Montpellier : distribution de sacs biodégradables dans les maisons d'agglo - Serpbio

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Montpellier : distribution de sacs biodégradables
dans les maisons d'agglo
Par Frédéric LEMONNIER le 01/07/2013 à 11:22 Environnement

Comme chaque année, Montpellier Agglomération distribue gratuitement des sacs
biodégradables à tous les habitants de son territoire disposant d’une poubelle orange.
Jusqu'à fin septembre, plus de 500 000 sacs biodégradables seront disponibles dans
l’ensemble des Maisons de l’Agglomération de Montpellier.

Comment retirer ses sacs biodégradables adaptés aux poubelles orange ?
Deux rouleaux de 26 sacs biodégradables, réalisés en matière végétale et d’une contenance de
20 litres, sont mis à disposition des 80 000 foyers équipés en bacs orange pour le tri des
biodéchets. Pour éviter les éventuels désagréments d’odeur, il est conseillé aux usagers
d’éviter de mettre des déchets humides dans les sacs (jus, sauces, eau…) ou encore de veiller
à leur bonne fermeture à l’aide des bretelles.
Les sacs peuvent être retirés avec une carte d’identité ou un justificatif de domicile (facture
EDF, gaz ou télécom) :
- dans toutes les Maisons d’Agglomération
- dans les mairies pour les autres communes.
Renseignements pratiques complémentaires sur le tri et la prévention des déchets ménagers au
numéro vert 0 800 88 11 77 (appel gratuit depuis un poste fixe, du lundi au vendredi de 8h30
à 12h30 et de 13h30 à 17h).

Un geste éco-citoyen
Les biodéchets sont des ordures d’origine animale et végétale : reste de repas, papiers,
épluchures, fleurs fanées, filtres à café,… Ils représentent environ 30% du poids des ordures
ménagères produites dans l’Agglomération de Montpellier, soit environ 100 kg par habitant et
par an.
Une fois collectés, ces déchets sont envoyés à l’unité de méthanisation Amétyst, où ils sont
ensuite valorisés. Leur fermentation produit un gaz riche en méthane qui sert à alimenter
l’unité en électricité, et à terme à chauffer des logements sur une partie du quartier des
Grisettes. Une autre partie de ces biodéchets est transformée en compost de bonne qualit&e
acute; à destination de la production agricole.

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Replacing oil-based plastics with greenhouse gas-based
plastics
Will Farrel 01/07/2013

Newlight Technologies LLC was unknown to almost everyone in the audience at the nova-
Institute's recent biotechnology event until it became the first American company to win top
honors in what is fast becoming a highly coveted distinction in the world of bioplastics.

The California-based company became the 6th winner of the annual Biomaterial of the Year -
Innovation Award earlier this month in Cologne, Germany. Since 2008, the award, an
initiative of the German independent research institute nova-Institut, has been presented to
companies developing innovative bioplastics and technologies with practical applications.

Greenhouse gas based plastics on a commodity scale
In his presentation, Newlight Technologies co-founder and CEO Mark Herrema wasted no
time in bringing his audience up to speed on what Newlight Technologies was up to. "Our
mission is to replace oil-based plastics with greenhouse gas-based plastics on a commodity
scale. Our founding idea was taking greenhouse gasses and turning them into plastic. We
thought, maybe plastics can be part of the solution to the build-up of CO2 in the atmosphere.
We saw this as a platform to fix the problem: we could take carbon emissions and turn them
into material. We recognized that to do this at volume, we would need to out-compete oil-
based plastics on price and performance.

Thus Newlight Technologies was born: a company founded out of Princeton University and
Northwestern University in 2003 by Mark Herrema and Kenton Kimmel, who soon
discovered that what they were trying to do had been tried before - without success. "We
spent the next 10 years trying to get the cost of production down," said Herrema. "Today, 10
years, 10 patents and millions of dollars in R & D later, and with breakthroughs in yield and
performance, we've figured it out."

Proprietary biocatalyst is key
The company has developed a proprietary biocatalyst to convert air and greenhouse gases,
such as methane and carbon dioxide, into PHA-based plastics at very high yield. Newlight's
conversion technology can synthesize high-performance thermoplastics from a wide range of
sources, including methane and/or carbon dioxide from wastewater treatment facilities,
landfills, anaerobic digesters, or energy facilities - at scale.

