Page 40 - Plastics News February 2024

FEATURE

Barrier Biopolymer PEF Propelled by Performance, Potential, and

Sustainability
to continue during the forecast pe-
riod. Shifting consumer preferences
toward sustainable products plays a
pivotal role.

The legislative impact on PEF in
the US and globally.

Governments globally increasingly
prioritize environmental sustainabil-
ity by enacting stringent policies and
regulations targeting the reduction of
plastic waste. In the US, that includes
California’s CA SB 54, the impending
law that targets waste from single-use
packaging and plastic food ware.
CEOs Marit van Egmond of Albert Heijn and Tom van Aken of Avantium share
a bottle of fruit juice that will soon be made of PEF. AVANTIUM These policies and regulations include
bans or restrictions on single-use
omentum continues for biopoly- erage solutions provider for brands, plastics and incentivize the adoption
Mmers, which are seen as sustain- produces the bottle. Albert Heijn is of alternatives like PEF. For example,
able alternatives to conventional plas- the largest supermarket chain in the US laws authorize USDA to designate
tics sourced from plants and other Netherlands. bio-based products for Federal pro-
renewable materials. PEF can replace PET in food and curement.
Polyethylene furanoate is among a beverage packaging. According to the report, “as govern-
growing wave of biopolymer options. PEF’s applicability extends beyond ment policies continue to evolve and
The PEF market is projected to reach beverage bottles to the broader pack- become more stringent in tackling
$28 million by 2028, at a compound aging sector market due to its wide- plastic waste, company’s proactively
annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.1 % ranging advantages, including as a sus- adopting PEF stand to benefit from
from $19 million in 2023. tainable substitute for conventional a competitive edge, cost efficiencies,
That’s according to a global PEF mar- packaging materials such as polyethyl- and market differentiation in align-
ket study released in January by Mar- ene terephthalate (PET). ment with evolving environmental
ketsAndMarkets. It reports that the PEF offers exceptional resistance to mandates.”
bioplastic’s growth is primarily driven gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide, Omnexus, billed as the material selec-
by government regulation and policies which makes it an excellent choice for tion platform, refers to PEF as “the
along with increasing demand for PEF diverse packaging applications. Rising Star [of] today's bioplastics.”
bottle production.
PEF also exhibits impressive thermal However, there’s no perfect polymer.
In fact, the PEF bottles subsegment and mechanical characteristics which, While PEF aligns with current recy-
is projected to grow at the fastest along with recyclability, contribute to cling systems via PET streams over
CAGR, in terms of value, during the reducing the environmental impact the near term, production scalability,
forecast period.
through sustainable benefits. It also cost-effectiveness, regulatory compli-
That’s where the biopolymer will gain has a lightweight composition to re- ance, and consumer acceptance re-
traction this year when European re- duce material use and transportation main pivotal hurdles, report analysts
tailer Albert Heijn debuts high-barrier costs. point out.
fruit juice bottles on shelf. The poly- From a geographic view, the markets
mer is sourced from Avantium while of Asia Pacific are registering high PEF
Refresco, a global independent bev-
growth, and the trend is projected
42 PLASTICS NEWS February 2024