API and Sacmi come together to manufacture a 100% biodegradable cap

Thermoplastic compounder and biopolymer maker API Spa says a partnership with packaging machinery supplier Sacmi has led to the development of a 100% biodegradable mineral water bottle cap.

"API Spa has a long tradition in soft thermoplastic compounds used in many different applications and it is now approaching the packaging industry with its range of biodegradable plastic compounds," Aldo Zanetit, business unit manager for the packaging and medical division of API Spa, told PlasticsToday. "Sacmi provided the opportunity to optimize our biodegradable grades for their compression technology."

First presented at Packology 2013 in Italy, a 'green tour' will also be set up inside the Sacmi stand for the upcoming Drinktec and K 2013 events, which will showcase this new cap. Zanetit said the cap is 100% biodegradable and compostability under EN 13432 is still under evaluation.

The cap is produced from a compound belonging to the Apinat Bio range. API says that due to its chemical structure and versatility, these compounds can easily be processed using widely available technology and have an extensive application range, being used in industries as varied as footwear, agriculture and packaging.

Zanetit said thanks to the unique rheology and behavior of the molten material, the material has been designed to cope with compression technology from Sacmi. The flexibility of this technology has resulted in the optimization of the Apinat compound with the ability to produce the functional, biodegradability and compostability performance of the cap.

API says that this latest development "confirms and reinforces both firms' mutual commitment to the high-innovation development needed to resolve the planet's burgeoning environmental issues."