Companies jockey to fill gap left by shift from polycarbonate

Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, TN), which has successfully applied its Tritan copolyester in consumer and medical goods, recently announced that the the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Union’s equivalent to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has issued a favorable opinion supporting Tritan’s safety. Eastman says the opinion could pave the way for the European Commission to amend Directive 2002/72/EC so that it adds a key monomer used in Tritan to its list of acceptable monomers for the production of food packaging plastics. Eastman says its copolyester offers clarity and toughness, hallmarks of the PC it’s looking to replace, while also offering high-heat and chemical resistance, improved design flexibility, and ease of processing. The company has positioned Tritan to compete in a range of applications, including small appliances, infant-care products, housewares, and certain medical devices.

According to Lucian Boldea, business director, Specialty Plastics Business at Eastman, the monomer in question is is 2,2,4,4-Tetramethylcyclobutane- 1,3-diol (TMCD), as specified in EFSA-Q-2008-202. Boldea told PlasticsToday that with the favorable opinion for TMCD, all necessary monomers and additives are covered by listings in Directive 2002/72/EC or EFSA opinions and are fully approved for food-contact applications in Europe. Down the road, Eastman anticipates that TMCD will be included in the next amendment to the Directive, along with what is being referred to as the Plastics Implementing Measure (PIM). Following a December meeting of the Standing Committee, the PIM should be adopted in March or April of 2010.

On Sept. 8, the California assembly was to vote on the Toxics-Free Babies and Toddlers Act (SB 797); legislation that will ban BPA from food and beverage containers designed for children three years and younger. The measure narrowly passed the California state senate on June 3 in the face of intense lobbying from the American Chemistry Council (ACC) among others. One company favoring the ban is Green to Grow (Los Angeles, CA), a manufacturer of BPA-free baby bottles founded in 2007. Green to Grow’s baby bottles are made from polyethersulfone (PES), which the company says is free of BPA, phthalates, and lead. Green to Grow points to the fact that Canada, several European nations, and the U.S. states of Minnesota and Connecticut have already banned BPA as proof of momentum for greater regulation, with an additional 22 states and municipalities currently reviewing legislation against the chemical.

On Sept. 1, Plastipure (Austin, TX) joined the fray, promoting its Purebot water bottle, which is produced by California-based Hydrapak, as  the “first safer plastic water bottle” in the market. Founded in 2000, Plastipure says its team of biologists, polymer chemists, and industry experts has worked to advance the science of safer plastics, creating and licensing new polymer formulations and plastic products.
 
Focused on what it calls estrogenic activity (EA), Plastipure says BPA and the plasticizer phthalates are only two of “hundreds of chemicals that can leach from plastics and cause estrogenic activity (EA), which is a common and serious form of endocrine disruption.” The company says it has certified materials and products free of all EA, not just EA caused by BPA and phthalates. Hydrapak’s Purebot will be available for $9.99 on its website and at select retail outlets. —Tony Deligio