First PHA-Based Home Compostable Bags Commercially Underway Through New Partnership
Using film resins made with Danimer Scientific’s Nodax PHA biopolymer, Columbia Packaging will manufacture home compostable bags and roll-stock.
A partnership between biodegradable bioplastics manufacturer Danimer Scientific of Bainbridge, Ga., and custom processor of plastics bags and flexible packaging Columbia Packaging Group (CPG) is expected to result in the first compostable produce bags, film and roll-stock for the flexible packaging market based on Danimer’s proprietary biopolymer Nodax PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate).
Under the partnership agreement, Danimer Scientific will supply a home compostable film resin that CPG will convert into made-to-order bags for packaging needs spanning the produce, agriculture, bakery and medical industries. The film resin will contain Danimer’s renewable PHA biopolymer whic was verified by University of Georgia (UGA) researchers and the UGA New Materials Institute as a truly biodegradable alternative to petrochemical plastics in 2018. The materials will enable Columbia Packaging Group to manufacture produce bags that will reliably biodegrade in home compost units and industrial composting facilities.
Said Danimer Scientific’s CEO Stephen Croskrey, “CPG will be among the first companies to receive resins made with PHA from our newly opened manufacturing plant in Kentucky. Our new plant is the world’s first commercial production facility for PHA, and we could not ask for a better partner to integrate this biodegradable material into produce bags. Demand for plastic alternatives that have a minimal impact on the environment is continuing to rise, and PHA is a sustainable material that consumers can rely on to transport their favorite fruits and vegetables.”
The new produce bags are an expansion of CPG’s suite of sustainable packaging options, which includes Lindamar Industries’ Compostable Bags, a line of compostable bags made of 100-percent renewable starch and biodegradable polymers. The company is ISO 9001-2018 compliant and certified by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).
Said CPG’s president and CEO William F. Preston, “Danimer Scientific is a true innovator in this market and CPG is fortunate to be in partnership with such an industry-leading company. The,CPG-Danimer partnership is a critical component of CPG’s product strategy and sustainability initiatives, driven to create a cleaner and more environmentally responsible packaging industry. We sought out to engage with a company that wanted to lead eco-initiatives from the front line – and a partner that offered the best product in the market in terms of quality and ecological life story. We found that in Danimer.”
Danimer’s Nodax PHA possesses seven TUV Austria certifications and statements of industrial and home compostability, is biodegradable in anaerobic soil, freshwater and marine environments and is 100% bio based. All of Danimer Scientific’s biopolymers, including its Nodax PHA, are FDA approved for food contact.
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