                    Newlight Technologies is headquartered in Irvine, CA.

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So, how did they do it? "The critical breakthrough came when we discovered there was a
control switch that deactivated the catalyst. We found out how to turn it off, and the impact
was dramatic - immediately, a 500% increase in yield performance compared to before,"
explained Herrema.

For the first time, here was a process that could out-compete oil-based commodity plastics on
price, performance, and sustainability.

"People ask us what kind of PHA we make," said Herrema. "I tell them: the cost effective
kind!"

A new PHA
Newlight's Airflex (mPHA), also called AirCarbon, is a family of high-performance
thermoplastic resins that, according to the company can be produced as a carbon-negative
thermoplastic material, "quantifiably reducing the amount of carbon released into the air in
every pound of plastic we make." These PHAs, which are available in various grades, can be
used in applications where (impact) polypropylene, polyethylene, ABS, or TPU would
traditionally be used. Newlight currently has 12.5 million lb of resin executed under LOI.

"We now have a market-driven tool to capture carbon," said Herrema as he ended. "We've
reduced cost and maintained performance. Our product has the potential to compete directly
with some major chemically produced polymers. We can change the world. It's here, it's now -
and it's happening as we speak."

Des colonies de microbes dans la plastisphère océanique
La plastisphère, ce nouvel écosystème marin qui se développe sur les déchets plastiques,
grouille de microbes et de bactéries en tout genre. S’il est difficile de prévoir les effets
qu’aura ce nouveau monde sur l’océan, on peut d’ores et déjà affirmer qu’il modifie le
développement des micro-organismes et pourrait bien transporter des maladies.

Le 02/07/2013 à 10:39 - Par Delphine Bossy

  Ce macrodéchet de plastique a été découvert dans la zone d'accumulation est de l'océan Pacifique, durant
l'expédition 7e continent, le mois dernier. Les mollusques s'en servent au même titre que les rochers ou récifs.
 Ces déchets de plastique sont aujourd'hui de véritables nouveaux récifs, nids de microbes en tout genre, tels
                                     que le choléra. © Soizic Lardeux, OSL

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Les débris marins les plus abondants sont les déchets plastiques. Sur les 260 millions de
tonnes de plastique produites chaque année, 10 % finit sa course en mer. La circulation
océanique entraîne les déchets loin des côtes, dans les gyres océaniques où ils s’accumulent et
se dégradent lentement. Ces zones d’accumulation sont souvent appelées continents de
plastique ou îles de plastique. La notion de plaque macroscopique de plastique est trompeuse,
on devrait plutôt parler de soupe de plastique microscopique. Néanmoins, l’abondance du
matériau dans l’océan a conduit à la prolifération de milliers de bactéries, fondant un nouvel
écosystème, la « plastisphère ».

Ce nouvel habitat océanique soulève un grand nombre de questions. Les nouvelles conditions
environnementales vont-elles favoriser le développement d’espèces au détriment d’autres ?
En quoi la prolifération de la vie marine à même ces déchets plastiques pourrait-elle modifier
la chaîne alimentaire ? À leur mort, ces organismes vont-ils plonger au fond de l’océan ou
seront-ils ingérés ? Quel impact la plastisphère peut-elle avoir sur l’océan ? Difficile de
répondre maintenant, mais une équipe du Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)
donne quelques éléments d’analyse.

      Une ciliée Suctoria couverte de bactéries symbiotiques et des diatomées, fixées sur un morceau de
                    plastique fissuré et altéré. © Erik Zettler, Sea Education Association

L’équipe a étudié des débris plastiques récoltés en différents points du gyre de l’Atlantique
nord, à partir de filets au maillage microscopique. La plupart des débris récupérés ne
dépassaient pas le millimètre, mais abritaient une riche vie microbienne. Les résultats de
l’analyse, publiés dans la revue Environmental Science & Technology, font état de plus d’un
millier d’espèces différentes développées sur un seul microdéchet de plastique.

Le plastique au temps du choléra

Sur un bout de plastique d’à peine la taille d’une épingle, les chercheurs ont trouvé des
organismes autotrophes (phytoplancton et bactéries), des animaux et bactéries qui s’en
nourrissaient et des prédateurs plus gros encore. Ils ont par ailleurs identifié de véritables

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relations symbiotiques entre certains de ces organismes. La plastisphère peut être vue comme
un nouveau récif microbien.

