned business with a poultry operation producing eggs. 

In 1993 after several years of careful research and some time as 

a ‘designer-egg’ wholesaler, they introduced Nature’s Pasta, 

which now appears on the menus of some of North America’s 

best eating establishments. 

The farm’s fresh free-range eggs (from hens fed an allnatural 

vegetarian diet) go through a stringent quality inspection 

before being shipped to the nearby pasta-making facility. Strict 

adherence to old-world, small-batch production methods has 

created gourmet pasta that is setting new standards in taste, 

texture, and quality. The products are packed in-house on a 

Bosch Terra 25 VFFS machine set up to run at 15ppm. 

According to company founder, Hermann Grauer, NatureFlex 

is an ideal packaging choice, “We are committed to ecological 

sustainability and stewardship. NatureFlex has fitted into our 

production line process with only minimal adjustment required. 

The reaction of our customers’ to the packaging has also been 

very positive and enthusiastic.” 

“NatureFlex is a very versatile product,” stated Christopher 

Tom, Innovia Films’ Account Executive, Canada, “we are delighted 

to support Nature’s Farm by providing packaging that aligns 

with their environmentally and socially responsible values.” For 

a packaging like a pasta bag, a good sealability is important. 

NatureFlex NE was used in this application as it offers the best 

seal performance in the NatureFlex range of products. 

www.innoviafilms.com 

www.naturesfarm.ca 

(Photo: fischerwerke) 


Basics383 

Evaluating Quantity, 

Quality and Comparability 

of Biopolymer Materials 


Hans-Josef Endres, 

Andrea Siebert-Raths, 

and Maren Bengs, 

all University of Applied Sciences 

and Arts, Hanover, Germany 

Rather than biodegradability the focus of current material development 

in the field of biopolymers is increasingly on a biobased raw material input 

to produce durable products, i.e. the use of resistant biopolymers in 

technical applications. And the properties required of the materials are increasing 

in parallel with the number of these different applications. 

As a result of this current development more and more manufacturers 

are publishing material specifications. At first glance this can be seen as a 

positive move from the point of view of technical marketing support, however, 

the quantity, quality and comparability of available material data are still very 

unsatisfactory. When establishing such product data it is often the case, for 

example, that different standards are used for the tests, as well as different 

testing conditions, such as the prevailing environment when the sample was 

taken, the temperature conditions or humidity before and during the test, or the 

period of time over which the test was conducted. A further problem area lies in 

the fact that too little experience has been gained with new types of biopolymer 

to be able to lay down the optimum test conditions. Furthermore many of the 

published test results do not specify any standard test methods or conditions, or 

do not adequately define the selected conditions. Unfortunately consequence it 

is often in the case that the material performance specifications published until 

now have limited informative value. 

The intention of this article is, with the help of various concrete examples, to 

point out some of the common mistakes made when attempting to ascertain the 

performance characteristics of biopolymers and to increase the understanding 

of testing of biopolymers. 

Melt Index 

An important value for plastics processors is, for example, the melt flow index 

(Melt mass flow rate = MFR [g/10 min]) as specified in DIN EN ISO 1133. Without 

quoting a temperature and the pressure applied as the significant parameters 

for the test, the readings cannot be evaluated. These data, which complement the 

values quoted, are therefore essential but are left out by many manufacturers and 

are missing from numerous published documents. In addition, with biopolymers 

there is often the problem that, unlike conventional plastics, the MFR of these 

new polymers no recommendations are given with regard to the test parameters 

when measuring. This leads to different companies choosing different test 

parameters, hence making it even more difficult to compare readings. 

Temperature Resistance 

Another very sensitive figure that should be known for practical application 

of a biopolymer is its resistance to temperature. In many documents published 

about biopolymers, or in press releases, we more and more often read, for 


Basics 

instance, about PLA/PLA blends with a temperature resistance of 

around 100°C. Since the low temperature resistance of PLA often 

seriously limits its use, this increase from the figure of about 60°C 

(which is normally quoted for this material) to values around 100°C is 

extremely significant. Unfortunately it has emerged that this impressive 

figure is not supported by the facts but can largely be traced back to 

widely varying test methods that are not really comparable. Here too it 

is absolutely essential that one is given details of the test method and 

conditions with regard to heat resistance values. 

To measure heat resistance the following two different standard test 

methods are generally used: 

Measuring HDT (Heat Deflection Temperature or Heat Distortion 

Temperature) in accordance with DIN EN ISO 75 and measuring the 

VST (Vicat Softening Temperature) in accordance with DIN EN ISO 

306. For the HDT test a standard sample is placed in an oil bath and 

subjected to a defined and constant bending force under a constantly 

increasing temperature (120°C/h). The HDT is reached when the 

outer fibre distortion of the material reaches 0.2 %. In the Vicat test 

the sample is also placed in an oil bath with a defined temperature 

gradient. However the Vicat test is not based on bending but on point 

load deflection. The Vicat softening temperature is reached when a 

flat-ended needle of a defined geometry, penetrates 1 mm into the 

sample under a defined pressure [1]. 

Both methods permit variations of the load and temperature 

gradient within the norm. With the HDT method the central bending 

load can be chosen from the following values: 1.85 MPa (HDT A), 

0.45 MPa (HDT B) and 8.0 MPa (HDT C). This means that even within one 

method there can be significant variations in the value depending on 

the chosen loading, which is often not specified in the quoted results, 

as can be seen in Fig. 1. If, for example, the temperature resistance of 

polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) is published it may seem high, returning 

a value of 140°C, or, with a greater loading, be as much as 60°C lower 

at about 80°C. 

The situation is similar with the VST temperature resistance test. 

Here too the piercing needle force can be selected from either 10 N 

(VST A) or 50 N (VST B). In the VST method A represents a lower loading 

and hence higher resistance values, whilst method B, uses higher 

loading and hence a lower resistance value in contrast to method A. 

When comparing the temperature resistance of biopolymers the two 

methods can return figures that vary by as much as 100°C. 

Furthermore when testing temperature resistance either of two 

temperature gradients may be selected; either 50°C/h or 120°C/h. At 

the faster rate the thermodynamic loading time of the biopolymer before 

reaching a certain temperature is less than at a lower temperature 

gradient. Hence the resulting values at the higher temperature gradient 

are likewise correspondingly higher. 

It is therefore essential that the exact and full methodology used 

when measuring temperature resistance is specified. Where adequate 

data on the test methods is not supplied the temperature resistance 

cannot be properly evaluated. 

