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Home , Bioplastic, Converters (industry), Food packaging, Lamination, Thermoforming

FACT SHEET European e.V. Marienstr. 19/20 10117 Berlin European Bioplastics e.V. European Bioplastics Marienstr. 19/20, 10117 Berlin phone +49.30.28 48 23 50 fax +49.30.28 48 23 59 e-mail [email protected] www.european-bioplastics.org

Bioplastics packaging - combining performance with sustainability

Materials and market development in the packaging segment

Plastics packaging – a success story Bioplastics packaging – the next step

The largest market segment in the industry is the The overarching problem of climate change and the future packaging segment. In Europe, 40 percent of the plastics de- shortage of fossil resources has accelerated the search for bet- mand is used in packaging, which amounts to around 20 mil- ter concepts for plastics packaging. Approaches to reuse and lion tons every year1. In Europe, 50 percent of all goods are recycle plastics in closed loops need to be developed, while packaged in plastics2. making an efficient use of resources at all times.

Without the various available packaging solutions, many per- With the corresponding demands of and with brand ishable goods would go to waste or be damaged en route to owners further driving the development of new solutions, bio- the customer. Packaging is also an excellent carrier for product plastics are expanding their reach into the packaging segment. advertising. It conveys important information to the consumer and enables an efficient distribution of goods through com- Packaging made from meets societal paction. Despite being extremely light weight, plastics pack- and environmental demands. aging can also be easily adapted to meet specific application demands. Bioplastics use resources as efficiently as currently possible,

while keeping safe, enduring high heat, reducing CO2, However, the enormous consumption of conventional plas- and offering new recovery options. In short, bioplastics pack- tics in packaging means that today’s societal demands for aging offers the same qualities as conventional packaging, products with a reduced impact on the environment are not while exposing much greater sustainability features. met. Hence, the question therefore arises: how to turn plastics packaging solutions into sustainable products? How can plastics packaging become more sustainable?

1 Plastics Europe,VR 19997 Plastics Nz, – The Amtsgericht Facts 2018. Charlottenburg, USt-IdNr. DE235874231 2 Plastics Europe,HypoVereinsbank www.plasticseurope.org. Rosenheim, BLZ 711 200 77, Konto 6356800, IBAN DE26 7112 0077 0006 3568 00, BIC/SWIFT HYVEDEMM448

1 Bioplastics packaging - Combining performance with sustainability

Bioplastics packaging – market, materials, performance 3. Fossil-based and biodegradable materials (mostly blended with group 2). The bioplastics packaging market Packaging from bio-based plastics has been developed over In 2019, global production capacities of bioplastics amoun- the past 10 years. New materials such as PLA, PHA, cellu- ted to about 2.11 million tons with more than 53 percent of lose or -based materials create packaging solutions the volume destined for the packaging market – the biggest with completely new functionalities, such as biodegradabil- market segment within the bioplastics industry. ity/compostability. The bio-based versions of conventional plastics, such as bio-PE and partly bio-based PET, are techni- There is a high demand for packaging made from bioplastics cally equivalent to their fossil counterparts. The only differ- to be used for wrapping organic food as well as for premium ence is their resource basis. As the value chain only has to and branded products with particular requirements. Mar- be adapted at the beginning, bio-based PE, PET or PP are ket introduction is making dynamic progress. Bioplastics known as ‘drop-in solutions’. production capacities have been forecasted to grow to 2.42 million tons by 2024 with most of these new volumes being Bio-based plastics used in packaging offer one outstanding converted to innovative packaging solutions. advantage over fossil-based products: the use of renewable resources and, by consequence, the intrinsic value proposi- Governments can further foster this trend by promoting bio- tion of reducing the environmental impact of packaging in

plastics packaging in the context of their policies for innova- terms of CO2 emissions. tion, resource-efficiency, and climate change. The transition from a fossil-based economy to a bio-economy is an impor- Performance and processing of bioplastics packaging tant target of the EU 2020 Strategy. The performance and ecological profile of packaging can be Bioplastic materials in packaging improved in many ways, for example through:

Bioplastics are a diverse family of materials with differing • Bio-based materials, properties. There are three main groups: • Material combinations, e.g. blending of different bioplastics, • A combination of components from convention- 1. Bio-based, non-biodegradable materials, such as bio-PE, al plastics, such as PET with bioplastics (bio-based PET), bio-PET and bio-PEF • Tailor-made additives, colour and processing aids, and • Continuous development of new bio-based . 2. Bio-based and biodegradable materials, such as PLA, PHA or starch blends,

