LCA & EPD

The growing interest in environmental issues is creating a new market for products and services that are genuinely eco-compatible. This new economic parameter is the adoption of a series of instruments that measure, control and check the environmental performance.

Our raw material supplier, Novamont, has always made an important contribution to the promotion of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA, and more recently, of the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). These factors are considered strategic for verifying the true environmental benefit of using biodegradable plastic polymers.

Life Cycle Analysis

Life cycle analysis is a method for analysing manufacturing processes, products and services, which favours studying systems from a global viewpoint. The only way to study production systems completely is to step by step examine their performance i.e. the route covered by the raw materials through all of the transformation and transportation processes until the final treatment. This approach is termed "from cradle to grave".

The role of LCA is essential in identifying the manufacturing processes that have the greatest environmental impact and in indicating the options for improvement in order to maximise the positive effects and reduce the negative effects on the environment to a minimum.

Environmental Product Declaration

The EPD is an important voluntary instrument for qualifying companies that intend to take an active role in managing the environment factor. The EPD enables communicating the environmental contents of a product, both objectively and transparently.

The presence of recognised rules of a qualified and authoritative managing body and of a reliable validation system is essential elements of guaranteeing and protecting EPD

WVTR (Water Vapour Transmission Rate) measures the transmission of water vapour through a material. WVTR is measured in grams/m² during 24 hours (according to the standard ASTM – E398).

Using a bag with a high WVTR rate gives an important weight reduction of organic food waste due to the loss of water vapour. This reduces the growth of mould and fungus which also reduces unpleasant smell dramatically.

It is important that a bag with a high WVTR is used in a ventilated bin to achieve the best possible reduction of moisture.

According to the ASTM standard, a material is measured in 30 microns. A BioBag in this thickness has a value of up to 1200 gr/m²/24h. A thinner BioBag gives an even higher WVTR value. A traditional plastic (PELD) bag made in 30 microns has a value of only 20 gr/m²/24h.

Reduction of moisture content:

- Gives a higher comfort in hygiene products.

- Reduces mould, fungus and smell in food waste.

- Reduces the weight of food waste which gives reduced handling cost.

Mater-Bi®

BioBag products are made of Mater-Bi, a raw material that serves sustainable development combining environmental demands with those of agriculture and industry. Mater-Bi was developed by Novamont, and is the real response to the demand for convenience goods and packaging that have a reduced environmental impact. It contains renewable resources of agricultural origin.  It reduces the greenhouse gas emissions and the consumption of energy and non-renewable resources. Mater-Bi, thanks to the agricultural origin, returns to earth through processes of biodegradation and composting without releasing pollutants.

Under extremely clear and strict regulations on environmental issues (the European Standard EN13432 and the US Standard ASTM D6400) BioBag products are exemplary models. This because of the certifications obtained, the analysis and control instruments used and the guiding role in numerous national and international initiatives with the aim to constantly clarify and define the most suitable policies for safeguarding the environment.

BioBag products contain renewable raw materials of agricultural origin such as non-genetically modified starch. BioBag manufactures and sells various lines of biodegradable products, all with the Mater-Bi raw material. BioBag products are available within a number of product areas, sizes and qualities.

BioBag products:

· are completely biodegradable and compostable in different environments (e.g. composting plants, soil).

· can be printed on, using normal inks and printing techniques, without the need for crown treatment;

· can be coloured by using biodegradable Mater-Bi based Master-batches and are intrinsically anti-static

Compostability

Composting is the transformation of organic waste into compost. Organic waste attracts micro organisms present in the environment. If the water content is sufficiently high, the micro organisms start to consume the nutritional substances. This means it degrades the organic molecules, produces carbon dioxide, water and heat (biodegradation). At the end of the process, the initial waste is transformed into a substance called compost. In the composting plants, this process is controlled and optimised in order to achieve a high conversion speed, control of the effluent, control of the quality of the final compost, etc.

The compostable parts of Municipal Solid Waste, such as kitchen scraps, grass cuttings, waste from canteens, restaurants, bakeries etc., contain a lot of water and decompose quickly. Consequently, they are not suitable for recovering energy by incineration, because the heat is lost in evaporating the water instead of producing electricity. Furthermore, in a landfill, the wet organic materials are the source of considerable environmental problems, such as the production of methane and possible contamination of the water tables with contaminated percolates. In contrast, treatment of the organic part of solid urban waste (also known as the "wet part") by composting has extremely positive aspects. The production of compost and its use in agriculture completes the environmental cycle. The organic material returns to its place of origin in the form of compost, that is, a substance that maintains fertility, prevents erosion of the soil, reduces the washing away of inorganic fertilisers and blocks the onset of micro-organisms that are pathogenic to plants, just to mention some of the positive aspects found with the use of compost.

Composting is currently applied to selected waste, which contains only biodegradable organic material. Traditional plastics have no place in composting as they resist degradation and cause contamination. In contrast, biodegradable plastics are allowed, but only if they satisfy criteria established by norms that define compostable materials.

Biodegradability

When natural organic materials go into the ground, they tend to decompose progressively before they disappear. This is very important to the environment, which has to get rid of waste to make room for new life. Photosynthetic organisms like trees, plants and algae, absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. With the power of the sun, the inexhaustible source of energy, they use it to synthesise sugars and a whole range of other substances present in nature.

The flow of substances and energy passes along the food chain from the plants to the herbivores, and from these, to carnivores. However, this mechanism would quickly become blocked if the opposite process did not exist, that is, if it was not possible to release carbon dioxide from organic material. So, in natural equilibrium, the process of biodegradation is as important as that of photosynthesis, of which it is both the outcome and the starting point. An important role in biodegradation is played by micro organisms, which are present in every environment and fed by organic waste. Thus, organic material is transformed back into carbon dioxide and thereby completing the natural cycle.