Bioplastic films: Klöckner to handle Plantic’s sheet distribution

is ending its marketing and sales relationship for sheet in North America with DuPont, which had been handling sheet sales there since 2007. Plantic will continue to service the Australasia and European markets directly, though in late 2009 it announced German processor Kesko would aid it in selling thermoformed packaging in Europe.

Klöckner Pentaplast intends to market and sell Plantic films throughout the Americas under its Pentafood Biofilm brand name. Plantic's films are biodegradable and compostable to ASTM 6400 and EN 13432 standards. The material used is certified for disposal in wastewater to European Standards. It can be printed, sealed, and laser etched. Sheet has already been used for thermoformed packaging of trays for confectionery, chocolates, cookies, and more. Like other thermoforming materials, production scrap of Plantic sheet can be reground for extrusion into new thermoformable films.

Plantic Technologies Ltd. (Altona, Australia) has been busy of late. In addition to the Kesko announcement last fall, and the Klöckner Pentaplast one on Feb. 15, in December 2009 it announced an agreement with National Starch in which Plantic will relocate one of its manufacturing lines from Australia to the U.S., with National Starch using it to make the starch-based plastics. National starch also is Plantic's key supplier of starch.

Plantic has a production facility for resin pellets and sheet extrusion at its Australian headquarters, and has a sheet extrusion/thermoforming site near Jena, Germany. —[email protected]