Discount supermarket chain Aldi Süd is now offering its German customers shopping bags made of BASF’s biodegradable plastics Ecovio. The bags are manufactured by the Victor Güthoff & Partner Group, in Kerpen, Germany.
Ecovio consists of Ecoflex and polylactic acid (PLA), which is obtained from corn, a renewable raw material. Its special molecular structure allows it to be digested by microbes under precisely defined conditions, and it is completely biodegradable according to European standard EN 13432.
Whereas Ecoflex makes the bag flexible, tear resistant, waterproof and suitable for printing – giving it the properties of a classic plastic – the stiff PLA contributes the renewable raw material.
The combination of Ecovio and Ecoflex is said to allow film manufacturers such as Victor to produce bags and other film products with tailor-made properties – a higher percentage of Ecoflex renders the film more flexible, whereas a higher percentage of Ecovio renders it stiffer.
BASFsays this now makes it possible for renewable raw materials like PLA to be employed in high performance consumer products which, at the end of their days, can also serve as a bag for collecting and disposing of organic kitchen garbage – as is already permitted in most German communities.
External weblinksConverting Today is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.BASF
