It’s been a quarter of a century since the world’s first biodegradable, certified-compostable polymer made its market debut. BASF’s ecoflex polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) was introduced in 1998, first as a fossil-based grade and later as partially bio-based grades.
BASF‘s PBAT grades are certified industrial compostable under the global standards including EN 13432, AS4736 and ASTM 6400. Ecoflex can also be biodegraded by microorganisms under home composting conditions as well as in agricultural soil. The BASF co-polyester is one of a few certified compostable polymers complying with the requirements of the European food contact regulation and the U.S. Food Contact Substance Notification of FDA. It is also the base for BASF’s certified compound ecovio.
Whilst bioplastics remain a niche market segment, accounting for around 1% of the total polymer market, recent policy incentives, like the United States’ goal to replace 90% of plastics with biomaterials in the next 20 years, have triggered plenty of research, development, and investment. Butylene-based biopolymers, such PBAT, have been the focus on a lot of innovation. Since 2018, activity among the top five organisations filing patents for butylene-based polymers more than doubled (from 26 to 56 in 2020), with the 2020 number an increase of more than 200% on 2016.
These data can be a helpful resource when talking to different about bioplastics, as encouraged by of #BioplasticsWeek, a social media campaign by the bioplastics division of the U.S.-based Plastics Industry Association ending today.