[°C] 

160 

140 

120 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

HDT A (1.85 Mpa) 

PLA 

Starch blend 

HDT B (0.45 Mpa) 

Copolyester blend 

Fig.1: The influence of different bending loads 

on the measured temperature resistance 

using the HDT test. 

Temperature gradient in each case = 120°C/h 

(incomplete, just as an example) 

PHA 

PHB 

PCL 


Basics 

[°C] 

160 

140 

120 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

45 

40 

35 

30 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

90 

80 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

PLA 

VSTA (10N), 120°C/h) 

Starch blend 

Copolyester 

HDT A (1.85 Mpa, 120°C/h) 

Fig.2: Influence of the test method used 

to determine temperature resistance 

(incomplete, just as an example) 

Moisture content [%] 

Copolyester blend 

Tensile strength (Mpa) 

PCL 

Fig.3: The effect of conditioning and 

storage on the tensile strength of a 

PLVA based polymer 

Storage time not 

exceeded 

Storage time exceeded 

(about 9 months) 

PHB 

Storage period: 4 months 

(23°C/ 50% RH) 

Storage period: 4 months 

(23°C/ 50% RH) - before 

testing dried to about 1% 

moisture content 

Storage period: 24 hours 

(23°C/ 50% RH) 

Melt Mass Flow Rate 

(190°C, 2.16kg) 

in [g/10min] 

Tensile strength (in Mpa) 

Fig. 4: Effect of extended storage period 

on the material (23°C, 50% RH) 

For the values obtained using the VST test it is thus necessary to 

clearly distinguish between results obtained using, for example, VST 

A 50 (load applied to the needle = 10 N and temperature gradient = 

50°C/h), VST A 120 (10 N @ 120°C/h), VST B 50 (50 N @ 50°C/h) and VST 

B 120 (50 N @ 120°C/h) [1]. 

Without these data mistakes are often made in the practical 

application of biopolymers, such as PLA, due to a lack of understanding 

of this problem and directly comparing temperature resistance values 

that have been obtained using different test methods and/or under 

different test parameters. As shown in the table of temperature 

resistance figures obtained using Vicat A and HDT A for various 

biopolymers (Fig. 2), these results are not at all comparable. 

Alongside the often inadequate data concerning the test parameters 

there are other factors (such as storage time and/or conditioning/ 

drying) that are not given with regard to the biopolymers being tested. 

The chart in Fig 3 uses as an example the tensile strength of a polyvinyl 

alcohol (PVAL) based biopolymer to demonstrate the significant effect 

that humidity and/or length of storage may have on the mechanical 

properties of the material. It is important, when testing in line with 

an international standard, to supply information on the storage and 

conditioning of the sample as well as how much time elapsed between 

preparation of the sample and the actual test. 

Fig. 4 also shows that with biopolymers it is not only conditioning 

and the age of the finished components that have a significant impact, 

but that also the effect of exceeding recommended storage times of 

the resins before processing is a factor not to be underestimated. The 

following chart shows the impact on a starch based biopolymer of 

exceeding the storage times. 

The starch based polymer was tested immediately on delivery and 

then after a clearly excessive storage period. The almost quadruple 

melt flow index points to a reduction in the length of the molecular 

chain as a result of the polymer degradation. The same applies to the 

tensile strength. Here again the material was tested immediately upon 

delivery and again after an extended storage period. The significant 

drop of the mechanical specification also points clearly to a molecular 

breakdown. 

Barrier Properties of Films 

Further examples of a lack of data when evaluating biopolymers is 

also seen in the area of biopolymer films. This can be testing oxygen 

permeability in line with DIN 53380 for example. In this process a 

permeation cell is separated by a sample of the film. The test gas, i.e. 

the oxygen, is introduced into one half of the cell. It will permeate to a 

greater or less degree through the film and into the other half of the 

cell where it is perceived by a carrier gas. A sensor and appropriate 

software are used to measure the amount of oxygen in the carrier gas 

and so determine the oxygen permeability of the film. In addition to 

temperature, the relative humidity of the oxygen and the carrier gas 

can also be regulated. When stating the barrier property of a film, i.e. 

the coefficient of permeation, the temperature and relative humidity 

parameters often fail to be supplied, but as can be seen in Fig. 5 the 

moisture content of the oxygen (or other gases being tested), and the 

carrier gas have a significant influence on the permeability especially 

of biopolymers. 


Basics 

Film Thickness 

Another difficulty with biopolymer film lies in the presentation of 

performance data without mentioning the film thickness. With barrier 

performance in particular it is important to state the film thickness 

concerned or to adhere to a recognised standard with a unified film 

thickness. In some published data we still find barrier properties of 

film being quoted without any mention of the thickness. 

Test Speed 

A further shortcoming with regard to biopolymer film lies in the 

testing of its mechanical performance and in particular the tensile 

test. With regard to the speed applied during the tensile test there 

is no specific standard laid down by DIN EN ISO 527; several speeds 

(1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 mm/min) may be applied by the tester. 

In practice a speed of 1, 2 or 5 mm/min is chosen to determine the 

secant modulus. For other mechanical values (e.g. tensile strength) 

higher speeds are usually selected. The chart in Fig. 6 shows the effect 

of test speed on the secant modulus of a regenerated cellulose film. 

As is clear from the illustration, the secant modulus measured at 

1 mm/min lies well below that of the modulus measured at the higher 

speed by almost 1000 MPa. At the lower speeds the molecular chains 

have more time to change shape and orient themselves. Hence the 

film is less resistant to elastic deformation. 

The effect of testing speed on mechanical values is also seen with 

injection moulded parts, but the effect on films, due to their much 

reduced thickness, is more significant. Hence, when tensile testing 

films in particular, it is very important to have information on the 

test speed in order to be better able to assess and compare data on 

different materials. 

For the future it can be assumed that the development of biopolymers 

will move ahead swiftly and more and more materials will be presented 

to the market. It is however important at this stage that the performance 

characteristics published for new types of biopolymers are comparable 

and meaningful. 

Help on this whole topic is available from a freely accessible 

database at www.materialdatacenter.com, assembled by the authors 

of this article in collaboration with the company M-Base GmbH and 

with support of the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture 

and Consumer Protection (the BMELV). All commercially available 

polymers are tested under standardised conditions in line with the 

published norms here, and are can find all of the necessary information 

regarding the relevant test parameters in parallel with the numerical 

specifications of biopolymers. 

