The EU's plastics strategy calls for all packaging placed on the market to be reusable or recyclable by 2030, and manufacturers have been looking closely at the use of bio-based and compostable plastics as potential alternatives to traditional petroleum-based plastics in the packaging industry.
Recently, Spanish packaging manufacturer ADBioplastics partnered with Capricho Andaluz, a producer of oils and flavors that is part of the Borges International Group, to produce single-serve packages of extra virgin olive oil.
Borges International Group, a global agri-food group of family and Mediterranean origins, with more than 125 years of history and a strong international presence, is a leader in agri-farm management, industrial processing, packaging and marketing of olive oils and seeds, nuts, dried fruits, Modena vinegars, pasta and snacks.
A bioplastic, PLA-Premium, developed by ADBioplastics, was used in the manufacture of the disposable packages, which will be available in the coming months and will initially be sold under the Capricho Andaluz and Borges brands, but new products are planned to be introduced in the market in the near future.
To create the new industrial compostable PLA-premium, ADBioplastics added an impact modifier called ADBio PLA+ to the original PLA to improve the material's processability.
ADBioplastics offers a range of PLA-Premium grades targeted at different industrial applications in extrusion and injection. The company says the new material has a 70% higher elongation at break compared to pure PLA, resulting in a more resilient and less brittle product. The manufacturer also says that PLA-Premium has a similar level of transparency compared to polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
TÜV Austria has certified that PLA-Premium decomposes under industrial conditions within three months.ADBio Plastics says the product can be disposed of in organic waste bins and in industrial composting facilities where available.
The material is also suitable for food contact under applicable European regulations, allowing it to be used in packaging applications for food, beverages, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and other products.