Étudiées à partir de microscopie électronique à balayage et de techniques de séquençage des
gènes, les bactéries montrent un développement différent de celles qui grandissent sur des
récifs naturels. Le plastique se dégrade moins vite que le bois ou les plumes sur lesquels elles
vivent normalement, et fournit des éléments nutritifs bien inhabituels. L’équipe montre
notamment que les microbes sont capables de dégrader le plastique. Ils ont observé des
fissures et des puits microscopiques dans le matériau, qui révèlent que les bactéries
s’attaquent aux chaînes d’hydrocarbures.

Les débris de plastique représentent donc un nouvel écosystème, mais pourraient bien être
aussi un nouveau mode de transport, vecteur de microbes nocifs. Sur un des plastiques
étudiés, la population dominante appartenait au genre Vibrio, qui comprend les bactéries du
choléra et les bactéries vectrices de maladies gastrointestinales. L’équipe du WHOI espère
pour la suite être en mesure d’identifier et de séquencer toutes les bactéries que l’on peut
trouver dans ces milieux, pour ainsi parvenir à développer des cultures en laboratoire et
étudier leur mode de fonctionnement.

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L'emballage biosourcé à l'honneur en Bourgogne
Le 05 juillet 2013 par Tiziano Polito

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Une cinquantaine de professionnels ont participé à la journée co-organisée par
AgroComposites Entreprises, Package In Bourgogne et le Cepiec. -

Les bioplastiques tels que l'acide polylactique (PLA), les films cellulosiques, le Miscanthus
ou encore le polyéthylène issu de la canne à sucre, étaient à l'honneur pour la journée Package
In Green, qui s'est déroulée le 2 juillet dernier dans les locaux de la CCI Côte d'Or, à Dijon, en
Bourgogne. La manifestation, qui était co-organisée par AgroComposites Entreprises,
Package In Bourgogne et le Centre d'expertises, de promotion des industries de l'emballage et
du conditionnement (Cepiec), a accueilli une cinquantaine de personnes entre producteurs de
matériaux, fabricants d'emballages, clients finaux et autres experts et consultants. L'objectif
était à la fois de fournir du contenu "théorique", notamment pour comprendre ce que ce cache
derrière la dénomination générique de bioplastiques et de bio-matériaux plus en général, et de
permettre aux professionnels de se rencontrer. Après une présentation des enjeux et
perspectives des emballages biosourcés, réalisée par Marjolaine Rostain, directrice
AgroComposites Entreprises et Tiziano Polito, rédacteur en chef adjoint d'Emballages
Magazine, se sont succédés à la tribune Thomas Lefevre de la société NaturePlast qui a passé
en revue les principaux bioplastiques utilisés sur le marché, puis Olivier Rodary de la société
Plastiform qui a illustré un cas concret de développement de plateau alvéolé en PLA.

Capsules de café

Tirouvaudy Moutly, président de Moutly, a montré qu'il était encore possible de se lancer sur
le marché, pourtant très encombré, des capsules de café en jouant à la fois la carte du produit
équitable et de l'emballage "écologique", en l'occurrence une dosette de carton laminé avec du
PLA pour la barrière aux arômes. Son produit, destiné à être utilisé sur une machine spéciale,
s'adresse aux collectivités : restaurants d'entreprise, bureaux, … . La matinée s'est conclue
avec une séance de questions-réponses. Encore une fois, les bioplastiques ont démontré qu'ils
suscitent beaucoup d'intérêt mais aussi des interrogations quant à leurs propriétés intrinsèques,
leur coût et disponibilité, et, surtout, leur (réel) bilan socio-environnemental : origine
alimentaire ou pas, consommation en eau, procédés de production, … . Plusieurs entreprises
étaient appelées à disserter au cours de l'après-midi parmi lesquelles CGL Pack, Virgin bio
pack, Bourbon Design Industrie autour de sujets aussi variés que la décoration et le marquage
des plastiques biosourcés, le marketing "vert" ou encore les possibilités de conditionnement
des produits frais. Enfin, l'Agence de l'environnement et de la maîtrise de l'énergie (Ademe) et
Agrosup ont illustré certains aspects liés à la fin de vie des emballages et aux migrations
contenant-contenuc

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Perstorp at K 2013: to Exhibit its Capa™ Caprolactones
for Enhancing Properties of Bioplastics
SpecialChem - Jul 8, 2013

Perstorp, amongst the world leaders in specialty chemicals, will be launching its proven
technology Capa™ Thermoplastic products for bioplastics at K Fair, 2013. Considerable
investments have been made in caprolactones to ensure we deliver new Capa™ products that
address key issues related to plastic materials, such as sustainability, biodegradability and
product safety.