More information about biopolymer testing can be found in the 

book ‘Technical Biopolymers’ [1]. This book can be ordered via the 

bioplastics MAGAZINE website. It is available in German language, an 

English version is expected for spring 2010. 

www.fakultaet2.fh-hannover.de 

www.materialdatacenter.com 

[cm³/(m²*d*bar)] 

Fig.5: Oxygen permeability in relation to the 

relative humidity of the gas being tested 

(oxygen) and the carrier gas. 

Secant modulus (Mpa) 

400 

350 

300 

250 

200 

150 

100 

50 

0 

6200 

6000 

5800 

5600 

5400 

5200 

5000 

4800 

4600 

Starch based film PLA based film 

(standardised to 100 μm) (standardised to 100 μm) 

Test speed 1 mm/min 



23°C/0% RH 

23°C/50% RH 


[1] Endres, H.-J.; Siebert-Raths, A.: Technische Biopolymere, Carl Hanser 

Verlag, München 2009 

Fig.6: Effect of test speed on the 

secant modulus 


Basics 

Basics of 

Anaerobic Digestion 


Bruno de Wilde 

Organic Waste Systems nv, Ghent, Belgium 

Anaerobic digestion: another way of biological solid 

waste treatment 

Within biological solid waste treatment a distinction can 

be made between two major categories, one being aerobic 

composting and the other being anaerobic digestion (AD) or 

biogasification . 

In composting, organic matter is degraded by a microbial 

population consisting of bacteria and fungi, that consume the 

organic matter together with oxygen and produce CO 2 

, water, 

biomass (compost or humus) and a lot of heat. Due to this 

exothermic process, the temperature in a composting pile 

increases significantly. In anaerobic digestion, organic matter 

is degraded by a microbial population consisting of bacteria 

in the absence of oxygen and producing CH 4 

(methane) and 

CO 2 

(this mixture often being referred to as ‘biogas‘) and 

compost with practically no exothermic heat. When collected 

properly this biogas can be exploited in a CHP (Combined 

Heat and Power) system, producing electricity and heat, or 

can be upgraded to biomethane. To put it simply, the energy 

present in wet, organic waste is released as biogas instead 

of heat as in composting. Typically from 1 tonne of biowaste 

120 m 3 of biogas can be produced, with a total electricity yield of 

250 kWh and a net electricity yield of 200 kWh. 

In industrial composting the different technologies are 

rather similar and the differences lie in relatively minor 

aspects (e.g. aeration by over- pressure or under-pressure, 

Aerobic composting (open windrow) at Tenneville (Belgium) 

the form of the waste heaps, etc) with little or no consequence 

for the treatment of bioplastics. In contrast, rather different 

technologies can be distinguished in anaerobic digestion. One 

distinction between different technologies is the temperature 

at which the anaerobic digestion is operated. Temperature 

is externally controlled and digesters are run either at 

mesophilic temperature (35-40°C), or at thermophilic 

temperature (50-55°C). These are two distinct temperature 

zones at which different types of anaerobic bacteria show 

maximum activity (namely mesophilic and thermophilic 

bacteria). The rate of activity is higher at thermophilic 

temperature. Further, anaerobic digestion can be a singlephase 

or a two-phase process. In a single-phase process 

the complete digestion takes place in one unit or digester. 

In two-phase fermentation the first phase (hydrolysis and 

acidification) and the subsequent methanogenic phase are 

run in separate tanks. The distinction between single-phase 

and two-phase is referred to as a distinction between dry and 

wet fermentation systems. In dry anaerobic digestion the 

process is run at a moisture content of < 85%, while in wet 

systems the process is run at a moisture level of >85%. 

These technical differences have rather far-reaching 

consequences with regard to the treatment of bioplastics. 

For example, certain bioplastics (e.g. PLA) need an elevated 

temperature (50-60°C) to start biodegrading. In thermophilic 

anaerobic digestion this temperature is met and these 

bioplastics will degrade. However, in mesophilic anaerobic 

digestion where the temperature is lower, these bioplastics 

will not readily biodegrade. 

Practically all commercial anaerobic digestion systems 

feature a combination of an anaerobic fermentation first step, 

and a subsequent, aerobic composting, stabilisation second 

step. Since fermentation is something of a mixed process 

the output is not fully stabilised or fermented (note: mixing 

can be done in the reactor or outside the reactor by blending 

residue output with new feedstock input). In order to reduce 

the residual biological activity and to obtain complete maturity 

of the compost end product, the residue from the anaerobic 

digestion phase is therefore aerobically composted for a short 

time (typically for 2-4 weeks). 


Basics 

Anaerobic digestion plant (single-phase) at Würselen (Germany) 

Even though anaerobic digestion can be applied to very 

different types of waste streams, it is particularly suited to 

organic waste with a high moisture content such as kitchen 

waste and food waste. Anaerobic digestion plants have 

been built and have been operational for many years for 

the treatment of mixed, municipal solid waste, for biowaste 

(obtained after source separated waste collection), for 

residual waste and for many types of industrial waste. 

The major differences from aerobic composting include 

the production of energy, less odour production, less health 

risk (i.e. killing off of pathogens, typical for thermophilic 

digestion), less need for surface area (smaller footprint), and a 

higher level of technology. Consequently, anaerobic digestion 

is often the preferred biological waste treatment option in 

densely populated areas such as big cities or countries such 

as Japan or Korea. 

Recently, anaerobic digestion has also become an important 

player in the area of renewable energy production from energy 

crops (e.g. corn). The net energy yield per hectare is higher 

compared to the production of bio-diesel or bio-ethanol. Also, 

in bio-refineries, anaerobic digestion could play an important 

role with high-value plant parts being used for green chemistry 

and residual vegetable matter (after processing of low-value 

plant parts, such as stems and leaves or straw) being treated 

in anaerobic digestion for production of energy and compost. 

Current distribution and prospective of technology 

Figure 1 below gives an overview of the development of 

biogasification capacity in Europe in the last two decades. 

From just three plants in Europe with a total capacity of 

87,000 tonnes per year in 1990, European anaerobic digestion 

facilities have now grown to a total of 171 plants with a 

digestion capacity of more than 5 million tonnes per year 

in 2010. Figure 2 gives an overview of the AD capacities in 

different European countries. Both the total capacity in a 

given country is quoted as well as the average capacity per 

plant. As can be seen, some countries tend to have smaller 

plants (e.g. Germany, Switzerland, Austria, …) while others 

have larger installations (e.g. Spain, France). 

These graphs also show that the anaerobic digestion 

capacity in Europe is increasing rapidly. Many digesters are 

being built in Mediterranean countries such as Spain and 

France. Most plants are dry and single-phase, and run at 

mesophilic temperatures. 

