Biodegradable packaging from renewable resources
Australia is well placed to become a producer of polymers derived from renewable resources, Technology for converting starch into packaging material has been developed and successfully commercialised by Plantic Technologies, an innovative Melbourne-based bioplastics company.
Plantic and the CRC-P have recently developed a new high performance degradable plastic called Plantic HP1. Launched at the Interpack 2008 trade fair held in Germany, the starch-derived material is based on non-genetically modified, high amylose corn starch and is a completely biodegradable alternative to conventional plastics derived from crude oil. The novel bioplastic, protected by patent applications, has the superior properties necessary to expand its use into new markets. Plantic’s CEO, Mr Brendan Morris, said, “This high performance sheet grade is another material in our suite of sustainable, renewable and competitively priced alternatives to conventional plastics.” The advantages of higher impact resistance, smoothness and clarity mean HP1 can be used in packaging designed to showcase and display consumer products such as Easter eggs, cosmetics, razors and electronic goods like USB sticks. “Plantic HP1 will provide our customers with another grade of material that can be used in high performance markets. It allows our environmentally concious customers to incorporate the technology into additional markets and applications, without sacrificing on function and performance.”
The development has been the culmination of several years of collaborative research within the CRC-P by scientists from RMIT, CSIRO and Plantic. The composite material has been fully characterised by various analytical methods, and significant effort has been devoted to technology transfer and production trials. With the HP1 success under its belt, this project team will continue to explore new methods to improve the properties of starch materials. Future new products and processes emerging from this CRC-P project’s activities are on the horizon, and these should allow the industry participant, Plantic, to expand the use of renewable materials into more packaging applications.