Cereplast Enters Distribution Agreement With Mastercolor AB to Supply Bioplastic Resin to the Scandinavian Market
Cereplast, Inc. (Nasdaq:CERP), a leading manufacturer of proprietary biobased, compostable and sustainable plastics, has entered into a distribution agreement in August 2011 with Mastercolor AB to supply Cereplast bioplastic resins to the Scandinavian market, specifically in Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
"This marks our seventh distribution agreement in Europe since the start of 2011 and reflects our aggressive growth strategy and continued commitment to expanding Cereplast's distribution with local partners throughout the European continent," said Frederic Scheer, Chairman and CEO of Cereplast, Inc. "The surge in demand for bioplastic materials in Europe has been fueled by new governmental policies, which started with restrictions on the use of traditional plastic bags and is now moving toward changes of the legislative landscape in the use of flexible and rigid packaging. European manufacturers are increasingly seeking out plastic alternatives to comply with these new regulations."
Under the terms of the agreement, Mastercolor AB will supply Cereplast Compostables® resin to product and package manufacturers in the Scandinavian region, covering countries including Sweden, Denmark and Norway. The contract includes a minimum of four containers of Cereplast resin over the remainder of 2011, a number anticipated to grow in 2012 and beyond. "We are pleased to partner with Cereplast to expand our product offering and provide our clients with the highest quality bioplastic resin as an environmentally friendlier alternative to traditional plastic," said Carl-Johan Levert, CEO of Mastercolor AB. "Demand for biobased materials in the Scandinavian region is growing at a fast pace, and we are now better positioned to serve that market effectively."
According to a study by European Bioplastics, global bioplastics production will surpass the 1 million ton/year mark this year, with production more than doubling from 2010-2015. Mastercolor AB will supply distributors and manufacturers in the Scandinavian market with several grades of Cereplast Compostable resins to replace traditional plastic resin in the manufacturing of products including bags, flexible packaging and in various food service ware applications for rigid applications. All Cereplast Compostable resins are proprietary patented formulations, and include Ingeo PLA.
About Mastercolor AB
Mastercolor AB markets and distributes sustainable and compostable resins and masterbatches to the plastic processing industry in Scandinavia. It provides the sale of white, colored, additive and combination masterbatches. The company functions as a distributor for suppliers and producers that have an environmentally friendly strategy and are focused on producing low energy, consumable and environmentally friendly materials and products. For more information, please visit www.mastercolor.se
About Cereplast, Inc.
Cereplast, Inc. (Nasdaq:CERP) designs and manufactures proprietary biobased, sustainable plastics which are used as substitutes for traditional plastics in all major converting processes - such as injection molding, thermoforming, blow molding and extrusions - at a pricing structure that is competitive with traditional plastics. On the cutting-edge of biobased plastic material development, Cereplast now offers resins to meet a variety of customer demands. Cereplast Compostables® Resins are ideally suited for single-use applications where high biobased content and compostability are advantageous, especially in the food service industry. Cereplast Sustainables™ Resins combine high biobased content with the durability and endurance of traditional plastic, making them ideal for applications in industries such as automotive, consumer electronics and packaging. Learn more at www.cereplast.com. You may also visit the Cereplast social networking pages at Facebook.com/Cereplast, Twitter.com/Cereplast and Youtube.com/Cereplastinc.
Source: www.cereplast.com
Arkema and CJ Cheil-Jedang select Malaysia for their Bio-Methionine and Thiochemicals plants
After a long and thorough study on the best place to build their plants, CJ Cheil-Jedang and Arkema have selected the site of Kerteh, in the state of Terengganu in Malaysia.
Thanks to the best efforts of the Government of Malaysia, the Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation and the East Coast Economic Region Development Council, attractive conditions for the bio-methionine and thiochemicals plants have been obtained.
The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Najib Abdul Razak, welcomed this choice at a press conference today in Kuala Lumpur.
Kerteh located on the East Coast of Malaysia is an ideal place to build a thiochemical platform and bio-methionine plant where all the necessary infrastucture, utilities and raw materials can be easily obtained.The onsite bulk port and the nearby Kuantan and Kemaman container ports will facilitate the logistic of the products.
Arkema and CJ Cheil-Jedang confirm their intention to start operating the plants at the end of 2013.