Bioplastics are receiving enthusiastic attention today because they save on resources and offer
the unique potential of carbon neutrality. With a projected growth in bioplastics of 500%
between 2011-2016 this is a very exciting growth area. Perstorp, the world leader in
caprolactones, a biodegradable polyester, has made substantial investments in the
development of Capa™ for bioplastics.

Bioplastics that are biodegradable, such as PLA (PolyLactic Acid) and TPS (ThermoPlastic
Starch), are becoming increasingly attractive to both consumers and producers, as they offer
new ways of recovery and recycling. Perstorp's caprolactones enhance the properties of
bioplastics allowing them to be used for new market opportunities and applications. Capa™
provides superior biodegradation, easier processing and compatibility.

Capa™ - the perfect polyester for bioplastic blends

Capa™ is the perfect polyester for bioplastics blends, improving several mechanical
properties as well as accelerating biodegradation of the biopolymers. Bioplastics with Capa™
biodegrade quickly in the right conditions - you can use domestic composting, rather than
industrial requiring a higher temperature. Capa™ also offers excellent tear properties by
adding mechanical strength, and making the bioplastic more flexible, so that it elongates and
stretches rather than tears. The excellent low temperature performance allows bioplastic
products to be used in cold environments.

With Capa™ you achieve a more durable product for a longer life with better compostability
at end of life. The low melting point reduces energy consumption when processing to a
minimum. This all adds up to a very sustainable and practical solution for bioplastic
producers.

Capa™ facilitates new opportunities for other bioplastics

The synergy effects of adding Capa™ to biopolymers mean greatly increased opportunities.
For example, by adding Capa™, PLA can be used in film applications. Capa™ can be easily
blended with PLA and starch based polymers to attain customized and desirable properties
that really broaden their appeal.

Wherever you can use biopolymers you can use Capa™ that is ideal for both renewable and
disposable polyesters. In disposables - for plastic bags, compost bags, coated paper and one-
time plastic cutlery, and in renewables - for cutlery, trays and items that need to last a year or
two. Bioplastics are now broadening out into electronic equipment, such as mobile handsets

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and casings, and making inroads into automotive parts too. Capa™ is an essential part of this
journey into these new market segments.

Get the inside track on Capa™ for bioplastics at K Fair at stand B15, hall 07.2

Perstorp will also be showcasing new products for carbon source for intumescent flame-
retardants, non-phthalate plasticizers for sensitive applications and new high heat resistant
transparent thermoplastic co-polyesters for plastic packaging and durable applications.

   About Perstorp

The Perstorp Group is among the world leaders in several sectors of the specialty chemicals
market for a wide variety of industries and applications. Its products are added to a wide
range of products used every day at home, work or leisure.

Do you want plastic with that?
July 4, 2013 WorldPress

                              Nurdles found on a Sorrento beach

These are nurdles. Tiny beads of plastic that are the basis of plastics manufacture. Nurdles
arrive at plastics factories in big sacks, which are then emptied into vats to be melted down
into the plastic rubbish-to-be of your choice – bags, toys, disposable spoons and plates, you
name it. Every time those sacks are emptied, or a small hole develops in a sack during
transport, a few nurdles escape. Just a few tiny plastic beads, so small you could fit around 6
nurdles on your average little fingernail – nothing alarming, nothing to stress about, surely?

These nurdles were found on the beach at Sorrento. Nurdles are found at every beach. Nurdles
are found in every ocean. Nurdles, those few, tiny escapees, are everywhere. They wash down
the storm water drains when it rains. They flow down our streams and rivers and into our bays

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and oceans. They wash up on beaches. They have interesting properties – they absorb toxins
from the water.

