Recently, Biopolymers have been getting a lot of marketing hype due to increased attention on sustainability.
If you pay attention especially with biopolymers you will see many of the same faults that other materials have when it comes to sustainability. The name itself generates interest from people looking for sustainable solutions.
Look at the definition of biodegradable and compostable.
Biodegradable is a substance or object capable of being decomposed by bacteria or a living organism.
Compostable is a mixture of various decaying organic substances, such as dead leaves or manure used for fertilizing soil.
It is kind of hard to see the difference and seems basically the same. When in fact they are not.
Remember all things are biodegradable given enough time. Even oil-based plastic, glass or nuclear waste will eventually be broken down. The problem is the amount of time vs the rate of use which is not sustainable.
Compostable and industrial compostable are different than biodegradable due to the fact composting is describing an event under certain conditions that will more rapidly increase the biodegradable process.
When it comes to composting, we need to be aware that if you are one of the few people who have a compost in your backyard that these are very different if your municipality has industrial compost pickup. The difference is in the amount of time required which can easily double when considering using a backyard compost.
Biopolymers, out of the 4 main material topics, is the one category that needs attention placed on the words the manufacturers use. Not only does the name lead to many common misconceptions, but some companies try to mislead by using language such as “bio-based”, “biological”, and “earth-friendly” in their marketing.
Despite the rapid growth, biopolymers or biodegradable plastics have not received much attention with regards to waste stream economic analysis. Biopolymers make up less than 1% of the global plastics market, and are only expected to grow 2-3% in the next decade. Also, general public misconception that all biopolymers are compostable diminishes the efforts being put in to properly recycling them. In fact, most biopolymers are not decomposed spontaneously under a natural environment, but instead require specific conditions such as industrial composting. One must also consider that not all biopolymers are compostable. As described earlier in this paper, biodegradable polymers are either of natural, biobased, or fossil fuel origin. Biopolymers, on the other hand, is plastic made from natural raw materials such as starch, cellulose, corn, etc. The process to produce bio-resins is sustainable, but may or may not be biodegradable. This makes it very complex and costly to properly manage biopolymer recycling or waste streams. We must also consider not all bio-based polymers are 100% made from bio-based sources. Some are actually made from petroleum based components or a combination of the two.
Properties of biobased materials are can be similar to oil based resins that you see no real change in performance. Many biobased polymers are tailored to a customer and there are not numerous stock grades available. Many times due to the size of the industry, which is growing but is only about 1% of petroleum based plastics sales, a polymer is custom formulated for a specific project.
Things to consider when it comes to bio resins.
1. Consider where your product may be sold and do they provide readily available solutions for depositing bio-based resins for recycle or industrial composting?
2. Look at what stock material options are available as well as the number of pounds available in your area.
3. Make sure you understand what kind of bio-based polymer you are buying. There are numerous grades which are combined with petroleum-based materials as well.
4. Is it biodegradable, bio-based, or compostable?
Speaker: Robert Bulla, Director of Engineering & Innovation at APC Packaging
For more information on sustainable packaging in the beauty industry, go to APC Packaging's website at [ Ссылка ]
