Food-safe packaging without an environmental downside: plastics manufactured with the additive feature a custom stall period that delays the onset of decomposition if not recycled.

Australia-based Twelve8 Technology has launched a plastics additive that enables polymers blended with it to decompose naturally, without industrial treatment, within two years. The PaktoEarth RAWS-Tech additive decomposes to water, carbon dioxide (CO2), and less than 1% biomass.

The additive-blended plastic, which is suitable for food packaging, can be recycled. But for post-consumer plastic that “escapes” the recycling process, ending up in nature or landfill, the technology offers an accelerated end of life vs. conventional plastics, which may take hundreds of years to degrade.

“Plastic is a massive threat to our environment. Recycling is a must but not always possible and not always achieved — 84% of plastic waste in Australia ends up in landfill,” Anthony Harrison, CEO, Twelve8 Technology, tells PlasticsToday. “We’re like eco-insurance that takes care of escaped plastic whilst alternatives are found.”

Twelve8 has distribution rights to the additive technology, which was developed by the manufacturer and intellectual property holder Green Notion with technical support by the Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI) in Hong Kong.

Australia-based Twelve8 Technology has launched a plastics additive that enables polymers blended with it to decompose naturally, without industrial treatment, within two years. The PaktoEarth RAWS-Tech additive decomposes to water, carbon dioxide (CO2), and less than 1% biomass.

The additive-blended plastic, which is suitable for food packaging, can be recycled. But for post-consumer plastic that “escapes” the recycling process, ending up in nature or landfill, the technology offers an accelerated end of life vs. conventional plastics, which may take hundreds of years to degrade.

“Plastic is a massive threat to our environment. Recycling is a must but not always possible and not always achieved — 84% of plastic waste in Australia ends up in landfill,” Anthony Harrison, CEO, Twelve8 Technology, tells PlasticsToday. “We’re like eco-insurance that takes care of escaped plastic whilst alternatives are found.”

Twelve8 has distribution rights to the additive technology, which was developed by the manufacturer and intellectual property holder Green Notion with technical support by the Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI) in Hong Kong.

Sold in pellet form, the patented additive is added to petrochemical-based plastic resin during manufacturing. Compatible resins are polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and low-density polyethylene (LDPE).

Twelve8 is currently working with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and other polymers, but the ability to use the additive with these plastics remains “some time away,” Harrison says.

The additive-blended plastics are safe for food contact and have mechanical properties similar to the original plastics. The additive does not affect plastic manufacturing, and the resulting plastics can be blow molded, injection molded, or thermoformed. Twelve8 sells PaktoEarth RAWS-Tech in the following forms: Additive; film; plastic in which the additive has been blended with virgin and/or recycled plastic and end-user products, such as produce trays and drink cups.

Eco-friendly tech

The additive is a pro-degradant that has oxygen built in, enabling plastics to decompose anaerobically. Either sunlight or thermal atmospheric heat can activate decomposition; sunlight is not required.

During manufacturing, a delay period is built into the additive to prevent decomposition from starting too soon. This period, determined by the end user, can be from six months up to four years. “The tech has a time-controlled stall,” Harrison says. “It acts to slow down the decomposing of the plastic if it’s in the right environment.”

The stall ensures that packaging will have an appropriate shelf life for the product it holds. When the stall period has elapsed, decomposition is triggered if the temperature goes above 16⁰ C or if the material is exposed to ultraviolet light.

The first stage of decomposition is oxidization, during which a catalytic reaction breaks the plastic’s carbon-carbon bonds and introduces oxygen into the polymer chain. Ultimately, the material’s molecular weight is reduced to less than 5,000 with lab results of 2,100.

When the material reaches this molecular weight, it is no longer plastic but watery slurry called ketone that microorganisms can digest. The complete process takes less than two years. Decomposition of the additive-enhanced plastic does not result in microplastics (as does oxodegradation), and the process does not require industrial compositing conditions (as does polylactic acid, or PLA). Among other certifications, PaktoEarth RAWS-Tech has achieved ASTM 6954 Tier 1 certification for the plastic’s ability to degrade in the environment.

The additive-blended plastic is not yet certified to decompose in water should it end up in an ocean or other waterway, so for now Twelve8 is not making any related claims. However, the company’s initial testing on straws made from PaktoEarth RAWS-Tech plastic indicates that the material will break down in water. “But we will not make an official claim until we have completed all testing,” Harrison says.