2 FACT SHEET | European Bioplastics

Bioplastics are suitable for all standard processing Product examples in the market range from Ontex-Mayen, technologies. who has been using starch-based packaging for their Mol- tex-eco baby nappies, to the Italian coffee brand Beanarella, Packaging made from bioplastics can be processed with which introduced compostable coffee capsules in 2012, and all customary plastics processing technologies. No special German ice cream maker Zandonella, who serves their gour- machinery is required. Depending on the type of bioplastics met bio ice cream in a compostable since 2014. used, only the processing parameters have to be adjusted. From a niche product in organic trade to premium A wide range of products suitable for numerous and varied packaging for branded goods – bioplastics are applications has been developed within a short period of conquering all packaging segments. time, and nowadays the of bioplastics packaging can easily match that of traditional products. For more informa- Service packaging tion on performance and processing, please see the table on page 4. Worldwide food service packaging is another large growth segment. Whether it is cups, plates, or carrier – Bioplastics packaging solutions in the market the entire product spectrum can be made from bioplastics. These products are used at sports events, street festivals, Rigid packaging on planes or on trains. They can be made of bio-based non- biodegradable plastics or of bio-based biodegradable plas- Rigid bioplastics applications are available, e.g. for cosmet- tics, depending on the end-of-life solution envisaged for the ics packaging of compact powders, creams and lipsticks, as individual product. well as beverage . Materials such as PLA, bio-PE, or bio-PET are used in this section. The biodegradability of certain types of bioplastics enables the joint recovery with food residue via composting or an- Several well-known brands, such as Coca-Cola, Vittel, Volvic aerobic digestion, provided that conventional plastics do or Heinz use bio-PET for bottles of all sizes containing spar- not contaminate this recycling stream. kling drinks and other, non-gaseous fluids. Johnson & John- son rely on bio-PE to package different kinds of cosmetic Retailers across Europe such as Rossmann, Aldi, Coop, and products. Bioplastic packaging is also used by Danone and Carrefour use single or multi-use carrier bags made from bi- Unilever. oplastics - some with the add-on bonus of biodegradability. Certified biodegradable/compostable cups are also used at The high percentage of bio-based material in these products big events or in major football stadiums throughout Europe. and the ability to combine them with recyclates from con- ventional PE and PET has resulted in a decisive increase in However, in Europe, the legal framework for this special mar-

resource efficiency and a reduction of CO2 emissions. ket segment is currently under revision. By mid 2020, the EU Commission will provide guidance to the implementation of As a potentially mechanically recyclable material, PLA is also its Single-Use Plastics Directive, which was adopted in 2019. gaining market share in the rigid packaging segment. With It still remains to be seen to which extend food service pack- growing volumes, a separate recycling stream will become aging will be affected at the end. economically feasible, and the beneficial environmental po- tential of PLA will be further increased. If Carrefour, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble and the like are any thing to judge by, all packaging materials in the future source: Coca-Cola, Unicoop, Huhtamaki source: Coca-Cola, Flexible packaging will be bio-based and easily (mechanically or organically) re- cyclable3. This is also the desired outcome for consumers, as Many different bioplastics are used for flexible packaging is manifested in their shopping behaviour. solutions. Biodegradability is a feature often sought when it comes to products for perishables. Biode- About 80 percent of European consumers want gradable food packaging certified as industrially composta- to buy products with a minimal impact on the ble was the first successfully commercialised bioplastic environment. (eurobarometer survey, European product. Films and trays are particularly suitable for fresh produce such as fruit and vegetables as they enable longer Commission, 2013) . In addition, confectionary, such as chocolate and biscuits, or dry food, such as tea or muesli, are now increas- You might also be interested in the following publications: ingly being packaged with bioplastics. • Environmental Communications Guide https://www.european-bioplastics.org/news/publications/

3 Organic recycling means industrial composting in this context.

3 FACT SHEET | European Bioplastics

Process and typical applications for bioplastics in packaging Blends made from Cellulosic PLA PHA PBS materials Starch PBS PHA PLA PBAT Bio-PE Bio-PET PEF Process

Blow film o o + o + + + ++ ++ ++ o + Cast film extrusion ++ + + + + + + ++ + ++ + +

Co-extrusion + + + o + ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ + + + ++ + ++ + + ++ + + ++

Paper lamination + + + o ++ + + + + ++ o o

Thermoforming ++ + o o + + + ++ o o ++ ++ + + + + + ++ ++ ++ + + + +

Blow moulding ++ + + o + ++ + ++ + + ++ ++

Injection blow moulding + + o o o o o + o o ++ ++ Flexibles

Pouch + o + + ++ + + ++ ++ ++ + ++

Clear film ++ o o ++ o + o ++ o ++ ++ ++

Outer packaging o o + ++ ++ + + ++ + ++

Strech film o o o o o o o o + ++ o o

Shrink film + o o o o o + + ++ + + ++

Shopping/waste bags o o o o ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ o o

Nets o o o o + ++ + ++ + ++ o +

Labels + + o o + + + + ++ ++ + + Rigid Packaging

Bottles + + o o o + + + o + ++ ++

Clear Trays ++ o o o o o o + o o ++ ++

Other Trays + + o o + + + + + ++ ++ ++

Container (larger) + ++ o o + ++ + + + ++ + ++

Tubes o o o o ++ + ++ + ++ o o

Caps + + o o + ++ + ++ + ++ + +

Cups ++ + o o o ++ ++ + + + + +

Blister packaging ++ + o o + + + + + o ++ ++

Moulded foam + + o o ++ + + + o + o +

Cutlery + + o ++ ++ ++ + + + + o o

Source: European Bioplastics Legend: ++ very suitable; + partly/mostly suitable; o not suitable

European Bioplastics Phone: +49 .30 28 48 23 50 For more information please visit: Marienstraße 19-20 Email: [email protected] www.european-bioplastics.org 10117 Berlin Email: [email protected] twitter.com/EUBioplastics

February 2020

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