ALPLA Invests in Bioplastics

Acceptance of biobased materials in commercial packaging has been somewhat slow to date. But global packaging producer ALPLA has shown its confidence in the potential of bioplastics by taking a substantial minority stake in Panara a.s. of Slovakia, an R&D company devoted to developing 100% renewable bioplastic compounds with commercially useful properties. Based in Austria, ALPLA Group operates in 45 countries, producing injection and blow molded bottles, jars, jugs and caps/closures (alpla.com). The company, which operates its own PET and HDPE recycling plants, says pursuing bioplastics is part of a “holistic approach that requires that all of its product areas and future packaging solutions are being developed with a functioning circular economy in mind.”

Panara has been conducting research in biopolymers since 2006 (panaraplast.com), and in 2018 it introduced Nonoilen, a compound based on PLA and PHA (polyhydroxybutyrate) biopolymers together with thermoplastic starch (TPS). Nonoilen is said to be 100% biobased, 100% biodegradable in soil, and 100% compostable in both home and industrial composting. It is said to have properties similar to PET, PE and PP and can be processed by most standard thermoplastic processes—injection and blow molding, thermoforming, and extrusion of blown and cast films and profiles, as well as melt spinning and 3D printing. Initial applications include toothbrushes.