Page 69 - Plastics News Issue October 2025
P. 69
PRODUCT NEWS
rules like the Single-Use Plastics Directive of the though no one material is always best, bio-
EU. In Germany, France, and the UK, brands have based polymer film innovations are narrowing
picked up compostable plastic sheets in food the performance divide between petroleum-
packaging and retailing. based plastics.
Asia-Pacific is also experiencing a high growth The Role of Innovation and Startups
rate as a result of increasing consumer demand
in China, India, and Japan. India, as an example Startups are increasingly having an important
of this, has triggered startups to create biode- role in the biodegradable packaging films sce-
gradable food wrappers and agricultural mulch nario. Entrepreneurs are developing agile busi-
films due to bans on single-use plastics. ness models by testing sustainable film materials
made of seaweed, fermentation processes to
The adoption in North America is consistent, es- scale-up PHA packaging solutions as an alter-
pecially in niche markets such as organic food native to petroplastic, and more. Most of them
and high-quality packaging. Big companies are are collaborating with food brands, retail outlets,
testing out PHA packaging solutions as a way to and farm suppliers to implement pilot projects
future-proof supply chains to meet future regu- that hasten adoption.
latory shifts.
In the meantime, such established market play-
Comparing Material Properties: A Technical ers as BASF, NatureWorks, and Novamont are
Perspective spending a lot of money on research and de-
velopment, aiming to enhance the production of
PLA film and increase the capacity to produce
it worldwide. Their scale production capability
has the potential to offset the price difference
between compostable plastic sheets and tradi-
tional ones.
The Consumer Angle: Perception and Chal-
lenges
The main factor in the success of renewable
packaging films is the consumers. There is also
the increasing demand for environmentally
friendly packaging, which is, however, a matter
In order to comprehend adoption better, it is es- of confusion. A lot of consumers are unable to
sential to assess the performance characteris- differentiate between such terms as biodegrad-
tics of a number of sustainable film materials. able, compostable, and recyclable. The ecologi-
cal advantages of biodegradable food wraps
This comparative view shows us that even are negated by their mismanagement, such as
October 2025 PLASTICS NEWS 69
