In Brief – March 2016

Tetra Pak to deliver 100m plant-based packs in 2016: Tetra Pak has announced that they expect to deliver more than 100 million of their Tetra Rex Bio-based to customers during 2016. It is the world’s first package made entirely from plant-based materials. When launched in 2015, it immediately became a success and is now widely used across Scandinavia with brands such as Arla. The company will continue to expand the deployment of their pack to a greater variety of products.

Corbion to open new PLA plant in 2018: Following strong customer interest in PLA, Corbion intends to construct a new PLA polymerization plant with an annual capacity of 75 kT in Thailand at the existing Corbion site. The plant will be able to produce a complete portfolio of PLA polymers, ranging from standard PLA to innovative high-heat resistant PLA. The company says it is on track for the plant to open in 2018. Additionally, Corbion will expand its existing lactide plant in Thailand by 25 kTpa.

Bio-based film for use in solar control window films: Toray Plastics has developed a bio-based bi-axially oriented polyester (BOPET) film for use in the manufacture of solar control window films for commercial and residential applications. The new film is manufactured with sustainable resin blends, which are made with approximately 30 percent renewable feedstock. The BioView^TM bio-based PET film’s performance is equal to that of traditional solar window films during solar film manufacturing, installation, and use in technically demanding applications that require exceptional optical clarity.

Anellotech and Suntory develop 100% bio-based bottle: The partnership between sustainable technology company Anellotech and Japanese beverage company Suntory, which began in 2012 under a collaboration agreement that has provided more than $15 million in funding to date, is focused on advancing the development and commercialization of cost-competitive 100 percent bio-based plastics for use in beverage bottles using Anellotech’s proprietary thermal catalytic biomass conversion technology. The partnership now entered the next crucial phase by completing the development and testing facilities.