CJ Bio, a division of South Korea-based CJ CheilJedang, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the global hotel chain Accor to begin developing packaging and products made from PHA for the hotel amenities the hotel chain provides to its guests.
It is just one of the steps that Accor is taking in order to meet its commitment - made in January 2020 - to phase out all single-use plastic items in guest experience from its hotels by the end of 2022. In addition to eliminating all single-use plastic items in guest experience from its hotels by the end of 2022, Accor has committed to stop using all other industrial biodegradable materials that only decompose under certain conditions. The chain also added specific guidelines to encourage the use of materials that are biodegradable at home, in the soil or at sea, or that are recycled or derived from paper or wood.
The company is actively investigating available solutions, said Vincent Lelay, Vice President Operations AccorHotels Korea. “We believe PHA is the right solution to help us achieve our goal.”
CJ Bio is the world’s first and only producer of amorphous PHA. The material, sold under the brand name PHACT Marine Biodegradable Polymers, is TÜV OK Certified for industrial and home compost, soil biodegradable, and marine biodegradable.CJ Bio operates a 5000 tonne/pa-manufacturing facility in Pasuruan, Indonesia, and plans to increase production to meet expected demand.
Amorphous PHA is a softer, more rubbery version of PHA that offers fundamentally different performance characteristics than the crystalline or semi-crystalline forms that currently dominate the PHA market. The first product of this new line is PHACT A1000P, which is now being used as a modifier to other compostable polymers and biopolymers to improve functional and processing characteristics, and for enabling these products to achieve faster rates of biodegradation or composting.
Under the present agreement, Accor and CJ BIO will replace plastic products used at Accor’s hotel chains in Korea, including cups, plastic bags, combs, stationery, and various amenity containers with PHA-based products.
“This will serve as an opportunity for CJ BIO to demonstrate that eco-friendly biodegradable materials, like our PHA, can replace the petroleum-based plastics that are deeply present in our lives, and offer the same level of performance,” said Seung Jin Lee, Head of the Biomaterials business for CJ Bio.
The two organisations will then expand the agreement to hotels in the Asia-Pacific region, and if positive results are obtained, the intent is to expand the use of PHA globally.
Established in France in 1967, Accor operates more than 5,000 hotels in 110 countries around the world. Their catalogue of brands includes Fairmont, Pullman, Novotel, the Delano, Swissotel, and other luxury hotel chains.