The evolution for the coming years can be deduced from 

the two graphs, the data for which are based on the bids for 

proposals published in the European Journal. 

Bioplastics and anaerobic digestion 

First of all, just as with aerobic composting, since anaerobic 

digestion is a biological waste treatment process, bioplastics 

Total Capacity 

Average Capacity 

87.000 tpa 

3 plants 

281.000 tpa 

18 plants 

1.400.000 tpa 

62 plants 

3.470.000 tpa 

116 plants 

5.204.000 tpa 

171 plants 

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 

Installed Capacity (t/y) 

1.600.000 

1.400.000 

1.200.000 

1.000.000 

800.000 

600.000 

400.000 

200.000 

0 

Figure 1. Evolution of AD capacity in Europe (EU + EFTA 

countries) (with tpa = tons per annum) Figure 2. AD capacity in various European countries (2010) 

Germany 

Spain 

France 

Italy 

NL 

UK 

Switzerland 

Belgium 

Portugal 

Austria 

Sweden 

Malta 

Luxemburg 

Norway 

Denmark 

Poland 

Finland 

80.000 

70.000 

60.000 

50.000 

40.000 

30.000 

20.000 

10.000 

0 


Basics 

should be biodegradable in order to be compatible. Whether bioplastics are produced from 

renewable resources or not, doesn‘t matter. The key element is that they must be biodegradable 

under anaerobic conditions or at least be compatible with an anaerobic digestion process. 

Anaerobic digestion plant 

in (two-phase) at Vitoria 

(Spain) (all photos: OWS nv) 

Concerning technical preconditions of treating bioplastics in anaerobic digestion plants, a 

distinction must be made between wet and dry technologies. In general, wet technologies, 

especially in the pretreatment phase, cannot treat bioplastics easily: in the first pulping and 

hydrolysis phase they are removed either by flotation or by sedimentation and therefore are not 

really entering the digestion (except when bioplastics are quickly soluble or dispersible, which is 

rarely the case). A solution could be to add the bioplastics directly to the second step, the aerobic 

composting step (considering the retention time in this second step is much shorter than the 

residence time in a typical composting process). Another solution might be new developments 

in the pretreatment phase. In most dry systems, bioplastics can be added when some random 

conditions are fulfilled: they should be shredded (to reduce the particle size) before entering the 

digestion (just like biowaste itself) and sieving is better located at the end of the process in order 

to enable as much biodegradation and disintegration as possible in both the anaerobic digestion 

and the aerobic composting step. 

The major underlying reason why several bioplastics show a different biodegradation behavior 

in aerobic composting from their behavior in anaerobic digestion is the influence of fungi. Fungi 

are abundantly available and very active in aerobic composting while in anaerobic fermentation no 

fungi are active. Some polymers are mainly (or even only) degraded by fungi and not by bacteria 

and will therefore biodegrade in aerobic composting and not in anaerobic digestion - or only much 

slower. As a matter of fact, this is also the case for the natural polymer lignin which can be found 

in wood, straw, shells, etc. 

On the other hand, when bioplastics do also biodegrade in anaerobic fermentation there is 

a double benefit. First of all, energy is produced from the bioplastics in the form of biogas that 

can be converted to electricity. Secondly, as most bioplastics are very rich in carbon and do not 

contain nitrogen (or very little), the addition of bioplastics to biowaste will improve the C/N ratio 

of the mixture. Biowaste tends to be low in C/N, which is sometimes a problem in anaerobic 

digestion, by adding a carbon-rich substrate the C/N ratio is increased. 

So far, the knowledge of anaerobic biodegradation and treatability of bioplastics is limited and 

further research would be welcome. Ideally, bioplastics would biodegrade and also disintegrate 

during the anaerobic phase in an anaerobic digestion plant, just as the major part of ‘natural‘ 

biowaste does. However, if the bioplastic disintegrates during the anaerobic phase and then 

afterwards biodegrades completely during the aerobic stabilization phase or during the use of 

digestate or compost in soil, it can also considered to be compatible with anaerobic digestion. 

www.ows.be 


Events 

Event 

Calender 

December 2-3, 2009 

Dritter Deutscher WPC-Kongress 

Maritim Hotel, Cologne, Germany 

www.wpc-kongress.de 

December 2-3, 2009 

Sustainable Plastics Packaging 

Sheraton Hotel, Brussels, Belgium 

http://sustainableplasticspackaging.com 

March 8-10, 2010 

GPEC 2010 

Global Plastics Environmental Conference 

The Florida Hotel & Conference Center 

Orlando, Florida, USA 

www.4spe.org 

March 15-17, 2010 

4th annual Sustainability in Packaging 

Conference & Exhibition 

Rosen Plaza Hotel, Orlando, Florida, USA 

www.sustainability-in-packaging.com 

March 16-17, 2010 

EnviroPlas 2010 

Brussels, Belgium 

www.ismithers.net 

April 13-15, 2010 

Innovation Takes Root 2010 

The Four Seasions - Dallas, Texas, USA 

www.InnovationTakesRoot.com 

June 22-23, 2010 

8th Global WPC and Natural 

Fibre Composites Congress an Exhibition 

Fellbach (near Stuttgart), Germany 

www.wpc-nfk.de 

You can meet us! 

Please contact us in advance by e-mail. 

Editorial Planner 2010 

# - Month Publ.-Date Edit/Ad/Deadl. Editorial Focus (1) Editorial Focus (2) Basics Fair Specials 

01 - Jan/Feb 08.02.2010 15.01.2010 Automotive Foams Basics of Cellulosics 

02 - Mar/Apr 05.04.2010 12.03.2010 Rigid Packaging Material Combinations Basics of Certification 

03 - May/Jun 07.06.2010 14.05.2010 Injection Moulding Natural Fibre composites Basics of Bio-Polyamides 

04 - Jul/Aug 02.08.2010 09.07.2010 

Additives / 

Materbatches / Adhesives 

Bottles / Labels / Caps 

Compounding of Bioplastics 

05 - Sep/Oct 04.10.2010 10.09.2010 Fiber Applications Polyurethanes / Elastomers Basics of Bio-Polyolefins K‘2010 preview 

06- Nov/Dec 06.12.2010 12.11.2010 Films / Flexibles / Bags Consumer Electronics Recycling of Bioplastics K‘2010 review 

Further topics to be covered in 2010: 

Beauty and Healthcare 

Non-Food Bioplastics 

Printing inks 

Lignin 

Paper-Coating 

and much more … 


Basics 

Glossary 

In bioplastics MAGAZINE again and again 

the same expressions appear that some of our 

readers might (not yet) be familiar with. This 

glossary shall help with these terms and shall 

help avoid repeated explanations such as ‘PLA 

(Polylactide)‘ in various articles. 