In the marketplace

Applications for the additive-blended plastic include flexible packaging, such as stretch film, shrink wrap, produce bags, bread bags, and dry-cleaning bags. Rigid packaging applications include detergent bottles, milk bottles, thin-wall containers, caps, and single-use plastic items, such as cups and food containers.

Packaging based on the technology is currently in commercial use in Asia. PaktoEarth RAWS-Tech-based packaging is used at Hong Kong’s Dairy Farm retail locations, which include 7-Eleven stores. The packaging is supplied to additional customers in Hong Kong including Starbucks, Domino’s, supermarkets, and the Vitasoy brand.

Twelve8 has sales agents in North America and is in talks with potential customers in the US food processing industry, including “one of the larger poultry brands,” Harrison says. His company is also talking with a global producer of frozen chips, aka French fries.

As for the added cost of the technology, he says “It really depends on volume.” Looking at cost a different way, Harrison adds, “we’re a lot cheaper than PLA.”

LG Chem will make a large-scale domestic investment to foster eco-friendly materials in the petrochemical sector. This is to initiate transformation of the business structure towards high value-added sustainability businesses and eco-friendly materials.

On the 19th, LG Chem announced that it will invest a total of 2.6 trillion Korean won by 2028 to build a total of 10 plants, including biodegradable PBAT and POE for solar film, at its Daesan Complex in Chungnam Province.

Starting with the construction of PBAT (polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate) and POE polyolefin elastomer) plants this year, LG Chem plans to develop the Daesan Complex as a mecca for ESG-based businesses, from bio-based raw material production to eco-friendly materials, waste plastic recycling, and greenhouse gas reduction by 2028.

Starting construction within this year, the PBAT plant will be built with an annual capacity of 50,000 tons and the POE plant with an annual capacity of 100,000 tons.

Both plants aim for commercial production in 2024. The resulting increase in sales is expected to exceed 470 billion Korean won per year.

According to the industry, PBAT and POE are expected to continue to grow at an average annual rate of 30% until 2025 due to increase in demand for perishable plastics and the expansion of new and renewable energy following the ESG trend.

PBAT is a biodegradable resin that decomposes rapidly in nature and is expected to be a great help in solving environmental problems such as waste plastics.

POE has high insulation and moisture barrier properties and has superior power generation efficiency, so the demand is rapidly increasing for use in films that protects solar panels and minimizes power loss.

In the case of POE, LG Chem currently has a plant with an annual capacity of 280,000 tons in Daesan, and when the 100,000-ton expansion is completed, the POE production capacity will be expanded to a total of 380,000 tons. This is expected to reach the second largest in the world in terms of production capacity.

Meanwhile, LG Chem also signed an investment agreement (MOU) with Chungnam Province and Seosan City so that the planned investment can be carried out smoothly.

The signing ceremony was attended by major regional figures such as Chungnam Governor Seung Jo Yang and Seosan Mayor Jeong Ho Maeng, as well as LG Chem Chief Executive Officer Hak Cheol Shin.

Through this agreement, LG Chem secured an additional new site with an area of 790,000 m2 (240,000 pyeong) in addition to the existing Daesan Complex site, and decided to actively utilize it for the establishment of a new plant and investment in related eco-friendly materials and processes.

LG Chem said that this investment is expected to create new jobs for about 400 people through direct employment and will actively contribute to revitalizing the local economy.

At the signing ceremony, Chungnam Governor Seung-jo Yang said, “LG Chem will grow larger and further develop here in Chungnam. We will actively carry out more business-friendly policies so that companies and regions can mutually develop together.”

Hak Cheol Shin, Chief Executive Officer of LG Chem, stated that “This investment agreement is a part of the sustainable growth strategy and a signal to announce the full-fledged scale-up of the eco-friendly material business.”

Furthermore, he added, “We will not only strengthen our long-standing partnership with Chungnam Province and Seosan City, but also raise the level of cooperation one step further to grow together toward a sustainable future.”

Today, the Commission decided to register a European Citizens’ Initiative entitled ‘ReturnthePlastics: A Citizen’s Initiative to implement an EU-wide deposit-system to recycle plastic bottles’.

