Bioplastic surge: “World’s most modern production hub” nears completion as pressure for plastic alternatives intensifies

30 Jul 2018 --- Bioplastic manufacturer Bio-On has completed the first test phase for the “most modern production hub of bioplastics in the world.” All tests on machines and software are positive and on schedule. The company confirms the full production regime will be ready by autumn. This is the first factory to produce special bioplastic PHAs, 100 percent natural and biodegradable, for advanced product niches with high added value such as microscopic beads (microbeads) for the cosmetics industry. The total investment for the production center and for the new research laboratories is €20 million (US$23 million).

“Respecting the timeline is fundamental,” explains CEO Marco Astorri, “since the new European directive about the reduction of pollution caused by traditional plastic, which the European Parliament will vote on in September will open a huge market for biodegradable plastics.”

In 2018 about 150 tons of micro-powders in special PHAs bioplastic will be produced and marketed for the cosmetics industry, according to Bio-on. The current annual production capacity is 1000 tons.

Bio-on, operating in the sector of high-quality bioplastic and listed on the AIM segment of the Italian Stock Market – Borsa Italiana – announced that it had successfully completed the first test phase on the plants of the new production hub inaugurated on 20 June 2018 at Castel San Pietro Terme near Bologna, Italy.

“We are extremely satisfied,” says Marco Astorri, President and CEO of Bio-on, “and we want to thank the 50 companies that allowed the construction of this factory that represents the beginning of a new era for green chemistry worldwide.”

In recent days, Bio-on has completed 100 percent of the FAT (Factory Acceptance Test) which consist of a series of checks carried out together with suppliers on the machines, both mechanical and software. At the same time, another important test phase known as SAT (Site Acceptance Test) is underway since the beginning of June and then will pass to the Pre-Commissioning / Commissioning phase after the summer, a set of procedures to make the plant work continuously in accordance with the project timelines. So far, all tests have been successful and performed on schedule.

“As announced on 20 June during the inauguration, we expect to be fully operational by autumn,” explains Riccardo Casoni, Director of Bio-on Plants, the division of Bio-on responsible for the production unit, “and to be able to produce and to market as early as 2018 a quantity of PHAs micro powders of about 150 tons.” The new production center has a yearly production capacity of 1,000 tons that can be doubled quickly, according to Bio-on.

The first product that will come out from the plant of Castel San Pietro Terme will be Minerv Bio Cosmetics, the micro bioplastic beads for the cosmetic industry to replace the current plastic particles derived from petroleum, polluting and non-biodegradable. These microscopic beads (microbeads), which are used as thickeners or stabilizers in the most common products such as lipsticks, lip gloss, mascara, eyeliner, glazes, creams, shampoos, bubble baths and even toothpastes, pollute the environment because once dissolved in water, after the normal rinsing, they enter forever in the natural cycle: planktons of seas and rivers swallow these plastic particles introducing them in the food chain.

This pollution is so serious that the US first decided to ban the use of polymers obtained from petroleum in body care products by law (Microbead-Free Waters Act, 2015). A decision recently followed by other countries such as Canada, UK, Sweden and France to ban the sale of products containing microbeads.

Bio-on offers an alternative to these pollutants because the microparticles of bioplastic are naturally biodegradable in water and therefore do not enter the food chain. Not only that, the biopolymer developed in Bio-on laboratories is, in the decomposition phase, a nutrient for some microorganisms and plants present in nature. So, the benefit to the environment is double according to Bio-on.

All the Minerv PHAs bioplastics (polyhydroxyalkanoates) developed by Bio-on are made from renewable plant sources. They guarantee the same thermo-mechanical properties as conventional plastics with the advantage of being 100 percent eco-sustainable and naturally biodegradable.

On July 14, 2018, a new video was published describing the work done in just 10 months for the construction of the Castel San Pietro Terme plant.

Innovation in biodegradable/compostable packaging solutions on the rise
Rising demand for more environmentally-responsible consumer products is driving innovation in biodegradable and compostable packaging solutions. Public concern for the environmental impact of everyday packaging materials – particularly plastics – has intensified, creating market opportunities for creative, forward-thinking and sometimes entirely unusual biodegradable/compostable packaging.

While the commercialization of innovative biodegradable/compostable packaging may be a challenge in itself, the popularity of this packaging type is on the rise. Innova Market Insights reports a 40 percent increase in new food and beverage products packaged in bio-based/biodegradable material (CAGR 2013-2017). Meanwhile, a survey found that more than 35 percent of German consumers, 25 percent of UK consumers and more than 25 percent of US consumers consider bio-based and/or biodegradable/compostable packaging important in food and beverage choice (Innova Market Insights, 2015).

Read more about recent and sometimes surprising innovations in biodegradable/compostable packaging solutions here.

By Joshua Poole