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13/04/2006
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Tom Shelley reports on the latest ideas in environmentally friendly packaging materials
A UK company has just announced a range of biodegradable and compostable air pillows to ensure the safe transport of breakable goods.
The pillows are made of 'Starpol 2055' which is produced by Adept Polymers in Manchester and is made from potato starch. The material harmlessly degrades and composts completely within 60 days when exposed to the conditions normally present in a compost or land fill site, conforming to EN13432 and DIN CERTCO standards. It nonetheless has mechanical performance properties superior to those of HDPE, High Density Polyethylene, when used to make air pillows (see table).
According to Deskland Hughes of Lightning Packaging Supplies, the material can be made water soluble if required, and has even greater potential for other kinds of packaging. In particular, it can be made into biodegradable supermarket carrier bags. While it costs slightly more than conventional materials for this purpose, it could come out very much cheaper if faced with the sort of taxes which the UK government is contemplating putting on carrier bags made of conventional materials, and which have already been imposed on such products in a number of more environmentally conscious countries.
The same goes for other kinds of non biodegradable packaging materials, which many countries are contemplating either banning or taxing out of existence. The reasons are not just in order to be seen to be green but because of the increasing difficulty of finding sites for landfill, and because consequent fly-tipping disposal leads not only to unsightly dumping, but also the clogging of water courses and the provision of potential homes for rats and other pests. This is a particular problem when people dump organic rubbish in non disposable packaging, including plastic bags. It is a growing problem not only in Europe, but throughout the world, and even Third World countries such as Bangladesh are starting to impose bans.
Adept Polymers also make products that are water soluble, dissolving at predetermined temperatures from 10 deg C to 80 deg C. Applications include detergent and washing additive sachets, laundry bags, lost core mould cores for plastic injection moulding and high strength adhesive tape.
And Jayne Lawton had just been deemed Female Innovator of the Year at the British Female Inventors of the Year Awards for her Grobox products, that allow one to plant flowers in biodegradable fibre boxes so one does not need to unpack them. The box additionally releases nutrients into the soil as it degrades, as well as protecting the plants in their early stages from prolonged ground cold, ground frosts and pests.
Lightning Packaging Supplies
Adept Polymers
Grobox Gardens
Pointers
* Biodegradable and compostable polymers have enormous potential in packaging, where they avoid the need to transport used packages and materials for recycling and will hopefully evade proposed taxes and government imposed regulations poised to penalise all non recyclable packaging
* Related polymers can also be designed to become water soluble above pre-determined temperatures
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Author
Tom Shelley
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