The organisers of the initiative call on the Commission to present a proposal to:

• implement an EU-wide deposit-system to recycle plastic bottles,
• incentivise all EU Member States that supermarkets (chains) which are selling plastic bottles install reverse vending machines for recycling the plastic bottles after being purchased and used by the consumer, and
• make the plastic bottle producing companies pay plastic taxes for the recycling and deposit-system of the plastic bottles (under the principle that the polluter should pay).

The Commission considers that this initiative is legally admissible because it meets the necessary conditions. At this stage, the Commission has not analysed the substance of the initiative.

Next Steps

Following today’s registration, the organisers can start collecting signatures. If a European Citizens’ Initiative receives 1 million statements of support within 1 year from at least seven different Member States, the Commission will have to react. The Commission could decide either to take the request forward or not, and will be required to explain its reasoning.

Background

The European Citizens’ Initiative was introduced with the Lisbon Treaty as an agenda-setting tool in the hands of citizens. It was officially launched in April 2012.

The conditions for admissibility are: (1) the proposed action does not manifestly fall outside the framework of the Commission’s powers to submit a proposal for a legal act, (2) it is not manifestly abusive, frivolous or vexatious, and (3) it is not manifestly contrary to the values of the Union.

So far, the Commission has received 107 requests to launch a European Citizens’ Initiative, 82 of which were admissible and thus qualified to be registered.

Source: ec.europa.eu

The results of the European Bioplastics’ (EUBP) annual market data update, presented today at the 15th EUBP Conference, confirm the continued dynamic growth of the global bioplastics industry. “Our industry has successfully weathered the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. And the outlook for bioplastics is also promising as the global market is predicted to grow by 36 percent over the next 5 years”, says François de Bie, Chairman of European Bioplastics.

The global bioplastics production capacity is set to increase from around 2.1 million tonnes in 2020 to 2.8 million tonnes in 2025. Innovative biopolymers, such as bio-based PP (polypropylene) and especially PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates) continue to drive this growth. Since PHAs entered the market, the share of this important polymer family continued to grow. Production capacities are set to increase successfully almost sevenfold in the next 5 years. The production of polylactic acid (PLA) will also continue to grow due to new investments in PLA production sites in China, the US, and in Europe. Currently, biodegradable plastics account for almost 60 percent of the global bioplastics production capacities. PHA and PLA are bio-based, biodegradable, and feature a wide array of physical and mechanical properties.

Production capacities of bio-based PP are set to more than triple by 2025. This is due to the widespread application of PP in a wide range of sectors. PP is a very versatile material that features excellent barrier properties and is one of the most widespread commodity plastics. A bio-based version of this olefine has been awaited for many years. Bio-based, non-biodegradable plastics, including the drop-in solutions bio-based PE and bio-based PET (polyethylene terephthalate), as well as bio-based PA (polyamides), currently make up for 40 percent (0.8 million tonnes) of the global bioplastics production capacities. For bio-based PE new capacities are planned to come on-line in Europe and South America over the coming years. In contrast, bio-based PET will contribute only a small share to the overall capacities. Intentions to increase production capacities have not been realised at nearly the rate predicted in previous years.

Instead, the focus has shifted to the development of PEF (polyethylene furanoate), a new polymer that is expected to enter the market in 2023. PEF is comparable to PET but is fully bio-based and furthermore features superior barrier properties, making it an ideal material for beverage bottles.
Packaging remains the largest field of application for bioplastics with almost 47 percent (0.99 million tonnes) of the total bioplastics market in 2020. The data also confirms that bioplastics materials are already being used in many other sectors, and the portfolio of application continues to diversify. Segments, such as consumer goods or agriculture and horticulture products, continue to increase their relative share.

With a view to regional capacity development, Asia remains a major production hub with over 46 percent of bioplastics currently being produced there. Presently, one fourth of the production capacity is located in Europe. This share is predicted to grow to up to 28 percent by 2025. “Recently, significant investments have been announced by our industry, also in the heart of the European Union. Europe is set to become a key producer of bioplastics. The material will play an important role in achieving a circular economy. The ‘local for local’ production will accelerate the adoption of bioplastics in the European market”, says Hasso von Pogrell, Managing Director of European Bioplastics.

