The Maharastra government has permitted the production of straws, cups, plates, forks and spoons made from ‘compostable’ materials by making changes to the policy on single-use plastic, a senior official said.
Single-use products made from compostable materials have been permitted
Pravin Darade, Secretary of Environment and Climate Change Department, told that a panel which studied the ban on single-use plastic and thermocol items decided to permit items made from compostable material.
But it will be mandatory to get approval for these products from the Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPBP), he said.
The move will give relief to plastic product manufacturers. There was a demand to allow production of single-use items made from degradable materials.
Previously, in 2018, the Maharashtra government has imposed a ban on single-use plastic and on August 2022, Indian government also released “Standard Operating Procedures” (SOP) for issuing certificate to manufacturers/ sellers of compostable plastic carry bags/ products.
USA. Global travel restaurateur HMSHost has partnered with BIOLO to introduce PHA biodegradable straws in numerous dining venues at US airports across California, Washington, Texas, North Carolina, and Florida.
The partnership with Kansas City-headquartered BIOLO – secured through HMSHost’s packaging partner Baer & Associates – marks a milestone in HMSHost’s mission to significantly reduce the use of single-use plastic guest packaging in its North American airport operations.
HMSHost had previously tested paper straws as replacements for plastic ones but was not satisfied with the performance, the company said.
The environmentally-friendly BIOLO PHA biodegradable straws will play a major role in reducing HMSHost’s carbon footprint in North America
BIOLO compostable straws are produced from a renewable plant-based plastic alternative. The substance is known as polyhydroxyalkanoate, or PHA, which is TÜV-certified for biodegradation in soil, marine, and freshwater environments, as well as in home and industrial composting settings. The material breaks down in 180 days or less, leaving behind zero microplastics.
HMSHost Senior Director of Sustainability Ann Fondersmith said: “We are incredibly pleased with not only the quality and durability of BIOLO straws, but also the customer experience. During our testing period, we repeatedly heard from travellers that they couldn’t believe that the sturdy, functional straws they were using weren’t made of plastic.”
She added: “Through our partnership with BIOLO, HMSHost can deliver on our important commitment to reducing single-use plastics by eliminating plastic straws. Over the course of a year across our North American operations, this will equate to keeping millions of plastic straws out of our environment.”
BIOLO Product Manager Michael Delano said: “We are excited to partner with HMSHost to reduce plastic waste and the impact that we as humans make on the planet. Finding ways to reduce environmental impact while still providing people with guilt-free plastic alternatives that fit the rigorous standards of modern-day life is what the BIOLO brand is all about.”
In July 2018, HMSHost noted it became the first travel restaurateur to publicly announce the elimination of plastic straws to help address the harmful accumulation of plastics in oceans and landfills.
Following the announcement, the company said it immediately reduced travellers’ unnecessary plastic usage by removing straws from common areas of quick-service restaurants and only offering straws on request in casual dining restaurants.
At the time, HMSHost also launched a #SkipTheStraw marketing and social media campaign to educate customers on why the company was encouraging customers not to use straws, and the powerful impact it would have on the environment.
Dow (Midland, MI, United States) and LVMH Beauty, a division of LVMH (Paris, France), the world leader in luxury and home to 75 iconic brands, will collaborate to accelerate the use of sustainable packaging across LVMH’s perfume and cosmetic products.
This collaboration would enable both biobased and circular plastics to be integrated into several of the beauty multinational’s product applications without compromising functionality or quality of the packaging.
Biobased and circular plastics, which are made from biobased and plastic waste feedstock respectively, will be used to produce sustainable SURLYN™ Ionomers, polymers used to manufacture premium perfume caps and cosmetic cream jars. Within 2023, some of LVMH’s perfume packaging will include both biobased Surlyn and circular Surlyn. The sustainable Surlyn portfolio will deliver similar crystalline transparency and freedom of design expected from the rest of Dow’s Surlyn range, at a low carbon footprint.
“At LVMH, with our Life 360 program, we made the decision that our packaging will contain zero plastic from virgin fossil resources in a near future. Collaborating with Dow in developing sustainable Surlyn is key as this material is used in some of our iconic perfumes, starting with GUERLAIN La Petite Robe Noire. It is helping LVMH achieve our sustainability targets without any compromise on quality”, said Claude Martinez, Executive President and Managing Director of LVMH Beauty.
