The Worry of Plastic Waste
Plastic packaging is low cost and durable, however, there is currently a big problem of environmental protection, which is not environmentally friendly. For normal plastic packaging, if it is not well recycled, it will generally take more than 200 years to degrade in natural terms, during the period it will cause pollution to the earth and water resources.
Every year, millions of tons of plastic waste are deposited into the ocean, causing a huge danger to the ocean as well as the health of ocean life: more than 270 species of animals have died from plastic damage, and more than 240 species of animals have died from accidental eating of plastic. It was once found that more than 40 kg of plastic waste was found in the stomach of a whale.
Therefore, normal plastics can no longer meet the current development requirements of energy saving and environmental protection, so biodegradable plastics have become a new solution of packaging to replace traditional plastics and a new direction of packaging development. Many countries and regions are demanding plastic packaging to be more and more environmentally friendly, and consumers and brands are increasingly concerned about biodegradable plastics. The group, which includes German applied chemistry and home personal care leader Henkel, French beauty leader L'Oréal, European consumer goods leader Unilever, and U.S. retail giant Walmart Inc., has promised that by 2025 All of their plastic packaging will be reusable, recyclable or compostable.
What Is Degradable Plastic Packaging
Degradable packaging is packaging that can be degraded, it is divided into degradable and fully degradable two types: degradable bags refer to the production process to add a certain amount of additives (such as starch, modified starch or other cellulose, photosensitizers, biodegradable agents, etc.) The plastic packaging bags that are more easily to be degraded in the natural environment. Fully degradable bags are plastic bags are all degraded into water and CO2. The main source of this fully degradable material is processed from corn, cassava, etc. by turning into lactic acid, which is known as PLA.
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a new bio-based and renewable biodegradable material. Starch raw material is obtained from glucose through saccharification, then fermented from glucose and certain strains of bacteria to make high purity lactic acid, and then synthesized into PLA of certain molecular weight through chemical synthesis method. It has good biodegradability and can be completely degraded by microorganisms under specific conditions, and eventually degraded into CO2 and water, which does not pollute the environment, and this is very helpful to protect the environment.
Nowadays, the fully degradable bags are mainly made of bio-based materials consisting PLA+PBAT, which can be completely degraded into water and CO2 in 3-6 months under the condition of composting (60-70 degrees), and without pollution to the environment.
Benifits of Degradable Plastic Packaging
1. The material is both natural and non-toxic.
2. This material can be disposed of by any waste disposal method, such as composting, landfill, etc. Therefore, the damage to the environment can be controlled to a minimum.
3. The material can replace the petroleum-based traditional plastic, and has the material performance of traditional plastic products.
4. After the plastic is abandoned, it can be decomposed into next-level molecules within a short period of time after composting or landfill treatment, and it can be absorbed harmlessly by nature or changed into mineralized inorganic salts material.
The Material of degradable Plastic Packaging: PBAT, PLA and PHA
PBAT is a thermoplastic degradable plastic, which is generally produced from aliphatic acid and butylene glycol by petrochemical route or bio fermentation route, and has good ductility and elongation at break, as well as good heat resistance and impact performance. Because of its good film-forming properties, PBAT is easy to blow film and is widely used in disposable packaging film and agricultural film.
In addition, PBAT has excellent biodegradability and is the main research target in the study of biodegradable plastics. It is also one of the best biodegradable materials in the market nowadays.
PLA is one of the most common degradable plastics and is a polymer obtained by polymerizing lactic acid as the main raw material. The production process of PLA is pollution-free and the product is biodegradable. PLA can be composted and degraded to CO2 and H2O at temperatures higher than 55°C or by the action of oxygen-enriched microorganisms, allowing the material to be recycled in nature without any harm to the environment.
PLA also has reliable biosafety, biodegradability, good physical properties and easy to process, and is widely used in packaging industry.
*The fully degradable plastics made of PLA and other fiber materials are considered as one of the promising materials.
Among many degradable plastics, the degradation of PHA is the most special, which can be completely degraded into β-hydroxybutyric acid, CO2 and h2o in living organisms.
PHA-type degradable plastics have high heat transforming temperature and good biocompatibility, but with limited processing temperature range, poor heat stability, high crispness and unstable production quality.
Get Your degradable Plastic Packaging in Guangzhou Novel Packaging
Since there are very high technical and production requirements for degradable packaging, many brands have many worries when they consider upgrading to degradable packaging. However, in Guangzhou Novel Packaging, degradable packaging is not as difficult as you think. With a high sense of social responsibility, Guangzhou Novel Packaging has also started the research, development and production of degradable materials. We provide customized degradable packaging bags, laminated roll films and raw materials. Our professional sales team and manufacturing team will provide brands with customized degradable packaging solutions and high-quality products. We are looking forward to cooperating with brands who want to expand their business value and enhance their businesses in the field of degradable packaging.