Bioplastics (as defined by European Bioplastics 

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

kinds of plastics: 

a. Plastics based on renewable resources (the 

focus is the origin of the raw material used) 

b. à Biodegradable and compostable plastics 

according to EN13432 or similar standards 

(the focus is the compostability of the final 

product; biodegradable and compostable 

plastics can be based on renewable (biobased) 

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

Bioplastics may be 

- based on renewable resources and biodegradable; 

- based on renewable resources but not be 

biodegradable; and 

- based on fossil resources and biodegradable. 

Amylopectin | Polymeric branched starch 

molecule with very high molecular weight (biopolymer, 

monomer is à Glucose). 

Amyloseacetat | Linear polymeric glucosechains 

are called à amylose. If this compound 

is treated with ethan acid one product 

is amylacetat. The hydroxyl group is connected 

with the organic acid fragment. 

Amylose | Polymeric non-branched starch 

molecule with high molecular weight (biopolymer, 

monomer is à Glucose). 

Biodegradable Plastics | Biodegradable 

Plastics are plastics that are completely assimilated 

by the à microorganisms present a 

defined environment as food for their energy. 

The carbon of the plastic must completely be 

converted into CO 2 during the microbial process. 

For an official definition, please refer to 

the standards e.g. ISO or in Europe: EN 14995 

Plastics- Evaluation of compostability - Test 

scheme and specifications. [bM 02/2006 p. 

34f, bM 01/2007 p38]. 

Blend | Mixture of plastics, polymer alloy of at 

least two microscopically dispersed and molecularly 

distributed base polymers. 

Carbon neutral | Carbon neutral describes a 

process that has a negligible impact on total 

atmospheric CO 2 levels. For example, carbon 

neutrality means that any CO 2 released when 

a plant decomposes or is burnt is offset by an 

equal amount of CO 2 absorbed by the plant 

through photosynthesis when it is growing. 

Cellophane | Clear film on the basis of à cellulose. 

Cellulose | Polymeric molecule with very high 

molecular weight (biopolymer, monomer is 

à Glucose), industrial production from wood 

or cotton, to manufacture paper, plastics and 

fibres. 

Compost | A soil conditioning material of 

decomposing organic matter which provides 

nutrients and enhances soil structure. 

(bM 06/2008, 02/2009) 

Compostable Plastics | Plastics that are biodegradable 

under ‘composting’ conditions: 

specified humidity, temperature, à microorganisms 

and timefame. Several national 

and international standards exist for clearer 

definitions, for example EN 14995 Plastics 

- Evaluation of compostability - Test scheme 

and specifications [bM 02/2006 p. 34f, bM 

01/2007 p38]. 

Composting | A solid waste management 

technique that uses natural process to convert 

organic materials to CO 2 , water and humus 

through the action of à microorganisms 

[bM 03/2007]. 

Copolymer | Plastic composed of different 

monomers. 

Cradle-to-Gate | Describes the system 

boundaries of an environmental àLife Cycle 

Assessment (LCA) which covers all activities 

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

materials, agricultural activities and forestry) 

up to the factory gate 

Cradle-to-Cradle | (sometimes abbreviated 

as C2C): Is an expression which communicates 

the concept of a closed-cycle economy, 

in which waste is used as raw material (‘waste 

equals food’). Cradle-to-Cradle is not a term 

that is typically used in àLCA studies. 

Cradle-to-Grave | Describes the system 

boundaries of a full àLife Cycle Assessment 

from manufacture (‘cradle’) to use phase and 

disposal phase (‘grave’). 

Fermentation | Biochemical reactions controlled 

by à microorganisms or enyzmes (e.g. 

the transformation of sugar into lactic acid). 

Gelatine | Translucent brittle solid substance, 

colorless or slightly yellow, nearly tasteless 

and odorless, extracted from the collagen inside 

animals‘ connective tissue. 

Glucose | Monosaccharide (or simple sugar). 

G. is the most important carbohydrate (sugar) 

in biology. G. is formed by photosynthesis or 

hydrolyse of many carbohydrates e. g. starch. 

Humus | In agriculture, ‘humus’ is often used 

simply to mean mature à compost, or natural 

compost extracted from a forest or other 

spontaneous source for use to amend soil. 

Hydrophilic | Property: ‘water-friendly’, soluble 

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

in conjunction with a plastic which is not waterresistant 

and weatherproof or that absorbs 

water such as Polyamide (PA). 

Hydrophobic | Property: ‘water-resistant’, not 

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

and weatherproof, or that does not 

absorb any water such as Polethylene (PE) or 

Polypropylene (PP). 

LCA | Life Cycle Assessment (sometimes also 

referred to as life cycle analysis, ecobalance, 

and àcradle-to-grave analysis) is the investigation 

and valuation of the environmental 

impacts of a given product or service caused 

(bM 01/2009). 


Basics 

Readers who know better explanations or who 

would like to suggest other explanations to be 

added to the list, please contact the editor. 

[*: bM ... refers to more comprehensive article 

previously published in bioplastics MAGAZINE) 

Microorganism | Living organisms of microscopic 

size, such as bacteria, funghi or yeast. 

PCL | Polycaprolactone, a synthetic (fossil 

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

a blend component. 

PHA | Polyhydroxyalkanoates are linear polyesters 

produced in nature by bacterial fermentation 

of sugar or lipids. The most common 

type of PHA is à PHB. 

PHB | Polyhydroxyl buteric acid (better poly- 

3-hydroxybutyrate), is a polyhydroxyalkanoate 

(PHA), a polymer belonging to the polyesters 

class. PHB is produced by micro-organisms 

apparently in response to conditions of physiological 

stress. The polymer is primarily a 

product of carbon assimilation (from glucose 

or starch) and is employed by micro-organisms 

as a form of energy storage molecule to 

be metabolized when other common energy 

sources are not available. PHB has properties 

similar to those of PP, however it is stiffer and 

more brittle. 

PLA | Polylactide or Polylactic Acid (PLA) is 

a biodegradable, thermoplastic, aliphatic 

polyester from lactic acid. Lactic acid is made 

from dextrose by fermentation. Bacterial fermentation 

is used to produce lactic acid from 

corn starch, cane sugar or other sources. 

However, lactic acid cannot be directly polymerized 

to a useful product, because each polymerization 

reaction generates one molecule 

of water, the presence of which degrades the 

forming polymer chain to the point that only 

very low molecular weights are observed. 

