BASF has announced that it is launching compounding capacities for its certified compostable biopolymer ecovio in Shanghai, China. The newly established capacity will allow BASF to serve its customers throughout the region Asia-Pacific more promptly and enable them to adapt more rapidly to the ongoing changes in legislation and regulations.
“With local compounding capabilities, we will be better positioned to accelerate business growth in the important Asian markets by more effectively meeting the needs of film manufacturers across the region,” says Marcel Barth, head of global Biopolymers marketing at BASF. “With upcoming new laws and regulations in a lot of countries in Asia-Pacific enforcing the use of compostable materials in bag applications, agricultural mulch films and packaging, the positive market development is expected to continue.”
After the qualification trials have been completed, the first new compounds, which will include film grades for applications like certified compostable shopping and organic waste bags, soil-biodegradable agricultural mulch films and packaging, will be available in commercial quantities from mid-2023.
Ecovio is a compostable and soil-biodegradable compound, certified in accordance with various national and international standards, that can be biodegraded by microorganisms and their enzymes under industrial and home composting conditions, as well as in agricultural soil. It also complies with the requirements of the European food contact regulation and the US Food Contact Substance Notification of FDA. It is a finished product that can serve as a drop-in solution with no further blending required and it can be processed with standard plastic production procedures. Ecovio is a blend of BASF’s PBAT ecoflex, PLA and other additives. Compared to simple starch-based bioplastics, ecovio is more resistant to mechanical stress and moisture and is typically used for applications such as organic waste bags, cling film, fruit and vegetable bags, as well as agricultural mulch films and food packaging applications.