Natural Plastics

EPI Environmental Products Inc., of Vancouver British Columbia, launched its new line of OxoGreen oxo-Biodegradable Plastic Products on January 18th, 2012.

Even after more than 20 years of being in the oxo-biodegradable plastic industry, EPI felt there needed to be more 100 per cent degradable and biodegradable products available to consumers globally.

For this reason, the OxoGreen line of products was created.

This year in Canada, not only will OxoGreen produce 100 per cent degradable garbage bags but whenever possible, these bags will also be made from 100 per cent recycled materials.

OxoGreen will be establishing relationships with its current TDPA licensees to become partners in the manufacturing and distribution of the OxoGreen products initially for the North American market and thereafter will proceed to move forward on a global initiative.

EPI is the Pioneer of the Oxo-Biodegradable Plastic Additive, TDPA (Totally Degradable Plastic Additive), which when added to the manufacturing of plastic, makes them degradable.

Although the Environmental Protection Agency of Canada has been pressuring municipalities to recycle plastic bags, less than 7 per cent were being recycled due to low participation and lack of suitable facilities.

Unfortunately recycling plastic bags is not the total solution. It is too costly of a proposition as per the following example as quoted by Jared Blumenfeld, the director of the Department of Environment in San Francisco, "After 10 years, the recycling rate for plastic bags in San Francisco – which is pointed to as a model nationwide – is 1 per cent, so 99 per cent failure”.

Recycling Position (San Francisco, Dept of Environment director) for 1 ton of recycled plastic bags

• Recycling and processing cost: US$4,000 / ton

• Resulting value of the recycled material: US$32 / ton

For this reason, using an OxoGreen Oxo-Biodegradable product is making the right choice. Sandy MacLean has joined the EPI team to head up our OxoGreen Division.

Source: http://www.eppm.com

UK supermarket chain Tesco has dropped 'eco-friendly' carrier bags after evidence suggests they are doing more harm than good.

Oxo biodegradable bags are made of non-renewable plastics, which are able to degrade in the presence of oxygen and sunlight thanks to the addition of small amounts of metals.

Last year Tesco handed out over two billion oxo biodegradable bags to customers, but now the supermarket giant has had a re-think and stopped using the bags because they may be worse for the environment than conventional carriers.

"We've been putting pressure on the supply chain for several years to consider the negative impacts of oxo biodegradable bags and move to more environmentally-friendly alternatives," said Dr John Williams, Head of Materials at the NNFCC.

"Plastics are excellent materials, highly functional and energy efficient. Promoting sensible and certified routes to reuse, recycle and dispose of plastics, will improve sustainablility. Artificially accelerating the degradation of an oil-based plastic is neither economically or environmentally sensible."

Tesco's decision follows research by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which cast doubts over claims that the bag would degrade to water, carbon dioxide and biomass in just 18 months.

Defra's report concluded that degradability would depend on where and under what conditions the bag ended up after use. Certainly not an antidote to plastic littering as some producers claim.

In landfill an oxo biodegradable bag won't degrade at all because there is no light or oxygen, and these materials also cause problems in recycling streams according to the European Plastics Recyclers Association.

A spokesman for Tesco said, "We took the decision to remove the biodegradable additive because we believed it contributed towards bags becoming weaker and to help better promote their re-use and recycling at end-of-life."

"This decision was underpinned by a detailed review of the science to help us understand the full life-cycle environmental impacts of our carrier bags."

New Tesco bags are not biodegradable but instead contain 15 per cent recycled material.

Source:  www.nnfcc.co.uk

Intertape Polymer Group® Inc.
("Intertape", “IPG” or the "Company") is pleased to announce that their OXO-Biodegradable stretch films  have officially received certification from Biosystems Atlanta, an independent testing facility. The certification process proves that IPG OXO-Biodegradable stretch films meet the criteria set forth by ASTM.

Biosystems Atlanta tested all three OXO-Biodegradable Stretch Films that are available from IPG including Genesys®, ProLite™ and Handwrap IV. The test methods employed to validate that the films safely OXObiodegrade as claimed include Tier 1 Oxidative Degradation, Tier 2 Biodegradation and Tier 3 Ecotoxicology.

All three films passed according to the applicable ASTM   Machine Film, available in 50 gauge and 63 gauge, offers the highest load retention of any performance film available today. Better load retention translates into better product protection. Genesys® films will stretch over 275% reducing the cost per pallet wrapped and reduces that amount of film consumed.

