For Ecologic (Oakbrook Terrace, IL), this means the company now can aggressively market its additives to more packaging processors in Brazil, where the plastics packaging industry is growing at a rapid pace.

In Brazil, "resolutions" for food packaging materials (according to the type of packaging material) have been published by the ANVISA, which is linked to the Ministry of Health. For plastics, the ANVISA Positive List of Additives was updated by Resolution RDC N. 17 of March 17, 2008. The purpose of ANVISA, an autonomous agency, is to foster protection of the health of the population by exercising sanitary control over production and marketing of products and services subject to sanitary surveillance.

"The non-polymeric part of Eco-One is made up of organic materials, hence we were confident that our PE and PP grades would be found compliant," said Duane Buelow, executive vice president of technology for EcoLogic. "We fully expect future Eco-One grades to be added to the ANVISA positive list."

"Gaining ANVISA approval in Brazil is comparable to FDA approval in the U.S.," said Tamas Vero of TIV Plasticos, EcoLogic's distributor in Brazil. EcoLogic plans to submit additional grades of Eco-One for compliance testing to ANVISA's Positive List of Additives in the near future.

The Eco-One additives enhance the biodegradation of plastic products in a biologically active landfill. Independent ASTM D5511 tests, representing biologically active landfills, have shown 5-15% biodegradation within 30 days.