Metzingen. Anyone who wants to buy products which are environmentally friendly can select from a rapidly growing range. This also applies for packaging materials and auxiliaries made of so called bio-plastics. However, this is where the problematic side of a boom phase emerges: as long as there is no agreement about standards in the market, is it advisable to look closely before purchasing the respective product to see what it actually offers. The use of air cushions to protect goods in shipping packages is a good example of this.
Just how ‘lean’ is the CO2 footprint of a product? This depends on the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in its production, when it is sold, when using and disposing of the commodity. Transport distances therefore increase the CO2 footprint. By comparison, if the goods are shipped with filling and padding material made of renewable raw materials, this has a compensatory effect on the ecological balance. In the search for materials which satisfy this requirement, companies are increasingly turning to air cushion films, which are considered to be of bio-quality.
But take heed: Not all products which are labeled “bio”, actually fulfil the expectations of the buyer that the product in question really is based on renewable resources. Quite the contrary, they can consist entirely of standard polyethylene(PE), a raw material based on oil. This misunderstanding is quite possible, because bio-plastics have different definitions.
Fraudulent labeling possible
On the one hand, the essential characteristic of the raw material: it should originate from renewable resources. On the other hand, there is a definition which lends the prefix “bio” to a plastic, as soon as it becomes degradable. In addition, it can – but does not always have to – originate from renewable raw materials.
A business which intends to be more sustainable thus has to find products in the bio-jungle which satisfy its own requirements. A designation alone can be misleading: Terms such as “bio compostable” or “biologically degradable” cannot be protected from a legal point of view.
A consistent bio-approach costs more
Anyone wanting to make the logistics business “greener”, normally relies on both characteristics, i.e. on air cushions, which are both compostable and originate from renewable resources. This has not yet been attained to the full extent with regard to the basic materials used.
Air cushioning made of 100 per cent renewable raw materials does not yet exist as far as we know. As is the case with many bio-based plastics, synthetic components are added in order to achieve the characteristics needed in use.
More sustainability also has its price: The air cushion alternative from agricultural sources is clearly more expensive than fully synthetic commodities. This is explained, on the one hand, by the high price level of the raw materials and on the other hand, by the material consumption. So far, bio-film for packaging applications needs to be approximately twice as strong as air cushions from co-extruded PE in order to achieve a competitive quality; for example, regarding the tightness of seal.
Invisible does not mean innocuous
Buyers may think it is a good thing that there are still low priced bio-alternatives in the market. These are only degradable materials. But that in itself is still quite a good thing - after all, in this way nothing visible remains of the pad material after five years, when thrown away after use. The visual waste problem disintegrates by itself. Nevertheless, the question remains - into what components?
Environmentally harmful substances are often found among the additives which are mixed into a plastic to produce the desired degree of degradation. The so called oxo-biodegradable materials have gained a dubious reputation. This normally concerns materials made of 100% polyethylene (PE) to which metal compounds are added. According to the European Bio-plastics Association (Berlin), some of these additives should be classified as hazardous materials. For example, they contain cobalt.
Better with certification
Mind you, this applies only to some of the compostable plastics. There is an effective means to exclude these from purchase through certification according to the standard ASTM D6400. It re-assesses the characteristic of compostability. It has been demonstrated for air cushions with this certification that the biomass which remain after decomposition, contains neither organic pollutants, such as dioxins nor heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cobalt or cadmium. The air cushions are suitable for utilization in an industrial composting plant, i.e. they decompose under certain conditions of heat and humidity into water, carbon dioxide and biomass within six to twelve weeks.
Better to start now
Bio air cushions will soon make a contribution to green logistics. The production capacity for regenerative bio-raw materials is growing exponentially worldwide. The pressure to drastically reduce CO2 emissions and our dependence on oil is a daily topic in the news. Private households, which completely convert to
bio-foods and demand bio-packaging materials, will drive the industry forward.
No one can deny that development of the objective of achieving sustainable materials is both correct and worthwhile. Storopack has decided to contribute to this goal. With the most utmost resolution: AIRplus® bio is not only compostable according to ASTM D6400 and the European standard EN 13432 - the raw material is also based on renewable resources. End users appreciate the environmental commitment of the company and are prepared to pay more for it.
About the author:
Fred Straver is International Product Manager for AIRplus® at Storopack.
Email: fred.straver@storopack.com;
Telephone: 0049/711/164227