“Creating a circular economy takes every player in the value chain to commit to ambitious goals and challenge the status quo. Dow looks forward to supporting the sustainability journey of a leading global luxury brand”, said Karen S. Carter, President of Packaging & Specialty Plastics, Dow.
Biobased feedstocks for the production of biobased Surlyn include raw materials such as used cooking oil. As only waste residues or by-products from an alternative production process will be utilized, these raw feedstock materials will not consume extra land resources nor compete with the food chain.
Hard-to-recycle mixed plastic waste are transformed into circular Surlyn through advanced recycling technologies. The technologies break down waste plastics into their basic chemical elements using heat and pressure, creating raw material that is equivalent to those made from virgin fossil feedstock. This raw material, or circular feedstock, can be used in a wide range of packaging, giving waste that is currently going to landfill or being incinerated a second life.
Dow is collaborating with customers and other stakeholders to drive the transformation that is needed to tackle the challenges of climate change and the environment. This collaboration represents another key example of Dow’s continued effort to transform waste and alternative feedstock as per its Transform the Waste target announced in October 2022.
On January 31, in Hai Duong Province, U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper and the high-ranking diplomatic delegation of the U.S. Embassy visited An Phat Holdings at the headquarters of An Phat Bioplastics JSC – a subsidiary of An Phat Holdings (APH) and the leading corporation in Southeast Asia in the field of manufacturing and exporting high quality monolayer film.
Attending the meeting, on the side of the U.S. Embassy, there were Mr. Marc Knapper –U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam and the high-ranking delegation from the U.S. Embassy. On the side of An Phat Holdings, there were CEO Pham Do Huy Cuong and other senior managers.
At the meeting, CEO Pham Do Huy Cuong warmly welcomed the Ambassador and the delegation visiting APH on the occasion of Lunar New Year. He also gave a brief introduction about the scale of operation as well as the strength of APH in the manufacture of high-tech plastic products, biodegradable materials and products, supporting industries, and the real estate industry. CEO Pham Do Huy Cuong emphasized the investment projects of the Group in the United States.
CEO Pham Do Huy Cuong delivered remarks to welcome U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper and the high-ranking delegation from the U.S. Embassy
Highlighting the Group’s sustainable development mission, CEO Pham Do Huy Cuong said that, since 2015, An Phat Holdings has poured investment into R&D to develop a wide range of compostable products under the brand name of AnEco. These products are fully biodegradable and eco-friendly. Currently, AnEco products have undergone rigorous testing on biodegradability to meet world leading’s certification, including BPI certificate (U.S.A.).
After more than 20 years of development, APH has built a broad ecosystem with a scale of more than 5,000 employees and 17 member companies spread across Vietnam and many countries around the world including the United States, Singapore, South Korea. Presently, An Phat Holdings is also a reliable partner of large domestic and foreign enterprises. An Phat Holdings long-term partners come from global countries, including the United States. “The United States is determined as our key market. The two-way trade turnover of APH and the U.S. market has increased steadily around 100 million USD in 2021 and 2022 despite the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic” CEO Pham Do Huy Cuong stated.
CEO gave a brief introduction about An Phat Holdings’ business activities in the U.S.
At present, APH has trading companies in the U.S. to distribute traditional plastic resins as well as biodegradable resins and products. Remarkably, AnEco is among the top compostable sellers on Amazon e-commerce platform (U.S.A.). In addition, An Phat Holdings’ compostable materials were officially distributed throughout North America in 2022 also marks an important step in the Group’s 10-year business journey in the United States. CEO Pham Do Duy Cuong expected that APH’s business activities in the U.S. market will thrive in the upcoming period.
Speaking at the meeting, U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper highly appreciated APH’s business achievements, especially in the U.S market during the past time.
“The turnover of An Phat Holdings and the U.S. reached more than 100 million dollars. This is very significant. We highly appreciate the investment you made in the U.S. and your faith in our market. The opportunities to expand your investment in the U.S. is always welcomed.” Mr. Knapper affirmed.
The U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper shared: “We highly appreciate the investment you made in the U.S. and your faith in our market.”
The U.S. Ambassador was also impressed with the AnEco compostable products. He also praised An Phat Holdings for becoming the trailblazer in Vietnam in developing and manufacturing “green” materials and products.
With the strategic AnEco products, An Phat Holdings will certainly make a great contribution to the “Net Zero Emission” goal by 2050, thereby contributing to reducing reliance on fossil fuels in Vietnam. Therefore, Mr. Knapper stated that the sustainable development strategies of An Phat Holdings is the right move, in line with the global sustainability trend.
