Twenty-five years after its first market launch, BASF has introduced a fossil-free grade of ecoflex polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT).
The biodegradable and certified compostable plastic was first introduced as a fossil-based grade and later as partially bio-based grades. Up until now, however, BASF hadn’t been able to fully replace fossil feedstock from PBAT production.
The new ecoflex F Blend C1200 BMB grade fully replaces fossil feedstock with renewable feedstock from waste and residual biomass attributed via a mass balance method. The BMB grade, which stands for biomass-balanced, is REDcert and ISCC Plus certified. Replacing fossil feedstock with bio-based material in the cracker lowers the product’s carbon footprint by 60% in comparison with the standard ecoflex PBAT grade.
“Our ecoflex BMB, an industry-first on the global biopolymers market, advances the sustainability efforts in the packaging industry by reducing the use of fossil resources, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, and driving the use of renewable feedstock derived from organic waste and residual biomass,” said Marcel Philipp Barth, head of global business management Biopolymers at BASF. “In this way, we help our customers make informed decisions about product design, thus shaping a more circular packaging value chain.”
BASF says the new PBAT grade is a ‘identical to the conventional grade in properties, quality, and certification’. It serves as a drop-in replacement and no adaptation to compounds or existing manufacturing processes is necessary, according to the Germany-based chemical giant.
Last year, BASF launched its first certified biomass-balanced additives, the antioxidants Irganox 1010 BMBcert and Irganox 1076 BMBcert.