CJ CheilJedang, a Korean based food, feed, and bioscience company, is leading the way as No.1 global company in the world in the area of industrial biotechnology with innovations in fermentation, and purification technologies. CJ is a leading producer of fermentation-based products such as feed amino acids, MSG, and Nucleotides with global manufacturing and business operations in 6 continents. As a socially responsible company, CJ strives toward practicing carbon-neutral manufacturing operations by utilizing renewable raw materials and developing value-added co-products to minimize waste into the environment.
A global chemical company and France’s leading chemicals producer, Arkema is building the future of the chemical industry every day. Deploying a responsible, innovation-based approach, we produce state-of-the-art specialty chemicals that provide customers with practical solutions to such challenges as climate change, access to drinking water, the future of energy, fossil fuel preservation and the need for lighter materials. With operations in more than 40 countries, 14,000 employees and 8 research centers, Arkema generated annual revenue of €5.9 billion in 2010, and holds leadership positions in all its markets with a portfolio of internationally recognized brands. The world is our inspiration.
Source: www.arkema.com
»MouldPulp«: New bio composites from bioplastics and pulp fibres
Innventia, together with an industrial consortium, has developed a promising wood-polymer material from cellulose pulp and PLA. An industrially viable production process for producing the material into granules for injection moulding without changing the material identity is currently not available. A multidisciplinary and international team from Sweden, Finland and Germany led by Fraunhofer UMSICHT is working on this in the research project »MouldPulp«.
Innventia, together with an industrial consortium, has developed a promising wood-polymer material from cellulose pulp and PLA. During autumn, this material is to be launched by Södra under the name DuraPulp®. The material is renewable, shows good mechanical properties, a perceived naturalness, nice tactile properties and can be dyed with clear colours. The DuraPulp® material to be launched by Södra will be in the form of composite pulp bales, to be further processed by various techniques into final products. One limiting factor though is that there today is no industrially viable production process available for producing the DuraPulp material into granules for injection moulding. The research project »MouldPulp« intends to change this. The aim of the 3-year research project is the development of a processing technology that allows making injection moulded parts out of DuraPulp® but keeping the naturalness material identity. A multidisciplinary and international team from Sweden, Finland and Germany led by Fraunhofer UMSICHT is working on this.The technical approach is to combine the DuraPulp® process with a special compounding process. The objective is to achieve a high fibre amount and at the same time a gentle compounding process and homogenous fibre dispersion. Afterwards, the granules will be injection moulded to sample specimens and technical parts. The material properties and moulded parts characteristics will be tested and evaluated. A recycling concept with the separation of polymer and fibres will be explored. The development process is framed into a techno-economic and ecological assessment of the novel processing technology.
The project consortium covers the whole value chain from a raw bio-based material up to plastic products for consumers. It consists of R&D-institutes, material and application developers, raw material producers, and plastic processing companies:
- Fraunhofer-Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology UMSICHT, Oberhausen, Germany
- Innventia AB, Stockholm, Sweden
- Södra Skogsägarna Ekonomisk Förening, Väröbacka, Sweden
- FKuR Kunststoff GmbH, Willich, Germany
- Elastopoli Oy, Sastamala, Finland
- Hammarplast Consumer AB, Tingsryd, Sweden
- Nova-Institut GmbH, Hürth, Germany
Source: www.innventia.com
Canadian Patent Awarded for Polylactic Acid Blown Film And Method of Manufacturing Same
Plastic Suppliers, Inc. was awarded the Canadian 2578635 patent for “Polylactic Acid Blown Film And Method of Manufacturing Same.” The receipt of this patent further validates Plastic Suppliersʼ as the only true blown film manufacturer of bio-based products.
Plastic Suppliers has worked diligently to develop the technology behind this patent. The EarthFirst® products produced using this patent are currently being used in the flexible packaging, label, lamination and windowing markets.
About Plastic Suppliers:
Founded in 1949, Plastic Suppliers is both a manufacturer and distributor of plastic film substrates. Coupled with two manufacturing sites and three strategically located distribution centers across the United States and a European distribution center in Belgium makes Plastic Suppliers “Your Total Films Solution.”
Source: www.plasticsuppliers.com
Cortec ® Corporation Launches Biobased Film Products for Marine and Anaerobic Digestion Markets
Cortec® Corporation, a leading bioplastics producer located in Minnesota, USA is pleased to announce the launch and commercial availability of EcoOcean™ . This new bioplastic offers a combination of environmental and performance benefits previously unattainable—flexibility and strength; commercial and low-temperature backyard compostability; 77% annually renewable raw material content; anaerobic and marine biodegradability. EcoOcean™ is the only bioplastic on the market that offers users this combination of benefits.