Nurdles rapidly become tiny toxic time bombs, and being small and floating, they look
exactly like fish food. Sea birds eat them. Small fish eat them. Big fish eat them. Big fish also
eat the small fish, concentrating the toxins up the food chain. Then we eat the big fish. Fish
and chips for dinner? Do you want nurdles with that? Because you’re getting them whether
you like it or not. With a delightful toxic sauce.

A couple of weeks ago my 10 year old and I were privileged to go out on Polperro to take
part in a plastics survey in Port Phillip bay. We met film maker Michael J Lutman, who is
making a film about the plastics in Port Phillip Bay. He has also made a film about a plastics
survey in the South Atlantic, called Plasticized. Go watch it – it’s a shocking account of a trip
through the South Atlantic, surveying the plastics all the way through, including the South
Atlantic gyre – one of the vast islands of rubbish found in every ocean on the planet.

We also met Neil Blake, Director of Port Phillip Ecocentre and long time champion of Port
Phillip Bay and its ecosystem. Neil has a tiny amount of funding to do a survey of the plastics
in the bay. For the documentary we did a short trawl through the waters of the bay. The water
looked clean. There was no visible rubbish. Yet the trawl found plastic. Perhaps it’s not
surprising to find plastic in the waters of Port Phillip Bay – a busy waterway with a big city
on its shores. But as you can see in Plasticized, the Movie, plastic is everywhere, infesting the
waters of even the most remote “untouched” oceans of the world.

After we had trawled the bay we walked on the beach for a short distance – maybe 100
metres. We picked up just some of the rubbish we saw along the way:

                        Rubbish found on the beach near Sorrento Pier

The haul included plastic straws and spoons, scrunchies, bits of tape, soft drink bottles, plastic
signs, bottle tops, hair clips, fishing line and various plastic connectors, rope, and bits of
piping, among other things. It’s easy to see how the plastic winds up on the beach. After all,
you’re walking on the beach and holding a straw. There’s no bin within reach. What’s one
straw in the scheme of things? Oops. It drops and is whipped away by the wind. Oh well. No
harm done.

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Or it’s the lid of a coffee cup, a plastic stirrer, a McDonalds soft drink cup, or the wrapper off
a chocolate frog. It’s the plastic wrap from your sandwich, a bag from your shopping, the lid
of your water bottle or a hair clip that falls out.

Each individual bit of plastic is so minor, but they accumulate to form an environmental
disaster of staggering proportions – torturing and killing our marine life, from birds to
dolphins and whales, drifting out to sea, filling every part of our planet, affecting every bit of
our ecosystem. Rubbish in our oceans is the lasting result of our insatiable desire for
disposable, breakable, temporary plastic junk. Every time you say no to plastic bags, recycle
your plastic bottles, or use a keep cup, you keep a bit of plastic out of the ocean.

And at the root of it all is the omnipresent, ubiquitous nurdle. The nurdle seems to symbolise
everything that’s wrong about our attitude to the world. Those tiny bits of plastic, drifting,
unregarded, on the wind and the tide.

What’s a nurdle here or there? It’s an environmental disaster, that’s what.

A biodegradable bag to end the reign of plastic -India
Posted on July 6, 2013 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting Regulations

A biodegradable bag to end the reign of plastic – Hindustan Times.

Imagine a plastic bag which will vanish completely if you keep it out in the open for some
months and will not even harm the environment. It would be akin to a dream of staunch
environmentalists which a Delhi resident is set to turn into reality.

Arun Sinha, along with US-based Global Exchange Technologies Inc, is getting GXT
ECOgrade Photodegradable Bags — recyclable, non-toxic and degrades by exposure to
sunlight — for the vast market looking for a viable option ever since the government has been
trying to enforce the ban on plastic.

“This is the right solution to the plastic bag pollution challenge as it breaks down in 40 days,
becoming the only viable solution to litter. It completely degrades into a non-toxic residue in
less than 240 days. Made from 46 per cent natural materials, these bags emit 35% less
greenhouse gas in resin production and 15% less greenhouse gas in bag manufacture,”
Sinha, 59, said.

This woman doe snot understand what she is getting into. These are oxodegradable
bags that fragment down to little pieces in sunlight. What is worse, one plastic bag or
1000′s of fragments that are now bite sized for wildlife. These fragments will flow and
blow around the environment, making an environmental plastic soup.