U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper experienced AnEco products
“We are very pleased to support Vietnam to reach Net Zero goal by 2050. I strongly believe that the business field that An Phat Holdings is pursuing will be an area of great potential. It is clearly going to be a key player and help Vietnam to reach the set goal.” Mr. Knapper declared.
The U.S. Ambassador expected that APH’s business activities will flourish in 2023. He also affirmed that the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam is willing to support An Phat Holdings to strengthen business activities in the U.S. and North American markets.
At the end of the working session, the senior delegation of the U.S. Embassy took part in the site tour at An Phat Bioplastics, took family photos and planted memorial tree.
Some outstanding activities at the meeting:
CEO Pham Do Huy Cuong (on the left side) took Ambassador Marc Knapper (on the right side) to visit An Phat Bioplastics factoryThe U.S. Ambassador learnt about AnEco’s production lineU.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper and CEO Pham Do Huy Cuong planted a memorial tree.U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper and APH Board of Directors planted a memorial tree.U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper and the delegation took family photo together.
Abu Dhabi has reduced the use of single-use plastic bags in retail stores by 87 million since the emirate introduced a ban on June 1.
The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi said the reduction is equivalent to half a million bags a day, with the overall use of single-use plastic bags down by more than 90 per cent.
Abu Dhabi banned single-use plastic bags to protect the environment and address the high rate of plastic bag use across the UAE, which is almost four times the global average.
According to figures issued by the World Government Summit in February 2019, 11 billion plastic bags are used in the Emirates each year.
Estimates suggest around 13 million tons of plastic enter the world’s oceans each year globally.
The agency said people have since switched to more sustainable reusable bags with a lower environmental footprint. Routine inspections conducted by various governmental organizations revealed that more than 80 per cent of outlets are offering environment-friendly options or charging a fee for reusable plastic shopping bags.
Dr Shaikha Al Dhaheri, secretary general of the agency, said the reduction in the consumption of single-use plastics will also reduce emissions and will help the waste sector divert 80 per cent of municipal solid waste in Abu Dhabi away from landfills.
“The single-use plastic policy in Abu Dhabi addresses the issue of plastic pollutants that leak into the environment and cause damage,” she said.
“We are exploring the use of sustainable solutions to solve this challenge in a manner that fully supports the government’s long-term vision for a greener future.”
The agency has also distributed a guide, in Arabic and English, entitled Becoming Free of Single-Use Products: A Guide for Abu Dhabi Government to all government agencies detailing ways to implement the commitment contained in the single-use plastic policy.
The EAD held 15 awareness sessions since June, targeting different categories of youth and public, and private sector institutions, as well as in the industrial and commercial sectors to raise awareness.
It has also introduced an app called Baadr — named after the Arabic word for “initiate” — that aims to educate, encourage, and reward users looking to shift to a more environmentally friendly way of living.
The agency said it is also partnering with 30 private and public entities to develop a recovery system to collect and recover about 8,000 tonnes of plastic bottles over the next five years, which will go directly to the emirate’s recycling sector.
In 2022, more than 30 million plastic bottles were recovered, compared with 7.25 million bottles in 2021, and more than 10 tonnes of plastic is being collected weekly, equal to approximately 850,000 bottles.
On January 13, An Phat Holdings successfully held the Year-End Ceremony 2022 at An Phat Bioplastics in Hai Duong Province, thereby implementing the plan for 2023. Attending the ceremony were Mr. Pham Anh Duong – Chairman of the Group, representatives of the B.O.D, senior managers of subsidiaries and employees of the Group.
2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of An Phat Holdings. This is an important milestone in the development journey of the Group. From a small-scale thin monolayer film manufacturer, An Phat Holdings has risen to become the leading corporation in the field of advanced technology and environment-friendly plastic production in Southeast Asia.
At the ceremony, on behalf of the B.O.D, Mr. Pham Do Huy Cuong – Standing Deputy CEO, CFO summarized the achievements and business activities in the past year, simultaneously setting out new plans and targets for production and business activities in 2023.
In 2022, despite the difficulties in domestic and global economic situation, the industry group including: Packaging; Engineering plastics and Building material plastics; Raw materials and Chemicals for plastic industry; Industrial Real Estate still recorded quite positive results. This is considered as the premise for these industries to accelerate development in 2023.
