In a statement released earlier today, bioplastics companies Danimer Scientific, Inc. and Total Corbion PLA announced they had entered into a long-term strategic supply agreement under which Total Corbion will supply its Luminy PLA to Danimer.
Danimer manufactures a range of bioplastic formulations and resins, among which its Nodax PHA, a bio-based, biodegradable polyester produced through microbial fermentation offering highly tuneable physical and mechanical properties. The company also creates combinations of PHA and PLA through a proprietary reactive-extrusion process. These blends can be customised to meet a broad range of technical characteristics for specific applications, allowing the use of its materials to be further expanded across a number of different industries.
The present agreement with Total Corbion will secure the company’s PLA supply, enabling it to meet customer needs for resins that require a blend of PLA- and PHA-based inputs.
As Stephen E. Croskrey, Chairman and CEO of Danimer, phrased it, “While growing commercial production of PHA remains the focus of our business, PLA is a part of some compounds that we formulate to meet specific customers’ functionality needs for different applications. Teaming with Total Corbion PLA provides an ideal solution to support our long-term growth strategy while ensuring our short-term customer needs remain fulfilled.”
Blending PHA with PLA, which is also a biopolyester, not only enhances the price competitiveness of the former, it can boost the biodegradability of the latter and improve the performance properties of both materials, opening up the potential for new and better products.
