Packaging

Because of their biological biodegradability, the use of bioplastics is especially popular in the packaging sector. By far the most distributed form of bioplatics in this sector are duroplastic packaging chips that are being produced from a starch base. Aside from this, however, several other packaging products – manly used in the food and cosmetics industries – can be made from compostable bioplastics. Technically there are several methods by which bioplastics intermediates can be processed into various products. As is the case with conventional plastics, they can be blown to foils and multi-layer foils, they can be extruded, they are thermo-formable and deep-drawable, they can be printed, welded, thermally sprayed or glued together.

The use of bioplastics for shopping bags is already very common. After their initial use they can be reused as bags for organic waste and then be composted. Trays and containers for fruit, vegetables, eggs and meat, bottles for soft drinks and dairy products and blister foils for fruit and vegetables are also already widely manufactured from bioplastics.

With cosmetic products, bioplastics are used not only as the outer packaging but also for the tubes and pots in which the cosmetics themselves are contained. Certain characteristics of bioplastics – such as their aroma barrier and the ease with which they can be moulded – make them particularly suitable for use with cosmetics and are continually being developed in order to make bioplastics an even more attractive alternative for such packaging.

Composite packaging made out of paper or cardboard with a bioplastic coating forms a whole new category of compostable packaging and allows waste processing and recycling without the need for complicated and costly waste separation methods. In the area of waste management, compostable bags and containers for the collection of organic waste already possess a considerable share of the market, whereas in relation to most other types of packaging – such as for food and cosmetics – the use of bioplastics remains secondary. Yet it is precisely in these areas that a significant potential exists for the use of bioplastics, due to their beneficial physical properties and lower costs of disposal (approximately 1 Euro / kg less than conventional plastics).

Catering products

Catering products belong to the group of perishable plastics. Disposable crockery and cutlery, as well as pots and bowls, pack foils for hamburgers and straws are being dumped after a single use, together with food-leftovers, forming huge amounts of waste, particularly at big events. The use of bioplastics offers significant advantages not only in an ecological sense but also in an economical sense. The costs for waste collection, recycling and land filling can be reduced considerably, as the catering products can be composted together with the food leftovers. Expensive waste separation methods are thus no longer necessary.

All catering products can already be manufactured from bioplastics. Manufacturers of bioplastic catering products can be as creative as if they would use conventional plastics: every color, size and form is possible.

Gardening

Within the agricultural economy and the gardening sector mulch foils made of biodegradable material and flower pots made of decomposable bioplastics are predominantly used due to their adjustable lifespan and the fact that these materials do not leave residues in the soil. This helps reduce work and time (and thus cost) as these products can simply be left to decompose, after which they are ploughed in to the soil.

Plant pots used for flowering and vegetable plants can be composted along with gardening and kitchen litter.

Cost reducing effects can also be seen when using yarns, tapes and clips made of biodegradable material that are used to secure high-growing plantations and citrus plants. Products that have typically/traditionally been used and that are based on conventional materials have to be removed manually after the harvest. This step can be avoided by using biodegradable products that can be composted along with the plants.

Compostable seed belts and active component capsulations made out of bioplastics have also proven to be beneficial. Additionally, biodegradable foils and nets are used for farming/growing mushrooms and the coating of tree and bush-roots. The products that are sold in market-gardens increasingly consist of degradable bioplastics.  Foils, yarns and nets made out of bioplastics help to secure freshly created slopes and mounds and protect them from erosion until the roots of the plants have developed sufficiently.

In cemeteries, the use of plant baskets and pots made of biologically degradable materials is both convenient and cost-efficient.

Operators of golf courses can benefit from the use of bioplastics by using degradable bioplastic tees. This makes the collection of the remaining tees an obsolete practice; the tees simply remain in the ground to decompose.

Medical Products

In comparison to packaging, catering or gardening sectors, the medical sector sets out completely different requirements with regards to products made of renewable and reabsorbing plastics. The highest possible qualitative standards have to be met and guaranteed, resulting in an extremely high costs, which sometimes exceed 1.000 Euro per kilo.

The potential applications of biodegradable or reabsorbing bioplastics are manifold. Thermoplastic starch in the form of capsule material, for instance, can substitute conventional gelatin capsules. Chirurgical seam material and absorbable implants such as screws, nails and plates made of polyactides and their copolymers can additionally be used as active ingredient depots.

The different compositions of the polymers enable surgeons to utilize specific implants with different life spans to have them ultimately absorbed by the body. This prevents patients from having to undergo operations in which conventional implants have to be removed.

Sanitary Products

Due to their specific characteristics, bioplastics are used as a basis for the production of sanitary products. These materials are breathable and allow water vapor to permeate, but at the same time they are waterproof. Foils made of soft bioplastic are already used as diaper foil, bed underlay, for incontinence products, ladies sanitary products and as disposable gloves.