She is better to support the government on a plastic bag ban, or a fee on plastic bags and
let the people themselves choose to stop using them. Plus encourage the reusable bag
from natural materials. All these are far better than letting people use oxodegradable
bags that will result in a far larger environmental problem.

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The New Way to Drink Coffee
Published by Will Farrel on Thursday, July 04, 2013

The compostable plastic ecovio® from BASF has found its first production application in a
system solution for packaging. The Swiss Coffee Company’s coffee capsules beanarella
consist of the new injection molding grade ecovio IS1335; at the same time the multi-layer
composite system for the aroma-tight outer barrier packaging for the capsules is also ecovio-
based. The capsules fulfill the demanding requirements for protecting the product and
brewing coffee in high-pressure coffee machines, yet may still be composted; so does the
barrier packaging. The system solution is predominantly based on renewable resources. The
product which was jointly developed in only some 13 months, can contribute to sustainability
while simultaneously addressing the latest trend in coffee drinking. In mid-May, the Swiss
Coffee Company received the IDEE SUISSE "Golden Idea Award 2013" innovation prize for
this product concept in Zürich for an "innovative contribution to the sustainable strengthening
of the Swiss economy"

Source: www.basf.com

Carbios s'allie au CNRS pour créer le plastique
autodestructible
Par Chantal Houzelle | 27/06

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Après son partenariat avec l' Inra annoncé à la mi-avril, Carbios officialise aujourd'hui sa
collaboration stratégique avec un autre grand organisme de recherche publique, le CNRS, et
l'université de Poitiers. Représentant un investissement de 3,2 millions d'euros, cette alliance
public-privé s'inscrit aussi dans le programme collaboratif Thanaplast piloté par la pépite
tricolore de la chimie verte, qui vise à valoriser la fin de vie des plastiques. « Dès juin 2012,
nous avons mis en place avec le CNRS, dans les locaux de l'université de Poitiers, un
laboratoire coopératif de biotechnologie pour une durée de trois ans, dont nous partageons
équitablement la charge, soit 1,6 million d'euros chacun », précise Jean-Claude Lumaret,
directeur général de Carbios, basé à Clermont-Ferrand. « Nous avons signé un accord de
licence exclusive mondiale pour l'exploitation de deux brevets du CNRS et de Valagro,
prestataire également impliqué dans le consortium Thanaplast, pour valoriser les fameuses
souches des enzymes capables de dégrader certaines matières plastiques. » Après un an de
travaux communs, les deux partenaires ont déjà identifié un certain nombre de micro-
organismes qui détruisent un bioplastique, mais aussi d'autres polymères. « Ce laboratoire
qui possède toute l'expertise nécessaire en matière de biodiversité naturelle, est le chef
d'orchestre de ce projet. Nos chercheurs détachés à Poitiers et ceux du CNRS ont vraiment
mis les mains dans le cambouis ensemble », insiste Jean-Claude Lumaret. Autre résultat
tangible : « En extrudant un plastique contenant un catalyseur biologique qui lui permet de
s'autodégrader, Carbios et Valagro ont constaté que cette enzyme était toujours active après
l'opération d'extrusion », explique le directeur général de la start-up soutenue financièrement
par Truffle Capital.

                                            CARBIOS

                                      Date de création : 2011
                                        Directeur général :
                                       Jean-Claude Lumaret
                                      Levée de fonds totale :
                                         5 millions d'euros
                                       Effectif : 8 personnes
                                       Secteur : chimie verte

Des étiquettes fabriquées à partir d’herbes folles
Breizpack via Emballage Magazine, Tiziano Polito, 6 juin 2013

Les étiquettes Pure Labels présentent un aspect écru. Distant Village propose une
alternative au papier issu du bois. - Basé à Chicago (Etats-Unis), mais possédant des
bureaux en Asie et en Europe, Distant Village se présente comme une entreprise qui veut
"révolutionner" l'emballage. Sa démarche, axée sur le développement durable, consiste à
recourir à des matériaux qui, comme le carton ou le papier, sont issus de ressources
renouvelables. En matière d'étiquetage, l'entreprise propose Pure Labels, une gamme
d'étiquettes auto-adhésives fabriquées à partir de fibres végétales issues d'herbes sauvages "à
l'exclusion de tout arbre". Le substrat, à l'aspect écru, peut être imprimé avec des machines
laser ou jet d'encre dans le cadre d'applications pour la bureautique (publipostage, édition de
badges, …) ou la logistique (étiquettes avec code-barres). D'après Distant Village, les
étiquettes Pure Labels sont moins chères que les étiquettes auto-adhésives classiques en
papier.