At the ceremony, the B.O.D also set out new plans and goals for production and business activities in 2023. Accordingly, Industrial Real Estate and Bioplastics segments continue to be top priorities for the Group’s development.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman Pham Anh Duong acknowledged and highly appreciated the achievements attaining in 2022. He affirmed that 2022 was a year full of changes and obstacles for businesses around the world. An Phat Holdings is unexceptional. However, with consistent efforts, most of the Group’s business segments have achieved or even exceeded the set plan. This proves that An Phat Holdings has strong resistance to the complicated and unpredictable impacts of the global economy. The Chairman affirmed that this achievement will be a solid steppingstone for An Phat Holdings to thrive in the future.
Entering the new year, Chairman Pham Anh Duong called on all employees of the Group to strive to accomplish the set goals for the next year. 2023 is determined to be another difficult year due to the global impacts. Hence, the Chairman reminded the whole Group to always be ready and flexibly respond to challenges as well as seize the opportunity.
Acknowledging and appreciating the efforts of subsidiaries in 2022, at the ceremony, representatives of the Group’s B.O.D awarded prizes to 4 company members that have successfully accomplished the 2022 plan, including An Phat Bioplastics JSC, Hanoi Plastics JSC, An Cuong Hi-tech Building Materials JSC and An Trung Industries Co., Ltd.
The year-end ceremony was also a meaningful occasion to honor An Phat People who dedicatedly contributed to the development of An Phat Holdings over the years. At the event, the B.O.D of An Phat Holdings awarded the An Phat Gold Badge to individuals who have the dedication to work for 10 years. Especially, individuals who have contributed innovative ideas to APH’s production and business activities are also honored in this ceremony.
2022 also marks the important milestones of An Phat Holdings in the journey of growing and contributing to the country’s socio-economic development. The Group’s subsidiaries namely An Phat Bioplastics Joint Stock Company and Hanoi Plastics JSC, An Tien Industries Joint Stock Company honorably received the Second-class Labor Medal and the Third-class Labor Medal awarded by the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, along with prestigious awards such as Vietnam Gold Star Award, Vietnam’s Top 100 Brands, Top 500 largest enterprises in Vietnam 2022, Top 50 largest private enterprises in Vietnam in 2022, Export enterprises prestige, Vietnam National Brand 2022, etc.
Some outstanding activities at the ceremony:
Mr. Pham Anh Duong– Chairman of An Phat Holdings spoke at the ceremonyOn behalf of the B.O.D, Mr. Pham Do Huy Cuong – Standing Deputy CEO, CFO summarized the achievements and business activities in the past year, simultaneously setting out new plans and targets for production and business activities in 2023.The B.O.D of APH awarded member companies with excellent achievements in production and business activities in 2022.The B.O.D of APH awarded individuals who contributed innovative ideas to the development journey of An Phat Holdings.Honoring employees with 10 years of experience working at the Group
Coles Group will be launching MyEcoBag™ compostable bag products by SECOS in 770 retail stores across Australia.
The selection by Coles follows a recent range review involving SECOS’ compostable products and is on the back of significant sales growth year on year for MyEcoBag™ in Woolworths stores.
SECOS Group develops and manufactures sustainable packaging materials, supplying its proprietary biodegradable and compostable resins, packaging products and high-quality cast films to a blue-chip global customer base.
For Coles, SECOS will launch a new shelf-ready presentation pack of the well-received 36L pack and a new 27L pack. Both packs are ideal for kitchen food and garden waste diversion to green bins FOGO programs, providing a fully compostable solution.
In Australia, the wider availability of SECOS’ compostable bags via Coles stores will give more households participating in approved council food organic waste programs the option to dispose of the bags and food waste in their green waste bin.
The use of SECOS’ compostable bags offers households a clean and convenient way to assist with the separation of their food waste which is critical to ensure food does not end up in landfills.
Coles has added the two MyEcoBag™ SKUs on a non-trial basis, which will be distributed nationally. The ongoing supply of the two MyEcoBag™ SKUs will be subject to meeting sales projections as part of the annual range review.
The significant growth in MyEcoBag™ sales in Woolworths and now Coles will take the MyEco™ branded products to over 2,000 retail stores in Australia. This store footprint plus SECOS’ Australian-wide distribution network, which supplies a select range of independent stores gives the company a significant retail reach.
