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A controversy was ignited yesterday after industry association European Bioplastics (EB) publicly denounced claims made by the oxo-biodegradeable (OB) industry as "misleading" and "free of substance".
The Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics Association (OBPA) hit back by saying its products were superior and EB had gone on the attack in a bid to protect its market share.
EB issued a position paper distancing itself from the OB sector, saying there were "serious concerns amongst many plastics, composting and waste management experts that these products do not meet their claimed environmental promises."
This debate has been going on (simmering in some places, raging in others) for quite a while. Read the main article for a more detailed blow-by-blow account
Evlon's key ingredient is corn, a renewable field crop that provides starch, converted to sugar, then fermented to form lactic acid. The lactic acid is converted into a lactide molecule using heat, then the lactic acid molecules are polymerized to form PLA, or Ingeo, provided to BI-AX by NatureWorks.
BI-AX employs a proprietary process to turn the PLA into manufactured film -- the raw material for printable packaging including gift bags, health food and produce wrappers, candy wrappers, snack food bags, DVD and CD wraps, rigid cosmetics containers, labels, folding cartons and more.
Since Evlon's introduction in 2004, BI-AX has dealt with more than 100 consumer packaged goods companies, including Nviroplast, a LaPlace, LA-based bio-plastic resin and finished good manufacturer of environmentally friendly bio-plastic products with estimated 2009 revenues of $2.5 million. One of those products is the NviroWare bio-plastic line of tableware products that include forks and knives that are packaged in a rigid, printed Evlon container.
PLA Packaging material has been getting a lot of press at the recent Innovation Takes Root conference hosted by NatureWorks LLC. Specialty materials company Rohm and Haas said that the conference provided an ideal forum to explore innovative future applications for sustainable, corn-derived polylactic acid (PLA) and its alloys.
PLA already has attracted much attention from packaging manufacturers who must meet retailers' increasing demands for environmentally advanced packaging. The material often appears in clear thermoform or vacuform disposable, clamshell-type food containers.
We have already seen an article about how the packaging industry seems to shun oxo-degradable plastic in favor of true bioplastic like PLA.
Sealed Air Corporation, a global packaging company, has rejected the use of oxo-degradable plastic films in their mailing and packaging products.
"Oxo-biodegradable film is not the answer. You need light and oxygen [for it to biodegrade] but in landfill there is neither," said Helios Ruiz, marketing director for Sealed Air's European shrink packaging business. He added that oxo-biodegradable films had more value as a PR message than as a tool to bring real environmental benefits.
Sealed Air is experimenting with starch-based materials and biodegradable PLA but, Ruiz said, does not plan to commercialise them in the near future.
It's good to see that this packaging company is aware of the distinction between oxo-degradable plastic and real bioplastic, a distinction that has been overlooked by some companies eager to jump on the "green" bandwagon.
Unfortunately, this awareness doesn't translate to the media: the title of the original article simply states "Sealed Air questions use of biodegradable plastics." Could the oxo-degradable hype actually hurt the acceptance of real bioplastics through bad media?
"NatureFlex" is a new type of bioplastic just released by Innovia Films. It's a transparent, general purpose plastic wrapping that they are plugging as suitable for things like lamination and dried food wrapping. Important qualities include:
Meets EN13432 & ASTM D6400 composting norms
Based on renewable raw materials
Excellent moisture and oxygen barrier
Heat sealable on both sides
Superb transparency and gloss
Print receptive surface
Danjim Marketing highlighted the contentious issue of using GM crops for compostable packaging and the higher cost of compostable packaging. "Up until such time as people are better about recycling and reusing, landfill-degradable materials are best," concluded Rob Nathan. The resounding answer from the industry seems to be that until biodegradable packs can breakdown in landfill then the focus should be on creating reusable and recyclable packs.
Danjim Marketing highlighted the contentious issue of using GM crops for compostable packaging and the higher cost of compostable packaging.
"Up until such time as people are better about recycling and reusing, landfill-degradable materials are best," concluded Rob Nathan.
The resounding answer from the industry seems to be that until biodegradable packs can breakdown in landfill then the focus should be on creating reusable and recyclable packs.
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