EcoOcean™ is the result of not only novel bioplastics resin technology, but also production and processing breakthroughs attained after years of development work by Cortec's Cambridge, MN and Beli Manastir, Croatia extrusion plants. The new EcoOcean™ films and bags bridge the environmental and performance gap that has existed for decades with other films.
“EcoOcean™ will revolutionize the use of flexible packaging, especially in coastal areas of the world,” states Boris Miksic, CEO of Cortec® Corporation.
Ideally, EcoOcean™ is disposed of in commercial composting, or in oxygen deprived anaerobic digestors. However, as is seen worldwide, plastics can still end up in the waterways—even in communities with the harshest and strictest penalties for litter.
EcoOcean™ has an advantage in nearly all intentional and unintentional disposal methods. In ntombed landfills, the main benefit is the film's renewable content. In composting, it allows rapid aerobic biodegradation naturally and safely. In anaerobic digestion (AD) systems or methaneproducing landfills (WtE), the films rapidly breakdown in as little as 15 days. For waterway litter, EcoOcean™ provides coastal areas with a technological safety net to further support their legislative and social goals of coastal and marine preservation.
EcoOcean™ has been tested to numerous standards and specifications, including, but not limited to the following:
ASTM D 7081: Standard Specification for Biodegradability in Marine Environments
ASTM D 5511: Standard Test Method for Anaerobic Biodegradation (15 Days)
ASTM D 6400: Standard Specification for Commercial Compostability
EcoOcean™ will soon be available in standard sizes and forms in over 70 countries worldwide to serve end-user and converter markets. For more information on EcoOcean™ , please contact Cortec® Corporation today.
About Cortec Corporation Cortec ®
Corporation is the world leader in innovative and environmentally responsible technologies for industry.
Cortec® was the first North American extruder of bioplastics to attain BPI certification for compostable plastics and has a long history of bioplastic innovations including: flexible film versions of PLA (Eco Works®), cryogenic packaging (Eco Film® ), drawtape bag (Eco Works® ), stretch, masking, and cling film (EcoWrap® ),
anti-static films (EcoCorr® ESD), corrosion inhibiting (EcoCorr®, EcoCorr® ESD), shrink with clarity (Eco Works®
70 Shrink), and jointly developed offshore drilling films. Cortec ® manufactures over 450 products distributed worldwide with five plants in the U.S., one in Europe, and sales channel partners in over 70 countries.
ISO 9001 & ISO 14001:2004 Certified.
Cortec Website: http://www.cortecvci.com Phone: 1-800-426-7832 FAX: (651) 429-1122
Source: http://www.cortecvci.com
CARDIA BIOPLASTICS WINS 2011 ASIA PACIFIC FROST & SULLIVAN GREEN EXCELLENCE IN TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION AWARD
The Board of Cardia Bioplastics Limited is pleased to announce that the global technology and growth consultancy, Frost & Sullivan, awarded the Cardia Bioplastics business as the recipient of their "2011 Asia Pacific Frost & Sullivan Green Excellence in Technology Innovation Award" for Eco-Materials.
Frost & Sullivan's Green Excellence Awards are presented to companies that have excelled in green product & technology innovation, and service achievements that promote sustainability.These awards recognize groundbreaking ideas and innovations that originated from a firm sense of environmental responsibility across a multitude of disciplines. Recipient companies are committed to a continuous focus on reducing their dependency on nonrenewable resources, decreasing their impact on climate change, and diminishing their overall ecological footprint.
Cardia Bioplastics Managing Director, Dr Frank Glatz, said: "The Frost & Sullivan Green Excellence in Technology Innovation Award is further international recognition of Cardia's track record and sustainable packaging offering. Cardia offers customers the choice of using sustainable Cardia BiohybridTM technology (less oil, lower carbon foot print) or Cardia's internationally certified Compostable technology for their packaging or plastic products."