SECOS has said it continues to develop further opportunities for growth in new markets for its branded MyEcoBag™ and MyEcoPet™ line of products and is working to garner market share in grocery and convenience stores in Australia, the USA, Latin America, and elsewhere.
The increased sales of the MyEco™ range in Australia is supported by SECOS’ recent manufacturing capacity expansion in the group’s new Malaysian biopolymer plant which commenced production in the March 2022 quarter with capacity to support annual sales of $25 million.
On September 15, after more than four years of hard work, BASF Group and China Chemical Engineering Group signed a construction partnership framework agreement in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, to jointly promote the construction of BASF’s Zhanjiang integration base project.
The total investment amounts to 10 billion euros, which is equivalent to five Tesla super factories, and is the largest foreign investment ever made by BASF. It is expected to be fully completed in 2030, and after it is put into operation, Zhanjiang, Guangdong will become BASF’s third largest integrated production base in the world.
BASF’s headquarters in Ludwigshafen on the Rhine remains the world’s largest chemical products base by area, while BASF’s second largest plant is located in the Belgian port city of Antwerp.
As we can learn from public information, the Zhanjiang project will in the future produce not only conventional organic chemical feedstock products such as ethylene, but also several downstream production units for the consumer market.
Among them, production of 60,000 tons per year of newly added engineering plastics has already begun, and another set of thermoplastic polyurethane projects (TPU) will be operational in 2023 to meet the growing demand from industries such as automotive and electronics.
The government has banned the import of single-use non-biodegradable plastic cutlery from January 1, 2023, according to an official dispatch from the Chief Executive (CE) published yesterday in the government’s official gazette.
In the new dispatch, the CE has increased the number of prohibited products to include all disposable plastic cutlery with the exception of those made from biodegradable plastics.
According to an additional press statement from the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA), the CE dispatch will only come into force on January 1 next year to give enough time for the sectors affected by this change to adjust to the new rules and find other solutions to meet their needs.
The bureau also noted that it would organize a presentation to the business sectors affected to clarify the scope of the new rules as well as specific operational requirements.
The new measure is in line with a series of measures taken previously, starting with the law placing “restrictions on the provision of plastic bags” that was passed in the Legislative Assembly on August 8, 2019, and came into effect in November 2019.
Similarly, last year the government added plastic straws and swizzle sticks to the same list. The import of these products has been banned since January this year.
According to the government, these measures are timed with the aim of enforcing progressively stronger restrictions on the use of disposable materials.
Among the products already banned from import to Macau are Styrofoam tableware, which includes the boxes used for takeaway food as well as trays used for the packaging of fresh food items such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables.
Victorian-based and founded materials science company Great Wrap has raised $24 million in capital to ‘completely knock petroleum plastic off the supermarket shelf’ with its biodegradable products.
The $24 million investment includes an $11 million equity portion with participants including Darren Thomas, W23, Grill’d Innovation Fund, Giant Leap, Small Giants, Thai Wah Ventures, GroundSwell, Trail Mix Ventures and Springbank Collective. The final $13 million is non-dilutive capital, the terms of which co-founder Jordy Kay says are at competitive rates for a startup, comes from DLL Group, Rabobank’s asset financing arm.
The equity funding will be used primarily to grow the Great Wrap team and expand into new markets. The direct-to-consumer side of the business has sold products into 50,000 Australian homes and will launch in the US in two weeks’ time. Later this year the business plans to launch in the business-to-business market.
Great Wrap’s stretch wrap is made from potato waste. It’s currently in the process of adding a biorefinery to its Tullamarine manufacturing site, which will process potato waste into polyhydroxyalkanoates, or PHA biodegradable plastic. When the biorefinery is built, it is estimated to become one of about 10 in the world.
The company says it performs the same as conventional plastic wraps, but is 100% compostable, and breaks down in less than 180 days. Consumer advocate CHOICE says its cling wrap works in all the ways you would expect it to.
That’s been a real focus for Great Wrap, and co-founder Julia Kay says it’s important for sustainable products to work just as well and cost a similar amount to the incumbents they are trying to disrupt.
“It is really important that you’re not sacrificing on functionality, quality, or price, whereas it has often been like that in the past,” she said.
“We learnt really quickly from consumers, that even though most people would love to good and make the best choice at the supermarket shelf or online, it really does come down to price.
“Our interest in price is so that we can completely knock petroleum plastic off the shelf.”
Besides, he also said that biodegradation is an emerging field and definitely has a lot of scope to grow in the future.