Instead, lactic acid is oligomerized and then 

catalytically dimerized to make the cyclic lactide 

monomer. Although dimerization also 

generates water, it can be separated prior to 

polymerization. PLA of high molecular weight 

is produced from the lactide monomer by 

ring-opening polymerization using a catalyst. 

This mechanism does not generate additional 

water, and hence, a wide range of molecular 

weights are accessible (bM 01/2009). 

Saccharins or carbohydrates | Saccharins or 

carbohydrates are name for the sugar-family. 

Saccharins are monomer or polymer sugar 

units. For example, there are known mono-, 

di- and polysaccharose. à glucose is a monosaccarin. 

They are important for the diet and 

produced biology in plants. 

Sorbitol | Sugar alcohol, obtained by reduction 

of glucose changing the aldehyde group 

to an additional hydroxyl group. S. is used as a 

plasticiser for bioplastics based on starch. 

Starch | Natural polymer (carbohydrate) consisting 

of à amylose and à amylopectin, 

gained from maize, potatoes, wheat, tapioca 

etc. When glucose is connected to polymerchains 

in definite way the result (product) is 

called starch. Each molecule is based on 300 

-12000-glucose units. Depending on the connection, 

there are two types à amylose and 

à amylopectin known. 

Starch (-derivate) | Starch (-derivates) are 

based on the chemical structure of à starch. 

The chemical structure can be changed by 

introducing new functional groups without 

changing the à starch polymer. The product 

has different chemical qualities. Mostly the 

hydrophilic character is not the same. 

Starch-ester | One characteristic of every 

starch-chain is a free hydroxyl group. When 

every hydroxyl group is connect with ethan 

acid one product is starch-ester with different 

chemical properties. 

Starch propionate and starch butyrate | 

Starch propionate and starch butyrate can 

be synthesised by treating the à starch with 

propane or butanic acid. The product structure 

is still based on à starch. Every based à 

glucose fragment is connected with a propionate 

or butyrate ester group. The product is 

more hydrophobic than à starch. 

Sustainable | An attempt to provide the best 

outcomes for the human and natural environments 

both now and into the indefinite future. 

One of the most often cited definitions of sustainability 

is the one created by the Brundtland 

Commission, led by the former Norwegian 

Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. The 

Brundtland Commission defined sustainable 

development as development that ‘meets the 

needs of the present without compromising 

the ability of future generations to meet their 

own needs.’ Sustainability relates to the continuity 

of economic, social, institutional and 

environmental aspects of human society, as 

well as the non-human environment). 

Sustainability | (as defined by European 

Bioplastics e.V.) has three dimensions: economic, 

social and environmental. This has 

been known as “the triple bottom line of 

sustainability”. This means that sustainable 

development involves the simultaneous pursuit 

of economic prosperity, environmental 

protection and social equity. In other words, 

businesses have to expand their responsibility 

to include these environmental and social 

dimensions. Sustainability is about making 

products useful to markets and, at the same 

time, having societal benefits and lower environmental 

impact than the alternatives currently 

available. It also implies a commitment 

to continuous improvement that should result 

in a further reduction of the environmental 

footprint of today’s products, processes and 

raw materials used. 

Thermoplastics | Plastics which soften or 

melt when heated and solidify when cooled 

(solid at room temperature). 

Yard Waste | Grass clippings, leaves, trimmings, 

garden residue. 


10 

20 

Suppliers Guide 

1. Raw Materials 

2. Additives / 

Secondary raw materials 

30 

40 

50 

60 

70 

80 

90 

100 

110 

120 

130 

140 

150 

160 

170 

BASF SE 

Global Business Management 

Biodegradable Polymers 

Carl-Bosch-Str. 38 

67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany 

Tel. +49-621 60 43 878 

Fax +49-621 60 21 694 

plas.com@basf.com 

www.ecovio.com 

www.basf.com/ecoflex 

1.1 bio based monomers 

Du Pont de Nemours International S.A. 

2, Chemin du Pavillon, PO Box 50 

CH 1218 Le Grand Saconnex, 

Geneva, Switzerland 

Tel. + 41 22 717 5428 

Fax + 41 22 717 5500 

jonathan.v.cohen@che.dupont.com 

www.packaging.dupont.com 

PURAC division 

Arkelsedijk 46, P.O. Box 21 

4200 AA Gorinchem - 

The Netherlands 

Tel.: +31 (0)183 695 695 

Fax: +31 (0)183 695 604 

www.purac.com 

PLA@purac.com 

1.2 compounds 

FKuR Kunststoff GmbH 

Siemensring 79 

D - 47 877 Willich 

Tel. +49 2154 9251-0 

Tel.: +49 2154 9251-51 

sales@fkur.com 

www.fkur.com 

Natur-Tec ® - Northern Technologies 

4201 Woodland Road 

Circle Pines, MN 55014 USA 

Tel. +1 763.225.6600 

Fax +1 763.225.6645 

info@natur-tec.com 

www.natur-tec.com 

Transmare Compounding B.V. 

Ringweg 7, 6045 JL 

Roermond, The Netherlands 

Tel. +31 475 345 900 

Fax +31 475 345 910 

info@transmare.nl 

www.compounding.nl 

1.3 PLA 

Division of A&O FilmPAC Ltd 

7 Osier Way, Warrington Road 

GB-Olney/Bucks. 

MK46 5FP 

Tel.: +44 844 335 0886 

Fax: +44 1234 713 221 

sales@aandofilmpac.com 

www.bioresins.eu 

1.4 starch-based bioplastics 

Plantic Technologies Limited 

51 Burns Road 

Altona VIC 3018 Australia 

Tel. +61 3 9353 7900 

Fax +61 3 9353 7901 

info@plantic.com.au 

www.plantic.com.au 

PSM Bioplastic NA 

Chicago, USA 

www.psmna.com 

+1-630-393-0012 

1.5 PHA 

Telles, Metabolix – ADM joint venture 

650 Suffolk Street, Suite 100 

Lowell, MA 01854 USA 

Tel. +1-97 85 13 18 00 

Fax +1-97 85 13 18 86 

www.mirelplastics.com 

Tianan Biologic 

No. 68 Dagang 6th Rd, 

Beilun, Ningbo, China, 315800 

Tel. +86-57 48 68 62 50 2 

Fax +86-57 48 68 77 98 0 

enquiry@tianan-enmat.com 

www.tianan-enmat.com 

1.6 masterbatches 

Du Pont de Nemours International S.A. 