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Triangle replaces chasing arrows in Resin Identification
Code
Enhancements to RIC include decoupling the system from recycling message by replacing chasing
arrows with triangle symbol, and addressing recent resin innovations.

By Anne Marie Mohan, Editor, Greener Package 26/06/13

ASTM International Subcommittee D20.95 on Recycled Plastics, part of Committee D20 on Plastics,
has approved major enhancements to D7611, Standard Practice for Coding Plastic Manufactured
Articles for Resin Identification. ASTM D7611, first issued in 2010, covers the long-standing Resin
Identification Code (RIC) system for identifying the various types of plastic resin used in
manufactured articles.

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The RIC was developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) in 1988 to meet the needs of
recyclers and manufacturers for a consistent, uniform coding system that can be applied worldwide.
SPI began work with ASTM International in 2008 to involve technical and industry stakeholders in
updating and maintaining the RIC system to better address changing societal needs and
advancements in plastics materials. Originally intended to assist waste recovery facilities in the
quality sorting of plastics products prior to recycling, the RIC system has today become a vital
foundational tool used by municipalities, scrap brokers, recyclers, manufacturers, consumers, and
others for managing the end-of-life of plastics materials.

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According to SPI, the latest revisions to D7611 further modernize the RIC system, providing for more
effective utilization across the stakeholder community, while also addressing recent innovations in
polymer applications and multilayer materials. Says Melissa Hockstad, vice president of science,
technology, and regulatory affairs at SPI, “Diverse experts have come together in the open and
transparent ASTM process to develop changes to D7611 that better align the RIC system with
modern era requirements. The recent efforts of Committee D20.95 address several important
technical issues that support the underlying focus of the code, enable the inclusion of new resins,
and lay the groundwork for future improvements.”

Ensuring proper usage of the coding system
Among the major revisions to ASTM D7611 is a change to the graphic marking symbol used to
identify resin type. The RIC system has used a “chasing arrows” symbol surrounding a numeral from 1
to 7 that defines the resin used in the product’s packaging. Under D7611, this marking symbol is now
specified as a solid equilateral triangle around the number.

The RIC system was originally developed and continues to be solely dedicated to identifying resin
content, rather than product recyclability. By replacing the chasing arrows graphic—commonly
associated with recycling—with an equilateral triangle, ASTM D7611 helps bring focus back to the
system’s core mission: resin identification and quality control prior to recycling.

Bridget Anderson, director, Recycling Unit, Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and
Recycling, NYC Department of Sanitation, participated in the development of the revised
D7611 standard as a member of the ASTM D20.95.01 task group. “Changing the marking
symbol in D7611 decouples the RIC system from the recycling message, which has been a
significant source of confusion by the public,” she says. “This is an important first step to help
ensure the long-term integrity and viability of the RIC system. Building on this effort,
committee members can marshal their collective expertise to continue to create a more robust
coding system that is relevant and useful to multiple stakeholders in the recycling system
today and into the future.”

Addressing the need for new resins
ASTM D7611 provides codes for the six most commonly found resin types, with a seventh
category created for all other types. These categories include: 1) polyethylene terephthalate
(PETE); 2) high-density polyethylene (HDPE); polyvinyl chloride (V); 4) low-density
polyethylene (LDPE); 5) polypropylene (PP); 6) polystyrene (PS); and 7) other, including
materials made with more than one resin from categories 1-6.

As part of its ongoing efforts, the D20.95.01 task group is assessing how to differentiate
between different melt flows within each resin; how to identify certain additives that might

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significantly change the properties of a resin; and how to better label individual resins (PLA,
PC, ABS, Nylon, and others) that are currently designated as “other” in the current RIC
system. The task group is also discussing whether a new code is needed for linear low-density
polyethylene (LLDPE) to enable products made from this technology to be accurately
identified and distinguished from products marked as HDPE or LDPE.

Thomas Pecorini, technology fellow, Eastman Chemical Co., and a member of the D20.95.01
task group, comments, “Clearly and distinctly identifying new resins through the ASTM
D7611 code system will support consumers, brand owners, retailers, waste collectors,
municipal recovery facilities, and reclaimers in identifying manufactured articles made from
these materials and ultimately help to facilitate the desired recycling of these products.”