Cardia Bioplastics Limited develops, manufactures and markets sustainable resins derived from renewable resources for the global packaging and plastic products industries. Cardia BiohybridTM and Compostable products deliver solutions across a range of sustainable resin technologies to offer each customer a choice of solutions for their packaging or plastics product applications. Cardia's business is benefiting from the trend towards sustainable packaging with products used in a broad range of packaging applications, including flexible film, injection moulding, blow moulding, foam, extrusion and coating applications.
About Cardia Bioplastics
Cardia Bioplastics Limited (ASX CODE: CNN), through its 100% owned subsidiary Cardia Bioplastics (Australia) Pty Ltd, develops, manufactures and markets sustainable resins and finished products derived from renewable resources for the global packaging and plastic products industries. The Company holds a strong patent portfolio and its growth are fuelled by the global trend towards sustainable packaging. Established in Australia in 2002 as Biograde, the company Headquarters and Global Applications Development Centre is in Melbourne, Australia. The Product Development Centre and manufacturing plant is in Nanjing, China. There are Cardia Bioplastics offices in the Americas, Europe, Malaysia and China, and a network of leading distributors across Australia, the Americas, Asia and Europe. Visit www.cardiabioplastics.com
Cardia Bioplastics was the exclusive supplier of biodegradable packaging to the 2008 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, was awarded the Australian Chamber of Commerce "Australia-China Business Excellence Award" in 2008, and won the 2009 "Clean Equity Monaco Conference Award" for Excellence in the field of Environmental Technology Commercialisation.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best-practice models to drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 40 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit awards.frost.com
Source: http://www.cardiabioplastics.com
Nestlé, Tetra Pak and Braskem launch package with a cap using renewable raw material
Nestlé Brazil, in a partnership with Tetra Pak and Braskem, is launching two of its popular milks brands in a package with a polyethylene (PE) cap using a renewable resource. Starting in August, UHT milk for Ninho, Ninho Levinho, Ninho Low Lactose and Molico brands will be packed in Tetra Brik® Aseptic packages using caps produced with Green PE.
The new polyethylene, developed by Braskem, Brazil’s largest petrochemical company, is made out of sugar cane derivatives, which are polymerized in plastics for cap production. The process contributes to the global reduction of greenhouse gases since sugar cane, a renewable resource, absorbs CO² from the atmosphere.
The launch represents a landmark in the use of polyethylene made out of 100% renewable raw materials in the food and beverage packaging industry. By using the new cap Nestlé will be encouraging environmental awareness, providing consumers with a product that makes use of renewable sources for manufacturing its packages.
"This is an innovating initiative that adds further value to our products. Our participation in this project is fully aligned with Nestlé’s global social responsibility platform, called "Creating Shared Value", said Ivan Zurita, President of Nestlé Brazil. The concept is based on the assumption that for the long-term businesses success, generating value to the shareholders is as important as generating value to the community in which the company is present. In this model, the company has partnerships with institutes, business foundations, governments, NGOs and private companies, such as Tetra Pak and Braskem, either to carry out their own projects or to support their partners’ initiatives.
Tetra Pak has a long history of responsible environmental practices and recently announced an ambitious environmental programme designed to deliver on the company’s ultimate aim of providing sustainable packaging using only renewable materials, achieving a minimal environmental footprint and creating zero waste. Currently, all the paper used for the production of cartons in Brazil comes from forests managed in accordance with the responsible forestry management principles, certified by FSC™ (Forest Stewardship Council™).
Said Tetra Pak Brazil President Paulo Nigro: "The use of polyethylene made out of a renewable raw material is another important step towards our goal of achieving 100% renewable packaging. This demonstrates our innovation leadership and our commitment to support our customers and society in our shared goals of creating a healthier, sustainable planet.
"We are very proud to take part on that initiative alongside with Companies that are global leaders in their segments. Braskem, the largest worldwide producer of biopolymers is fully involved in the commitment to promoting sustainability",
Source: http://www.braskem.com.br
Compostable Pick Up Bags for Dog Waste
Pet Pick-Ups is proud to introduce its first compostable pick up bag for dog waste made from FKuR’s bioresin.
Colorado based Pet Pick-Ups offers dog owners a quick, easy and affordable way to clean up after their pets in public places. Pet Pick-Ups is a member of Co-op America Business Network and is therefore committed to finding green solutions for their product lines.
“The fact that FKuR’s bioplastic compounds are certified compostable (according to ASTM D 6400) and contain renewable raw material convinced us,” said Jill Wiltse one of the founders of Pet Pick-Ups.
