Eco-plastic joint venture eyes success despite technical 'shortfalls'

21-Dec-2011 - Last updated on 21-Dec-2011 at 12:39 GMT

A joint bioplastics venture is confident of European market success despite the minor technical property "shortfalls" of the product.

Germany-based companies Polyden Folien and Cardia Bioplastics have joined forces to develop a new range of packaging films with the intention entering the ever-growing European market for sustainable packaging.

The companies aim to launch its range of sustainable packaging films, made using Cardia Biohybrid resins, in late 2012.

The resins, which are a blend of renewable thermoplastic materials and traditional polyolefins, will allow the company to increase the renewable content of its products by up to 50%.

Using this method, which has been awarded food contact approval in Europe, the material will offer “more or less” the same technical properties as the industry standard, but with additional sustainable factors.

Same technical properties?

Cardia Business Development Manager Martin Kapsa told FoodProductionDaily.com: “The European food packaging market will look past slight technical inadequacies in return for sustainability factors.”

“The biggest, most important issue in the development of a food packaging application is whether it will carry the same technical properties, such as water and oxygen migration, as the industry standard,” added Kapsa.

“We have developed a pattern to blend standard polyolefins with renewable plastic, but when you mix, there is an effect. So the films and other applications will offer more or less the same properties, but with these added sustainable factors.”

"But we are confident that the European food packaging market will be able to look past these very small shortfalls if a more sustainable option is available to them.”

The resin, which can be used in a broad range of food packaging applications including films, injection mouldings, blow mouldings and coatings, can also help reduce a producer’s carbon footprint – a target Polyden Folien intends to achieve through the partnership.

The joint development is consistent with Polyden Folien’s sustainable packaging business development and commitment, said the company.