White pollution and ocean pollution are shocking
The demand for plastic restriction, circular economy, and sustainable development is increasing
Will such an excellent material as plastic be abandoned by the packaging industry?
The environmentally friendly lever in the plastics industry-bioplastics finally ushered in the highlight moment of appearance!
Take a look at how fragrant bioplastics are in the packaging industry recently!
PBAT film bag with "corn flavor": degradable in 3 months
Zhongke Tianren New Material Technology Co., Ltd., located in Hainan Province, recently started to produce a degradable film bag that smells of "corn". The film bag is about 40 cm wide and can be stretched to more than 1 meter without breaking. Under ordinary sunlight, soil and water, the film bag can be completely degraded in about a year; if it is in a composted environment, it can be completely degraded into carbon dioxide and water in the fastest 3 months.
According to Zhongke Tianren, the film bag is made of biodegradable material PBAT (polyterephthalic acid/adipic acid/succinate) and corn starch additives. PBAT is a polymer material with lower cost, high mechanical properties, and good biological safety. The thickness of the film bag processed by it can reach 0.02 mm, which can be comparable to ordinary plastic bags in terms of load-bearing and ductility.
Biomass plastic eye drops bottle
Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese ophthalmological prescription drug company with a history of more than 100 years, recently announced that it will gradually launch eye drops made of environmentally friendly biomass plastic materials. Santian plans to use this new material in an eye drops for the treatment of glaucoma and high intraocular pressure, and then expand it to other products.
Santen Pharmaceutical said that biomass plastic is a kind of synthetic plastic, which is synthesized by chemical or biological means using renewable biomass materials. The incineration of biomass plastic only releases the carbon produced by plants that absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. This carbon is actually the main component of these biomass-contributing plants, so even if this plastic is burned, it will not cause an overall increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. (A carbon-neutral process). Using these sustainable resources can also help prevent the depletion of fossil fuels.
Sanner, a German pharmaceutical packaging supplier, showcased its new biomaterial packaging BioBase® for effervescent tablets this year. According to reports, this is an effervescent tablet packaging that contains more than 90% of bioplastics launched by Sanner. These bioplastics are made from renewable materials such as corn, sugar cane, and cellulose, which can be converted into green ethanol.
Sanner said that this bioplastic packaging has higher barrier properties and can extend the shelf life of effervescent tablets. In addition, the entire packaging looks more textured and more beautiful.
Mineral water bottle compost degrades in 80 days
The UAE food retail giant Agthia Group has launched the first low-energy, biodegradable plant-based packaging in the Middle East through independent research and development for its flagship product-Al Ain bottled water.
WeChat image_20200708095947.png
The packaging was developed by the packaging research and development technology center opened by the group in August last year. The bioplastic material used is polylactic acid (PLA), which is reported to be 100% plant-derived material-the bottle body comes from corn and the bottle cap comes from fermented sugarcane. And the entire bioplastic packaging can be degraded within 80 days after being composted.
According to reports, the bottle manufacturing process of Al Ain plant-based packaging is also more environmentally friendly, reducing energy consumption by 60% compared with other packaging solutions, saving more than 50% of non-renewable energy, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 60%.
Coffee capsules are compostable
Italian coffee roasting company Covim recently launched coffee capsules that use 100% bio-based materials and can be industrially composted. These capsules are specially designed for Nespresso and Lavazza A Modo Mio coffee capsule machines.
It is understood that these degradable coffee capsules are made by Covim and packaging supplier Flo S.p.A in cooperation with Ingeo, the PLA material of NatureWorks.
PLA cosmetic jar with nano clay and rosemary
Toxicologists at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh have developed a new biodegradable packaging solution for the organic beauty market.
This material is made of polylactic acid (PLA), which can be obtained from renewable resources such as corn starch or sugar cane and can be composted and biodegraded.
Dr. Helinor Johnston, Associate Professor of Toxicology at Heriot-Watt University, explained that PLA was chosen as a packaging material, but two different materials still need to be integrated to improve the performance of PLA and extend the shelf life of cosmetics.
"We added nano clay to improve the barrier properties of the packaging material, and also added rosemary extract, which can act as an antioxidant to protect cosmetic products from degradation." Dr. Helinor Johnston added.
He said that as an expert in toxicology, he knows that even natural ingredients like rosemary may be toxic in the right dose. "At Heriot-Watt, we tested the toxicity of rosemary extract and different types of nanoclays, and selected the least toxic candidate products for the final product to ensure consumer safety. We are creating better ways to Conduct an ethics test. As part of this project, we used artificial skin to conduct a more comprehensive assessment of the packaging and skin reaction."
The entire packaging material research and development team believes that this new biological packaging has great potential in the cosmetics market because it can better echo the concept of organic and natural skin care brands. "A recent survey shows that more than 70% of European consumers are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly packaging."
Sugarcane plastic bottle
The American skin care niche brand Each & Every is trying to use bioplastics made from sugar cane in its body deodorant packaging to reduce the company s carbon emissions.
In the production process, sugarcane is transformed into packaging materials through fermentation, distillation and dehydration of sugar juice, thereby forming a net-carbon negative packaging.
The new sugarcane plastic packaging is added with a black colorant. This additive allows the infrared detector to detect the empty bottle and facilitates the recycling of the empty bottle.
Bio-based PE film labels are recyclable
UPM Raflatac (UPM RAFLATAC) Biofuel Division and The Dow Chemical Company jointly launched a Forest Film PE film label material. The raw material of this label is made from UPM BioVerno naphtha extracted from pulp production process residues and contains 100% wood base. Forest Film PE film label material has the environmental advantages of recyclability and recycling.
According to reports, the performance of the new Forest Film PE film label material is exactly the same as that of the traditional fossil-based PE film material, ranging from household goods to personal care, which will greatly reduce the use rate of fossil raw materials in household and personal care label applications. Bring high-quality and sustainable labeling solutions to the packaging of household and personal care products.
Bioplastics will grow dynamically in the future
There are countless examples of these bioplastic packaging cases. The European Bioplastics Association predicts that the global bioplastics industry will see "dynamic growth", in which packaging is still the largest application field, and degradable bioplastics and compostable bioplastics account for 53% of the bioplastics market in 2019.
At the national level, countries have shown preference for bioplastics. For example, the United States has implemented priority purchases of bio-based products in government agencies since 2002; in 2018, it implemented a tax system for expanding carbon storage/carbon capture, crude oil recovery and other industries ( $30~$50/ton).
China s "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Treatment of Plastic Pollution" promulgated in early 2020 specifically pointed out that by 2022, the consumption of disposable plastic products will be significantly reduced. It encourages the development and promotion of green and environmentally friendly plastic products and alternative products, and explores and cultivates that are conducive to regulation. Recycling and recycling, new business models and new models to reduce plastic pollution, such as promoting the use of bio-based products such as straw-coated lunch boxes that meet the performance and food safety requirements in the catering takeaway field.
Recently, Haikou City, Hainan Province, China has also successively listed and sold two parcels of land for the development and construction of technological environmental protection and high-end packaging industry bases, and construction of new biodegradable materials industry bases. In addition, Henan Province and Anhui Province are also stepping up the construction of biomaterials industrial bases.
Innova Market Insights consulting company pointed out in the 2020 packaging development trend report released this year that bioplastic packaging, as an important environmental packaging solution, is one of the packaging trends in 2020. Studies have found that the more FMCG brands emphasize their environmental sustainability in packaging, the easier it is to gain a competitive advantage in marketing. Packaging and its impact on the planet have become the main purchase considerations for consumers worldwide.
The era of bioplastic packaging has come, are you ready?
+86 13392166491
