In Business, Creating Sustainable Enterprises & Communities

What's What And Who's Who In COMPOSTABLE PRODUCTS

In Business, July-August, Vol. 29, No. 4, p. 16

Demand for sustainable packaging, established standards for compostability and biodegradability, and increasing number of organics diversion programs are driving demand for compostable products.

Nora Goldstein and Cristina Olivares

THESE are, without a doubt, exciting times for companies in the compostable products industry - from the manufacturers of resins to the distributors of the end products. After close to 20 years of product and market development, a number of factors are converging to create demand for compostable bags, foodservice ware, packaging films and containers. These include retailer demand for sustainable packaging, rising cost of petrochemicals, expansion of food residuals composting and zero waste initiatives, and, most recently, passage of an ordinance in San Francisco to ban large grocery stores and pharmacies from giving out traditional plastic shopping bags, which is expected to catch on in other communities. Added to those factors are the well-established certification programs for resins and compostable products, which have boosted regulatory and consumer confidence that the products perform as advertised.
While interviewing various resin and product manufacturers for this article, we asked if anyone was observing a “critical mass” of interest and demand that will lead to rapid growth of the use of compostable products over the next few years. “So many factors are influencing the direction of biomaterials,” says Bob Findlen, Vice-President of Sales and Marketing of the Natural Plastics polymer brand from Metabolix, Inc. “There is the concern around sustainability and the demand and activity that companies like Wal-Mart are bringing to the marketplace. There is the biodegradability part of the market to address issues like litter from traditional plastic bags. Environmental issues are another driving factor, e.g., carbon balance, along with the unsustainability of our thirst for oil. All these things are happening, all at the same time. But have we reached a critical mass? If that is defined as starting to have an effect on the use of petroleum, we are not there yet. But compostable products are on the shelves today and we do have sponsorship from major brand owners to use these materials. So we are definitely past the phase of not wanting to be the first to use the products.”
Jeff Cole with Genpak - one of the major foodservice supplier “brands” using biodegradable and compostable resins for its Harvest Collection line - also believes considerable progress has been made in the industry, but still sees challenges in the marketplace. “Genpak is one of the biggest providers of quality single use products in the industry,” he says. “I would guess that 40 to 50 percent of the inquiries we get via our website these days are related to our Harvest Collection line. People want to learn more about these products, e.g., what their properties are. But the key question to ask - despite this tremendous interest - is 'If traditional plastics went away today, are alternatives ready to step in?' The answer is no. There are not enough suppliers to fill that demand, but it is growing.”
The price gap between single-use items that are compostable and those that are not is still significant, he adds. “Typically foodservice operators want something that is functional but won't drive up the price of their supplies. The charge for a hamburger with a bag of potato chips and a drink may be $5. We want to be sure the packaging is not a significant portion of that $5 bill. The trick is to find customers willing to go the extra step to have that zero waste ability - to bring in products that do what they are supposed to do, e.g., not melt, and then have the internal capability to capture that waste stream and bring it to a composting facility that will take care of it.”
Cole sees two types of customers in this particular market - one that has done all their homework and has figured out how to completely close the loop and not have it cost them more, and the other that wants to buy the Harvest line - with or without the ability to close the loop - because it makes them feel better about their purchasing decisions.
Frederic Sheer of Cereplast, which formulates resins used to make a range of compostable products, has been in the compostable and biode-gradable plastics industry for many years. He believes the key factor to achieve a critical mass is to be able to deliver a large quantity of resin with consistent quality at competitive pricing with traditional petroleum-based resins. “At Cereplast, we primarily focus on resins that can compete with their petroleum counterparts,” he explains. “For example, we are focusing on injection molding and thermoforming resins that we offer at pricing as low as $0.65/lb. In terms of production, we have increased our capacity from 14 million pounds to 55 million pounds in 2007, and we anticipate increasing it again.”

A BIT 'O HISTORY
We have been reporting on alternatives to traditional petroleum-based plastics for about 20 years. In the late 1980s, as growing numbers of municipalities began to roll out curbside collection and composting programs for yard trimmings, it quickly became evident that plastic bags competed with odors as Enemy #1 at the composting sites. They became entwined in the turning equipment and when shredded, were both a source of litter and an end product contaminant. The early generations of “compostable” plastics were essentially a blend of polyethylene and starch and/or other additives. Questions and concerns arose about the biodegradability of these products - primarily bags. A number of companies came and went during this time period, and it soon was recognized that in order for this market to develop, standards had to be established to verify the biodegradability and compostability of the resins and fibers and products being marketed.
A November 1995 article in BioCycle, “Unraveling The Biodegradable Plastics Maze,” provides a valuable snapshot of where the industry had evolved to, and where it needed to go. By this point, the resins used to make biodegradable bags fell into two general categories - natural and synthetic. Stated the article, “Natural (or biopolymers) are based largely on renewable resources and include polylactic acid (PLA), cellulosics and starches, and polyhdroxyalkanoates. Synthetic polymers are made from petroleum-based feedstocks and include polyester and polyethylene polymers. An example of a biodegradable, synthetic polymer is polycaprolactone, a thermoplastic polyester resin. Most biodegradable plastic bags are made from a blend of natural and synthetic polymers.” This categorization still holds true 12 years later.
An ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standard had been updated in 1994 (ASTM D-5488-94d) to establish terminology for compostable and biodegradable packaging. Eventually, the ASTM standards were refined into the current and widely accepted specifications - ASTM D6400 “Specifications for Compostable Plastics” and ASTM D6868 “Specification for Biodegradable Plastic Coatings on Paper and other Compostable Substrates.” The test methods and specifications found in ASTM D6400 and D6868 mimic what takes place in well-run municipal or commercial composting facilities. There are three key tests involved. All are referenced in the ASTM D6400 and D6868 standards. The first measures the ability of the product or material to be converted to carbon dioxide by the organisms found in a compost pile at an acceptable rate. The second test measures the ability of the materials to fragment, so that products do not clog the screening equipment or detract from the value of the finished compost. The third test measures the ability of the resulting compost to support plant growth and insure that the product does not contain high levels of regulated metals.
In 1999, the Biodegradable Products Institute and the U.S. Composting Council established a certification program for compostable products. Today, the BPI website (www.bpiworld.org) lists approved products in four categories: Resins (10 approved); Compostable bags (15 approved); Foodservice (7 approved); Packaging (4 approved). “From a product certification perspective, manufacturers need to meet the ASTM standard appropriate to the application,” explains Steve Mojo, BPI's Executive Director. “ASTM D6400 is for products that are made only of plastic, such as bags and cutlery. ASTM D6868 is for products that combine plastic with paper, cardboard, bagasse or some other fiber. We also use D6868 to approve products that do not contain plastic at all, e.g., the Chinet brand, to ensure that they disintegrate and don't contain metals or other contaminants. Both specifications have the same requirements for disintegration, biodegradation, metals and plant growth.”
A number of composting facilities in the U.S. accept PI-approved compostable products. Cedar Grove Composting, based in Seattle, Washington, requires that all products claiming compostability be tested in its composting process prior to accepting that material in compost feedstocks. Cedar Grove uses the GORE cover composting system. To date, only compostable bags have been approved. Accepted brands include BioBag, Biosak, BioTuf, Cereplast, Comp-Lete, EcoFilm/EcoWorks and Marshall Plastic Film. To be tested, compostable products need to be BPI-certified or pass the ASTM D6400 test. Foodservice ware and other items can be tested in addition to bags.