For the pickup bags, a film made of Bio-Flex® F 1130 supplied by Manchester Packaging Company was chosen. “The straightforward conversion process along with the good printability on our standard PE-LD lines were the decisive factors in choosing the materials from FKuR”, says Charles R. Armistead, CEO of Manchester Packaging Company.
Bio-Flex® F 1130 is a 100% drop in solution for regular PE and can easily be converted on standard PE-LD lines. Furthermore, it has a superior water resistance compared to starch based formulations. With Bio-Flex bags the humidity remains inside and unpleasant leakage can be avoided. Bioplastics are a class of polymers, which have properties comparable to conventional polymers, but are made from renewable resources and enable the biodegradability of products made from this material.
Pet Pick-Ups was founded in 1993 by two like-minded entrepreneurial women. The waste bags and disposal systems can be found across North America and have led to an increasing awareness among the population of pet owners.
Manchester Packaging Company is a family owned and operated custom manufacturer of plain and printed polyethylene blown film and bags. The company was founded in 1970 with the goal of providing their customers quality as well as economical packaging.
FKuR Plastics Corporation develops, produces and markets high value biopolymers under the brand names Bio-Flex® (PLA based blends), Biograde® (cellulose ester compounds) and Fibrolon® (natural fiber reinforced polymers). The close cooperation of the company with the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT assures outstanding scientific, processing and quality standards.
More information:
FKuR Plastics Corp.
Contact: Ms. Julia Dolfen
921 W New Hope Drive, Bldg. 605,
Cedar Park, TX 78613
Phone: 512 986 8478
Fax: 512 986 5346
julia.dolfen@fkur.com
Pet Pick-Ups
PO Box 460547
Denver, CO 80246
Phone: 303 443 8914
Fax: 303 443 0414
Contact: service@petpickups.com
Manchester Packaging Company
Contact: Ms. Lisa Broccard
2000 East James Blvd.
St. James, Missouri 65559
Phone: 573 265 3569
Fax: 573 265 3701
lbroccard@manchesterpkg.com
www.manchesterpkg.com
BASF SE and CSM start negotiations to form a joint venture for the production of succinic acid
BASF SE and Purac, a subsidiary of CSM nv, today announce the start of negotiations to form a joint venture for the production of bio-based succinic acid. The companies have been conducting research under a joint development agreement on bio-based succinic acid since 2009. The complementary strengths in fermentation and down-stream processing led to the development of a sustainable and highly efficient manufacturing process based on a proprietary microorganism. The demand for succinic acid is anticipated to grow strongly in the next years. Main drivers are expected to be bioplastics, chemical intermediates, solvents, polyurethanes and plasticizers.
"We are happy to bring our partnership with Purac to the next level," said Dr. Andreas Kreimeyer, Member of the Board of Executive Directors and Research Executive Director of BASF. "Until now our partnership has been very successful, and moving towards a joint venture will strengthen our goal to become the leading supplier in the succinic acid market."
"We aim to be the first commercial producer in the market with a 25,000 tons capacity fermentation production plant at the Purac site near Barcelona, Spain, with the intention to start up by 2013 at the latest," said Gerard Hoetmer, Chief Executive Officer of CSM. "In addition, we are already planning a world-scale plant with a capacity of 50,000 tons to account for the expected demand growth. This partnership has enormous potential as it leverages the combined competencies of two leading companies in their fields."
During the existing cooperation critical steps of the jointly developed production process have been validated in several successful production campaigns. The resulting volumes were used to evaluate the market. "After successfully testing the BASF in-house applications we are now able to make large volumes available for external customers," said Dr. Thomas Weber, Managing Director of BASF Future Business GmbH with regard to the recent industrial production campaign in June 2011. "The goal is to globally provide a high product quality and offer security of supply to the customers," Fabrizio Rampinelli, Managing Director of Purac, added. "Through this bio-based succinic acid collaboration we aim to add another important new growth-pillar to our bio-based polymers and green chemical business."
The newly developed process combines high efficiency with the use of renewable substrates and the fixation of the greenhouse gas CO2 during the production. This results in a positive eco-footprint and makes bio-based succinic acid an economically and ecologically attractive alternative to petrochemical substitutes. The employed microorganism Basfia succiniciproducens is a natural producer of succinic acid and can process a wide variety of C3, C5 and C6 renewable feedstocks, including biomass sources.