The land used to grow the renewable feedstock for the production of bioplastics is estimated to be 0.7 million hectares in 2020 and continues to account for 0.015 percent of the global agricultural area of 4.7 billion hectares. Despite the market growth predicted in the next five years, the land use share for bioplastics will only slightly increase to 0.02 percent. “We do not weary of emphasising that there is no competition between renewable feedstock for food and feed, and the use for bioplastics” says von Pogrell, “94 percent of all arable land is used for pasture, feed and food.”

(Source: european-bioplastics.org)

Biodegradable plastics are supposed to be good for the environment but, rather paradoxically, because they are designed to degrade quickly, they can’t be recycled. Offering a potential solution, New Zealand researchers have found that compostable plastic can be turned into a foam that functions as building insulation as a way of recycling the material.

University of Canterbury (UC) Chemical and Process Engineering academic Dr Heon Park, who works in the Biomolecular Interaction Centre, along with co-authors UC Chemical and Process Engineering PhD student Lilian Lin, and BE(Hons) graduate Young Lee, have developed a method to convert single-use plastic, such as knives, spoons and forks, made from PLA into a foam that can be turned into insulation for walls or flotation devices.

What’s PLA?

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a plastic made of fermented starch from corn or sugar cane. It is designed to break down harmlessly, but if PLA enters the environment, it doesn’t always break down as intended.

Dr Park, who studies biodegradable foams and the synthesis and processing of biodegradable plastics among his many fields of research.

How did they do it?

The researchers placed the cutlery, which was previously thought to be “non-foamable” plastic, into a chamber filled with carbon dioxide. As pressure increased, the gas dissolved into the plastic. When they suddenly released the pressure in the chamber, the carbon dioxide expanded within the plastic, creating foaming.

Dr Park says the process is like opening a can of soda and releasing the carbonation.

“By tweaking the temperature and pressure, there is a window where we can make good foams,” he says. “It’s not that every temperature or every pressure works. We found what temperature or what pressure is the best to make those non-foamable plastics into foams.”

Each time plastic is recycled, it loses a bit of strength. Foams are an ideal material because strength is not important in many applications.

“Whenever we recycle, each time, we degrade the plastics,” explains Park. “Let’s say we have a biodegradable spoon. If we use it and we recycle it back into another spoon, it may break in your mouth.”

The ideal structure of a foam depends on its final use. Bulky foams, which have large or plentiful air pockets, are good for buoys. The researchers found, contrary to what was previously thought, lower chamber pressures led to bulky foams.

Making biodegradable plastics recyclable could alleviate some of the global pollution issue. While biodegradable material eventually breaks down in nature, it is even better for the environment if plastics can be repurposed.

Biodegradable and recyclable plastics can be used more than once but are also less of an environmental threat if they end up in oceans or landfills. The team believes this process could be implemented on a large scale.

“We can expand foaming applications to a lot of plastics, not just this plastic,” says Dr Park.

Source: The research paper “Recycling and rheology of poly (lactic acid) (PLA) to make foams using supercritical fluid” by Heon E. Park, Lilian Lin, and Young Lee, appears in the journal Physics of Fluids, DOI: 10.1063/5.0050649

Carbon footprint was crucial to the co-founders of Impact Snacks, who set out to make a positive impact on consumers and on the environment in merging no less than three trends: good-for-you superfood snack bars, sustainably optimized product packaging, and direct-to-consumer delivery.

The 100% plant-based products launched last September after a year-long research-and-development project that carefully coordinated product and packaging requirements.

From seed to harvest, production to shipment, and all the way to consumers, the company reclaims more carbon emissions than it creates, as reported by certified carbon accountants from Clearloop. Each bar creates 0.37 pounds of carbon to produce and ship. However, Impact Snacks offsets one pound of the carbon emitted by each bar — or more than 250% — by supporting green energy infrastructure that include solar farms and planting trees in communities around the world.

“For the sake of convenience, consumer packaged goods are typically wasteful,” opines Steven MacMaster, sustainability controller at Impact Snacks, who manages the consumer snack division and the sustainability B2B aspects. “As well, people can be tricked by greenwashing.”

Naturally, with an eco-centered focus, the company made a discerning choice for the bars’ packaging, looking to deliver convenience without waste.

All about accountability.