All parties interested in contributing to potential revisions to ASTM D7611 are invited to join
the task group responsible for the new standard, D20.95.01.

Le Crédit Agricole lance la carte bancaire en amidon de
maïs
Par La rédaction de RTL.fr , Avec AFP | Publié le 10/07/2013 à 12h22

   Les clients de "la Banque verte" disposeront tous, d'ici à 2017, de cartes bancaires en
   bioplastique, compostables et biodégradables, réalisées à base d'amidon de maïs.

Le Crédit Agricole dotera, d'ici 2017, tous ses clients de cartes bancaires en bioplastique à
base d'amidon de maïs, a annoncé mercredi la banque, qui lance par ailleurs un test de
collecte et recyclage pour les cartes périmées dans six caisses régionales. "Cette innovation,
gratuite pour les clients, concerne dans un premier temps certaines cartes de retrait. Elle
devrait être progressivement étendue à l'ensemble du parc de cartes du Crédit Agricole d'ici
2017", précise la banque.

Les cartes actuelles, fabriquées en PVC, seront remplacées par des cartes en PLA (Polyacide
lactique), fabriqué à base d'amidon de maïs fermenté. Le PLA, biodégradable et
compostable, est utilisé dans les emballages alimentaires ou pour remplacer les sacs en
plastique. Le PLA utilisé par le Crédit Agricole est produit à base de maïs cultivé sur des
"parcelles non OGM aux Etats-Unis", tient à préciser la banque.

Un test de collecte et recyclage est lancé dans six caisses régionales, où les cartes périmées
seront confiées à Umicore, groupe spécialisé dans le traitement des déchets métalliques et
électroniques. "Les métaux utilisés pourront être réutilisés dans des secteurs tels que
l'automobile, les télécommunications, le bâtiment", précise le communiqué.

Europe’s bio-based industries get €22bn boost
By PRW   Posted 12 July 2013

The European Commission, EU Member States and European industry are set to invest more
than €22bn in innovation for bio-based technologies over the next seven years as part of the
Horizon 2020 initiative.

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The Bio-based Industries Joint Technology Initiative (BBI JTI) aims to reduce Europe’s
reliance on petroleum products and support green initiatives and sustainable growth through
the bio-economy.

Activity will focus on three main areas: increasing biomass productivity from feedstock and
finding new supply chains, development of multi-purpose bio-refineries and development of
markets and policy frameworks to support the industry.

Adrian Higson from the bio-tech consultancy NNFCC said: “The bio-based industries public-
private partnership (PPP) sends a clear signal that Europe is serious about the development of
an efficient and integrated bio-economy bringing together farming, forestry and waste
industries with the process industries to provide food, feed, textiles, chemicals and fuels.

“As a partner in the EU Commission funded Bio Base NWE project NNFCC will be
supporting UK business to access funding through the PPP.”

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Compostable packaging for food
European Plastics News staff   Posted 12 July 2013

Germany-based BASF has extended its range of compostable and partially bio-based plastics,
Ecovio. Ecovio T2308 has been developed for thermoforming rigid packaging while Ecovoio
IS1335 is designed for the injection moulding of more complex shapes.

Previous Ecovio products had been for the extrusion sector – producing films for use in food
bagging as well as mulch film.

For thermoforming, Ecovio T2308 has similar mechanical properties to amorphous PET.
Compostable, it also has a high content from renewable sources (polylactic acid). It contains
Ecoflex, BASF’s compostable polyester, ensuring the material is neither too stiff nor too
brittle. The processing window for Ecovio T2308 is between 80°C and 120°C.

The injection-moulding grade Ecovio IS1335 also offers good stiffness. It can be processed
using single-cavity or multi-cavity moulds that are equipped with or without hot runners. It is
dimensionally stable up to 55°C and lends itself to thin-walled, complex and high-quality
packaging. The product is also compatible with in-mould labelling.

BASF has conducted experiments on the compostability of injection-moulded pieces made
with Ecovio IS1335, working in co-operation with independent institutes. Results have shown
that, depending on application, products with thicknesses as great as 1.1 mm degrade in
accordance with the DIN standard EN 13432 for compostable packaging.

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