 
Superflex™ ProLite™ OXO-Biodegradable High Performance Hand Wrap will securely wrap any load at a lower cost than standard duty films. Smooth and quiet application make this product the film of choice for any hand wrapping application. StretchFlex® Handwrap IV is a hand wrap product available in an OXOBiodegradable  formula offering standard performance characteristics.

 
The products’ polyethylene film contains an additive that initiates chemical breakdown more quickly and completely in the presence of oxygen and UV light. IPG’s OXO-biodegradable films are fully recyclable and offer identical performance, as well as an environmental advantage, by allowing customers to use up to 47% ess film to perform the same job as standard duty films.

“Recycling stretch film should always be the first disposal option,” states Chuck Meyer, IPG’s Product anager of Stretch Films. “Unfortunately, a significant portion of used film is disposed of improperly with ome ending up along the roadsides and in bodies of water. Using OXO-biodegradable stretch products will llow this film to safely and completely biodegrade providing customers with an environmentally preferable
option when they cannot ensure proper disposal of the film.”

or more information regarding IPG’s OXO-biodegradable stretch film products, contact Chuck Meyer at meyer@itape.com.

About Intertape Polymer Group® Inc.
Intertape Polymer Group® Inc. is a recognized leader in the development and manufacture of specialized polyolefin plastic and paper based packaging products and complementary packaging systems for industrial and retail use. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec and Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida, the Company employs approximately 2,000 employees with operations in 16 locations, including 12 manufacturing facilities in North America and one in Europe.

Source: http://intertapepolymer.com

Norland International Inc. has introduced the industry’s first oxo-biodegradable cap for 5-gal water bottles. The LDPE caps, sold under the Earth Cap trade name, contain a unique additive that accelerates the degradation process, resulting in total degradation in five to 10 years.
The injection molded Earth Cap – a replacement for traditional LDPE caps – also features a biodegradable non-adhesive tamper-evident label and 2-mm foam seal, making the entire cap structure totally biodegradable. The oxo-biodegradable caps have a two-year shelf life and offer the same performance as current versions and are also FDA compliant.
“This is a significant milestone in meeting the sustainability needs of water bottlers throughout the world,” said Sam Noordhoff, vice president of Norland International. “This is an environmentally friendly option that goes far beyond lightweighting and other recycling strategies, offering a truly effective means of reducing the environmental impact of these plastic products.”
The special additive is blended into the LDPE using a unique mixing and drying system. Once disposed of and exposed to UV light, heat, and moisture, the caps first embrittle and then break down into small pieces. Once the molecular weight is reduced sufficiently, the material becomes available for bio-digestion and the broken down matter becomes a food source for bacteria or microbial activity. Depending on environmental conditions, the plastic cap is expected to totally degrade in about 5 to 10 years.
The proprietary additive greatly enhances degradability of the caps while maintaining clarity and tensile strength. Caps that contain the special additive will degrade in landfills, ditches, rivers, and other water sources. In addition, they are fully recyclable and compatible with municipal collection and recycling systems. There is no contamination with the plastics recycling stream and industrial composting facilities are not required
Norland manufactures these 55-mm caps at virtually the same cost as standard caps. They have drawn worldwide interest and are commercially available in standard colors (earth green, blue, and natural) in the U.S. and Far East/Pacific.

Spanish hotel group NH Hoteles is set to use oxo-degradable additives in plastic products after striking a deal with Symphony.

Speaking at a press conference in London, NH chief executive Gabriele Burgio said the deal with Symphony is part of its drive to become one of the most sustainable hotel companies in the world. The packaging used for complimentary products such as combs, shower gels and laundry bags will be made using the oxo-degradable additives and will feature the d2w logo.

Burgio said there will be no disruption to the supply chain and that there will be no large increase in production costs.

Michael Laurier, ceo of Symphony, said d2w plastics are not marketed as compostable but instead allows manufacturers to create a “controlled life” product. By using d2w, they can set a start point for degradation after the product's useful life, after which time the plastic packaging degrades, triggered by heat, light and stress.

Speaking after the conference, Symphony said the deal is an important step in the company’s growth.

“We already have a similar deal with Grupo Bimbo, a South American bakery company, but they are not very well known in Europe,” it said. “But NH Hoteles is a recognisable brand.”

NH Hoteles has 358 hotels in Europe, 32 in the Americas and two in Africa. It posted 2009 sales of ?.2bn and has some 18 million customers per year.

Source: http://www.plasticsinfomart.com