MacMaster believes that today’s reality is that brands are held responsible for the footprint of the entire supply chain reflected in initiatives and discussions in activity in Extended Producer Responsibility.

“That burden on us as a small company is not sustainable,” MacMaster says. “Every member of the supply chain needs to be accountable, and that is happening now.”

“Only about 9% of packaging is currently recycled, it cannot be recycled indefinitely, and eventually at end-of-life will be landfilled,” he explains. “Compostable is a good alternative to the problem.”

The next decision: where would it be composted, at a commercial industrial site or at home? He felt that were just too few facilities to make the former feasible, so they decided on the latter that sidesteps any local or regional infrastructure problem.

Edible, compostable bioplastic solution.

The brand chose a nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) film supplied through Weston Graphics that’s certified anaerobically digestible. Like the product, the packaging is made from plants.

“The wrapper looks and feels like standard plastic films, yet it decomposes through warmth and moisture at home and in any environment in a reasonable time, which is 30 days, including a marine environment,” says MacMaster. “The packaging is even safe to eat — I’ve eaten a wrapper many times myself.”

The packaging provides the least barrier for the best compostability, aided by the fact that the brand adjusted the bar’s ingredient formulation to provide additional barrier lacking in the film. That involved the complex task of balancing the necessary oil and moisture barriers, according to MacMaster.

The brand also selected high-quality soy inks that fit the composting scheme.

Impact Snacks also purchases enough carbon credits to offset its own footprint and to account for any errors in the various nodes throughout the supply chain.

Source: Plasticstoday.com

The company Bioinicia and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) have launched the Bio Hygienic Mask with EPI-type fit, the world’s first natural compostable nanofiber mask, which has a filtration of over 98% against aerosols and compost in twenty-two days.

It is “the most sustainable option to avoid the accumulation of masks in the environment & rdquor ;, points out a note from the promoters, which adds that the most respectful thing“ is to produce them using raw materials derived from biomass and / or waste and their subsequent organic recycling in the form of industrial composting, so that the carbon returns to the earth & rdquor ;.

“The mask has posed a new risk for our planet. A simple gesture such as removing the mask and getting rid of it can be a great damage to the environment. Throwing the masks in the toilet or on the floor, and not doing it in the recommended places, is a serious problem, since it causes the same damage as throwing wipes and plastics. For this reason, Bioinicia has developed the Bio Hygienic Mask with EPI & rdquor; fit, he points out.

Its components will be transformed into water and CO2 over time, preventing millions of tons of plastics from reaching the oceans. In addition, the entire range of PROVEIL® EPI masks have 30% less plastics in their composition, which from the beginning was a commitment of the company to the environment.

José María Lagarón, CSIC researcher and leader of the group of researchers that has developed the PROVEIL® nanofiber filter together with Bioinicia, believes that “at this moment almost all masks are made of a plastic derived from petroleum that does not biodegrade.

Therefore, it will be for hundreds of years as a pollutant in the environment and also, as it is broken up into small pieces, it will generate microplastics that are consumed by living organisms and that, as a consequence, will end up forming part of our diet & rdquor ;.

1.5 billion masks to the sea in 2020

“It is considered that the year 2020 ended with some 1,500 million masks in the sea, generating a new type of garbage in the ocean. An additional problem to the accumulation of masks in the environment and in landfills is that this product is based on a linear economy, disposable, not circular. In addition, the production of plastic adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, thus being a promoter of the greenhouse effect & rdquor ;, explains the scientist.

The figures are astronomical: Throughout 2020, 52,000 million masks have been manufactured, which represents an extra pollution of more than 5,000 additional tons of plastic.

One of the surgical models can contain 3-4 grams of polypropylene. These protective items can be difficult to recycle due to the risk of contamination and infection. On many occasions they end up in the oceans, due to an inadequate, non-existent or totally saturated waste management system.

“The 1.560 million face masks thrown into the oceans in 2020 will only be the tip of the iceberg,” said the director of the organization OceansAsia, Phelps Bondaroff, who recalled: “They are only a small fraction of the approximately 8 to 12 millions of metric tons of plastic entering our oceans each year. ‘

The problem, as Gary Stockes, director of the same entity, recalls, is that “the concern for hygiene and a greater dependence on take-out food have led to increased use of plastics, in particular plastic packaging.