2, Chemin du Pavillon, PO Box 50 

CH 1218 Le Grand Saconnex, 

Geneva, Switzerland 

Tel. + 41(0) 22 717 5428 

Fax + 41(0) 22 717 5500 

jonathan.v.cohen@che.dupont.com 

www.packaging.dupont.com 

3. Semi finished products 

3.1 films 

Huhtamaki Forchheim 

Herr Manfred Huberth 

Zweibrückenstraße 15-25 

91301 Forchheim 

Tel. +49-9191 81305 

Fax +49-9191 81244 

Mobil +49-171 2439574 

Maag GmbH 

Leckingser Straße 12 

58640 Iserlohn 

Germany 

Tel. + 49 2371 9779-30 

Fax + 49 2371 9779-97 

shonke@maag.de 

www.maag.de 

www.earthfirstpla.com 

www.sidaplax.com 

www.plasticsuppliers.com 

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

Sidaplax Belgium: +32 9 210 80 10 

Plastic Suppliers: +1 866 378 4178 

180 

190 

200 

210 

220 

230 

240 

250 

260 

270 

BIOTEC Biologische 

Naturverpackungen GmbH & Co. KG 

Werner-Heisenberg-Straße 32 

46446 Emmerich 

Germany 

Tel. +49 2822 92510 

Fax +49 2822 51840 

info@biotec.de 

www.biotec.de 

Cereplast Inc. 

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

pravera@cereplast.com 

www.cereplast.com 

European distributor A.Schulman : 

Tel +49 (2273) 561 236 

christophe_cario@de.aschulman.com 

BIOTEC Biologische 

Naturverpackungen GmbH & Co. KG 

Werner-Heisenberg-Straße 32 

46446 Emmerich 

Germany 

Tel. +49 2822 92510 

Fax +49 2822 51840 

info@biotec.de 

www.biotec.de 

Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients 

ZAC „Les Portes de Riom“ - BP 173 

63204 Riom Cedex - France 

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

Fax +33 (0)4 73 67 17 10 

www.biolice.com 

PolyOne 

Avenue Melville Wilson, 2 

Zoning de la Fagne 

5330 Assesse 

Belgium 

Tel. + 32 83 660 211 

info.color@polyone.com 

www.polyone.com 

Sukano Products Ltd. 

Chaltenbodenstrasse 23 

CH-8834 Schindellegi 

Tel. +41 44 787 57 77 

Fax +41 44 787 57 78 

www.sukano.com 

3.1.1 cellulose based films 

INNOVIA FILMS LTD 

Wigton 

Cumbria CA7 9BG 

England 

Contact: Andy Sweetman 

Tel. +44 16973 41549 

Fax +44 16973 41452 

andy.sweetman@innoviafilms.com 

www.innoviafilms.com 

4. Bioplastics products 

alesco GmbH & Co. KG 

Schönthaler Str. 55-59 

D-52379 Langerwehe 

Sales Germany: +49 2423 402 110 

Sales Belgium: +32 9 2260 165 

Sales Netherlands: +31 20 5037 710 

info@alesco.net | www.alesco.net 


6.2 Laboratory Equipment 

Suppliers Guide 

Arkhe Will Co., Ltd. 

19-1-5 Imaichi-cho, Fukui 

918-8152 Fukui, Japan 

Tel. +81-776 38 46 11 

Fax +81-776 38 46 17 

contactus@ecogooz.com 

www.ecogooz.com 

Postbus 26 

7480 AA Haaksbergen 

The Netherlands 

Tel.: +31 616 121 843 

info@bio4pack.com 

www.bio4pack.com 

Forapack S.r.l 

Via Sodero, 43 

66030 Poggiofi orito (Ch), Italy 

Tel. +39-08 71 93 03 25 

Fax +39-08 71 93 03 26 

info@forapack.it 

www.forapack.it 

Minima Technology Co., Ltd. 

Esmy Huang, Marketing Manager 

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

Taichung County 

411, Taiwan (R.O.C.) 

Tel. +886(4)2277 6888 

Fax +883(4)2277 6989 

Mobil +886(0)982-829988 

esmy325@ms51.hinet.net 

Skype esmy325 

www.minima-tech.com 

natura Verpackungs GmbH 

Industriestr. 55 - 57 

48432 Rheine 

Tel. +49 5975 303-57 

Fax +49 5975 303-42 

info@naturapackaging.com 

www.naturapackagign.com 

NOVAMONT S.p.A. 

Via Fauser , 8 

28100 Novara - ITALIA 

Fax +39.0321.699.601 

Tel. +39.0321.699.611 

Info@novamont.com 

President Packaging Ind., Corp. 

PLA Paper Hot Cup manufacture 

In Taiwan, www.ppi.com.tw 

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

Fax: +886-6-570-4077 

sales@ppi.com.tw 

Wiedmer AG - PLASTIC SOLUTIONS 

8752 Näfels - Am Linthli 2 

SWITZERLAND 

Tel. +41 55 618 44 99 

Fax +41 55 618 44 98 

www.wiedmer-plastic.com 

4.1 trays 

5. Traders 

5.1 wholesale 

6. Equipment 

6.1 Machinery & Molds 

FAS Converting Machinery AB 

O Zinkgatan 1/ Box 1503 

27100 Ystad, Sweden 

Tel.: +46 411 69260 

www.fasconverting.com 

Molds, Change Parts and Turnkey 

Solutions for the PET/Bioplastic 

Container Industry 

284 Pinebush Road 

Cambridge Ontario 

Canada N1T 1Z6 

Tel. +1 519 624 9720 

Fax +1 519 624 9721 

info@hallink.com 

www.hallink.com 

Roll-o-Matic A/S 

Petersmindevej 23 

5000 Odense C, Denmark 

Tel. + 45 66 11 16 18 

Fax + 45 66 14 32 78 

rom@roll-o-matic.com 

www.roll-o-matic.com 

MODA : Biodegradability Analyzer 

Saida FDS Incorporated 

3-6-6 Sakae-cho, Yaizu, 

Shizuoka, Japan 

Tel : +81-90-6803-4041 

info@saidagroup.jp 

www.saidagroup.jp 

7. Plant engineering 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH 

Holzhauser Str. 157 - 159 

13509 Berlin 

Germany 

Tel. +49 (0)30 43567 5 

Fax +49 (0)30 43567 699 

sales.de@thyssenkrupp.com 

www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com 

8. Ancillary equipment 

9. Services 

9. Services 

Siemensring 79 

47877 Willich, Germany 

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

carmen.michels@umsicht.fhg.de 

www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de 

Bioplastics Consulting 

Tel. +49 2161 664864 

info@polymediaconsult.com 

www.polymediaconsult.com 

Wirkstoffgruppe Imageproduktion 

Tel. +49 2351 67100-0 

luedenscheid@wirkstoffgruppe.de 

www.wirkstoffgruppe.de 

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 

Simply contact: 

Tel.: +49 02351 67100-0 

suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Stay permanently listed in the 

Suppliers Guide with your company 

logo and contact information. 

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

can be present among top suppliers in 

the field of bioplastics. 

For Example: 

Polymedia Publisher GmbH 

Dammer Str. 112 

41066 Mönchengladbach 

Germany 

Tel. +49 2161 664864 

Fax +49 2161 631045 

info@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Sample Charge: 

35mm x 6,00 € 

= 210,00 € per entry/per issue 

Sample Charge for one year: 

6 issues x 210,00 EUR = 1,260.00 € 

The entry in our Suppliers Guide is 

bookable for one year (6 issues) and 

extends automatically if it’s not canceled 

three month before expiry. 

10.2 Universities 

Michigan State University 

Department of Chemical 

Engineering & Materials Science 

Professor Ramani Narayan 

East Lansing MI 48824, USA 

Tel. +1 517 719 7163 

narayan@msu.edu 

University of Applied Sciences 

Faculty II, Department 

of Bioprocess Engineering 

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Josef Endres 

Heisterbergallee 12 

30453 Hannover, Germany 

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

Fax +49 (0)511-9296-2210 

hans-josef.endres@fh-hannover.de 

www.fakultaet2.fh-hannover.de 

35 mm 

10 

20 

30 

35 

Pland Paper ® 

WEI MON INDUSTRY CO., LTD. 

2F, No.57, Singjhong Rd., 

Neihu District, 

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

Tel. + 886 - 2 - 27953131 

Fax + 886 - 2 - 27919966 

sales@weimon.com.tw 

www.plandpaper.com 

MANN+HUMMEL ProTec GmbH 

Stubenwald-Allee 9 

64625 Bensheim, Deutschland 

Tel. +49 6251 77061 0 

Fax +49 6251 77061 510 

info@mh-protec.com 

www.mh-protec.com 

European Bioplastics e.V. 

Marienstr. 19/20 

10117 Berlin, Germany 

Tel. +49 30 284 82 350 

Fax +49 30 284 84 359 

info@european-bioplastics.org 

www.european-bioplastics.org 


Companies in this issue 

Company Editorial Advert 

A&O Filmpac 48 

Alcan Packaging 17 

alesco 14 48 

All Nippon Airways ANA 34 

Arkema 5, 35 

Arkhe Will 49 

Artec 34 

Auchan 18 

BASF 19, 23 48 

Best Buy 26 

BIO4PACK 49 

bioplastics24 31 

Biotec 48 

BlueElph 33 

Bosch 10 

BP Consulting 34 

BPI 49 

British Plastics Federation BPF 7 

Cardia Bioplastics 6 

Carrefour 18 

Cereplast 6 48 

Delhaize 18 

Dettmer Verpackungen 12 

DuPont 10, 32, 36 48 

Earthsoul 7 

EPNOE 5 

European Bioplastics 5, 10 49 

EXEL Sports Brands 32 

FAS Converting Machinery 49 

Fres-co Systems USA 17 

FH Hannover 10, 38 49 

fischer group 36 

FKuR 8, 10, 12 2, 48 

Forapack 49 

Fraunhofer UMSICHT 8 49 

Goglio Cofibox 17 

GPV 18 

Hallink 49 

Hamelin 18 

Huhtamaki 10, 17 48 

Hycail Finland 8 

IFA Tulln 33 

Innovia Films 36 48 

J&K Agro Industries 7 

Jiffy Pot 18 

Krauss Maffei Berstorff 10 

Kuraray 10 

Limagrain 48 

Maag 48 

Mann + Hummel Protech 49 

Mayer Kuvert Network 18 

McCain 12 

Company Editorial Advert 

Metabolix 8 48, 51 

Metalnuovo 17 

Michigan State University 49 

Minima Technology 49 

natura Verpackung 49 

Nature‘s Farm 36 

Nature‘s Organics 35 

NatureWorks 17, 23, 27, 33, 34 

NaturTec 48 

Novamont 7, 20 49, 52 

Oerlemans Plastics 23 

Organic Waste Systems 42 

Ostbayerisches Technologie-Transfer- 

31 

Institut 

Philips 27 

Plantic 48 

Plastic Suppliers 17, 18 48 

Plasticker 31 

Plastikwaren Putz 32 

Polyfilms 17 

Polymediaconsult 49 

Polyone 33 

President Packaging 49 

PSM 48 

Purac 48 

Radio Shack 26 

Saida 25 

Samsung 26 

Sidaplax 17, 18 48 

SKC 17 

Sleever International 17 

Smith Optics 35 

Sprint Nextel 26 

Sukano 10, 33 48 

Symphony Environmental 28 

Tanita 24 

Telecom Italia 27 

Telles 48, 51 

Tianan Biologic 48 

Toray Industries 27 

Transmare 48 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer 11 

Ultimate Packaging 9 

Unitika 24 

Universität Duisburg 10 

Utrecht University 5, 10 

Vinçotte 9 

Volkswagen 10 

Wal-Mart 26 

Wei Mon 37, 49 

Wiedmer 49 

Next Issue 

For the next issues of bioplastics MAGAZINE 

(among others) the following subjects are scheduled: 

Month Publication Date Editorial Focus (1) Editorial Focus (2) Basics 

Jan/Feb 01 Feb 2010 Automotive Applications Foam Basics of Cellulosics 

Mar/Apr 05 Apr 2010 Rigid Packaging Material Combinations Certification 

May/June 07 Jun 2010 Injection Moulding Natural Fibre Composites Polyamides 


EcoComunicazione.it 

Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre 2008 

Visitors of Salone del Gusto 180,000 

Meals served at Terra Madre 26,000 

Compost produced* kg 7,000 

CO 2 

saved kg 13,600 

* data estimate – Novamont projection 

The future, 

with a different flavour: 

sustainable 

Mater-Bi® means biodegradable 

and compostable plastics made 

from renewable raw materials. 

Slow Food, defending good things, 

from food to land. 

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

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

cups and plates; showing that good food must also 

get along with the environment. 

Sustainable development is a necessity for everyone. 

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

info@novamont.com 

www.novamont.com

bioplasticsMAGAZINE_0906

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